Docking station status notifications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12093192-B2
Application number	US-202217718537-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2022
Priority date	Apr 12, 2022
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

In an example in accordance with the present disclosure, a computing device docking station is described. The computing device docking station includes a computing device port to receive a connector of a host computing device and a display device port to receive a connector of a display device. The computing device docking station also includes a dock management controller. The dock management controller is to 1) determine a status of the computing device docking station and 2) generate a notification indicating the status of the computing device docking station. The computing device docking station also includes a display controller to generate an on-screen display (OSD) presentation of the notification on the display device coupled to the display device port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computing device docking station, comprising:
a computing device port to receive a connector of a host computing device;
a display device port to receive a connector of a display device;
a dock management controller to:
determine a status of the computing device docking station based on health, configuration, or performance parameters of the computing device docking station;
generate a notification indicating the status of the computing device docking station; and
transmit the notification to a display controller, the display controller to generate an on-screen display (OSD) presentation of the notification on the display device coupled to the display device port;

wherein, when the computing device port is inactive, the display controller of the computing device docking station controls the display device to generate the OSD presentation of the notification on the display device; and
wherein, when the computing device port is active, the host computing device controls the display device to generate a host computing device-controlled window on the display device, and the display controller of the computing device docking station controls the display device to generate the OSD presentation of the notification on the display device to overlay the host computing device-controlled window on the display device.

2. The computing device docking station of claim 1 , further comprising a power delivery (PD) controller to detect the connector of the host computing device, wherein:
the PD controller is electrically connected to the computing device port and the dock management controller; and
the status of the computing device docking station is a connection status of the computing device port.

3. The computing device docking station of claim 1 , further comprising a power port to receive a connector of a power supply, wherein the status of the computing device docking station is a connection status of the power port.

4. The computing device docking station of claim 1 , further comprising a database of static notifications, wherein the dock management controller is to generate the notification by selecting a static notification from the database based on a determined status of the computing device docking station.

5. A method, comprising:
surveying hardware controllers of a computing device docking station to determine a status of the computing device docking station based on health, configuration, or performance parameters of the computing device docking station;
generating, via a dock management controller of the computing device docking station, a visual notification to indicate the status of the computing device docking station;
transmitting, via an electronic control signal generated by the dock management controller, the notification to a display controller;
when a host computing device is disconnected from a computing device port of the docking station, controlling a display device, via the display controller of the computing device docking station, to display an on-screen display (OSD) presentation of the notification;
when the host computing device is connected to the computing device port of the docking station, controlling the display device, via the host computing device, to generate a host computing device-controlled window on the display device; and
when the host computing device is connected to the computing device port of the docking station, controlling the display device, via the display controller of the computing device docking station, to overlay the host computing device-controlled window with the OSD presentation of the notification.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the visual notification comprises a recommended remedial action.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the status indicates an instruction set version of the computing device docking station.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the status indicates an update status of the computing device docking station.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the status indicates an overcurrent or overvoltage event at the computing device docking station.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein generating the visual notification comprises creating the visual notification based on information collected from the hardware controllers of the computing device docking station.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor, the machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions to, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to, at a computing device docking station with a computing device port:
determine a status of the computing device docking station based on health, configuration, or performance parameters of the computing device docking station;
generate a notification indicating the status of the computing device docking station; and
transmit the notification to a display controller, the display controller to generate an on-screen display (OSD) presentation of the notification on a display device coupled to a display device port;
wherein, when the computing device port is inactive, the display controller of the computing device docking station controls the display device to generate the OSD presentation of the notification on the display device; and
wherein, when the computing device port is active, a host computing device controls the display device to generate a host computing device-controlled window on the display device, and the display controller of the computing device docking station controls the display device to generate the OSD presentation of the notification on the display device to overlay the host computing device-controlled window on the display device.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the notification is a bitmap image indicating the status of the computing device docking station.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Shamsi Osaid Ahmed
• Stancil Charles J
• Thai Thong

Classifications

• G06F1/266

  Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  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 title

• G06F1/1632

  External expansion units, e.g. docking stations · CPC title

• G06F13/102 Primary

  where the program performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver (G06F13/105 takes precedence; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52) · CPC title