Unified desktop docking behavior for visible-to-visible extension

• US 9,665,333 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: de Paz, Alexander, Reeves, Paul E., Sirpal, Sanjiv, Gimpl, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, TOAN H
• Application Number:
  US14/858,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20160103648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1654 the display being detachable, e.g. for remote use
• 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 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• 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 2300/026 Video wall, i.e. juxtaposition of a plurality of screens to create a display screen of bigger dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Methods and devices for selectively presenting a user interface or “desktop” across two devices are provided. More particularly, a unified desktop is presented across a device and a computer system that comprise a unified system. The unified desktop acts as a single user interface that presents data and receives user interaction in a seamless environment that emulates a personal computing environment. To function within the personal computing environment, the unified desktop includes a process for docking and undocking the device with the computer system. The unified desktop presents desktops or windows based on a set of pre-determined rules.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a device with a first touch sensitive display and a second touch sensitive display;

providing a computer system with a display;

docking the device to the computer system to form a unified system;

generating a unified desktop for the unified system, wherein the unified desktop is rendered by the device and includes at least a first portion displayed on the first and second touch sensitive displays of the device and a second portion displayed on the computer system display;

in response to the docking, determining whether a first window was displayed on at least one of the first and second touch sensitive displays of the device before the docking, wherein after docking, the device controls the computer system, and the device generates the unified desktop for the unified system, and wherein, after docking, the first window is not displayed on the first portion of the unified desktop, wherein before docking, a second window was displayed on the computer system display, and wherein, after docking, the second window is hidden; and

in response to determining the first window was displayed on the device before the docking, migrating the first window from the device to the second portion of the unified desktop on the computer system display and displaying the first portion of the unified desktop on at least one of the first and second touch sensitive displays of the device, wherein the second portion of the unified desktop displayed on the computer system display hides a desktop displayed by the computer system display before the docking.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device includes a first operating system that controls the computer system after the docking and the device includes a second operating system that controls the device, wherein the first and second operating systems interact to generate the unified system, and the method further comprising executing a first rule, wherein the first rule is associated with changes in the display of the first window on the second portion of the unified desktop on the computer system display after docking the device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first rule is associated with the first window that was displayed on the device before docking.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first touch sensitive display and the second touch sensitive display are on a common first screen of the device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a third window is opened in the second portion of the unified desktop after docking.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, upon undocking, the third window is moved from the second portion to at least one of the first and second touch sensitive displays of the device and the computer system display displays the second window again.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first touch sensitive display is on a first screen of the device and the second touch sensitive display is on a different second screen of the device.

8. A unified system, comprising:

a computer system comprising;

a computer system display;

a processor; and

a memory; and

a device comprising;

a first touch sensitive display;

a second touch sensitive display;

a second memory; and

a second processor;

wherein the device is docked with the computer system to form the unified system, the device is operable to generate a unified desktop for the unified system, wherein the unified desktop is rendered by the device and includes at least a first portion displayed on the first and second touch sensitive displays of the device and a second portion displayed on the computer system display;

wherein in response to the docking, the device determines whether a first window was displayed on at least one of the first and second touch sensitive displays of the device before the docking, wherein after docking, the device controls the computer system, and the device generates the unified desktop for the unified system, and wherein, after docking, the first window is not displayed on the first portion of the unified desktop, wherein before docking, a second window was displayed on the computer system display, and wherein, after docking, the second window is hidden;

wherein in response to determining the first window was displayed on the device before the docking, the first window is migrated from the device to the second portion of the unified desktop on the computer system display and the first portion of the unified desktop is displayed on at least one of the first and second touch sensitive displays of the device, wherein the second portion of the unified desktop displayed on the computer system display hides a desktop displayed by the computer system display before the docking.

10. The unified system of claim 8, wherein the device includes a first operating system and a second operating system.

11. The unified system of claim 8, wherein a third window is opened after docking and the third window is displayed on the computer system display, wherein upon undocking, the third window is moved from the computer system display to one or more of the first and second touch sensitive displays associated with the device, and wherein, upon undocking, computer system display displays the second window again.

9. The unified system 8, wherein a first rule is associated with changes in the display of the first window on the computer system display after docking the device, wherein the first rule is associated with the first window that was displayed on the device before docking.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, the computer executable instructions causing a processor to execute a method for providing a unified desktop, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

instructions to dock the device to the computer system to form a unified system;

instructions to generate a unified desktop for the unified system, wherein the unified desktop is rendered by the device and includes at least a first portion displayed on the first and second touch sensitive displays of the device and a second portion displayed on the computer system display;

instructions to, in response to the docking, determine whether a first window was displayed on at least one of the first and second touch sensitive displays of the device before the docking, wherein after docking, the device controls the computer system, and the device generates the unified desktop for the unified system, and wherein, after docking, the first window is not displayed on the first portion of the unified desktop, wherein before docking, a second window was displayed on the computer system display, and wherein, after docking, the second window is hidden; and

instructions to, in response to determining the first window was displayed on the device before the docking, migrate the first window from the device to the second portion of the unified desktop on the computer system display and displaying the first portion of the unified desktop on at least one of the first and second touch sensitive displays of the device, wherein the second portion of the unified desktop displayed on the computer system display hides a desktop displayed by the computer system display before the docking.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein a first rule is associated with changes in the display of the first window on the second portion of the unified desktop after docking the device, and wherein the first rule is associated with the first window that was displayed by the device before docking.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the second window is hidden after docking.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the device includes a first operating system and a second operating system, wherein the first and second operating systems interact to generate the unified system.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first operating system controls the computer system after the docking and the second operating system controls the device, wherein a third window is opened and displayed on the second portion of the unified desktop after docking, wherein upon undocking, the third window is moved from the second portion to the at least one display of the device, and wherein, upon undocking, the display of the computer system displays the second window again.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first rule is associated with the first window that was displayed on the device before docking.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein a third window is opened in the second portion of the unified desktop after docking.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein, upon undocking, the third window is moved from the second portion to at least one of the first and second touch sensitive displays of the device and the computer system display displays the second window again.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the device includes a first operating system and a second operating system, wherein the first and second operating systems interact to generate the unified system.