O/S application based multiple device access windowing display
View Patent ↗A system and method for providing access to a video display for multiple devices. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise receiving, at a video display system, a first video data signal through a first data communication interface and a second video data signal through a second data communication interface. A processor module may process the first and second video data signals to generate video information of first and second display windows in a composite display. For example, the processor module may transform and translate video information to fit display windows. The processor module may, for example, generate an output video signal comprising information of the first window and information of the second window. Such a signal may, for example, be utilized to drive an output display showing the first and second windows. Various aspects may also provide method steps and apparatus for controlling aspects of the displayed windows.
1. A video display sub-system for use in a video display system having at least one output display driver and at least one data communication interface, the video display sub-system comprising: at least one module operable to, at least: communicatively couple to the at least one output display driver and the at least one data communication interface; receive first video data from the at least one data communication interface, the first video data corresponding to a first video image and received by the at least one data communication interface from a first wireless device; receive second video data from the at least one data communication interface, the second video data corresponding to a second video image and received by the at least one data communication interface from a second wireless device; generate a video display signal comprising information of a first display window corresponding to the first video image and information of a second display window corresponding to the second video image; and communicate the generated video display signal to the at least one output display driver.
2. The sub-system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one data communication interface from which the first video data is received comprises a general-purpose data communication interface.
3. The sub-system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one module is operable to assign variable display coordinates to the first display window and the second display window.
4. The sub-system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one module comprises a processor that executes software instructions to generate the video display signal.
5. The sub-system of claim 1 , further comprising a control signal interface communicatively coupled to the at least one module that is operable to wirelessly receive a window control signal and communicate window control information to the at least one module.
6. The sub-system of claim 5 , wherein the at least one module is operable to respond to the window control information by modifying spatial characteristics one or more of the first and/or second display windows.
7. The sub-system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one module comprises a memory module comprising software instructions customized for communicating video information with a first particular software application executable by a first video source device that is communicatively coupled to the at least one data communication interface.
8. The sub-system of claim 1 , further comprising a graphics generator that generates first graphics information associated with graphical features of the first display window and second graphics information associated with graphical features of the second display window, and wherein the information of a first display window corresponding to the first video image comprises the first graphics information and the information of a second display window corresponding to the second video image comprises the second graphics information.
9. The sub-system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one module is integrated into a single integrated circuit.
10. The sub-system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one module is operable to generate the video display signal by, at least in part, sub-sampling the first video data and second video data.
11. In a sub-system of a video display system having at least one output display driver and at least one data communication interface, a method for providing multiple device access to a display, the method comprising: receiving first video data from the at least one data communication interface, the first video data corresponding to a first video image and received by the at least one data communication interface from a first wireless device; receiving second video data from the at least one data communication interface, the second video data corresponding to a second video image and received by the at least one data communication interface from a second wireless device; generating a video display signal comprising information of a first display window corresponding to the first video image and information of a second display window corresponding to the second video image; and communicating the generated video display signal to the at least one output display driver.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first video data is received by the at least one data communication interface from the first wireless device utilizing a general-purpose wireless data communication protocol.
13. The method of claim 11 , comprising assigning variable display coordinates to the first display window and the second display window.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein said generating the video display signal comprises executing software instructions to generate the output display driver signal.
15. The method of claim 11 , comprising wirelessly receiving a window control signal.
16. The method of claim 15 , comprising responding to the received window control signal by modifying spatial characteristics of one or more of the first and/or second display windows.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein said wireless receiving a window control signal comprises wirelessly receiving a window control signal for the first display window from the first wireless device.
18. The method of claim 11 , wherein said generating a video display signal comprises executing instructions customized for communicating video information with a first particular application executable by the first wireless device to generate the video display signal.
19. The method of claim 11 , wherein said generating a video display signal comprises generating first graphics information associated with graphical features of the first display window and generating second graphics information associated with graphical features of the second display window.
20. The method of claim 11 , wherein generating an output display driver signal comprises generating the output display driver signal by, at least in part, sub-sampling the first and second video information.