System and method for emulating a window management environment having a uniform windowing interface

Claim 2

In a computer system having a display server to provide centralized display functions to a client, a method of responding to a request for graphics operations generated by the client, the request including at least one function, and the method comprising the steps, executed by the display server, of: receiving a request for a graphics operation from the client; determining whether the graphics operation request requires performance of window management functions; submitting the graphics operation request to an emulated window management structure in the display server to perform any window management functions required by the graphics operation request; and executing the functions in the graphics operation request directly which do not require window management functions.

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of submitting the graphics operation request to an emulated window management structure includes the substep of emulating, in the display server, a management client for translating a graphics operation request into a set of window management requests and for submitting the set of window management requests to the display server; and receiving the window management requests from the emulated management client.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 2, wherein the performance of the step of emulating the management client is interleaved with the performance of the step of executing the functions in the graphics operation request directly.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of emulating the management client is performed at a different time than the step of executing the functions in the graphics operation request directly.

Claim 6

A method according to claim 2, wherein the computer system includes a display for a plurality of clients and wherein the step of emulating the management client includes the substep of generating a windowing interface for the display that is substantially the same for each of the clients.

Claim 7

A method according to claim 5, wherein the computer system includes a host server coupled to the display for generating a host windowing interface on the display; wherein the method further includes the step of sending messages from the display server to the host server to communicate with the display; and wherein the step of generating the windowing interface includes the substep of generating the windowing interface to be substantially the same as the host windowing interface.

Claim 8

A method according to claim 5, wherein the computer system includes a host server for sending requests to the display server to communicate with the display and for generating a host windowing interface; wherein the step of generating the windowing interface includes the substep of generating the windowing interface to be substantially the same as the host windowing interface.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 5, wherein the computer system includes a common interface to the display, and a host server for generating a host windowing interface and for sending messages to the common interface to communicate with the display; wherein the method further includes the step of sending messages from the display server to the common interface to communicate with the display; and wherein the step of generating the windowing interface includes the substep of generating the windowing interface to be substantially the same as the host windowing interface.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 6, wherein the requests for graphics operations generated by clients includes requests to create a window, wherein the host server includes means for creating host windows for appearing on the display, and wherein the substep of generating the interface to be substantially the same as the host windowing interface includes the substep of responding to a request to create a window by sending a message to the host server to create at least one host window.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 6, wherein the host server includes means for performing window management functions; and wherein the substep of generating the windowing interface to be substantially the same as the host windowing interface includes the substep of delegating selected ones of window management functions in the graphics operation request to the host server.

Claim 12

A method according to claim 10, wherein the host server sends host events to the display server, and the host windowing interface includes user interface objects for manipulating window status, wherein the substep of generating the windowing interface to be substantially the same as the host windowing interface includes the substep of receiving a host event from the host server when the status of a window changes as a result of manipulation of one of the user interface objects.

Claim 13

A method according to claim 1, wherein the computer system includes a display for a plurality of clients and a host server coupled to and sending host events to the display server, the host events including display status events, and wherein the method further includes the steps of receiving a host event from the host server; translating the received host event into a set of display server events; and determining a corresponding set of clients to receive the set of display server events; and submitting the set of display server events to the corresponding set of clients.

Claim 14

A method according to claim 12, wherein the step of submitting a request to the emulated management structure includes the substeps of emulating in the display server a client providing management functions; translating a selected one of the display server events in the set of display server events received from the display server into a set of management events; and determining a corresponding set of the clients to receive the set of management events; and submitting the set of management events to the corresponding set of clients.

Claim 15

A method according to claim 12, wherein the substep of submitting the set of display server events to the corresponding set of clients includes the substep of determining whether one of the clients in the set of clients is the client providing window management functions; following a window management execution path if one of the clients in the set of clients is the client providing window management functions.

Claim 16

A computer system for providing centralized windowing mechanisms to clients comprising: a display; client processor means for executing the clients which generate requests for graphics operations to be implemented on the display; and server processor means, coupled to the display and to the client processor means, for responding to the graphics operation requests generated by clients, the server processor means including an emulated management structure for providing window management functions, means for receiving the graphics operation requests for graphics operations from the clients, means, coupled to the receiving means, for determining whether the graphics operation requests for graphics operations requires performance of window management functions, means, coupled to the receiving means and to the determining means, for directly executing the functions of the graphics operation requests which do not require window management functions, and means, coupled to the receiving means and to the determining means, for submitting to the emulated management structure the functions of the graphics operation requests which do require window management functions.

Claim 17

A computer system for providing centralized windowing mechanisms to clients comprising: a display; client processor means for executing the clients which generate requests for graphics operations to be implemented on the display; and server processor means, coupled to the display and to the client processor means, for responding to the graphics operation requests generated by clients, the server processor means including an emulated management structure for providing window management functions, means for receiving the graphics operation requests for graphics operations from the clients, means, coupled to the receiving means, for determining whether the graphics operation requests for graphics operations requires performance of window management functions, means, coupled to the receiving means and to the determining means, for directly executing the functions of the graphics operation requests which do not require window management functions, and means, coupled to the receiving means and to the determining means, for submitting to the emulated management structure the functions of the graphics operation requests which do require window management functions.

Claim 18

A system according to claim 15, wherein the emulated window management structure includes means for emulating a management client for providing management functions, the management client emulating means including means for translating graphics requests into corresponding sets of window management requests, and means for submitting the set of window management requests to the server processor means.

Claim 19

A system according to claim 16, wherein the means for emulating includes a first procedure composed of a first set of interrelated computer instructions; wherein the means for executing the graphics operation request directly includes a second procedure composed of a second set of interrelated computer instructions interspersed with the first set of computer instructions.

Claim 20

A system according to claim 16, wherein the means for emulating includes a first procedure composed of a first set of interrelated computer instructions organized as a callable module; wherein the means for executing the graphics operation request directly includes a second procedure composed of a second set of interrelated computer instructions.

Claim 21

A system according to claim 16, wherein the means for emulating the management client includes: means for generating a windowing interface on the display that is substantially the same for each of the clients.

Claim 22

A system according to claim 19, further comprising a host server, coupled to the server processor means and the display, including means for generating a host windowing interface; wherein the means for generating the windowing interface includes means for generating the windowing interface to be substantially the same as the host windowing interface, and wherein the server processor means includes means for sending messages to the host server to communicate with the display.

Claim 23

A system according to claim 19, further comprising a host server for generating a host windowing interface including means for sending requests to the server processor means to communicate with the display; and wherein the means for generating the windowing interface includes means for generating the windowing interface to be substantially the same as the host windowing interface.

Claim 24

A system according to claim 19, further comprising a common interface to the display; a host server including means for sending messages to the common interface to communicate with the display, and means for generating a host windowing interface; wherein the means for generating the windowing interface includes means for generating the windowing interface to be substantially the same as the host windowing interface; and wherein the server processor means includes means for sending messages to the common interface to communicate with the display.

Claim 25

A system according to claim 20, wherein requests for graphics operations generated by clients includes requests to create a window, and the host server includes means for creating host windows which may appear on the display, wherein the means for generating the user interface to be substantially the same as the host windowing interface includes means for responding to a request to create a window by sending a message to the host server to create at least one of the host window.

Claim 26

A system according to claim 20, wherein the host server includes means for providing window management functions; wherein the means for generating the user interface to be substantially the same as the host windowing interface includes means for delegating selected ones of window management functions in the graphics operation request to the host server.

Claim 27

A system according to claim 24, wherein the host server includes means for sending host events to the display server, wherein the means for generating a host windowing interface includes means for generating user interface objects for manipulating window status, wherein the means for generating the windowing interface to be substantially the same as the host windowing interface includes means for receiving a host event from the host server when the status of a window changes as a result of manipulation of one of the user interface objects.

Claim 28

A system according to claim 15, further comprising: an input/output driver; and a host server, the host server including means, responsive to the input/output drivers for generating host events; wherein the server processor means includes means for receiving host events from the host server, and means, coupled to the host event receiving means for recognizing host events received from the host server, means, coupled to the recognizing means, for translating the host events into corresponding sets of display server events; means for determining a corresponding set of clients to receive each of the sets of display server events; and means, coupled to the recognizing means and to the determining means, for submitting the sets of display server events to the corresponding sets of clients.

Claim 29

A system according to claim 26, wherein the emulated management structure includes: client emulation means for emulating a client providing management functions, the emulated client including means for receiving the set of display server events from the means for submitting the set of display server events; means, coupled to the receiving means, for translating a selected one of the display server events in the set of display server events received from the server processor means into a set of management events; means, coupled to the translating means, for determining a corresponding set of the clients to receive the set of management events; and means, coupled to the corresponding set determining means and to the translating means, for submitting the set of management events to the corresponding set of clients.

Claim 30

A system according to claim 26, wherein means for submitting the set of events to the corresponding set of clients includes means for determining whether one of the clients in the set of clients is the client providing window management functions; means for following a window management execution path if one of the clients in the set of clients is the client providing window management functions.