Apparatus, a method and a computer program

• US 8,819,296 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Setlur, Vidya, Bose, Raja, Shrivastava, Vivek, Pang, Hawk-yin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan, Dean
• Application Number:
  US13/298,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 710/5
• US Class Current: 710/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

An apparatus includes one local input/output device; and an interface configured to interface between an application hosted by the apparatus and the local input/output device and is configured to interface between the application hosted by the apparatus and a remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus; wherein the interface has a first state in which the interface is configured to couple the application and the local input/output device but not couple the application and the remote input/output device hosted by the another apparatus; wherein the interface has a second state in which the interface is configured to couple the application and the local input/output device and to couple the application and the remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus; and wherein the interface is configured to be responsive to a proximity detection trigger.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one local input/output device; and

an interface that is configured to interface between at least one application hosted by the apparatus and the at least one local input/output device and is configured to interface between the at least one application hosted by the apparatus and at least one remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus;

wherein the interface has a first state in which the interface is configured to couple the application and the least one local input/output device but not couple the application and the at least one remote input/output device hosted by the another apparatus;

wherein the interface has a second state in which the interface is configured to couple the application and the least one local input/output device and to couple the application and the at least one remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus;

wherein the interface is configured to be responsive to a proximity detection trigger, indicative that the another apparatus hosting the remote input/output device is available to be coupled to by the interface, to change its state from the first state to the second state;

wherein the proximity detection trigger comprises a message produced in response to a proximity event;

wherein the message has a standard format for conveying characteristics of the remote input/output device hosted by the another apparatus;

wherein the characteristics of the remote input/output device hosted by the another apparatus comprise;

position information, orientation information, display size information and display resolution information;

wherein the at least one local input/output device comprises a first display and the at least one remote input/output device comprises a second different display; and

wherein the interface in the second state is configured to generate a viewing map comprised of first content of the first display and second content of the second display, wherein the second content is different to the first content; and

wherein the viewing map is a logical display formed from a combination of at least the first content of the first display and the second content of the second display and wherein at least one of the first content and the second content is dependent on the relative positions of the first display and the second display.

2. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein in the first state an input/output buffer for the apparatus is configured to buffer data for the at least one local input/output device but not for the at least one remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus, and

wherein in the second state an input/output buffer for the apparatus is configured to buffer data for the at least one local input/output device and the at least one remote input/output device hosted by the another apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 2,

wherein in the second state the input/output buffer for the apparatus is configured to buffer data in a first reserved portion for the at least one local input/output device and in a second reserved portion for the at least one remote input/output device hosted by the another apparatus, and

wherein the second reserved portion for the at least one remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus, provides an input/output buffer used by the another apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, configured to change the size of the second reserved portion of the input/output buffer in dependence upon one or more relative characteristics of the at least one local input/output device and the at least one remote input/output device.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the input/output buffer for the apparatus is a common input buffer shared by the apparatus and the another apparatus when the apparatus is in the second state.

6. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the interface is configured to map display output data from the application to a memory map corresponding to the viewing map, wherein the memory map provides a virtual frame buffer comprising a first portion for use as frame buffer by the first display and a second portion for use as frame buffer by the second display.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the viewing map is also dependent upon one or more parameters selected from the group comprising:

relative orientations of the first display and the second display, relative sizes of the first display and second display and relative resolutions of the first display and second display.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein information for determining the one or more parameters is provided via the proximity detection trigger.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface, in the second state, is configured to control settings of the apparatus and the another apparatus to provide brightness matching and chrominance matching between a local display of the apparatus and a remote display of the another apparatus.

10. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein application is configured to receive first input commands from a first user input device and to receive second input commands from a second user input device and wherein the at least one local input/output device of the apparatus comprises the first user input device but not the second user input device, and

wherein the at least one remote input/output device of the another apparatus comprises the second user input device and wherein the interface is configured, in the second state, to enable use of the second user input device of the another apparatus to control the apparatus.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the interface is configured to enable a user input actuation for the application to be initiated at one of the apparatus and have effect at the other one of the apparatus and the another apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the interface is configured to enable a user input actuation for the application to be initiated by a user at one of the apparatus and another apparatus and terminated by the user at the other one of the apparatus and the another apparatus.

13. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein application is configured to receive first input commands from a first user input device and to receive second input commands from a second user input device,

wherein the at least one local input/output device of the apparatus comprises the first user input device but not the second user input device, and

wherein the at least one remote input/output device of the another apparatus comprises the second user input device and wherein the interface is configured, in the second state, to enable use of the first user input device of the apparatus to control the another apparatus.

14. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the interface, in the second state, is configured to couple the application and the least one local input/output device and to couple a remote application hosted by the another apparatus and the at least one remote input/output device hosted by the another apparatus, and

wherein the interface, in the second state, is additionally configured to synchronize the application and the another application.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the relative positions of the first display and the second display are defined by a lateral offset between the first display and the second display and by a vertical offset between the first display and the second display.

16. A method comprising:

coupling an application and at least one local input/output device hosted by a local apparatus but not coupling the application and at least one remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus;

in response to a proximity detection trigger, indicative that the another apparatus hosting the remote input/output device is available to be coupled to, coupling the application and the at least one local input/output device hosted by a local apparatus and coupling the application and the at least one remote input/output device hosted by the another apparatus,

wherein the at least one local input/output device comprises a first display and the at least one remote input/output device comprises a second, different display,

wherein the proximity detection trigger comprises a message produced in response to a proximity event,

wherein the message has a standard format for conveying characteristics of the remote input/output device hosted by the another apparatus,

wherein the characteristics of the remote input/output device hosted by the another apparatus comprise;

position information, orientation information, display size information and display resolution information; and

generating a viewing map comprised of first content of the first display and second content of the second display, wherein the second content is different to the first content, wherein the viewing map is a logical display formed from a combination of at least the first content of the first display and the second content of the second display and wherein at least one of the first content and second content is dependent on the relative positions of the first display and the second display.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein coupling an application and at least one local input/output device hosted by a local apparatus but not coupling the application and at least one remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus comprises buffering data for the at least one local input/output device but not for the at least one remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus;

and

wherein coupling the application and at least one local input/output device hosted by a local apparatus and coupling the application and the at least one remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus comprises buffering data for the at least one local input/output device and the at least one remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus.

18. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform;

coupling an application and at least one local input/output device hosted by a local apparatus but not coupling the application and at least one remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus;

in response to a proximity detection trigger, indicative that the another apparatus hosting the remote input/output device is available to be coupled to, coupling the application and at least one local input/output device hosted by a local apparatus and coupling the application and the at least one remote input/output device hosted by another apparatus,

wherein the at least one local input/output device comprises a first display and the at least one remote input/output device comprises a second, different display,

wherein the proximity detection trigger comprises a message produced in response to a proximity event,

wherein the message has a standard format for conveying characteristics of the remote input/output device hosted by the another apparatus,

wherein the characteristics of the remote input/output device hosted by the another apparatus comprise;

position information, orientation information, display size information and display resolution information; and

generating a viewing map comprised of first content of the first display and second content of the second display, wherein the second content is different to the first content, wherein the viewing map is a logical display formed from a combination of at least the first content of the first display and the second content of the second display and wherein at least one of the first content and second content is dependent on the relative positions of the first display and the second display.