Smart display

• US 9,501,200 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2011
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Branson, Michael J., Hintermeister, Gregory R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuyetlien T
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMSEY, PATRICK RANDAL
• Application Number:
  US13/232,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,896 Days
• Field of Search: 715/765, 715/744, 715/866
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/18 Use of a frame buffer in a display terminal, inclusive of the display panel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows

Abstract

A smart display allows a user to build custom layouts of user interface blocks on the smart display independent of the software on the computer creating the user interface. A customization mechanism in the smart display allows a user to select portions of a user interface and move them to different positions on the display. The customization mechanism creates custom layout metadata that defines a screen offset for portions of a user interface moved by the user. The smart display monitors the incoming display data and re-assigns pixel rendering data to the new location in the moved user interface blocks as the data coming from the computer application changes.

Claims

1. A smart display comprising:

a display screen connected to a pixel memory in the smart display, wherein the pixel memory includes an input pixel buffer and a custom pixel buffer, where the custom pixel buffer is directly connected to the display screen and supplies display data to the display screen;

a processor and a memory in the smart display;

a display data input of the smart display that receives display data from a single video source and places the display data in the input pixel buffer, wherein the display data is pixel rendering data that includes pixel position and color with user interface blocks having an original layout, wherein the display data is received from a graphics processing unit of a computer connected to the display data input of the smart display;

a customization mechanism stored in the memory of the smart display and executing on the processor of the smart display that creates custom layout metadata in response to user input for pixel blocks of the display data received from the computer connected to the smart display and placed in the input pixel buffer; and

layout customization logic in the memory of the smart display that in conjunction with the customization mechanism uses the custom layout metadata to reassign the received display data in the input pixel buffer to a new location in the custom pixel buffer to relocate the pixel blocks to a custom layout on the display screen.

2. The smart display of claim 1 wherein the custom layout metadata comprises data of the original layout of the user interface blocks, a user assigned location for at least one pixel block, and a pixel offset for the user assigned location of the pixel block in the custom layout.

3. The smart display of claim 2 wherein the layout customization logic uses the pixel offset to reassign the at least one pixel block to the user assigned location on the display screen.

4. The smart display of claim 1 wherein the display screen is a touch display.

5. The smart display of claim 1 and wherein the customization mechanism of the display screen allows a user to create custom layout metadata to relocate the pixel blocks to a custom layout by allowing the user to select user interface blocks and drag corresponding pixel blocks to a custom location on the display screen.

6. The smart display of claim 1 wherein the custom pixel buffer is an array for holding custom display data for the display screen.

7. The smart display of claim 1 wherein the custom pixel buffer is a register for holding display data for a pixel of custom display data for the display screen.

8. A computer-implemented method for a smart display, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a display screen in the smart display connected to a pixel memory in the smart display, wherein the pixel memory includes an input pixel buffer and a custom pixel buffer, where the custom pixel buffer is directly connected to the display screen and supplies display data to the display screen;

receiving display data from a single video source with pixel rendering data that includes pixel position and color received from a graphics processing unit of a computer connected to a display data input to the smart display and placing the display data into the input pixel buffer;

displaying an existing user interface layout with user interface blocks on the display screen using the display data;

entering a customization layout mode in the smart display;

detecting a user designating pixel blocks for the user interface blocks to create a custom layout;

moving designated pixel blocks from the input pixel buffer to a location indicated by the user in the custom pixel buffer; and

saving custom layout metadata for the custom layout of the pixel blocks designated by the user.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of moving the designated pixel block further comprises allowing the user to drag the designated pixel blocks to a new location on the display screen.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a display input;

detecting a default layout of user interface blocks;

searching for a corresponding custom layout for the default layout; and

where there is a custom layout available for a detected default layout, rendering pixels on the display screen using stored custom layout metadata.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the custom layout metadata comprises data of the original layout of the user interface blocks, a user assigned location for at least one pixel block, and a pixel offset for the user assigned location of the pixel block in the custom layout.

12. A computer-implemented method for a smart display, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a display screen in the smart display connected to a pixel memory in the smart display, wherein the pixel memory includes an input pixel buffer and a custom pixel buffer, where the custom pixel buffer is directly connected to the display screen and supplies display data to the display screen;

receiving display data from a single video source on a display data input to the smart display, wherein the display data is pixel rendering data that includes pixel position and color received from a graphics processing unit of a computer connected to the smart display and placing the display data into the input pixel buffer;

detecting a default layout of user interface blocks in the display data;

searching for a corresponding custom layout for the default layout; and

where there is a custom layout available for a detected default layout, rendering pixels on the smart display using stored custom layout metadata by moving display data from the input pixel buffer to a new location indicated by the custom layout in the custom pixel buffer;

where there is not a custom layout available for a detected default layout, rendering pixels on the display screen using the default layout.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the custom layout metadata comprises data of the original layout of the user interface blocks, a user assigned location for at least one pixel block, and a pixel offset for the user assigned location of the pixel block in the custom layout.