Method and apparatus for coordinating display elements with the structure of a computer system

• US 7,426,695 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2000
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Massaro, Kevin L., Wolff, Stacy L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chuong; Truc T
• Application Number:
  US09/594,308
• Time in Patent Office: 3,015 Days
• Field of Search: 345/333, 345/765, 345/334, 345/744, 345/764, 361/683, 364/551.01, 395/349, 705/36, 705/27, 365173-175, 715/765, 715/745, 715/747
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/181 Enclosures for portable computers G06F1/1613

Abstract

A system and method are provided that enable a computer user to match a computer display wallpaper design to interchangeable components of a computing system. Multiple, interchangeable panels or sets of matching panels are installed on components of the computing system and a matching wallpaper is displayed on the video display. Files storing the wallpaper designs are stored on a computer-readable medium. In addition, the system and method provide logic to detect a particular panel or set of panels and retrieve the corresponding wallpaper from the computer-readable medium and display it on the video display.

Claims

1. A method of displaying computers, comprising:

providing a plurality of computers, each with a video display design and having an interchangeable panel chosen from a plurality of panels installed on a housing, the plurality of panels each having a distinct visual design scheme;

correlating the distinct visual design schemes of the plurality of interchangeable panels and the video display designs of the plurality of computers such that they create an integrated design scheme; and

displaying the plurality of computers in the same place;

so that the integrated design scheme is observable by individuals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each video display design is implemented in a video display wallpaper.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each video display design is implemented in a screen saver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the interchangeable panels is placed on an associated one of the plurality of computers during its manufacture and video display design is configured to correspond with the distinct visual design scheme for each of the plurality of computers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the video display design of each of the plurality of computers matches the corresponding distinct visual design scheme.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the individuals are customers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the individuals are conference attendees.

8. A method of configuring a computing device, comprising:

selecting a first panel from a plurality of panels, each of the plurality of panels having a distinct visual design scheme, for interchangeable installation on a computing system;

configuring a display design scheme corresponding to the distinct visual design scheme of the first panel; and

displaying the display design scheme on a display device coupled to a central processing unit (CPU) of the computing system.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing on a computer readable medium associated with the computing device a display design scheme based upon the distinct visual design scheme of the first panel.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein each display design scheme is based upon a corresponding distinct pattern selected from a plurality of distinct patterns, each of the plurality of distinct patterns corresponding to one of the distinct visual design schemes of the plurality of panels.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the display design scheme is color-coordinated with the distinct visual design scheme of the first panel.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting the distinct visual design scheme of the first panel after the installation of the first panel; and

correlating the display design scheme to the distinct visual design scheme of the first panel based upon the detected distinct visual design scheme of the first panel prior to reading the display design scheme from a computer readable medium.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the software display design scheme is implemented in a display wallpaper.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the software displaydesign scheme is implemented in a screen saver.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the display device comprises a bezel, the bezel having a design that corresponds to the distinct visual design scheme of the first panel.

16. A computing system, comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a video display coupled to the CPU;

a computer readable media;

a selected one of a plurality of panels, each of the plurality of panels having a distinct visual design scheme, the selected one of the plurality of panels being interchangeably installed on the computing system;

a selected one of a plurality of video display designs stored on the computer readable media, each video display design corresponding to one of the distinct visual design schemes; and

logic for displaying on the video display the video display design corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of panels.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of video display designs includes one or more wallpaper designs.

18. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of video display designs includes one or more screen saver designs.

19. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the selected one of the plurality of video display designs matches the distinct visual display scheme of the selected one of the plurality of panels.

20. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the selected one of the plurality of video display designs is color-coordinated with the distinct visual display scheme of the selected one of the plurality of panels.

21. The computing system of claim 16, further comprising:

logic for detecting the selected one of the plurality of panels;

logic for retrieving the corresponding video display design from the computer-readable medium; and

logic for displaying the retrieved video display design on the video display.

22. The computing system of claim 16, comprising a display device having a bezel, the bezel having a design that corresponds to the distinct visual design scheme of the selected one of the plurality of panels.