KVM switch capable of detecting keyword input and method thereof

• US 8,120,583 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATEN International Company Limited
• Original Assignee: ATEN International Company Limited
• Inventors: Hsieh, Chih-tao, Huang, Shih-yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEINBERG, JEFFREY S
• Application Number:
  US11/530,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20080062132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,992 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-172
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/24 Keyboard-Video-Mouse [KVM] switch

Abstract

Disclosed is a keyboard-video-mouse switch capable of detecting keyword input and recording video data from a computer and keyboard input data from a console and method thereof. The keyboard-video-mouse switch includes a keyword filter and a capture unit. The keyword filter detects whether a predetermined keyword is inputted from the console into the computer and the capture unit records video data if the predetermined keyword is detected. Moreover, the capture unit may record keyboard input data for a complete monitor. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of the present invention further includes an alarm and a keyword database. The alarm will alarm an administrator when the predetermined keyword is detected. The keyword database stores data of keystroke combinations, which is defined as predetermined keyword data for at least one input method.

Claims

1. A keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) switch coupled with a plurality of computers, a first console and a second console, the system comprising:

a first console interface coupled to the first console, which monitors the video data from one of the computers, and monitors an input data from the second console;

a second console interface coupled to the second console;

a keyword filter within the KVM switch, detecting whether a predetermined keyword is inputted from the second console into one of the computers;

a capture unit coupled to the keyword filter for capturing the keyboard input data from the console and capturing video data from the one of the computers controlled by the second console, and recording the video data from the one of the computers controlled by the second console if the predetermined keyword is detected; and

a micro control unit (MCU) coupled to the keyword filter and the capture unit for controlling the keyword filter and the capture unit.

2. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 1, further comprises an alarm controlled by the MCU for alarming an administrator if the predetermined keyword is detected.

3. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 1, further comprising a keyword database, storing data of at least one keystroke combination, defined as predetermined keyword data for at least one input method.

4. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 3, wherein the input method is selected from a group consisting of input method in English, Phonetic input method in Traditional Chinese, Hanzi keyboard input method in Traditional Chinese, Tsang-Jye input method in Traditional Chinese, Hanzi keyboard input method in Simplified Chinese, Roma-ji input method in Japanese, hand-write input method and voice input method.

5. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 3, wherein the keyword filter detects the predetermined keyword by comparing keyboard input data from the second console with the predetermined keyword data stored in the keyword database.

6. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 1, wherein the capture unit further records keyboard input data from the second console.

7. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 1, further comprising a storage device, storing the video data from the computers.

8. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 7, wherein the storage device is a memory in the keyboard-video-mouse switch.

9. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 7, wherein the storage device is coupled to the keyboard-video-mouse switch via a network.

10. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 7, wherein the capture unit further records keyboard input data from the console.

11. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 10, wherein the storage device is employed to store the video data and the keyboard input data.

28. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 1, wherein the capture unit further transmits the captured keyboard input data and captured video data to the first console interface.

12. A keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) switch coupled with a plurality of computers, a first console and a second console, the keyboard-video-mouse switch comprising:

a first console interface coupled to the first console, which monitors the video data from one of the computers, and monitors an input data from the second console;

a second console interface coupled to the second console;

a keyword filter within the KVM switch, detecting whether a predetermined keyword is inputted from the second console into one of the computers;

a capture unit for capturing the keyboard input data from the second console and capturing video data from the one of the computers controlled by the second console;

a micro control unit (MCU) coupled with the keyword filter and the capture unit for controlling the keyword filter and the capture unit; and

an alarm controlled by the MCU for alarming an administrator if the predetermined keyword is detected.

13. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 12, further comprising a keyword database, storing data of at least one keystroke combination, defined as predetermined keyword data for at least one input method.

14. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 13, wherein the input method is selected from a group consisting of input method in English, Phonetic input method in Traditional Chinese, Hanzi keyboard input method in Traditional Chinese, Tsang-Jye input method in Traditional Chinese, Hanzi keyboard input method in Simplified Chinese, Roma-ji input method in Japanese, hand-write input method and voice input method.

15. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 13, wherein the keyword filter detects the predetermined keyword by comparing keyboard input data from the second console with the predetermined keyword data stored in the keyword database.

16. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 12, wherein the capture unit records the video data from the one of the computers if the predetermined keyword is detected.

17. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 16, further comprising a storage device, storing the video data from the one of the computers.

18. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 17, wherein the storage device is a memory in the keyboard-video-mouse switch.

19. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 17, wherein the storage device is coupled to the keyboard-video-mouse switch via a network.

20. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 16, wherein the capture unit further records keyboard input data from the second console.

21. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 20, wherein the storage device is employed to store the video data and the keyboard input data.

29. The keyboard-video-mouse switch of claim 12, wherein the capture unit further transmits the captured keyboard input data and captured video data to the first console interface.

22. A method capable of detecting keyword input for a keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) switch coupling a plurality of computers to a first console and a second console, the method comprising steps of:

coupling a first console interface to the first console, which monitors the video data from one of the computers, and monitors an input data from the second console;

coupling a second console interface to the second console;

detecting whether a predetermined keyword is inputted from the second console into one of the computers by a keyword filter within the KVM switch;

recording video data from the one of the computers controlled by the second console by a capture unit coupled to the keyword filter if the predetermined keyword is detected, the capture unit capturing the keyboard input data from the second console and capturing the video data from the one of the computers controlled by the second console; and

controlling the keyword filter and the capture unit by a micro control unit (MCU) coupled to the keyword filter and the capture unit.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising a step of storing the video data after the recording step.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising a step of alarming an administrator after the recording step by an alarm controlled by the MCU.

25. The method of claim 22, further recording keyboard input data from the second console during the step of recording the video data.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the keyword filter further comprises a keyword database, storing data of at least one keystroke combination, defined as predetermined keyword data.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising a step of comparing keyboard input data from the second console with the predetermined keyword data in the keyword database before the detecting step.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the capture unit further transmits the captured keyboard input data and captured video data to the first console interface.