Method and system for intelligently controlling a remotely located computer

• US 6,701,380 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avocent Redmond Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Avocent Redmond Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Jones, Warren C., Schneider, Walter J., Sasten, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US10/365,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20030135656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/247, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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 5/18 Timing circuits for raster scan displays specially adapted for television H04N ; synchronisation between the display unit and other display units, videodisc player G09G5/12

Abstract

A method and system for remotely accessing and controlling at least one of a target switch and a target computer using a target controller. The video information captured by the target controller is analyzed and compressed in order to reduce network traffic between the target controller and a controlling computer.

Claims

1. A computer for interacting with a remote target controller that captures video from at least one of an external target switch and an external target computer and transmits only pixel values that changed between first and second blocks of the video, the computer comprising:

a communications device for receiving the video from at least one of an external target switch and an external target computer;

a processor for processing the only pixel values that changed between first and second blocks of the video; and

a display for displaying the capture video from at least one of an external target switch and an external target computer.

2. The computer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications device comprises a modem.

3. The computer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications device comprises a wireless transceiver.

4. The computer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications device comprises a wired adapter.

5. The computer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications device comprises an Ethernet adapter.

6. The computer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a keyboard.

7. The computer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a mouse.

8. The computer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a user input device.

9. The computer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication device communicates using TCP/IP.