US6282646B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System for real-time adaptation to changes in display configuration
Assignee: Apple Inc
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Filing: 1998-05-08
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Granted: 2001-08-28
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Expires: 2018-05-08
Abstract
Abstract A hot-plugging capability for video devices is achieved by shifting the responsibility for recognizing changes in the configuration of a display environment from a computer's operating system to a device manager. When an input/output device is added to or removed from the computer system, an interrupt signal informs a device manager of the fact that a change in configuration has occurred. In response thereto, the device manager determines whether the changed component relates to the computer's display function. If so, the device manager makes a call to the computer's display manager, to inform it of the fact that the display configuration has changed. In response to this call, the display manager reconfigures the display space for the computer system and notifies clients as appropriate, to accommodate display features associated with the added component. With this change in the configuration of the display space, the added component becomes immediately available for use.
Inventors
- 👤 Ian Hendry
- 👤 Eric Anderson
- 👤 Fernando Urbina
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 00:05
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/14; G06F3/1423; G06F3/1431; G06F3/147; G09; G09G; G09G5/00; G09G5/003; G09G5/006; G09G2330/00; G09G2330/02; G09G2330/026; G09G2370/00; G09G2370/04; G09G2370/042; G09G2370/045; G09G2370/047
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 41
Claim 1
Independent Claim
97 words
A method for reconfiguring a computer system to accommodate changes in a display environment, comprising the steps of: detecting the addition or removal of an input/output device in the computer system; determining whether an input/output device which has been added or removed is a video device, in response to said detection; providing a notification to a display manager when a determination is made that a video device has been added or removed; and modifying the allocation of display space to display devices via said display manager, in accordance with the addition or removal of a video device.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
97 words
A method for reconfiguring a computer system to accommodate changes in a display environment, comprising the steps of: detecting the addition or removal of an input/output device in the computer system; determining whether an input/output device which has been added or removed is a video device, in response to said detection; providing a notification to a display manager when a determination is made that a video device has been added or removed; and modifying the allocation of display space to display devices via said display manager, in accordance with the addition or removal of a video device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the video device comprises a video card that includes a frame buffer, and said modification step includes assigning a portion of the display space to the frame buffer of an added video card, or deleting the assignment of a portion of the display space to a removed video card.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said display manager further carries out the step of storing a preferences file that identifies the status of displayed objects prior to a change in the configuration of a computer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 3 wherein, upon detection of the addition of a video device, said display manager repositions objects in said display space, in accordance with a status stored in said preferences file.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said video device is a display device, and said display manager carries out the step of assigning a respective frame buffer, which corresponds to an allocated portion of the display space, to a corresponding display device.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 wherein, upon detection of the addition of a video device, said display manager causes a software program associated with the added device to be launched.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said display manager further carries out the step of reconfiguring a computer resource to correspond to the status of objects located in the display space.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 7 wherein said computer resource is a color look-up table.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of claim 1 , further including the step of recognizing an error condition resulting from an attempt to address a frame buffer that has been removed, providing a notification to said display manager in response to said error condition, and deleting an allocation of display space to the removed frame buffer.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
143 words
A system which provides hot-plugging capabilities for display devices, comprising: a video device including a frame buffer for storing data that defines an image to be displayed on an associated display device; a display manager which defines a display space and assigns a portion of said display space to said frame buffer, and which provides data for images to be displayed to said frame buffer; and a device manager which detects the addition or removal of a device in a computer system, determines whether a device which has been added or removed is a video device, and provides a notification of such addition or removal to the display manager when a video device is determined to have been added or removed, to cause the assignment of a portion of the display space to be modified in accordance with a detected addition or removal.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
143 words
A system which provides hot-plugging capabilities for display devices, comprising: a video device including a frame buffer for storing data that defines an image to be displayed on an associated display device; a display manager which defines a display space and assigns a portion of said display space to said frame buffer, and which provides data for images to be displayed to said frame buffer; and a device manager which detects the addition or removal of a device in a computer system, determines whether a device which has been added or removed is a video device, and provides a notification of such addition or removal to the display manager when a video device is determined to have been added or removed, to cause the assignment of a portion of the display space to be modified in accordance with a detected addition or removal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system of claim 10 , wherein said display manager launches a software program associated with the video device in response to notification that the video device has been added.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 11 further including a preference file stored in memory which indicates the status of objects being displayed when a video device is removed.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
128 words
A system which provides hot-plugging capabilities for display devices, comprising: at least one display for displaying images; a display manager which defines a display space and assigns a portion of said display space to a display device, and which provides data for images to be displayed on said display device; and a device manager which detects the addition or removal of a device in a computer system, determines whether a device which has been added or removed is a display device, and provides a notification of such addition or removal to the display manager when a display device is determined to have been added or removed, to cause the assignment of a portion of the display space to be modified in accordance with a detected addition or removal.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
128 words
A system which provides hot-plugging capabilities for display devices, comprising: at least one display for displaying images; a display manager which defines a display space and assigns a portion of said display space to a display device, and which provides data for images to be displayed on said display device; and a device manager which detects the addition or removal of a device in a computer system, determines whether a device which has been added or removed is a display device, and provides a notification of such addition or removal to the display manager when a display device is determined to have been added or removed, to cause the assignment of a portion of the display space to be modified in accordance with a detected addition or removal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system of claim 13 further including a frame buffer which is associated with an assigned portion of the display space, and wherein said display manager modifies said assignment by associating said frame buffer with said display device.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 13 further including a preference file stored in memory which indicates the status of objects being displayed when a display device is removed.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
88 words
A computer-readable medium containing a device manager program and a display manager program, wherein said device manager program performs the steps of detecting the addition or removal of an input/output device in a computer system, determining whether the input/output device is a video device, and providing a notification to the display manager program when a video device is added or removed; and wherein said display manager performs the step of: modifying the allocation of display space to display devices in response to said notification from the device manager.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
88 words
A computer-readable medium containing a device manager program and a display manager program, wherein said device manager program performs the steps of detecting the addition or removal of an input/output device in a computer system, determining whether the input/output device is a video device, and providing a notification to the display manager program when a video device is added or removed; and wherein said display manager performs the step of: modifying the allocation of display space to display devices in response to said notification from the device manager.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
48 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein said display manager further performs the steps of storing a preference file relating to the status of objects appearing on a display device, and restoring objects to the status stored in the preferences file when a video device is added.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
57 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein said display manager performs the step of assigning a respective frame buffer to a display device in response to said notification of an added display device, or deleting the assignment of a respective frame buffer from said display device in response to said notification of a removed display device.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
25 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein said display manager performs the further step of launching a software program in response to said notification.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
32 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein said display manager performs the further step of reconfiguring at least one computer resource in accordance with the modification of the display space allocation.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
16 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 20 , wherein said computer resource is a color look-up table.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 3 , wherein said preference file stores the video devices which make up the configuration of the computer, and the locations of objects displayed on said video devices.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 22 , wherein said preferences file also stores operating parameters for said devices.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
89 words
A method for reconfiguring a computer system to accommodate changes in a display environment, comprising the steps of: detecting the addition or removal of a video device in the computer system; providing a notification to a display manager that a video device has been added or removed; modifying the allocation of display space to display devices via said display manager, in accordance with the addition or removal of a video device; and reconfiguring a color look-up table to correspond to the status of objects located in the display space.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
89 words
A method for reconfiguring a computer system to accommodate changes in a display environment, comprising the steps of: detecting the addition or removal of a video device in the computer system; providing a notification to a display manager that a video device has been added or removed; modifying the allocation of display space to display devices via said display manager, in accordance with the addition or removal of a video device; and reconfiguring a color look-up table to correspond to the status of objects located in the display space.
Claim 30
Independent Claim
142 words
A system which provides hot-plugging capabilities for display devices, comprising: a video device including a frame buffer for storing data that defines an image to be displayed on an associated display device; a display manager which defines a display space and assigns a portion of said display space to said frame buffer, and which provides data for images to be displayed to said frame buffer; a device manager which detects the addition or removal of the video device to a computer system, and provides a notification of such addition or removal to the display manager to cause the assignment of a portion of the display space to be modified in accordance with a detected addition or removal; and means responsive to the removal of a video device for storing a preference file in memory which indicates the status of objects being displayed.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
142 words
A system which provides hot-plugging capabilities for display devices, comprising: a video device including a frame buffer for storing data that defines an image to be displayed on an associated display device; a display manager which defines a display space and assigns a portion of said display space to said frame buffer, and which provides data for images to be displayed to said frame buffer; a device manager which detects the addition or removal of the video device to a computer system, and provides a notification of such addition or removal to the display manager to cause the assignment of a portion of the display space to be modified in accordance with a detected addition or removal; and means responsive to the removal of a video device for storing a preference file in memory which indicates the status of objects being displayed.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
50 words
The system of claim 25 , wherein said display manager is responsive to the addition or removal of a video device to restore displayed objects to a status stored in said preference file which corresponds to the configuration of the computer system after the video device is added or removed.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of claim 25 , wherein said preference file stores the video devices which make up the configuration of the computer, and the locations of objects displayed on said video devices.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 27 , wherein said preferences file also stores operating parameters for said devices.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
112 words
A computer-readable medium containing a device manager program and a display manager program, wherein said device manager program performs the steps of: detecting the addition or removal of a video device in a computer system, and providing a notification to the display manager program when a video device is added or removed; and wherein said display manager performs the steps of: modifying the allocation of display space to display devices in response to said notification from the device manager, and storing a preference file relating to the status of objects appearing on a display device, and restoring objects to the status stored in the preferences file when a video device is added.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
112 words
A computer-readable medium containing a device manager program and a display manager program, wherein said device manager program performs the steps of: detecting the addition or removal of a video device in a computer system, and providing a notification to the display manager program when a video device is added or removed; and wherein said display manager performs the steps of: modifying the allocation of display space to display devices in response to said notification from the device manager, and storing a preference file relating to the status of objects appearing on a display device, and restoring objects to the status stored in the preferences file when a video device is added.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
33 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 29 , wherein said preference file stores the video devices which make up the configuration of the computer, and the locations of objects displayed on said video devices.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
18 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 30 , wherein said preferences file also stores operating parameters for said devices.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
96 words
A computer-readable medium containing a device manager program and a display manager program, wherein said device manager program performs the steps of: detecting the addition or removal of a video device in a computer system, and providing a notification to the display manager program when a video device is added or removed; and wherein said display manager performs the step of: modifying the allocation of display space to display devices in response to said notification from the device manager, and reconfiguring at least one computer resource in accordance with the modification of the display space allocation.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
96 words
A computer-readable medium containing a device manager program and a display manager program, wherein said device manager program performs the steps of: detecting the addition or removal of a video device in a computer system, and providing a notification to the display manager program when a video device is added or removed; and wherein said display manager performs the step of: modifying the allocation of display space to display devices in response to said notification from the device manager, and reconfiguring at least one computer resource in accordance with the modification of the display space allocation.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
16 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 32 , wherein said computer resource is a color look-up table.
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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) | 2004-08-27 | 2005-02-26 | 2005-08-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-08-27 | 2009-02-26 | 2009-08-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-08-27 | 2013-02-26 | 2013-08-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |