Sharing a video display between telephony and computing devices
An apparatus and method are disclosed that enable the sharing, between a telephone and a computer, of input peripherals such as a keyboard and mouse and of output peripherals such as a video display. Historically, a telephone and a computer have possessed different interfaces with their user and with peripheral devices. Therefore, except where the telephone functionality is in the form of a softphone implemented on a computer, the telephone in the prior art is often incapable of sharing certain peripherals with a physically-adjacent computer. The telephone device of the illustrative embodiment enables sharing between the telephone and a computer, in contrast to sharing peripherals between computers in the prior art. The telephone device is able to determine which user inputs from a shared keyboard or mouse are intended for which data-processing device (i.e., the telephone device itself or the computer), and to transmit displayable signals from both the telephone device and computer to a shared video display device.
1. A first data-processing device comprising:
a first receiver for receiving a first user-input signal from a first user-input device;
a first transmitter for transmitting a first displayable signal to a video display device;
a second transmitter for transmitting the first user-input signal to a second data-processing device, wherein the first data-processing device is separate from the first user-input device, the video display device, and the second data-processing device;
a second receiver for receiving a second displayable signal from the second data-processing device; and
a processor for (a) executing a state machine that determines whether the first user-input signal is intended for the first data-processing device, and for (b) (i) when the first user-input signal is intended for the first data-processing device, processing the first user-input signal, resulting in a first displayable signal that is to be transmitted via the first transmitter to the video display device, and (ii) when the first user-input signal is intended for the second data-processing device, transmitting, via the second transmitter, the first user-input signal to the second data-processing device;
wherein the first data-processing device is a telephone comprising an external interface to a keyboard and an external interface to a mouse, wherein the telephone enables sharing by the first data-processing device and the second data-processing device of at least one peripheral device, and wherein the first user-input device and the video display device are both peripheral devices,
and wherein the processor modifies the received second displayable signal, resulting in the first displayable signal such that the first displayable signal comprises at least part of the second displayable signal.
2. The first data-processing device of claim 1 wherein the processor is also for handling a telephone call, wherein the handling results in a third displayable signal for the video display device.
3. The first data-processing device of claim 2 wherein the third displayable signal is of a dialed digit of a telephone number of the telephone call.
4. The first data-processing device of claim 2 wherein the second data-processing device is for performing a computing function, wherein the computing function results in the second displayable signal.
5. The first data-processing device of claim 4 wherein the computing function is the opening of a word-processing computer file and the second displayable signal is of result is of the contents of the word-processing computer file.
6. A system comprising:
a first user-input device;
a video display device; and
a first data-processing device for:
a) receiving a first user-input signal from the first user-input device, and
b) executing a state machine that determines whether the first user-input signal is intended for the first data-processing device, and
c) (i) when the first user-input signal is intended for the first data-processing device, processing the first user-input signal into a first displayable signal that is transmittable to the video display device, and
(ii) when the first user-input signal is intended for a second data-processing device that is separate from the first data-processing device, transmitting the first user-input signal to the second data-processing device, and
d) enabling sharing by the first data-processing device and the second data-processing device of at least one peripheral device, wherein the first user-input device and the video display device are both peripheral devices, and
e) receiving a second displayable signal from the second data-processing device,
wherein the first data-processing device is a telephone comprising an external interface to a keyboard and an external interface to a mouse, and
wherein the first data-processing device is also for modifying the received second displayable signal, resulting in the first displayable signal such that the first displayable signal comprises at least part of the second displayable signal.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the first data-processing device is also for handling a telephone call, wherein the handling results in a third displayable signal for the video display device.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein the third displayable signal is of a dialed digit of a telephone number of the telephone call.
9. The system of claim 7 wherein the second data-processing device is for performing a computing function, wherein the computing function results in the second displayable signal.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the computing function is the opening of a word-processing computer file and the second displayable signal is of result is of the contents of the word-processing computer file.
11. The system of claim 6 wherein the video display device receives displayable signals only through the first data-processing device.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the video display device is the sole display device for the first data-processing device and the second data-processing device.
13. A method of sharing peripheral devices, the method comprising:
receiving, at a first data-processing device that is a telephone, a first user-input signal from a first user-input device, wherein the telephone comprises an external interface to a first user-input signal;
executing a state machine at the first data-processing device that determines whether the first user-input signal is intended for the first data-processing device;
enabling by the first data-processing device a shared use, as between the first data-processing device and a second data-processing device that is separate from the first data-processing device, of at least one peripheral device, wherein the first user-input device and a video display device are both peripheral devices, and further wherein (i) when the first user-input signal is intended for the first data-processing device, processing the first user-input signal into a first displayable signal that is transmittable to the video display device, and (ii) when the first user-input signal is intended for the second data-processing device, transmitting the first user-input signal to the second data-processing device;
receiving by the first data-processing device a second displayable signal from the second data-processing device; and
modifying the received second displayable signal, resulting in the first displayable signal such that the first displayable signal comprises at least part of the second displayable signal.
14. The method of claim 13 further comprising handling a telephone call by the first data-processing device, wherein the handling results in a third displayable signal for the video display device.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the third displayable signal is of a dialed digit of a telephone number of the telephone call.
16. The method of claim 14 wherein the second data-processing device is for performing a computing function, wherein the computing function results in the second displayable signal.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the computing function is the opening of a word-processing computer file and the second displayable signal is of result is of the contents of the word-processing computer file.
18. The method of claim 13 wherein the video display device receives displayable signals only through the first data-processing device.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the video display device is the sole display device for the first data-processing device and the second data-processing device.