Repositioning and displaying an object in a multiple monitor environment

• US 6,573,913 B1
• Filed: 01/10/2000
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Adam, Butler, Laura J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thomas T.
• Application Number:
  US09/480,761
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 345/761-764, 345/778, 345/562, 345/546, 345/545, 345/603, 345/604, 345/600, 345/1.1, 345/2.1, 345/2.2, 345/3.1, 345/1.3
• US Class Current: 715/761
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display

Abstract

Systems and methods for repositioning and displaying objects in multiple monitor environments are disclosed. When two or more of the monitors have different color characteristics, images moved between monitors are processed to take advantage of the particular color characteristics of the monitors, while reducing the processing resources that might otherwise be needed to entirely render the image from scratch. For instance, an image positioned within a first monitor space can be repositioned such that a first portion is displayed in the first monitor space and a second portion in the second monitor space. The data representing the first portion of the image is moved from a first location to a second location in a frame buffer in a bit block transfer operation. If the first and second monitors have the same color characteristics, the data representing a second portion is also transferred using a bit block operation. However, if the color characteristics are different, the data representing the second portion of the image is passed through a display engine that adapts the data to the particular color characteristics of the second monitor. Furthermore, cursor image movement operations are placed in a queue if a process at the computer currently relies on the original cursor position, and are executed only when the process no longer relies on the original position.

Claims

1. In a computer having multiple monitors, each being associated with a monitor space, the computer further having a display engine for processing data for display in the monitor spaces and a frame buffer for storing data representing a display image, a method of displaying a image in more than one of the monitor spaces, while compensating for any differences in color characteristics between the multiple monitors, comprising the steps of:

determining that an image displayed entirely within a first monitor space is to be moved or resized so that a first portion of the image is to remain in the first monitor space and a second portion of the image is to be displayed in a second monitor space, wherein the step of determining comprises the step of determining that the image is to span a boundary between the first monitor space and the second monitor space;

performing a bit block transfer operation on data representing the first portion of the image, in which the data representing the first portion of the image is moved from a first location to a second location in the frame buffer, such that the portion of the image is displayed in the first monitor space; and

passing data representing the second portion of the image through the display engine so the the display engine processes the data representing the second portion according to the color characteristics of the second monitor and such that the second portion of the image is displayed in the second monitor space.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of determining that the first monitor and the second monitor have different color characteristics.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the step of determining that the first monitor and the second monitor have different color characteristics is conducted while booting the computer.

4. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the step of determining that the first monitor and the second monitor have different color characteristics comprises the step of setting an operating system variable to a value that indicates that the first monitor and the second monitor have different color characteristics.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, further comprising, prior to the step of passing data representing the second portion of the image through the graphics engine, the step of examining the value of the operating system variable to determine that the step of passing data is to be conducted.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the image comprises a display window.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of determining that an image displayed entirely within a first monitor space is to be moved or resized is conducted in response to user input.

8. In a computer having multiple monitors, each being associated with a monitor space, the computer further having a display engine for processing data for display in the monitor spaces and a frame buffer for storing data representing a displayed image, a method of displaying an image in more than one of the monitor spaces, comprising the steps of:

determining that an image displayed entirely within a first monitor space is to be moved or resized so that a first portion of the image is to remain in the first monitor space and a second portion of the image is to be displayed in a second monitor space, wherein the step of determining comprises the step of determining that the image is to span a boundary between the first monitor space and the second monitor space;

determining whether a first monitor associated with the first monitor space and a second monitor associated with the second monitor space have different color characteristics;

performing a bit block transfer operation on data representing the first portion of the image, such that the first portion of the image is displayed in the first monitor space;

if the first monitor and the second monitor do not have different color characteristics, performing a bit block operation on data representing the second portion of the image, such that the first portion of the image is displayed in the second monitor space; and

if the first monitor and the second monitor have different color characteristics, passing the data representing the second portion of the image through the display engine so that the display engine processes the data representing the second portion according to the color characteristics of the second monitor and such that the second portion of the image is displayed in the second monitor space.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the step of determining that the first monitor and the second monitor have different color characteristics comprises the step of examining the value of an operating system variable that has been previously set to indicate whether the first monitor and the second monitor have different color characteristics.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the step of determining that an image displayed entirely within a first monitor space is to be moved or resized comprises the step of determining that the image is to span a boundary between the first monitor space and the second monitor space.

11. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the image comprises a display window, the step of determining that an image displayed entirely within a first monitor space is to be moved or resized is conducted in response to user input.

12. A computer-readable medium having encoded thereon program code for causing a computer to implement a method of displaying an image on more than one monitor, wherein the computer has multiple monitors, each being associated with a monitor space, the program code encoded on the computer-readable medium comprising:

program code for determining that an image displayed entirely within a first monitor space is to be moved or resized so that a first portion of the image is to remain in the first monitor space and a second portion of the image is to be displayed in a second monitor space, wherein the step of determining comprises the step of determining that the image is to span a boundary between the first monitor space and the second monitor space;

program code for performing a bit block transfer operation on data representing the first portion of the image, in which the data representing the first portion of the image is moved from a first location to a second location in a frame buffer included in the computer, such that the first portion of the image is displayed in the first monitor space; and

program code for passing data representing the second portion of the image through a display engine included in the computer so that the display engine processes the data representing the second portion according to the color characteristics of the second monitor and such that the second portion of the image is displayed in the second monitor space.

13. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the program code further comprises said display engine.

14. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the program code further comprises program code means for determining that the first monitor and the second monitor have different color characteristics.

15. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the program code further comprises program code means for setting an operating system variable to a value that indicates that the first monitor and the second monitor have different color characteristics.

16. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the program code further comprises program code means for examining the value of the operating system variable to determine that the first monitor and the second monitor have different color characteristics and that the step of passing data is to be conducted based on the existence of the different color characteristics.

17. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the program code means for determining that an image displayed entirely within a first monitor space is to be moved or resized comprises program code means for responding to user input that indicates that the image is to be moved or resized.