System and method for graphic object management in a large-display area computing device

1. A method of graphic object management for a large-display area computing device having a large-display area having multiple monitors, the method comprising:

receiving, from the large display area computing device, information identifying a physical arrangement and physical orientation of the multiple monitors of the large-display area computing device;

displaying on a touch-sensitive small-display a representation of the physical arrangement and physical orientation of the multiple monitors of the large-display area based on the information identifying the physical arrangement and physical orientation of the multiple monitors, and simultaneously displaying on the touch-sensitive small-display a representation of at least one graphic object displayed on the large-display area;

receiving an input from the touch-sensitive small-display in relation to the representation of the at least one graphic object; and

providing at least one instruction to the large-display area computing device in response to the received input to the at least one graphic object, the large-display area computing device caused to perform an action on the at least one graphic object in response to the at least one instruction.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

receiving the input from the touch-sensitive small-display comprises an input to reposition the representation of the at least one graphic object; and

providing the at least one instruction to the large-display area computing device to move the at least one graphic object corresponding to the at least one repositioned representation from a respective monitor to another one of the multiple monitors.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the input from the touch-sensitive small-display is a touch contact, the at least one instruction performing an action on the at least one graphic object based on the touch contact.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the large-display area computing device includes a first user interface for modifying the contents of the graphic object and moving the graphic object and further wherein the touch-sensitive small-display is provided by a touch-sensitive small-display computing device optionally coupled to the large-display area computing device and touch inputs to the touch-sensitive small-display computing device do not provide for modification of the contents of the graphic object.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one instruction is provided wirelessly from the touch-sensitive small-display to the large-display area computing device.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising establishing a communications bridge between the touch-sensitive small-display computing device and the large-display area computing device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the touch-sensitive small-display computing device is a Smartphone or tablet that operates an application for interfacing with the large-display area computing device in response to establishment of the communications bridge.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the large-display area computing device includes a desktop or notebook computer.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the touch-sensitive small-display is movable relative to the large-display area and further operates as a pointing device input for the first user interface.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the touch-sensitive small-display is coupled directly by a wired connection to the large-display area computing device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the large-display area computing device executes an application for:

sending display information to the touch-sensitive small-display, the display information identifying the representation of the at least one graphic object displayed on the large display area;

receiving the at least one instruction from the touch-sensitive small-display;

determining an action associated with the at least one instruction; and

performing the action on the at least one graphic object displayed on the large-display area.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein each of the at least one graphic object is a window of a windowed operating system provided by the large-display area computing device wherein the representation of the least one graphic object is a representation of the window wherein the action performs one or more of: selecting the window, bringing the window to the foreground, moving the window, maximizing the window, and minimizing the window.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the at least one graphic object is a window of a windowed operating system provided by the large-display area computing device wherein the representation of the least one graphic object is a representation of the window.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphic object is a representation of an application executed on the large-display area computing device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the input from the touch-sensitive small-display comprises a touch gesture, the at least one instruction performing an action on the at least one graphic object based on the touch gesture.

16. A system for graphic object management, the system comprising:

a large-display area computing device having a large-display area having multiple monitors; and

a touch-sensitive small-display coupled to the large-display area computing device providing a representation of a physical arrangement and physical orientation of the multiple monitors of the large-display area computing device, and simultaneously displaying on the touch-sensitive small-display a representation of at least one graphic object, the touch-sensitive small-display coupled to the large-display area computing device wherein the large-display area computing device provides information identifying the physical arrangement and physical orientation of the multiple monitors to the touch-sensitive small-display and wherein movement of the representation of the at least one graphic object on the touch-sensitive small-display causes movement of a corresponding graphic object on the large-display area.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein each of the at least one graphic object is a window of a windowed operating system provided by the large-display area computing device wherein the representation of the least one graphic object is a representation of the window.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein an input from the touch-sensitive small-display is a touch contact, the movement of the representation of the at least one graphic object based on the touch contact.

19. The system of claim 16 where in the touch-sensitive small-display is provided by a touch-sensitive small-display computing device.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the movement of the representation is conveyed wirelessly from the touch-sensitive small-display computing device to the large-display area computing device.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising establishing a communications bridge between the touch-sensitive small-display computing device and the large-display area computing device.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the touch-sensitive small-display computing device is a Smartphone or tablet that operates an application for interfacing with the large-display area computing device in response to establishment of the communications bridge.

23. The system of claim 16 wherein the touch-sensitive small-display is coupled directly by a wired connection to the large-display area computing device.

24. The system of claim 16 wherein the touch-sensitive small-display is further movable relative to the large-display area and operates as a pointing device input, the touch-sensitive small-display assignable to pointing device input on at least one of the multiple monitors.

25. A non-transitory computer readable memory containing instructions for graphic object management for a large-display area computing device having a large-display area having multiple monitors, the instructions when executed by a processor performing:

receiving, from the large display area computing device, information identifying a physical arrangement and physical orientation of the multiple monitors of the large-display area computing device;

displaying on a touch-sensitive small-display a representation of the physical arrangement and physical orientation of the multiple monitors of the large-display area based on the information identifying the physical arrangement and physical orientation of the multiple monitors, and simultaneously displaying on the touch-sensitive small-display a representation of at least one graphic object displayed on the large-display area;

receiving an input from the touch-sensitive small-display in relation to the representation of the at least one graphic object; and

providing at least one instruction to the large-display area computing device in response to the received input to the at least one graphic object, the large-display area computing device causing to perform an action on the at least one graphic object in response to the at least one instruction.