Method for transferring selected display output from a computer to a portable computer over a wireless communication link

• US 7,089,332 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2001
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Tognazzini, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US09/793,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20010052027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/208, 709/217, 709/213, 709/218, 709/219, 709/248, 714/46, 707/201, 345/1.2, 345/156, 710/38
• US Class Current: 709/248
• 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A handheld computing device is used to copy files from the screen of a fixed computer. The display of the handheld device is linked to that of the underlying computer and file and directory icons together with their underlying files are copied to the handheld device. Files from the handheld device can also be transferred to the fixed computer. When a user is running a program on the fixed computer, he may capture the state of that computer and transfer everything needed to permit execution of that program to continue uninterrupted on the handheld device. Thus files and executing programs may be lifted from the fixed computer and used on the handheld device.

Claims

1. A method of slaving a first computer to a portable computer, comprising the steps of:

a. providing an element for performing a step of receiving keyboard input from said portable computer over a wireless communications link;

b. providing an element for performing a step of receiving mouse input from said portable computer over said wireless communications link; and

c. providing an element for performing a step of sending less than all of display output from said first computer over said wireless communications link to said portable computer.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said less than all of display output consists of display output from directly underneath the display of said portable computer when the display screen of said portable computer is placed over the display of the first computer.

3. A method of slaving a first computer to a portable computer, comprising the steps of:

receiving keyboard input from the portable computer over a wireless communications link;

receiving mouse input from the portable computer over the wireless communications link; and

when a display screen of the portable computer is placed over a display screen of the first computer, sending less than all output from the display screen of the first computer to the display screen of the portable computer over the wireless communications link.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the less than all output from the display screen of the first computer includes output from directly underneath the display screen of the portable computer.

5. The method of claim 3, further including the step of:

displaying the same information on the display screen of the portable computer and on less than all of the display screen of the first computer.