Alternate display content controller

• US 6,678,007 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2001
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ostendo Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: xSides Corporation
• Inventors: Campbell, Scott, Nason, D David, OʼRourke, Thomas C
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/960,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20020067429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.5445, 348/563, 348/564, 348/565, 348/567, 348/569, 348/552, 345/778, 345/779, 345/530, 345/781, 345/788, 345/716, 345/717, 345/718, 709/323
• US Class Current: 348/564
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 1/16 the pattern of rectangular co-ordinates extending over the whole area of the screen, i.e. television type raster
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 1/165 Details of a display terminal using a CRT, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto details suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/061 for resetting or blanking
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/02 Graphics controller able to handle multiple formats, e.g. input or output formats
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

An alternate display content controller provides a technique for controlling a video display separately from and in addition to the content displayed on the operating system monitor. Where the display is a computer monitor, the alternate display content controller interacts with the computer utility operating system and hardware drivers to control allocation of display space and create and control one or more parallel graphical user interfaces adjacent the operating system desktop. An alternate display content controller may be incorporated in either hardware or software. As software, an alternate display content controller may be an application running on the computer operating system, or may include an operating system kernel of varying complexity ranging from dependent on the utility operating system for hardware system services to a parallel system independent of the utility operating system and capable of supporting dedicated applications. The alternate display content controller may also include content and operating software delivered over the internet or any other LAN. The alternate display content controller may also be included in a television decoder/settop box to permit two or more parallel graphical user interfaces to be displayed simultaneously.

Claims

1. A method in a settop box environment for controlling access to a video display system, the video display system having a video display and video display hardware that is controlled by a video device driver, the video display system having a display interface that enables applications to send output to the video display hardware through the video device driver, comprising:

communicating with the video device driver, without communicating through the display interface, to create an area of the video display that is capable of displaying output that is not obscured by output from the display interface; and

sending output to the created area, such that output displayed in the created area is not obscured by output from the display interface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the communicating to create the area is performed by access controller code that executes in the settop box.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the access controller code is a virtual device driver.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the access controller code is a device driver that encapsulates the video device driver.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the access controller code is a device driver that replaces the video device driver.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the access controller code is separate code that resides outside of the video device driver.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the access controller code modifies data sent between the display interface and the video device driver so that the video display is shared between output from the display interface and output from the access controller code.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein the access controller code intercepts a function call to the video device driver.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the access controller code intercepts output sent to the video display hardware.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the communicating to create the area is performed by intercepting a function call to the video device driver.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the intercepted function call is from the display interface, and further comprising, upon intercepting the function call, modifying the data sent to the video display driver.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the modified data cause output sent through the display interface to be directed to a smaller area of the video display system.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the intercepted function call is from the display interface, and further comprising, upon intercepting the function call, modifying the data sent between the display interface and the video device driver so that the video display is shared between output displayed through the display interface and output displayed to the created area.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the communicating to create the area is performed by modifying data that corresponds to size parameters of the video display.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein Direct X is used to communicate with the video device driver to create the area.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication with the video device driver, without communicating through the display interface, is performed by bypassing the display interface.

17. A settop box video display system having a display interface, comprising:

video display with video display hardware;

video device driver for controlling the video display; and

display controller code that communicates with the video device driver while bypassing the display interface to create an area of the video display that is capable of displaying output that is not obscured by output from the display interface.

18. The display system of claim 17, further comprising code that sends output to the created area, such that the output displayed in the created area is not obscured by output from the display interface.

19. The display system of claim 17 wherein the display controller code is a device driver.

20. The display system of claim 19 wherein the display controller code device driver is a virtual device driver.

21. The display system of claim 17 wherein the display controller code encapsulates the video device driver.

22. The display system of claim 17 wherein the display controller code replaces the video device driver.

23. The display system of claim 17 wherein the display controller code modifies data sent between the display interface and the video device driver so that the video display is shared between output from the display interface and output from the display controller code.

24. The display system of claim 17 wherein the display controller code intercepts a function call to the video device driver.

25. The display system of claim 17 wherein the display controller code intercepts output sent to the video display hardware.

26. The display system of claim 17 wherein the display controller code communicates with the video device driver to create the area by intercepting a function call to the video device driver.

27. The display system of claim 26 wherein the intercepted function call is from the display interface, and the display controller code, upon intercepting the function call, modifies data sent to the display interface.

28. The display system of claim 27 wherein the modified data cause output sent through the display interface to be directed to a smaller area of the video display system.

29. The display system of claim 17 wherein the intercepted function call is from the display interface, and further comprising code that modifies data sent between the display interface and the video device driver so that the video display is shared between output displayed through the display interface and output displayed to the created area.

30. The display system of claim 17 wherein the display controller code communicates with the video device driver by modifying data that corresponds to size parameters of the video display.

31. The display system of claim 17 wherein the display controller code uses DirectX to communicate with the video device driver to create the area.

32. A computer-readable memory medium containing instructions for controlling a computer processor to control access to a video display of a settop box video display system, the video display system having a video device driver and video display hardware that controls the video display, the video display system having a display interface that enables applications to send output to the video display hardware through the video device driver, the instructions controlling access to the video display by:

communicating with the video device driver, without communicating through the display interface, to create an area of the video display that is capable of displaying output that is not obscured by output from the display interface; and

sending output to the created area, such that output displayed in the created area is not obscured by output from the display interface.

33. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 32 wherein the communicating to create the area is performed by access controller code.

34. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 33 wherein access controller code is a virtual device driver.

35. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 33 wherein the access controller code is a device driver that encapsulates the video device driver.

36. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 33 wherein the access controller code is a device driver that replaces the video device driver.

37. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 33 wherein the access controller code modifies data between the display interface and the video device driver so that the video display is shared between output from the display interface and output from the access controller code.

38. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 33 wherein the access controller code intercepts a function call to the video device driver.

39. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 33 wherein the access controller code intercepts output sent to the video display hardware.

40. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 32 wherein the communicating to create the area is performed by intercepting a function call to the video device driver.

41. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 40 wherein the intercepted function call is from the display interface, and further comprising, upon intercepting the function call, modifying the data sent to the video display driver.

42. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 41 wherein the modified data cause output sent through the display interface to be directed to a smaller area of the video display system.

43. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 40 wherein the intercepted function call is from the display interface, and further comprising, upon intercepting the function call, modifying the data between the display interface and the video device driver so that the video display is shared between programs that output through the display interface and programs that output to the created area.

44. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 32 wherein the communicating to create the area is performed by modifying data that corresponds to size parameters of the video display.

45. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 32 wherein the communication with the video device driver, without communicating through the display interface, is performed by bypassing the display interface.

46. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 32 wherein Direct X is used to communicate with the video device driver to create the area.

47. A method for displaying output on a settop box video display system in conjunction with a user interface that occupies at least a portion of a first display area, the first display area being accessible through a graphics display interface, the video display system having a total displayable area of which the first display area is a part, comprising:

adjusting the video display system to include a second display area that is capable of displaying output that is not obscured by output from the graphics display interface;

apportioning the total displayable area between the first display area and the second display area; and

writing output to the second display area in accordance with the apportionment of the total displayable area so that the data is displayed on the video display system in conjunction with and not obscured by the user interface.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein allocating the total displayable area increases the size of the first display area.

49. The method of claim 47 wherein allocating the total displayable area decreases the size of the first display area.

50. The method of claim 47 wherein allocating the total displayable area leaves the size of the first display area unchanged.

51. The method of claim 47, the video display system having an associated video display driver, wherein the adjusting the video display system further comprises hooking a request to access the video device driver.

52. A method in a settop box environment for controlling access to different portions of a video display system, the video display system having an associated video device driver, the environment having a display interface that communicates with the video display system through the associated video device driver using a first virtual device driver, comprising:

instantiating a second virtual device driver to communicate with the video device driver, wherein the second virtual device driver is not the first virtual device driver;

intercepting communication between the first virtual device driver and the associated video device driver to prevent access by the display interface to a portion of the video display system; and

processing requests to access the portion of the video display system through the second virtual device driver.

53. A display controller in a settop box system that controls access to different portions of a video display system, the video display system having an associated video device driver, the system having a display interface that communicates through a first virtual device driver to the video display system through the associated video device driver, comprising:

second virtual device driver, that is not the first virtual device driver and that is communicably connected to the video device driver in a manner that is structured to prevent access by the display interface to a reserved portion of the video display system by intercepting communication between the first virtual device driver and the associated video device driver and to process requests to access the reserved portion of the video display system to display output to the reserved portion.

54. A computer-readable memory medium containing instructions for controlling a computer processor in a settop box system to control access to different portions of a video display system, the video display system having an associated video device driver, the system having a display interface that communicates with the video display system through the associated video device driver using a first virtual device driver, by:

instantiating a second virtual device driver to communicate with the video device driver, wherein the second virtual device driver is not the first virtual device driver;

intercepting communication between the first virtual device driver and the associated video device driver to prevent access by the display interface to a designated portion of the video display system; and

processing requests to access the designated portion of the video display system through the second virtual device driver.