US5937176A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Interconnection system having circuits to packetize keyboard/mouse electronic signals from plural workstations and supply to keyboard/mouse input of remote computer systems through a crosspoint switch
Assignee: Avocent Redmond Corp
•
Filing: 1997-11-12
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Granted: 1999-08-10
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Expires: 2017-11-12
Abstract
Abstract A computerized switching system for coupling a workstation to a remotely located computer. A signal conditioning unit receives keyboard and mouse signals generated by a workstation and generates a data packet which is transmitted to a central crosspoint switch. The packet is routed through a crosspoint switch to another signal conditioning unit located at a remotely located computer. The second signal conditioning unit applies the keyboard and mouse commands to the keyboard and mouse connectors of the computer as if the keyboard and mouse were directly coupled to the remote computer. Video signals produced by the remote computer are transmitted through the crosspoint switch to the workstation. Horizontal and vertical sync signals are encoded on to the video signals to reduce the number of cables that extend between the workstation and the remote computer. The signal conditioning units connected to the workstations include an onscreen programming circuit that produces menus for the user on a video display of the workstation.
Inventors
- 👤 Danny L. Beasley
- 👤 Robert V. Seifert, Jr.
- 👤 Paul Lacrampe
- 👤 James C. Huffington
- 👤 Thomas Greene
- 👤 Kevin J. Hafer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 00:58
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F13/00; G06F13/38; H; H04; H04N; H04N7/00; H04N7/14; H04N7/15; H04N7/152; G06F13/40; G06F13/4004; G06F13/4022; G06F15/00; G06F15/16; G06F15/163; G06F15/173; G06F15/17356; G06F15/17368; G06F15/17375; G06F3/00; G06F3/01; G06F3/02; G06F3/023; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/66; H04L67/00; H04L67/50; H04L67/56; H04L67/561; H04L67/567; H04L69/00; H04L69/30; H04L69/32; H04L69/322; H04L69/329
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
275 words
A system for connecting a number of workstations of the type that include a keyboard, mouse and video monitor to a number of remote computer systems, comprising: a plurality of first signal conditioning units coupled to the workstations for receiving electronic signals produced by the keyboard and mouse and for creating a serial data packet that includes the electronic signals; a plurality of first communication links coupled to the first signal conditioning units for carrying the serial data packets; a central crosspoint switch including a number of bidirectional inputs and outputs, said central crosspoint switch receiving the serial data packets from an input and routing the serial data packet to one or more of said outputs; a plurality of second communication links coupled to the outputs of the central crosspoint switch; and a plurality of second signal conditioning units coupled to the remote computer systems, for receiving the serial data packets transmitted on one of the plurality of second communication links switch and for supplying the data packets to a keyboard and mouse input of the remote computer, the plurality of second signal conditioning units receiving video signals produced by the remote computer systems and transmitting the video signals to the central switch on one of the plurality of second communication links, wherein the video signals include a red, green and blue video signal as well as a horizontal and vertical sync signal, and wherein each of the second signal conditioning units includes an encoder circuit that encodes the horizontal and vertical sync signal onto the two of the red, green or blue video signals before the video signals are transmitted to the central switch.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
275 words
A system for connecting a number of workstations of the type that include a keyboard, mouse and video monitor to a number of remote computer systems, comprising: a plurality of first signal conditioning units coupled to the workstations for receiving electronic signals produced by the keyboard and mouse and for creating a serial data packet that includes the electronic signals; a plurality of first communication links coupled to the first signal conditioning units for carrying the serial data packets; a central crosspoint switch including a number of bidirectional inputs and outputs, said central crosspoint switch receiving the serial data packets from an input and routing the serial data packet to one or more of said outputs; a plurality of second communication links coupled to the outputs of the central crosspoint switch; and a plurality of second signal conditioning units coupled to the remote computer systems, for receiving the serial data packets transmitted on one of the plurality of second communication links switch and for supplying the data packets to a keyboard and mouse input of the remote computer, the plurality of second signal conditioning units receiving video signals produced by the remote computer systems and transmitting the video signals to the central switch on one of the plurality of second communication links, wherein the video signals include a red, green and blue video signal as well as a horizontal and vertical sync signal, and wherein each of the second signal conditioning units includes an encoder circuit that encodes the horizontal and vertical sync signal onto the two of the red, green or blue video signals before the video signals are transmitted to the central switch.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
53 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the video signals include a mode signal that indicates a polarity of the horizontal and vertical sync signal, and wherein the encoder circuit encodes the mode signal onto one of the red, green or blue video signals before the video signals are transmitted to the central switch.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the first signal conditioning units include a decoder circuit for removing the horizontal and vertical sync signals from the red, green or blue video signals.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system of claim 3, wherein the decoder circuit removes the mode signal from the red, green or blue video signals.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system of claim 4, wherein the decoder circuit includes a circuit for adjusting the polarity for the horizontal and vertical sync signals based on the decoded mode signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 5 further comprising an onscreen programming circuit that is included in the first signal conditioning unit, the onscreen programming circuit producing video signals that are displayed by the video monitor.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-08-09 | 2003-02-08 | 2003-08-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-08-09 | 2007-02-08 | 2007-08-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-08-09 | 2011-02-08 | 2011-08-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |