Gesture-based alignment methodology to extend the viewport on adjacent touch screen devices
Techniques for utilizing a conglomeration of device screens (e.g., mobile device screens and/or tablet screens) in a collective manner to display an image such that the image is distributed across the screens and the conglomeration of screens act as a single screen. A plurality of screen bearing devices are arranged in a tangential rectilinear layout. The layout can be arbitrary and need not be an aligned grid. A swipe or other gesture that is performed across all of the screens is received in a distributed fashion. Based upon the received plurality of gesture/swipe objects and their associated parameters, a coordinate mapping may be performed with respect to each device/screen such that a respective portion of an image to be displayed in a distributed fashion is mapped to a particular device/screen.
1. A method for displaying an image on a plurality of devices, the method comprising:
receiving, at a viewport controller system, data characterizing a first display device, the first display device including a first touch sensitive display having a first edge, a center location (x 1 , y 1 ), a dimension A1 in a first orientation that is characterized by a first coordinate, and a dimension B1 in a second orientation that is characterized by a second coordinate;
receiving, at the viewport controller system, data characterizing a second display device, the second display device including a second touch sensitive display having a second edge, a center location (x 2 , y 2 ), a dimension A2 in the first orientation, and a dimension B2 in the second orientation, wherein the first and second edges are physically separated from each other;
receiving, at the viewport controller system, data characterizing a first gesture detected by the first display device, wherein the first gesture terminates at an ending point on the first edge of the first touch sensitive display;
receiving, at the viewport controller system, data characterizing a second gesture detected by the second display device, wherein the second gesture initiates at a beginning point on the second edge of the second touch sensitive display;
mapping portions of a global image to each of the first and second touch sensitive displays, wherein the center location (x 1 , y 1 ) is mapped to a first pixel in the global image;
determining a displacement parameter DP in the second orientation based upon a difference between the beginning and ending points in the second orientation;
mapping the center location (x 2 , y 2 ) to a second pixel in the global image, wherein a difference between the first and second pixels in the second orientation is DP, and wherein a difference between the first and second pixels in the first orientation is 0.5×(A1+A2);
sending, from the viewport controller system to a first processor associated with the first display device, a first portion of the global image to be displayed on the first touch sensitive display, such that the first pixel of the global image is displayed at the center location (x 1 , y 1 ) of the first touch sensitive display; and
sending, from the viewport controller system to a second processor associated with the second display device, a second portion of the global image to be displayed on the second touch sensitive display, such that the second pixel of the global image is displayed at the center location (x 2 , y 2 ) of the second touch sensitive display.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising causing display of the first portion of the global image on the first touch sensitive display.
3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising causing display of the second portion of the global image on the second touch sensitive display.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second display devices are arranged in a rectilinear and adjacent manner.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second gestures collectively form a swipe gesture extending from the first display device to the second display device.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein sending the first portion of the global image to the first processor includes determining a device screen size associated with the first touch sensitive display.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second touch sensitive displays each have a different screen size.
8. A viewport controller system for displaying an image on a plurality of devices, the system comprising a memory and a processor that is adapted to:
receive data characterizing a first touch sensitive display having a first edge, a center location (x 1 , y 1 ), and a dimension A1 in a first orientation that is perpendicular to the first edge;
receive data characterizing a second touch sensitive display having a second edge, a center location (x 2 , y 2 ), and a dimension A2 in the first orientation, wherein the first and second edges are physically separated from each other;
map portions of a global image to each of the first and second touch sensitive displays, wherein the center location (x 1 , y 1 ) is mapped to a first pixel in the global image;
map the center location (x 2 , y 2 ) to a second pixel in the global image, wherein a difference between the first and second pixels in the first orientation is 0.5×(A1+A2);
send, to a first processor associated with the first touch sensitive display, a first portion of the global image to be displayed on the first touch sensitive display, such that the first pixel of the global image is displayed at the center location (x 1 , y 1 ) of the first touch sensitive display; and
send, to a second processor associated with the second touch sensitive display, a second portion of the global image to be displayed on the second touch sensitive display, such that the second pixel of the global image is displayed at the center location (x 2 , y 2 ) of the second touch sensitive display.
9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the processor is further adapted to:
receive data characterizing a first gesture detected by the first touch sensitive display, wherein the first gesture terminates at an ending point on the first edge of the first touch sensitive display;
receive data characterizing a second gesture detected by the second touch sensitive display, where the second gesture initiates at a beginning point on the second edge of the second touch sensitive display; and
determine a displacement parameter DP in a second orientation that is perpendicular to the first orientation, wherein the displacement parameter DP is based on a difference between the beginning and ending points in the second orientation, and wherein a difference between the first and second pixels in the second orientation is DP.
10. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the first and second touch sensitive displays are arranged in a rectilinear and adjacent manner.
11. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the processor is further adapted to:
receive data characterizing a first gesture detected by the first touch sensitive display, wherein the first gesture terminates at an ending point on the first edge of the first touch sensitive display; and
receive data characterizing a second gesture detected by the second touch sensitive display, where the second gesture initiates at a beginning point on the second edge of the second touch sensitive display;
wherein the first and second gestures collectively form a swipe gesture extending from the first touch sensitive display to the second touch sensitive display.
12. The system according to claim 8 , wherein sending the first portion of the global image to the first processor includes determining a device screen size associated with the first touch sensitive display.
13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the first and second touch sensitive displays each have a different screen size.
14. A computer program product including one or more non-transitory machine-readable mediums encoded with instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause a process to be carried out, the process comprising:
receiving data characterizing a first touch sensitive display having a first edge, a center location (x 1 , y 1 ), and a dimension A1 in a first orientation that is perpendicular to the first edge;
receiving data characterizing a second touch sensitive display having a second edge, a center location (x 2 , y 2 ), and a dimension A2 in the first orientation, wherein the first and second edges are physically separated from each other;
mapping portions of a global image to each of the first and second touch sensitive displays, wherein the center location (x 1 , y 1 ) is mapped to a first pixel in the global image;
mapping the center location (x 2 , y 2 ) to a second pixel in the global image, wherein a difference between the first and second pixels in the first orientation is 0.5×(A1+A2);
sending, to a first processor associated with the first touch sensitive display, a first portion of the global image to be displayed on the first touch sensitive display, such that the first pixel of the global image is displayed at the center location (x 1 , y 1 ) of the first touch sensitive display; and
sending, to a second processor associated with the second touch sensitive display, a second portion of the global image to be displayed on the second touch sensitive display, such that the second pixel of the global image is displayed at the center location (x 2 , y 2 ) of the second touch sensitive display.
15. The computer program product according to claim 14 , wherein the process further comprises causing display of the first portion of the global image on the first touch sensitive display.
16. The computer program product according to claim 14 , wherein the process further comprises:
receiving data characterizing a first gesture detected by the first touch sensitive display, wherein the first gesture terminates at an ending point on the first edge of the first touch sensitive display;
receiving data characterizing a second gesture detected by the second touch sensitive display, wherein the second gesture initiates at a beginning point on the second edge of the second touch sensitive display; and
determining a displacement parameter DP in a second orientation that is perpendicular to the first orientation, wherein the displacement parameter is based on a difference between the beginning and ending points in the second orientation, and wherein a difference between the first and second pixels in the second orientation is DP.
17. The computer program product according to claim 14 , wherein the first and second touch sensitive displays are arranged in a rectilinear and adjacent manner.
18. The computer program product according to claim 14 , wherein the process further comprises:
receiving data characterizing a first gesture detected by the first touch sensitive display, wherein the first gesture terminates at an ending point on the first edge of the first touch sensitive display; and
receiving data characterizing a second gesture detected by the second touch sensitive display, where the second gesture initiates at a beginning point on the second edge of the second touch sensitive display;
wherein the first and second gestures collectively form a swipe gesture extending from the first touch sensitive display to the second touch sensitive display.
19. The computer program product according to claim 14 , wherein sending the first portion of the global image to the first processor includes determining a device screen size associated with the first touch sensitive display.
20. The computer program product according to claim 14 , wherein the first and second touch sensitive displays each have a different screen size.