Computer interconnection system

• US 7,818,367 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2005
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avocent Redmond Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Avocent Redmond Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Seifert, Robert V. Jr., Lacrampe, Paul, Greene, Thomas, Huffington, James C., Hafer, Kevin J., Beasley, Danny L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt; Yves
• Application Number:
  US11/129,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20050232260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,982 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/208, 710/38
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17375 One dimensional, e.g. linear array, ring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

A computerized switching system for coupling a workstation to a remotely located computer. A signal conditioning unit receives keyboard and mouse signals generated by a workstation and generates a data packet which is transmitted to a central crosspoint switch. The packet is routed through a crosspoint switch to another signal conditioning unit located at a remotely located computer. The second signal conditioning unit applies the keyboard and mouse commands to the keyboard and mouse connectors of the computer as if the keyboard and mouse were directly coupled to the remote computer. Video signals produced by the remote computer are transmitted through the crosspoint switch to the workstation. Horizontal and vertical sync signals are encoded on to the video signals to reduce the number of cables that extend between the workstation and the remote computer. The signal conditioning units connected to the workstations include an onscreen programming circuit that produces menus for the user on a video display of the workstation.

Claims

1. A switching system comprising:

computer-side connectors including (1) plural computer-side user input device connectors for separately electrically connecting to respective user-input device inputs of plural computers and (2) plural computer-side video connectors for separately electrically connecting to analog video outputs of the plural computers, wherein the plural computer-side user input device connectors are electrically separate from the plural computer-side video connectors;

a first set of user-side connectors including (1) a first user-side user-input device connector for electrically connecting to a first user-input device and (2) a first user-side video connector for electrically connecting to an analog video input of a first monitor, wherein the first user-side user-input device connector is electrically separate from the analog video input of the first monitor;

a first analog video receiving circuit interposed between the computer-side connectors and the first set of user-side connectors for receiving analog video signals from one of the plural computers through at least one of the computer-side connectors; and

a first analog video processing circuit, interposed between the computer-side connectors and the first set of user-side connectors, for selecting, for at least one sub-region of an image to be displayed on the first monitor, at least one of (1) a portion of the analog video signals received by the first analog video receiving circuit and (2) internally generated analog video signals, to form an output analog video signal that is output to the first monitor via the first user-side video connector.

2. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first analog video receiving circuit further comprises a synchronization signal detecting circuit for detecting one of a horizontal- and a vertical-synchronization signal corresponding to the analog video signals from the at least one of the plural computers through the at least one of the computer-side connectors.

3. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first user-input device comprises at least one of a computer mouse and a keyboard.

4. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first analog video processing circuit comprises a multiplexer for multiplexing (1) the portion of the analog video signals received by the first analog video receiving circuit and (2) the internally generated analog video signals without requiring a frame buffer.

5. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a user-input device translator, disposed between at least one of the plural computer-side user-input device connectors and the first user-side user-input device connector, for translating information from the first user-input device in a first format to a second format used by at least one of the plural computers.

6. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first analog video receiving circuit receives separate analog red, green and blue signals.

7. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

digital switching circuits; and

analog switching circuits, wherein user-input device information is routed from at least one of the plural computer-side user-input device connectors to the first user-side user-input device connector on the digital switching circuits independent of the analog video signals that are routed from at least one of the computer-side video connectors to the first user-side video connector on the analog switching circuits.

8. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a second set of user-side connectors including (1) a second user-side user-input device connector for electrically connecting to a second user-input device and (2) a second user-side video connector for electrically connecting to an analog video input of a second monitor, wherein the second user-side user-input device connector is electrically separate from the analog video input of the second monitor;

a second analog video receiving circuit for receiving analog video signals from one of the plural computers through the computer-side connectors; and

a second analog video processing circuit for selecting, for at least one sub-region of an image to be displayed on the second monitor, at least one of (1) a portion of the analog video signals received by the second analog video receiving circuit and (2) internally generated analog video signals, to form an output analog video signal that is output to the second monitor via the second user-side video connector.

9. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a user-input device command detector, connected to the first user-side user-input device connector, configured to detect a first command by which the first user-input device requests that the analog video signals of one of the plural computers be replaced by analog video signals of another of the plural computers and configured to send commands other than the first command from the first user-input device to one of the plural computers.

10. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a user-input device command detector, connected to the first user-side user-input device connector, configured to detect a first command by which the first user-input device requests that the analog video signals of one of the plural computers be replaced by analog video signals of another of the plural computers in response to the internally generated video signal that is output to the first monitor via the first user-side video connector, and said user-input device command detector configured to send commands other than the first command from the first user-input device to one of the plural computers.

11. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first computer-side user-input device connector and a first computer-side video connector of the plural computer-side connectors are contained within a first computer-side housing, and a second computer-side user-input device connector and a second computer-side video connector of the plural computer-side connectors are contained within a second computer-side housing.

12. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one of (1) the portion of the analog video signals received by the first analog video receiving circuit and (2) the internally generated analog video signals comprises only (1) the portion of the analog video signals received by the first analog video receiving circuit in a first mode of operation.

13. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one of (1) a portion of the analog video signals received by the first analog video receiving circuit and (2) internally generated analog video signals comprises only (2) the internally generated analog video signals in a second mode of operation.

14. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one of (1) the portion of the analog video signals received by the first analog video receiving circuit and (2) the internally generated analog video signals comprises both (1) the portion of the analog video signals received by the first analog video receiving circuit and (2) the internally generated analog video signals in a third mode of operation.

15. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internally generated analog video signals comprise a menu.

16. The switching system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the analog switching circuits comprise a cross-point switch.

17. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

computer-side audio connectors for receiving audio signals from audio ports of the plural computers, and wherein the first set of user-side connectors further comprises a user-side audio connector for receiving the audio signals from one of the computer-side audio connectors.

18. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a user-input device command detector, connected to the first user-side user-input device connector, configured to detect first and second inputs from the first user-input device and for controlling the first analog video processing circuit (1) to output to the first monitor via the first user-side video connector the internally generated analog video signals in response to the first input and (2) to stop outputting to the first monitor via the first user-side video connector the internally generated analog video signals in response to the second input.

19. The switching system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the internally generated analog video signals comprise a menu for selecting which of the plural computers is to have its video output by the first analog video processing circuit.

20. The switching system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a user-input device command detector, connected to the first user-side user-input device connector, configured to detect first and second inputs from the first user-input device, wherein prior to detecting the first input the first user-side video connector outputs analog video corresponding to a first computer of the plural computers, and wherein the user-input device command detector controls the first analog video processing circuit (1) to output to the first monitor via the first user-side video connector the internally generated analog video signals in response to the first input, and (2) in response to the second input, to stop outputting to the first monitor via the first user-side video connector the internally generated analog video signals and to output via the first user-side video connector analog video corresponding to a second of the plural computers, wherein the internally generated analog video signals comprise a menu for selecting which of the plural computers is the second computer to have its analog video output by the first analog video processing circuit.