Method and apparatus for providing enhanced resolution display for display telephones and PDAs

• US 8,102,400 B1
• Filed: 03/05/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Celio Corporation
• Original Assignee: Celio Corporation
• Inventors: Cook, Colin N.B., Saxby, Donald T., Johnson, Randall C.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HAU H
• Application Number:
  US12/042,942
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 345/539, 345/545, 345/547, 345/548
• US Class Current: 345/539
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1462 with means for detecting differences between the image stored in the host and the images displayed on the remote displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/02 Handling of images in compressed format, e.g. JPEG, MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/06 Consumer Electronics Control, i.e. control of another device by a display or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers

Abstract

In a mobile device with a mobile device video driver that can be interdicted, such as a display telephone or PDA, a method and system for display on a remote video display device is provided involving forming an enhanced display image in an enhanced video frame buffer and reconstructing the display image in a duplicate enhanced video frame buffer in the remote video display device.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing video output of a mobile telephone or personal digital assistant device having a processing unit operative with a mobile device operating system with a graphics subsystem that is configured to interface with a mobile device video driver, for display on a remote video display device, wherein the remote video display device has video display presentation capabilities, the method comprising the steps of:

providing to the mobile telephone or personal digital assistant an enhanced video driver in connection with an enhanced primary video frame buffer on the mobile telephone or personal digital assistant without modification to the mobile device operating system for temporary storage of a representation of a complete enhanced display image;

accessing and interpreting application program interface (API) messages from said graphics subsystem without modification to the graphics subsystem;

allocating support memory in support of said primary frame buffer, said enhanced video driver being responsive to said video API messages without access to said underlying mobile operating system to construct the enhanced display image in said enhanced primary video frame buffer using said support memory; and

communicating only a fraction of said representation of said enhanced display image from either the enhanced primary video frame buffer or the support memory to the remote video display device, said fraction representing a region of said completed enhanced display image stored in said support memory, said remote video display device having a duplicate enhanced primary video frame buffer for holding a complete reconstructed enhanced display image for display on said remote video display device.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said communicating step includes employing said support memory to identify changed image components and to update content of said duplicate enhanced primary frame buffer with said changed image components in order to minimize data transfer.

3. The method according to claim 1 further including caching selected elements of said enhanced display image in said remote video display device for subsequent use.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein said caching step includes storing said elements in remote off-screen buffers.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said support memory comprises local off-screen buffers, and wherein said accessing and interpreting step includes directing, to said local off-screen buffers, in response to said video API messages, portions of images as image elements for use to construct the enhanced display image.

6. The method according to claim 3 further comprising comparing first unique image identifier values for subsequently formulated image elements with second unique identifier values for said cached image elements, said first and second unique identifier values being stored in said mobile device, for updating said remote enhanced display image.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein said first and second unique identifier values are CRC values.

8. The method according to claim 3 wherein cached image elements are available on said remote video display device, further including sending updating messages from said enhanced video driver to said duplicate enhanced primary frame buffer to reuse said image elements in said reconstructed enhanced display image.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein said communicating step includes sending messages directly corresponding to selected ones of said video API messages.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein said communicating step is delayed until said reconstructed enhanced image is needed for display in the remote video display device.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein said communicating step further includes determining color type of said enhanced display image representation, selecting a compression method according to said color type, and providing as said representation a corresponding compressed image element.

12. A system for enhancing video output of a mobile telephone or personal digital assistant device having a processing unit operative with a mobile device operating system with a graphics subsystem that is configured to interface with a mobile telephone video driver, for display on a remote video display device, wherein the remote video display device has video display presentation capabilities, the system comprising:

an enhanced primary frame buffer installed on the mobile telephone or personal digital assistant without modification to the mobile device operating system for temporary storage of a representation of holding complete enhanced display image;

an enhanced video driver configured to be co-resident with said mobile device operating system without modification to the mobile device operating system, said enhanced video driver having access to support memory and said enhanced primary frame buffer of said mobile device;

a display driver interface manager configured to be co-resident with said mobile operating system and responsive to video API messages without access to said underlying mobile operating system to modify display values, including code for capturing, into said display driver interface manager, application program interface messages from said graphics subsystem that are directed to said mobile telephone video driver (said video API messages), code for directing values of said video API messages from said display driver interface manager to said enhanced video driver, and code for forming in said enhanced primary frame buffer an enhanced display image according to said video API messages; and

code for communicating a representation of said enhanced display image to the remote video display device using at least a portion of said support memory, said remote video display device having a duplicate enhanced primary frame buffer for holding a complete reconstructed enhanced display image for display on said remote video display device.

13. The system according to claim 12 further including code for accessing said support memory to identify changed image components and to update content of said duplicate enhanced primary frame buffer with only said changed image components in order to minimize data transfer.

14. The system according to claim 12 further including code for caching selected elements of said enhanced display image in said remote video display device for subsequent use.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein said caching code is configured to store said elements in remote off-screen buffers.

16. The system according to claim 12 wherein said support memory comprises local off-screen buffers, and wherein said display driver interface manager includes code for directing, to said local off-screen buffers, in response to said video API messages, portions of images as image elements for use to construct the enhanced display image.

17. The system according to claim 16 further including code for comparing first unique image identifier values for subsequently formulated image elements with second unique identifier values for said cached image elements, said first and second unique identifier values being stored in said mobile device, for updating said remote enhanced display image.

18. The system according to claim 17 wherein said first and second unique identifier values are CRC values.

19. The system according to claim 14 wherein cached image elements are available on said remote video display device, further including code for sending updating messages from said enhanced video driver to said duplicate enhanced primary frame buffer to reuse said image elements in said reconstructed enhanced display image.

20. The system according to claim 12 wherein said communicating code includes code for sending messages directly corresponding to selected ones of said video API messages.

21. The system according to claim 12 wherein said communicating code includes code for delaying until said reconstructed enhanced image is needed for display in the remote video display device.

22. The system according to claim 12 wherein said communicating code further includes code for determining color type of said enhanced display image representation, selecting a compression method according to said color type, and providing as said representation a corresponding compressed image element.

23. In a display telephone or a personal digital assistant mobile device having an operating system unable to reinitialize a display driver and having a driver interface that can be interdicted, a method for display on a remote video display device comprising:

capturing in the mobile device video API messages into a display driver interface manager (DDI manager) without accessing the operating system except through the API messages;

directing values of the API messages from the DDI manager to either an enhanced video driver or to a mobile device video driver without reinitializing;

forming an enhanced display image in an enhanced video frame buffer in the mobile device;

packaging the enhanced display image for communication to a remote video display device;

communicating the enhanced display image to the remote device; and

reconstructing the packaged display image in a duplicate enhanced video frame buffer in the remote video display device.

24. A system for enhancing display of a display telephone or a personal digital assistant host device having a limited capability operating system with a driver interface that can be interdicted, for display on a remote video display device comprising:

an enhanced video frame buffer added to the host device for holding an enhanced video image;

an enhanced video driver co-resident with said operating system and configured to interpret video API messages and to construct the enhanced display image in the enhanced video frame buffer without accessing said underlying mobile operating system except through the API messages;

a display driver interface manager co-resident with said operating system for capturing video API messages without accessing the limited capability operating system except through the API messages and for selectively redirecting values of the API messages to said enhanced video driver; and

a duplicate enhanced video buffer resident in said remote video display device for holding a reconstructed enhanced display image from said display driver interface manager for display in said remote video display device.