Screen saver disabler

• US 6,683,605 B1
• Filed: 10/16/1995
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Bi, Depeng, Gladwin, S. Christopher, Wilson, James Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAO, LUNYI
• Application Number:
  US08/543,698
• Time in Patent Office: 3,025 Days
• Field of Search: 345/211, 345/173, 345/212, 345/339, 345/340, 345/867, 345/809, 364/707, 463/37, 463/38, 463/39, 395/339, 395/340, 395/200.01, 395/200.02, 395/200.05, 395/200.1, 395/200.13, 395/200.39, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 340/825.31, 709/200-203, 713/300, 713/310, 713/320, 700/83
• US Class Current: 345/211
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3237 by disabling clock generation or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1097 Boot, Start, Initialise, Power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/026 Arrangements or methods related to booting a display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/18 : Timing circuits for raster scan displays specially adapted for television H04N ; synchronisation between the display unit and other display units, videodisc player G09G5/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 : Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 : Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 : Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 : specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 : involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 : Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 : Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A wireless interface device for interfacing with a host computer connected in either a wired or wireless local area network (LAN). The wireless interface device includes a display that mirrors whatever is being displayed on the host computer to which it is connected. In order to reduce unnecessary LAN traffic, any screen savers running on the host computer are automatically disabled when a radio connection is made between the host computer and the wireless interface device. When the wireless interface device is disconnected from the host computer, the screen saver running on the host computer is automatically re-enabled.

Claims

1. In a computer system which includes a plurality of host computers each having a CPU and a storage device for running and storing programs and an associated display for displaying images connected in a local area network, a wireless interface device comprising:

means for wirelessly communicating and interfacing with said host computer, said communicating means including means for enabling a user to manually select a host computer from said plurality of host computers for connection for which connection was not previously established, wherein the connection is selected by way of a dialog box and for establishing a wireless connection with said selected host computer in response thereto and providing an indication of a connection to said host computer when wireless communication is established between said wireless interface and said selected host computer;

means for displaying images being displayed on said selected host computer and for displaying locally generated images at said wireless interface device; and

means responsive to said indication for automatically disabling a screen saver running on said selected host computer to prevent said screen saver from running on said wireless interface device.

2. A wireless interface device according to claim 1, wherein said disabling means includes means for monitoring said connection between said wireless interface device and said selected host computer.

3. A wireless interface device according to claim 2, wherein said disabling means includes means for simulating an action of an I/O device responsive to said monitoring means.

4. A wireless interface device according to claim 2, wherein said disabling means includes means for simulating a press of a key on a keyboard responsive to said monitoring means.

5. A wireless interface device according to claim 2, wherein said disabling means further comprises means for re-enabling said screen saver when said connection is ended.

6. A computer system, comprising:

a plurality of host computers each having a CPU and a storage device for running and storing programs and an associated display for displaying images, said plurality of host computers each further having a graphical user interface (GUI) and configured to run a screen saver program;

a wireless interface device including means for enabling a user to manually select a host computer from said plurality of host computers for connection for which connection was not previously established, wherein the connection is selected by way of a dialog box, and configured to wirelessly communicate and interface with said selected host computer in response thereto and to provide an indication of a connection to said selected host computer when wireless communication is established between said wireless interface device and said selected host computer, said wireless interface device including a display for displaying said graphical user interface and for displaying images being displayed on said selected host computer and for displaying locally generated images; and

a controller configured to disable said screen saver program responsive to said connection indication.

7. A computer system according to claim 6, wherein said controller is configured to identify establishment of a connection between said wireless interface device and said selected host computer.

8. A computer system according to claim 7, wherein said controller is configured to simulate an action of an I/O device responsive to identifying a connection between said wireless interface device and said host computer.

9. A computer system according to claim 7, wherein said controller is configured to simulate a press of a key on a keyboard responsive to identifying a connection between said wireless interface device and said host computer.

10. A computer system according to claim 7, wherein said controller is further configured to identify a termination of a connection between said selected host computer and said wireless interface device.

11. A computer system according to claim 10, wherein said controller is configured to re-enable said screen saver program when said termination is identified.

12. A method of operating a host computer having a CPU and a storage device for running and storing programs in a local area network (LAN), comprising:

interfacing a wireless interface with said host computer in response to a manual user selection of said host computer from a plurality of host computers by way of a dialog box, for which connection was not previously established, for enabling said wireless interface device to access said selected host computer and to provide an indication of a connection to said selected host computer when wireless communication is established between said selected host computer and said wireless interface;

displaying images being displayed on said selected host computer and displaying locally generated images on said selected host computer at said wireless interface device; and

automatically disabling a screen saver running on said selected host computer responsive to said indication to prevent said screen saver from running on said wireless interface device in response to said indication to said selected host computer that a wireless connection has been made between said selected host computer and said wireless interface device.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said disabling includes monitoring a connection between said wireless interface device and said selected host computer.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein said disabling includes simulating an action of an I/O device responsive to said monitoring.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein said disabling includes simulating a press of a key on a keyboard responsive to said monitoring.

16. A method according to claim 12, further comprising re-enabling said screen saver when said connection is ended.