Sending notifications to auxiliary displays
US7581034B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 23, 2004 |
| Grant date | Aug 25, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 27, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/54
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Described is a system and method by which application programs running on a main computer system communicate with an auxiliary display device (such as a cell phone, pocket-sized computer, alarm clock, television, digital picture frame and so forth) to provide viewable information on the device, remote control capabilities, and notifications. Via API calls, programs provide information in the same format regardless of the device capabilities and/or the connection type. An auxiliary display platform converts a notification into a format understood by a device driver, which then filters the notification as desired for its particular hardware device before the notification is communicated. Return communications return data such as status and user interaction with the displayed information. Software vendors may thus write code once to output notifications on auxiliary displays, while hardware manufacturers can have their devices work as auxiliary displays, with little or no modification to existing hardware.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.