Patent Application

App. No. 13/924,694

Abstract

Claims (65)

1 . A computer-implemented method for configuring a multiple display device layout in a computer system, the method comprising:

detecting, by a processor, a number of display devices connected to the computer system;

displaying a plurality of previously configured display device layouts via a graphical user interface based on the detected number of display devices, each display device layout reflecting a configuration of how at least one application window is displayed on each of the display devices connected to the computer system;

receiving a selection of a first one of the displayed previously configured display device layouts via the graphical user interface; and

displaying the plurality of application windows on at least one display device according to the selected first previously configured display device layout.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first previously configured display device layout was previously configured by an end user of the computer system.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first previously configured display device layout is a default display device layout that was not configured by an end user of the computer system.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, via the graphical user interface, an input designating at least one user-defined characteristic of how to display content on at least one of the display devices;

configuring a user-defined display device layout based on the user-defined characteristic; and

saving the user-defined display device layout in a memory.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , further comprising:

displaying content on at least one of the display devices according to the user-defined display device layout.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the at least one user-defined characteristic includes at least one of a size, a shape, and a location of a first application window on a first display device connected to the computer system.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , the method further comprising:

receiving, via the graphical user interface, a selection of a first application for generating content displayed in the first application window.

8 . The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one user-defined characteristic includes at least one of a size, a shape, and a location of a second application window displayed on a second display device connected to the computer system.

9 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the selected first previously configured display device layout includes a configuration for displaying an application window on a display device that has been disconnected from the computer system; and

displaying the application window on at least one of the display devices that has not been disconnected from the computer system.

10 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the detected number of display devices connected to the computer system is one, the method further comprising:

determining that the selected first previously configured display device layout includes a configuration for displaying a first application window on a first display device and a second application window on a second display device; and

displaying the second application window on the first display device based on detecting that the number of display devices connected to the computer system equals one.

11 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the detected number of display devices connected to the computer system is two, the method further comprising:

providing, by the processor, a set of display device layout options for two display devices via the graphical user interface, each set of display device layout options reflecting how the plurality of application windows are displayed on a first display device and a second display device of the computer system;

configuring the display device layout based on a selection of one of the display device layout options via the graphical user interface; and

displaying the plurality of application windows based on the selected display device layout.

12 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting the number of display devices connected to the computer system is performed in response to determining that an application for displaying content on the computer system has been opened.

13 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the display devices are monitors.

14 . A computer system for configuring a multiple display device layout, the system comprising:

a memory storing instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to:

detect a number of display devices connected to the computer system;

display a plurality of previously configured display device layouts via the graphical user interface based on the detected number of display devices, each display device layout reflecting a configuration of how at least one application window is displayed on each of the display devices connected to the computer system;

receive a selection of a first one of the displayed previously configured display device layouts via the graphical user interface; and

display the plurality of application windows according to the selected first previously configured display device layout.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the first previously configured display device layout was previously configured by an end user of the computer system.

16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the first previously configured display device layout is a default display device layout that was not configured by an end user of the computer system.

17 . The system of claim 14 , the processor is further configured to:

receive, via the graphical user interface, an input designating at least one user-defined characteristic of how to display content on at least one of the display devices;

configure a user-defined display device layout based on the at least one user-defined characteristic; and

save the user-defined display device layout in a memory.

18 . The system of claim 17 , the processor is further configured to:

display content according to the user-defined display device layout.

19 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the at least one user-defined characteristic includes at least one of a size, a shape, and a location of a first application window on a first display device connected to the computer system.

20 . The system of claim 19 , the processor is further configured to:

receive, via the graphical user interface, a selection of a first application for generating content displayed in the first application window.

21 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the at least one user-defined characteristic includes at least one of a size, a shape, and a location of a second application window displayed on a second display device connected to the computer system.

22 . The system of claim 14 , the processor is further configured to:

determine that the selected first previously configured display device layout includes a configuration for displaying an application window on a display device that has been disconnected from the computer system; and

generate data to display the application window on at least one of the display devices that has not been disconnected from the computer system

23 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

provide a set of display device layout options for displaying the plurality of application windows on the first and second display device;

receive a selection of one of the display device layout options;

configure the display device layout of the computer system in accordance with the selected via the graphical user interface; and

display the plurality of application windows based on the configured display device layout, the plurality of application windows including a first application window generated by a first application running on the computer system and a second application window generated by the first application or a second application running on the computer system that is different from the first application.

24 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect the number of display devices connected to the computer system in response to determining that an application for displaying content on the computer system has been opened.

25 . A device for configuring a multiple display device layout, comprising:

a memory storing instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the stored instructions to:

detect a number of display devices connected to a computer system;

provide information reflecting a plurality of previously configured display device layouts via the graphical user interface based on the detected number of, each display device layout reflecting a configuration of how at least one application window is displayed on each of the display devices connected to the computer system;

receive a selection of a first one of the displayed previously configured display device layouts via the graphical user interface; and

direct the plurality of application windows to be displayed according to the selected first previously configured display device layout.

Assignments (10)