Method and apparatus for display of windowing application programs on a terminal

• US 8,904,362 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dell Marketing Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wyse Technology L.L.C. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Buswell, Randy, Gay, Bill, Lam, Sui M., Stone, David
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAVIS, JOHN Q
• Application Number:
  US13/316,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20120089769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 717/135
• US Class Current: 717/135
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/541 Client-server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• 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: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet

Abstract

An apparatus may include a network interface to facilitate communication with a second apparatus, and one or more machine-readable media with instructions executable by one or more processors to perform facilitating accessing a windows application resident on the second apparatus without executing locally the windows application resident on the second apparatus. An apparatus may facilitate providing windowing functionality to permit use of a windows application resident on the apparatus without requiring more than windowing information of the windows application to be provided. An apparatus may facilitate providing windowing information for display. An apparatus may facilitate provision of windowing information associated with a program executable on the apparatus configured to run a multi-user operating system, the program resident on the apparatus. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A hardware apparatus, comprising:

a network interface to facilitate communication with a second hardware apparatus;

a flash memory that stores an operating system that is updatable via communication with a device when the hardware apparatus is in a predetermined state; and

one or more non-transitory machine-readable media that comprise instructions executable by one or more processors to perform functions comprising;

facilitating accessing a Windows®

application resident on the second hardware apparatus without executing locally the Windows®

application resident on the second hardware apparatus; and

facilitating provision of windowing information for display.

2. A hardware apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a display;

the one or more processors; and

an input device to receive an input from a user,

wherein the hardware apparatus includes no hard disk.

3. A hardware apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware apparatus is a thin-client device.

4. A hardware apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flash memory has a flash file system partitioned into multiple single-directory drives having no clusters or sectors, wherein the flash memory permits a file to be executable out of the flash memory.

5. A hardware apparatus, comprising:

one or more non-transitory machine-readable media that comprise instructions executable by one or more processors to perform functions comprising;

facilitating providing windowing functionality to permit use, by a second hardware apparatus, of a Windows®

application resident on the hardware apparatus without requiring more than windowing information of the Windows®

application to be provided by the hardware apparatus, the windowing information including application data; and

facilitating provision of windowing information for display; and

a flash memory that stores an operating system that is updatable via communication with a device when the hardware apparatus is in a predetermined state.

6. A hardware apparatus, comprising:

one or more non-transitory machine-readable media that comprise instructions executable by one or more processors to perform functions comprising;

facilitating provision, for a second hardware apparatus, of windowing information associated with a program executable on the hardware apparatus configured to run a multi-user operating system, the program resident on the hardware apparatus;

one or more memories, wherein a total amount of one or more memories to be utilized by the second hardware apparatus is less than a total amount of the one or more memories of the hardware apparatus; and

a flash memory that stores an operating system that is updatable via communication with a device when the hardware apparatus is in a predetermined state.

7. A hardware apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the hardware apparatus is adapted to provide one or more features associated with the multi-user system and to provide one or more features associated with a client-server environment.

8. A hardware apparatus, comprising:

a network interface to allow communication with a second hardware apparatus;

one or more non-transitory machine-readable media that comprise instructions executable by one or more processors to perform functions comprising;

facilitating providing windowing functionality to permit use of a Windows®

application resident on the second hardware apparatus,

wherein the hardware apparatus does not include a hard disk,

wherein the hardware apparatus is adapted to provide an appearance that is essentially the same as an appearance to be provided by a personal computer; and

a flash memory that stores an operating system that is updatable via communication with a device when the hardware apparatus is in a predetermined state.

9. A hardware apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the flash memory has a flash file system partitioned into multiple single-directory drives having no clusters or sectors, wherein the flash memory permits a file to be executable out of the flash memory.

10. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media that comprise instructions executable by one or more processors to perform functions comprising:

facilitating accessing a Windows®

application resident on a first hardware apparatus without executing locally at a second hardware apparatus the Windows®

application resident on the first hardware apparatus;

facilitating provision of windowing information for display; and

updating a flash memory that stores an operating system via communication with a device when the hardware apparatus is in a predetermined state.

11. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media according to claim 10, wherein the second hardware apparatus is a thin-client device, and the first hardware apparatus is a server.

12. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media according to claim 10, wherein the facilitating accessing comprises facilitating secure accessing.

13. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media that comprise instructions executable by one or more processors to perform functions comprising:

facilitating providing, for a first hardware apparatus, windowing functionality to permit use of a Windows®

application resident on a second hardware apparatus without requiring more than windowing information of the Windows®

application to be provided from the second hardware apparatus, the windowing information including application data;

facilitating provision of windowing information for display; and

updating a flash memory that stores an operating system via communication with a device when the hardware apparatus is in a predetermined state.

14. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media according to claim 13, wherein the first hardware apparatus is a thin-client device.

15. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media according to claim 13, wherein the second hardware apparatus comprises:

the one or more non-transitory machine-readable media, the one or more processors, and a network interface.

16. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media that comprise instructions executable by one or more processors to perform functions comprising:

facilitating operating with a network interface to allow communication between a first hardware apparatus and a second hardware apparatus, the first hardware apparatus having one or more memories, a total amount of the one or more memories less than a total amount of one or more memories of the second hardware apparatus;

facilitating provision of windowing information associated with a program executable on the second hardware apparatus configured to run a multi-user operating system, the program resident on the second hardware apparatus;

facilitating provision of windowing information for display; and

updating a flash memory that stores an operating system via communication with a device when the hardware apparatus is in a predetermined state.

17. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media that comprise instructions executable by one or more processors to perform functions comprising:

facilitating providing, at a first hardware apparatus, windowing functionality to permit use of a Windows®

application resident on a second hardware apparatus;

facilitating providing, at the first hardware apparatus, an appearance that is essentially the same as an appearance to be provided at a personal computer,

wherein the first hardware apparatus has no hard disk; and

updating a flash memory that stores an operating system via communication with a device when the hardware apparatus is in a predetermined state.

18. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media according to claim 17, wherein the first hardware apparatus is a thin-client device.

19. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

facilitating operation with a network interface to allow communication between a first hardware apparatus and a second hardware apparatus;

facilitating accessing a Windows®

application resident on the second hardware apparatus without executing locally the Windows®

application resident on the second hardware apparatus;

facilitating provision of windowing information for display; and

updating a flash memory that stores an operating system via communication with a device when the hardware apparatus is in a predetermined state.