System and method for using single-display application programs on a multi-display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9946373-B2
Application number	US-201414448894-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2014
Priority date	Jul 31, 2014
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A system and method is provided for, on a multi-display touch screen apparatus executing a single-display application program, establishing an interface between the multi-display touch screen apparatus and the single-display application program, the interface comprising a virtual display and virtual sensors, obtaining sensor data from physical sensors of the multi-display touch screen apparatus, providing at least a first subset of the sensor data to the single-display application program via the virtual sensors of the interface, specifying to the single-display application program virtual display parameters which emulate single display parameters of a single-display touch screen apparatus, receiving at the virtual display of the interface a window image to be displayed from the single-display application, and displaying the window image on at least a first one of multiple displays of the multi-display touch screen apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method comprising:
on a processor of a foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus comprising a plurality of display screens each integrated into housings to form the foldable multi-display touchscreen apparatus and including a touch screen and a touch screen sensor, executing a single-display application program, establishing an interface between the foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus and the single-display application program, the interface comprising a virtual display and virtual physical sensors;
obtaining physical sensor data from an orientation sensor of the foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus, wherein the physical sensor data includes physical orientation of the foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus, and obtaining physical sensor data from a camera sensor wherein the physical sensor data includes an image of an environment around the foldable multi-display touchscreen apparatus;
providing at least a first subset of the physical sensor data to the single-display application program via the virtual physical sensors of the interface;
specifying to the single-display application program virtual display parameters which emulate single display parameters of a single-display touch screen apparatus;
receiving at the virtual display of the interface a window image to be displayed from the single-display application; and
displaying the window image on at least a first one of the plurality of displays of the foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
establishing a second interface between the foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus and a second single-display application program, the second interface comprising a second virtual display;
specifying to the second single-display application program the virtual display parameters which emulate the single display parameters of a single-display touch screen apparatus;
receiving at the second virtual display of the interface a second window image to be displayed from the second single-display application; and
displaying the second window image on a second one of the plurality of displays of the foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
providing at least a second subset of the physical sensor data to the second single-display application program via a second set of virtual physical sensors of the interface.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first subset of the physical sensor data is obtained from a primary sensor hub of the physical sensors and wherein the second subset of the physical sensor data is obtained from a second sensor hub of the physical sensors.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
limiting a launching of the single-display application program from a first application program icon on the first one of the plurality of displays such that the window image is displayed specifically on the first one of the plurality of displays; and
limiting a launching of the second single-display application program from a second application program icon on the second one of the plurality of displays such that the second window image is displayed specifically on the second one of the plurality of displays.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
displaying the window image across all of the plurality of displays of the foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the displaying the window image across all of the plurality of displays comprises:
mapping the virtual display parameters to combined physical display parameters of all of the plurality of displays of the foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus.

8. An information handling system operating as a foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus comprising:
a plurality of physical displays each having a touch screen and a touch screen sensor and integrated into a plurality of housings to form the foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus;
a plurality of physical sensors including an orientation sensor detecting physical sensor data for physical orientation of the foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus, and including a camera detecting physical sensor data for an image of an environment around the housings of the foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus;
a processor coupled to the plurality of physical displays for controlling images displayed on the plurality of physical displays and coupled to the plurality of physical sensors for receiving the physical sensor data from the plurality of physical sensors; and
a memory for storing processor instructions, the processor executing processor instructions to operate a single-display application program, the processor to establish an interface between at least one of the physical displays and the single-display application program, the interface comprising a virtual display and virtual physical sensors, wherein at least a first subset of the physical sensor data is provided to the single-display application program via the virtual physical sensors of the interface, wherein the virtual display is specified to the single-display application program by providing virtual display parameters to the single-display application program, wherein the virtual display parameters emulate single display parameters of a single-display touch screen apparatus, wherein a window image to be displayed is received from the single-display application at the virtual display of the interface, and wherein the window image is displayed on at least a first one of the physical displays.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 the processor executing the processor instructions further to establish a second interface between the foldable multi-display touch screen apparatus and a second single-display application program, the second interface comprising a second virtual display, wherein the second virtual display is specified to the single-display application program by providing second virtual display parameters to the second single-display, wherein the second virtual display parameters emulate the single display parameters of a single-display touch screen apparatus, application program, wherein a second window image to be displayed is received from the second single-display application at the second virtual display of the interface, wherein the second window image is displayed on a second one of the physical displays.

10. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein at least a second subset of the physical sensor data is provided to the second single-display application program via a second set of virtual physical sensors of the interface.

11. The information handling system of claim 10 wherein the first subset of the physical sensor data is obtained from a primary sensor hub of the physical sensors of a first housing and wherein the second subset of the physical sensor data is obtained from a second sensor hub of the physical sensors of a second housing.

12. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the launching of the single-display application program from a first application program icon on the first one of the physical displays is limited such that the window image is displayed specifically on the first one of the physical displays and wherein the launching of the second single-display application program from a second application program icon on the second one of the physical displays is limited such that the second window image is displayed specifically on the second one of the physical displays.

13. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the window image is display

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Graf Knut
• Sanaullah Abu S
• Aurongzeb Deeder M
• Welker Mark W
• Cox Claude L

Classifications

• G06F9/4445

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F3/041 Primary

  Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means · CPC title

• G06F9/4443

  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

• G06F3/04883

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title