System for real-time adaptation to changes in display configuration

US 7,380,116 B2
Filed: 08/08/2005
Issued: 05/27/2008
Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1998
Status: Expired due to Fees

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1. 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 display device in the computer system;

providing a notification to a component of an operating system executing on said computer system that a video device has been added or removed, in response to said detection; and

modifying the allocation of display space to display devices via said operating system component, in response to said notification and in accordance with the addition or removal of a video device.

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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.

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43 Claims

1. 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 display device in the computer system;
  
  providing a notification to a component of an operating system executing on said computer system that a video device has been added or removed, in response to said detection; and
  
  modifying the allocation of display space to display devices via said operating system component, in response to said notification and in accordance with the addition or removal of a video device.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
- - 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the video device comprises a video card that includes a frame buffer, and said modifying 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.
  - 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said operating system component carries out the further step of storing a preferences file that identifies the status of displayed objects prior to a change in the configuration of a computer.
  - 4. The method of claim 3 wherein, upon detection of the addition of a video device, said operating system component repositions objects in said display space, in accordance with a status stored in said preferences file.
  - 5. The method of claim 3, wherein said preferences file stores the video devices which make up the configuration of the computer, and the locations of objects displayed on said video devices.
  - 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said preferences file also stores operating parameters for said devices.
  - 7. The method of claim 3 wherein, in response to said notification of a removed video device, said operating system component carries out the further step of searching the preferences file to retrieve a status of displayed objects corresponding to when the video device was previously removed.
  - 8. The method of claim 1 wherein said operating system component 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.
  - 9. The method of claim 1 wherein, upon detection of the addition of a video device, said operating system component causes a software program associated with the added device to be launched.
  - 10. The method of claim 1 wherein said operating system component further carries out the step of reconfiguring a computer resource to correspond to the status of objects located in the display space.
  - 11. The method of claim 10 wherein said computer resource is a color look-up table.
  - 12. 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 operating system component in response to said error condition, and deleting an allocation of display space to the removed frame buffer.
  - 13. The method of claim 1, wherein said operating system component carries out the further steps of:
    - registering an added video device as a new video device in response to said notification of an added video device;
      
      determining a location in a memory of a video driver associated with the added video device; and
      
      storing the location of the video driver associated with the added video device in the memory.
  - 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said operating system component carries out the further step of activating the video driver associated with the added video device when the video driver is present in the memory and inactive.
  - 15. The method of claim 14, wherein said operating system component carries out the further steps of:
    - storing a preferences file that identifies the status of displayed objects prior to a change in the configuration of the computer system;
      
      accessing the preferences file to determine whether the added video device was previously connected to a frame buffer associated with the computer system; and
      
      restoring a display environment to the status identified in the preferences file upon determining that the added video device was previously connected to the frame buffer associated with the computer system.
  - 16. The method of claim of claim 1, wherein said operating system component carries out the further step of notifying at least one software program executed by the operating system of a change in the configuration of the computer system in response to said notification that a video device has been added or removed.
  - 17. The method of claim 1 wherein, in response to said notification of a removed video device, said operating system component carries out the further step of shutting down at least one application program associated with the removed video device that was executing on the operating system.
  - 18. The method of claim 1 wherein, in response to said notification that a video device is removed, said operating system component carries out the further step of deleting an assignment of display space to a frame buffer associated with the removed video device.

19. 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 first operating system component 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 second operating system component which detects the addition or removal of a display device in a computer system, and provides a notification of such addition or removal to the first operating system component in response to said detection, to cause the assignment of a portion of the display space to be modified in accordance with a detected addition or removal.
- View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
- - 20. The system of claim 19, wherein said first operating system component launches a software program associated with the display device in response to notification that the display device has been added.
  - 21. The system of claim 19, further including a preferences file stored in memory which indicates the status of objects being displayed when a display device is removed.
  - 22. The system of claim 21 wherein, in response to said detection of a removal of a display device, said first operating system component is further configured for searching the preferences file to retrieve a status of displayed objects corresponding to when the display device was previously removed.
  - 23. The system of claim 19, wherein said first operating system component is further configured for:
    - registering an added display device as a new display device in response to the notification of an added display device from said second operating system component;
      
      determining a location in a memory of a display driver associated with the added display device; and
      
      storing the location of the display driver associated with the added display device in the memory.
  - 24. The system of claim 23, wherein said first operating system component is further configured for activating the display driver associated with the added display device when the display driver is present in the memory and inactive.
  - 25. The system of claim 19, wherein said first operating system component is further configured for:
    - storing a preferences file that identifies the status of displayed objects prior to a change in the configuration of the computer system;
      
      accessing the preferences file to determine whether an added display device was previously connected to said frame buffer; and
      
      restoring a display environment to the status identified in the preferences file upon determining that the added display device was previously connected to said frame buffer.
  - 26. The system of claim 19 wherein, in response to said detection of a removal of a display device, said first operating system component is further configured for shutting down at least one application program associated with the removed display device.
  - 27. The system of claim 19 wherein, in response to said detection of a removal of a display device, said first operating system component is further configured for deleting an assignment of display space to a frame buffer associated with the removed display device.
  - 28. The system of claim 19, wherein said first operating system component is further configured for reconfiguring at least one computer resource used by an added or removed display device to correspond to a status of objects located in the display space after the change in the configuration of the computer system, in response to said notification of an added or removed display device.
  - 29. The system of claim 19, further comprising a detection unit operable to detect when an input/output device is added to or removed from the computer system, and provide an indication to said second operating system component of a detected addition or removal of an input/output device in the computer system,wherein said second operating system component is further configured for receiving the indication of the addition or removal of the input/output device, and determining whether the added or removed input/output device is a display device.
  - 30. The system of claim 29, wherein said detection unit is a video card operable to detect that an input/output device is connected thereto or disconnected therefrom.
  - 31. The system of claim 29, wherein said second operating system component is further configured for:
    - communicating with an added input/output device to detect at least one of a type and identity of the added input/output device;
      
      determining whether the added input/output device is a display device according to the detected at least one of the type and identity of the added input/output device;
      
      storing the detected at least one of the type and identify of the added input/output device in a memory; and
      
      accessing the memory each time an input/output device is added to determine whether the added input/output device is a display device.
  - 32. The system of claim 31, wherein said second operating system component is further configured for determining whether an input/output device removed from the computer system is a display device by referencing the at least one of the type and identify of the input/output device stored in the memory.

33. A computer-readable medium having a device manager program and a display manager program stored thereon, wherein said device manager program causes a computer system to perform the steps of:
- detecting the addition or removal of a display device in the computer system, andproviding a notification to said display manager program when a display device is added or removed; and
  
  wherein said display manager program causes the computer system to perform the step of;
  
  modifying the allocation of display space to display devices in response to said notification from said device manager program.
- View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
- - 34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein said display manager program causes the computer system to perform the further steps of storing a preferences 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 display device is added.
  - 35. The computer-readable medium of claim 34 wherein, in response to said notification of a removal of a display device, said display manger program causes the computer system to perform the further step of searching the preferences file to retrieve a status of displayed objects corresponding to when the display device was previously removed.
  - 36. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein said display manager program causes the computer system to perform the further 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.
  - 37. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein said display manager program causes the computer system to perform the further step of launching a software program in response to said notification.
  - 38. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein said display manager program causes the computer system to perform the further step of reconfiguring at least one computer resource in accordance with the modification of the display space allocation.
  - 39. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein said computer resource is a color look-up table.
  - 40. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein said display manager program causes the computer system to perform the further steps of:
    - registering an added display device as a new display device in response to the notification of an added display device from said device manager program;
      
      determining a location in a memory of a display driver associated with the added display device; and
      
      storing the location of the display driver associated with the added display device in the memory.
  - 41. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein said display manager program causes the computer system to perform the further step of activating the display driver associated with the added display device when the display driver is present in the memory and inactive.
  - 42. The computer-readable medium of claim 33 wherein, in response to said detection of a removal of a display device, said display manager program causes the computer system to perform the further step of deleting an assignment of display space to a frame buffer associated with the removed display device.
  - 43. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, further having a detection program stored thereon,wherein said detection program causes the computer system to perform the step of detecting when an input/output device is added to or removed from the computer system, andwherein said device manager program causes the computer system to perform the further step of determining whether an input/output device that was detected to be added or removed is a display device by detecting at least one of a type and identity of the added or removed input/output device.

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Litigation Data

Current Assignee
Apple Inc.
Original Assignee
Apple Inc.
Inventors
Hendry, Ian, Anderson, Eric, Urbina, Fernando
Primary Examiner(s)
DU, THUAN N

Application Number

US11/198,289
Publication Number

US 20050273591A1
Time in Patent Office

1,023 Days
Field of Search

713/100, 710/104, 345/545
US Class Current

713/100
CPC Class Codes

G06F 3/14   Digital output to display d...

G06F 3/1431   using a single graphics con...

G06F 3/147   using display panels

G09G 2330/026   Arrangements or methods rel...

G09G 2370/042   for monitor identification

G09G 2370/047   using display data channel ...

G09G 5/003   Details of a display termin...

G09G 5/006   Details of the interface to...

System for real-time adaptation to changes in display configuration

First Claim

1 Assignment

Litigations

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Accused Products

Abstract

26 Citations

43 Claims

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System for real-time adaptation to changes in display configuration

First Claim

1 Assignment

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Litigations

0 Petitions

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Accused Products

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Abstract

26 Citations

43 Claims

Specification

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Solutions

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