Direct point-to-point computing device bridges

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025208914-A1
Application number	US-202218846592-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 11, 2022
Priority date	Apr 11, 2022
Publication date	Jun 26, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

In an example in accordance with the present disclosure, a computing device bridge is described. The computing device bridge includes a first communication port to establish a connection with a first computing device. The first computing device has a first operating system (OS). The computing device bridge also includes a second communication port to establish a connection with a second computing device. The second computing device has a second OS. The computing device bridge also includes a controller. The controller provides a direct point-to-point connection between the first computing device and the second computing device and shares a resource of the first computing device or the second computing device with the other of the first computing device and the second computing device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A computing device bridge, comprising:
a first communication port to establish a connection with a first computing device, the first computing device having a first operating system (OS); a second communication port to establish a connection with a second computing device having a second OS; and a controller to:
provide a direct point-to-point connection between the first computing device and the second computing device; and
share a resource of the first computing device or the second computing device with the other of the first computing device and the second computing device.

2 . The computing device bridge of claim 1 , wherein the resource that is shared comprises:
a memory resource; a processing resource; a graphics processing resource; a display device; a user input device; an output device; program instructions; an application; or a combination thereof.

3 . The computing device bridge of claim 1 , wherein the first communication port and the second communication port comprise:
a wireless communication port; an ethernet port; a universal serial bus (USB) port; a Thunderbolt port; or a combination thereof.

4 . The computing device bridge of claim 1 , further comprising a peripheral device port to receive a connector of a peripheral device.

5 . The computing device bridge of claim 4 , wherein the controller is to share the peripheral device with computing devices with which the computing device bridge has established a connection.

6 . The computing device bridge of claim 1 :
further comprising a memory device to store an agent to be installed on the first computing device and second computing device to facilitate resource sharing; and wherein the controller is to, upon connection of the first computing device and the second computing device, transmit the agent to the first computing device and second computing device to be installed.

7 . A method, comprising:
establishing a connection between a computing device bridge and a first computing device, the first computing device having a first operating system (OS); establishing a connection between the computing device bridge and a second computing device having a second OS, wherein the second OS has a different platform than the first OS; providing a direct point-to-point connection between the first computing device and the second computing device; sharing resources of the first computing device and the second computing device with one another; detecting a controlling input device of one of the first or the second computing device to control both the first computing device and the second computing device; and facilitating user interaction with both computing devices via the controlling input device by converting resource metadata of the computing devices to be compatible with one another.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising, responsive to user input dragging a file from the first computing device to the second computing device, converting the file into a format compatible with the second computing device.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein conversion is performed by a processor of the first computing device or a processor of the second computing device.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein conversion is performed by a controller of the computing device bridge.

11 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising authorizing the first computing device and the second computing device as authorized to share resources with one another.

12 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising syncing files found on the first computing device and the second computing device.

13 . A computing device bridge, comprising:
a first communication port to establish a connection with a first computing device, wherein the first computing device has a first operating system (OS); a second communication port to establish a connection with a second computing device, wherein the second computing device has a second OS that has a different platform than the first OS; a multiplexer to multiplex display and data signals from the first communication port and the second communication port; a reflector to identify hardware components coupled to the first computing device and the second computing device; and a controller to:
provide a direct point-to-point connection between the first computing device and the second computing device;
share resources of one of the first computing device and the second computing device with the other of the first computing device and the second computing device; and
convert resource control data from one of the first and second computing device to be compatible with the other of the first and second computing device.

14 . The computing device bridge of claim 13 , wherein the first communication port, the second communication port, or a combination thereof provide power to an associated first or second computing device.

15 . The computing device bridge of claim 13 , wherein the controller is to share the resources of the first computing device and the second computing device based on a historical sharing configuration previously used when the first and second computing devices were coupled to the computing device bridge.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Thomas Iii Fred Charles
• Alcorn Byron A
• Rijken Christopher N
• Stancil Charles J

Classifications

• G06F9/5027 Primary

  the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals · CPC title

• G06F15/17343 Primary

  wherein the interconnection is dynamically configurable, e.g. having loosely coupled nearest neighbor architecture (reconfigurable processors arrays G06F15/7867) · CPC title