Handheld electronic device supporting multiple display mechanisms

• US 8,381,136 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2004
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Scenera Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Original Assignee: Scenera Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Inventors: Morris, Robert P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): GREENE, SABRINA LETICIA
• Application Number:
  US10/853,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20050259032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,193 Days
• Field of Search: 715/807, 715/743, 715/742, 715/741, 715/751, 715/781, 715/805, 715/804, 715/806, 715/731, 715/730, 715/864
• US Class Current: 715/864
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/60 Memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/397 Arrangements specially adapted for transferring the contents of two or more bit-mapped memories to the screen simultaneously, e.g. for mixing or overlay G09G5/02 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for independently supporting at least two display mechanisms in a handheld electronic device and a handheld electronic device implementing the method includes a primary display window, a secondary display window and a display manager coupled to the primary and secondary display windows. According to the present invention, the display manager allows the primary display window to display a first set of objects and allows the secondary display window to display a second set of objects independently, whereby the first set and second set of objects include at least one common object.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a primary display window;

a secondary display window;

a display manager coupled to the primary and secondary display windows for allowing the primary display window to display a first set of objects and allowing the secondary display window to display a second set of objects independently, wherein the first set and second set of objects include at least one common object; and

a control filter for automatically analyzing an object, the control filter being preconfigured by the display manager with filter criteria for automatically associating the object with one of the primary and secondary display windows based on a type of the object.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of display buffers coupled to the primary display window and to the secondary display window for storing respective sets of objects to be displayed,

wherein the display manager associates the primary display window and the secondary display window with a display buffer of the plurality of display buffers, and the primary display window displays the set of objects stored in the buffer associated with the primary display window and the secondary display window displays the set of objects stored in the buffer associated with the secondary display window, such that in a first mode, the sets of objects displayed by the primary display window and the secondary display window are the same, and in a second mode, the sets of objects displayed by the primary display window and the secondary display window are different.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein, in the first mode, the primary display window and the secondary display window are associated with a shared display buffer and the set of objects stored in the shared buffer is displayed on both the primary and secondary display windows.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein in the second mode, the primary display window is associated with a first display buffer and the secondary display window is associated with a second display buffer.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the first set of objects is written to the first display buffer and the second set of objects is written to the second display buffer, and the primary display window displays the first set of objects and the secondary display window displays the second set of objects.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the first and second sets of objects are different and share at least one common object.

7. The device of claim 2 further including at least one overlay buffer.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the control filter automatically associates an object with one of the primary and secondary display windows based on a type of the object by writing an object matching the filter criteria to the at least one overlay buffer associated with the associated one of the primary and secondary display windows.

9. The device of claim 7 wherein the at least one overlay buffer is distinct from the at least one display buffer.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the primary display window is a control window for a user of the device and the secondary display window is a presentation window for an audience.

11. A method for independently supporting at least two display mechanisms in a handheld electronic device comprising:

automatically analyzing an object for display to determine a type of the object;

automatically applying preconfigured filter criteria to determine whether the determined type of the object is for display with a first set of objects or for display with a second set of objects;

allowing a first display mechanism to display the first set of objects; and

allowing at least one second display mechanism to display the second set of objects independently from the first display mechanism, wherein the first set and second set of objects include at least one common object and an object is automatically associated with one of the primary and secondary display mechanisms based on a type of the object.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

providing a plurality of buffers in the handheld electronic device, wherein the plurality of buffers includes a plurality of display buffers;

associating each of the at least two display mechanisms with at least one of the plurality of display buffers;

writing a set of objects to be displayed to at least one specified display buffer of the at least one display buffers; and

displaying the set of objects on at least one display mechanism associated with the at least one specified display buffer,

wherein because the set of objects is displayed only on display mechanisms associated with the at least one specified display buffer, content displayed on the at least two display mechanisms can be the same or different.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein associating each of the at least two display mechanisms with at least one of the plurality of display buffers further includes associating each display mechanism with one of the plurality of display buffers, wherein the one display buffer is shared by each display mechanism and the object is displayed on each display mechanism.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein associating each of the at least two display mechanisms with at least one of the plurality of display buffers further includes:

associating a first display mechanism with a first display buffer of the plurality of display buffers; and

associating a second display mechanism with a second display buffer of the plurality of display buffers.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein writing a set of objects to be displayed to at least one specified display buffer of the at least one display buffers further includes:

writing a first set of objects to the first display buffer; and

writing a second set of objects to the second display buffer,

wherein the first display mechanism displays the first set of objects in the associated first display buffer and the second display mechanism displays the second set of objects in the associated second display buffer.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the first and second sets of objects are different and share at least one common object.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein providing a plurality of buffers in the handheld electronic device includes designating at least one buffer of the plurality of buffers as an overlay buffer.

18. The method of claim 17 further including:

providing at least one filter in the handheld device, wherein the at least

one filter is associated with a filter criteria that defines at least one object and at least one affected display mechanism;

associating the at least one overlay buffer with the at least one affected display mechanism; and

utilizing the at least one filter to write an object matching the filter criteria to the at least one overlay buffer, wherein the object matching the filter criteria is displayed on the at least one affected display mechanism associated with the at least one overlay buffer.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein providing at least one filter in the handheld device includes pre-configuring the filter criteria by the handheld electronic device.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one overlay buffer is distinct from the at least one display buffer.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein providing at least one filter in the handheld device includes pre-configuring the filter criteria by a user of the handheld electronic device.

22. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for independently supporting at least two display mechanisms in a handheld electronic device, the program instructions comprising:

automatically analyzing an object for display to determine a type of the object;

automatically applying preconfigured filter criteria to determine whether the determined type of the object is for display with a first set of objects or for display with a second set of objects;

allowing a first display mechanism to display the first set of objects; and

allowing at least one second display mechanism to display the second set of objects independently from the first display mechanism, wherein the first set and second set of objects include at least one common object and an object is automatically associated with one of the primary and secondary display mechanisms based on a type of the object.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22 further comprising:

providing a plurality of buffers in the handheld electronic device, wherein the plurality of buffers includes a plurality of display buffers;

associating each of the at least two display mechanisms with at least one of the plurality of display buffers;

writing a set of n objects to be displayed to at least one specified display buffer of the at least one display buffers; and

displaying the set of objects on at least one display mechanism associated with the at least one specified display buffer,

wherein because the set of objects is displayed only on display mechanisms associated with the at least one specified display buffer, content displayed on the at least two display mechanisms can be the same or different.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23 wherein associating each of the at least two display mechanisms with at least one of the plurality of display buffers includes associating each display mechanism with one of the plurality of display buffers, wherein the one display buffer is shared by each display mechanism and the object is displayed on each display mechanism.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 23 wherein associating each of the at least two display mechanisms with at least one of the plurality of display buffers includes:

associating a first display mechanism with a first display buffer of the plurality of display buffers; and

associating a second display mechanism with a second display buffer of the plurality of display buffers.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25 wherein writing a set of n objects to be displayed to at least one specified display buffer of the at least one display buffers includes:

writing a first set of objects to the first display buffer; and

writing a second set of objects to the second display buffer,

wherein the first display mechanism displays the first set of objects in the associated first display buffer and the second display mechanism displays the second set of objects in the associated second display buffer.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 26 wherein the first and second sets of objects are different and share at least one common object.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 23 wherein providing a plurality of buffers in the handheld electronic device includes designating at least one buffer of the plurality of buffers as an overlay buffer.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 28 further including:

providing at least one filter in the handheld device, wherein the at least one filter is associated with a filter criteria that defines at least one object and at least one affected display mechanism;

associating the at least one overlay buffer with the at least one affected display mechanism; and

utilizing the at least one filter to write an object matching the filter criteria to the at least one overlay buffer,

wherein the object matching the filter criteria is displayed on the at least one affected display mechanism associated with the at least one overlay buffer.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 29 wherein providing at least one filter in the handheld device includes pre-configuring the filter criteria by the handheld electronic device.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 28 wherein the at least one overlay buffer is distinct from the at least one display buffer.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 29 wherein providing at least one filter in the handheld device includes pre-configuring the filter criteria by a user of the handheld electronic device.