Method and system for simultaneous presentation of multiple windows supported by different graphic user interfaces

US6118428A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• John Monroe Blackmon · Boca Raton, US
• Barry Alan Feigenbaum · Austin, US
• Mark A. Fiechtner · Boca Raton, US
• Jeffrey Thomas Galea · Fremont, US
• Allen M. Gilbert · Austin, US
• David Andrews Kerr · Austin, US
• Paul R. King · Longmont, US
• Tatchi Placido Lay · Austin, US
• Ivan Lomelli · Boynton Beach, US
• Darren Mark Miclette · Delray Beach, US
• Colin Powell · Birmingham, GB
• Glenn T. Puchtel · Boca Raton, US
• Jonathan Wagner · Round Rock, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 15, 1993
• Grant date: Sep 12, 2000
• Expiry date: Nov 15, 2013

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F9/451
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed which may be utilized to generate a simultaneous presentation within a data processing system of video data within multiple windows supported by different graphic user interfaces. Each graphic user interface is coupled to a separate display device driver. Window movements including: creation; deletion; resizing; movement; minimization; maximization; activation; enablement; or an alteration in relative background/foreground order are detected for each graphic user interface and that information and the associated display device driver for each graphic user interface are coupled to a virtual device driver which facilitates interprocess communication between two or more graphic user interfaces, wherein the portion of the video display which is managed by each graphic user interface may be ascertained. Each separate display device driver is then coupled to a single display device, wherein multiple windows supported by different graphic user interfaces may be simultaneously presented.