System for controlling display content for multiple electronic display units

• US 7,565,616 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2006
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Buchmann, Gregory J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu; Tadesse
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAUDHURI, ANITA
• Application Number:
  US11/445,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20070283285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 715/762, 715/763, 715/764, 715/835, 715/908, 715/773, 715/757, 715/758, 715/753, 715/748
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a system for controlling display content for multiple electronic displays includes software operable to generate a graphical user interface (GUI) and control instructions. The GUI includes a plurality of virtual display unit icons and a plurality of display content icons, each of the display content icons corresponding with a display content file and each of the display content icons being operable to be selected and positioned within the GUI. Particular virtual display unit icons may be associated with particular display content icons according to the position of the particular display content icons within the GUI. The control instructions are adapted to define display content for a display group comprising a plurality of electronic display units, such that the display content for a particular display unit corresponds with the display content associated with a virtual display unit icon for the particular display unit.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a display group comprising a plurality of electronic display units, each for displaying a digital image;

a controller comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable tangible media encoding one or more instructions that, when executed collectively by the processors;

generate a graphical user interface comprising;

a plurality of virtual display unit icons, one or more of the virtual display unit icons each corresponding to a particular electronic display unit; and

a plurality of display content icons, each of the display content icons corresponding to a display content file and representing one or more steps or processes in a manufacturing process flow, one or more of the display content icons being user selectable and positionable within the graphical user interface with respect to one or more of the virtual display unit icons; and

in response to a user positioning a plurality of particular virtual display unit icons each within a predetermined distance of a particular display content icon within the graphical user interface, generate one or more control instructions for defining display content for each of the particular electronic display units corresponding to the particular virtual display unit icons that corresponds to the particular display content icons associated with the particular virtual display unit icons, a combined display content for the particular electronic display units presenting at least a portion of a manufacturing process flow.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the display group is configured in a substantially planar array, with each of the plurality of electronic display units being positioned approximately one meter or less from at least one other electronic display unit within the display group.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of electronic display units within the display group comprises a tablet-type computer having its own operating system and its own IP address unique within the system.

4. An system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable tangible media encoding one or more instructions that, when executed collectively by the processors;

generate a graphical user interface comprising;

a plurality of virtual display unit icons, one or more of the virtual display unit icons each corresponding to a particular one of an electronic display unit in a display group comprising a plurality of electronic display units for displaying a digital image; and

a plurality of display content icons, each of the display content icons corresponding to a display content file, one or more of the display content icons being user selectable and positionable within the graphical user interface with respect to one or more of the virtual display unit icons; and

in response to a user positioning a plurality of particular virtual display unit icons each within a predetermined distance of a particular display content icon within the graphical user interface, generate one or more control instructions for defining display content for each of the particular electronic display units corresponding to the particular virtual display unit icons that corresponds to the particular display content icons associated with the particular virtual display unit icons.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed collectively by the processors, further generate and store a file representing the associations between the display unit icons and the display content icons.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the display content for a particular display unit comprises a single page from a file generated using a word processor application or a presentation application.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the graphical user interface further comprises an active view designator, the active view designator adapted to identify particular ones of the virtual display unit icons that correspond to the plurality of electronic display units within the display group.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the active view designator is user selectable and positionable within the graphical user interface to identify the particular ones of the virtual display unit icons that correspond to the plurality of electronic display units within the display group.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein at least some of the plurality of the display content icons are selectable and positionable within the active view designator.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the control instructions comprise one or more of a UDP/IP message or a TCP/IP message.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of electronic display units within the display group comprises a tablet-type computer having its own operating system and its own IP address unique within the system.

12. An system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable tangible media encoding one or more instructions that, when executed collectively by the processors;

generate a graphical user interface comprising;

a plurality of virtual display unit icons, one or more of the virtual display unit icons each corresponding to a particular electronic display unit;

a plurality of display content icons, each of the display content icons corresponding to a display content file and representing one or more steps or processes in a manufacturing process flow, one or more of the display content icons being user selectable and positionable within the graphical user interface with respect to one or more of the virtual display unit icons; and

an active view designator for identifying a first group of the virtual display unit icons; and

in response to a user positioning a plurality of particular virtual display unit icons in the first group of the virtual display unit icons each within a predetermined distance of a particular display content icon within the graphical user interface, generate one or more first control instructions for defining display content for the particular electronic display units corresponding to the first group of the virtual display unit icons identified by the active view designator that corresponds to the display content icons in the first group of virtual display unit icons.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the active view designator is repositionable to identify a second group of the virtual display unit icons; and

the one or more instructions, when executed collectively by the processors, generate second control instructions for defining display content for the particular electronic display units corresponding to the second group of the virtual display unit icons identified by the active view designator, that corresponds to the display content icons in the second group of virtual display unit icons.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein both the first control instructions and the second control instructions comprise a TCP/IP message.

15. A method comprising:

initiating a first application instance on a controller;

transmitting, from the controller, control instructions for defining display content for a display group comprising a plurality of tablet-type computers;

modifying display content for at least one tablet-type computer;

storing the modified display content for the at least one tablet-type computer;

generating a graphical user interface comprising;

a plurality of virtual display unit icons, one or more of the virtual display unit icons each corresponding to a particular tablet-type computer; and

a plurality of display content icons, each of the display content icons corresponding to a display content file, one or more of the display content icons being user selectable and positionable within the graphical user interface with respect to one or more of the virtual display unit icons; and

wherein modifying the display content for the at least one tablet-type computer comprises, in response to a user positioning a particular virtual display unit icon corresponding to the at least one tablet-type computer within a predetermined distance of a particular display content icon within the graphical user interface, generating control instructions to modify the display content for the at least one tablet-type computer such that the display content for the tablet-type computer corresponds to the particular display content icon associated with the particular virtual display unit icon corresponding to the at least one tablet-type computer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more control instructions comprise one or more of a UDP/IP message or a TCP/IP message.