Dynamic distribution of client windows on multiple monitors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9703444-B2
Application number	US-201113076450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2011
Priority date	Mar 31, 2011
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A multi-user computer system may distribute user windows across multiple monitors. Some of the user windows may span two or more monitors. Some user windows may share a monitor. Each user window may be associated with a set of user input devices for each user. The user window configuration may be changed on the fly by an administrative user, who may reposition, rotate, scale, or perform other changes to the windows.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
at least one processor;
an operating system operable on said processor;
a first number of display monitors;
a second number of user input stations;
a user interface manager that:
determines a display area for each of said display monitors; and
for each of said user input stations:
identifies a corresponding monitor workspace area and creates a user session to be associated with said workspace area and one of said user input stations; and
causes a process associated with said user session to have output displayed in said monitor workspace area, said first number of display monitors not being equal to said second number of user input stations,

at least a first monitor workspace area of said monitor workspace areas spanning at least a portion of a first display monitor and a portion of a second display monitor of said display monitors, the first display monitor having a first portion of the first monitor workspace area, the second display monitor having a second portion of the first monitor workspace area that is different from the first portion of the first monitor workspace area,
the first monitor workspace area corresponding to a first user,
a second monitor workspace area of said monitor workspace areas corresponding to a second user that is different from the first user,
the second monitor workspace area spanning at least a second portion of the first display monitor and a second portion of the second display monitor such that each of the first user and the second user has its own display areas on the first and second display monitors, the first display monitor having a first portion of the second monitor workspace area, the second display monitor having a second portion of the second monitor workspace area that is different from the first portion of the second monitor workspace area; and
an administrative user interface configured to define a minimum size and configuration for a user session associated with a workspace area for a specified user input station of the user input stations based on a type of the user session.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a user interface detector that:
scans said user input stations to identify user input devices;

wherein the user interface manager assigns said user input devices to said user input stations.

3. The system of claim 1 , said user interface manager that further:
creates a virtual display area comprising said display area, said monitor workspace area being mapped into said virtual display area.

4. The system of claim 3 , said virtual display area being larger than the sum of area of said display monitors.

5. The system of claim 4 , at least one of said monitor workspace areas being presented on at least two of said display monitors.

6. The system of claim 1 , said user interface manager that further:
resizes a first workspace area after operating a first user session associated with said first workspace area.

7. The system of claim 6 , said resizing being performed automatically and without human intervention.

8. The system of claim 7 , said resizing being defined by a set of rules defining conditions for said resizing.

9. The system of claim 8 , said rules defining conditions to resize when starting a new user session.

10. The system of claim 7 , said resizing being defined by an administrative user.

11. The system of claim 1 , said user interface manager that further:
applies a rotation to at least the second monitor workspace area with respect to the first monitor workspace area.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first display monitor has a first size and the second display monitor has a second size that is different from the first size.

13. A method performed on a computer system having a computer processor, said method comprising:
detecting a first number of display monitors attached to said computer system;
detecting a plurality of input devices attached to said computer system;
determining a second number of user workstations for said computer system;
for each of said second number of user workstations, creating a workspace area on at least a portion of said display monitors, said first number being different from said second number, comprising:
for at least a first user workstation of said second number of user workstations, creating a first portion of a workspace area on at least a portion of a first display monitor that is included in said display monitors, and creating a second portion of the workspace area that is different from the first portion of the workspace area on at least a portion of a second display monitor that is included in said display monitors, the workspace area corresponding to a first user;

for at least a second user workstation of said second number of user workstations, creating a first portion of a second workspace area on a second portion of said first display monitor, and creating a second portion of the second workspace area that is different from the first portion of the second workspace area on a second portion of said second display monitor, the second workspace area corresponding to a second user that is different from the first user; and
providing an administrative user interface configured to define a minimum size and configuration for a user session associated with a workspace area for a specified user workstation of the second number of user workstations based on a type of the user session.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
identifying a new user workstation to add to said user workstations;
resizing at least one of said workspace areas for at least one of said user workstations to accommodate a new workspace area corresponding to said new user workstation;
creating said new workspace area within at least one of said display monitors; and
associating said new user workstation with said new workspace area.

15. The method of claim 14 , said resizing being performed at least in part according to a set of predefined rules.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the workspace areas is presented on at least two of the display monitors.

17. A system comprising:
one or more processors;
an operating system operable on at least one of said one or more processors;
a first number of display monitors that includes at least a first display monitor and a second display monitor;
a device detector that:
scans for and detects a plurality of user input devices;
scans for said display monitors; and
determines a physical display area for each of said monitors;

an administrative user interface that:
presents said display monitors and said plurality of user input devices;
receives a set of user workspace definitions each comprising at least one user input device and a workspace,
a first user workspace definition comprising a first workspace that includes a first workspace portion and a second workspace portion that is different from the first workspace portion, the first workspace portion comprising at least a portion of the first display monitor and none of the second display monitor, the second workspace portion comprising at least a portion of the second display monitor and none of the first display monitor,
a second user workspace definition comprising a second workspace that includes a third workspace portion and a fourth workspace portion that is different from the third workspace portion, the third workspace portion comprising at least a second portion of the first display monitor, the fourth workspace portion comprising at least a second portion of

Assignees

• Nicholson Clark D
• Toyama Kentaro
• Creasey Jack
• Lewis Richard
• Elmer Robert C
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Nicholson Clark D
• Toyama Kentaro
• Creasey Jack
• Lewis Richard
• Elmer Robert C

Classifications

• G06F3/1423

  controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display · CPC title

• G06F9/4445

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F3/0481 Primary

  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

• G09G2340/0492

  Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored · CPC title

• G06F3/1446

  display composed of modules, e.g. video walls · CPC title