US6437809B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Secondary user interface
Assignee: Ostendo Technologies Inc
•
Filing: 1999-06-04
•
Granted: 2002-08-20
•
Expires: 2019-06-04
Abstract
Abstract An alternate display content controller provides a technique for controlling a video display separately from and in addition to the content displayed on the operating system monitor. Where the display is a computer monitor, the alternate display content controller interacts with the computer utility operating system and hardware drivers to control allocation of display space and create and control one or more parallel graphical user interfaces adjacent the operating system desktop. An alternate display content controller may be incorporated in either hardware or software. As software, an alternate display content controller may be an application running on the computer operating system, or may include an operating system kernel of varying complexity ranging from dependent on the utility operating system for hardware system services to a parallel system independent of the utility operating system and capable of supporting dedicated applications. The alternate display content controller may also include content and operating software delivered over the internet or any other LAN. The alternate display content controller may also be included in a television decoder/settop box to permit two or more parallel graphical user interfaces to be displayed simultaneously.
Inventors
- 👤 D David Nason
- 👤 Thomas C O'Rourke
- 👤 Scott Campbell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 09:56
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09G; G09G1/00; G09G1/06; G09G1/14; G09G1/16; G09G1/165; G09G5/00; G09G5/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
112 words
A method in a computer system for displaying an image on a video display system, the computer system having an operating system display interface that enables an operating system user interface to be displayed in a portion of a first display area, comprising: adjusting the display resolution parameters of the video display system to create a second display area that is outside the control of the computer operating system display interface; and writing the image to the second display area so that the image is displayed in conjunction with the operating system user interface, wherein the method is performed by one of a service of the operating system and an application program.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
112 words
A method in a computer system for displaying an image on a video display system, the computer system having an operating system display interface that enables an operating system user interface to be displayed in a portion of a first display area, comprising: adjusting the display resolution parameters of the video display system to create a second display area that is outside the control of the computer operating system display interface; and writing the image to the second display area so that the image is displayed in conjunction with the operating system user interface, wherein the method is performed by one of a service of the operating system and an application program.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 1 wherein, when the method is performed as a service of the operating system, the image appears to be displayed as part of the initialization of the video display system by the operating system.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 1 wherein, when the method is performed by launching an application program, the image appears to be displayed on the second display area when the application program is launched.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the adjusting of the display resolution parameters of the video display system is performed by function calls to driver software of the video display system.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the adjusting of the display resolution parameters further comprises decreasing the size of the first display area.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the image is displayed on a part of the first display area as well as on the second display area so that at least a part of the image appears to continuously overwrite the operating system user interface while the image is displayed.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the image is written such that the portion of the image is displayed along with the operating system user interface in a manner that prohibits the operating system user interface from overwriting the portion of the image.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the adjusting the display resolution parameters of the video display system increases the number of pixels of the displayable area of the video display system.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
123 words
A system for displaying an image on a video display system of a computer system, the computer system having an operating system display interface that enable an operating system user interface to be displayed in a portion of the display area, comprising: display controller having display adjustment facility that adjusts the display resolution parameters of the video display system to create a second display area that is outside the control of the computer operating system display interface; and display transfer mechanism that writes the image to the second display area so that the image is displayed in conjunction with the operating system user interface; wherein the display controller is invoked as one of a service of the operating system and an application program.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
123 words
A system for displaying an image on a video display system of a computer system, the computer system having an operating system display interface that enable an operating system user interface to be displayed in a portion of the display area, comprising: display controller having display adjustment facility that adjusts the display resolution parameters of the video display system to create a second display area that is outside the control of the computer operating system display interface; and display transfer mechanism that writes the image to the second display area so that the image is displayed in conjunction with the operating system user interface; wherein the display controller is invoked as one of a service of the operating system and an application program.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system of claim 9 wherein, when the display controller is invoked as a service of the operating system, the image appears to be displayed as part of the initialization of the video display system by the operating system.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 9 wherein, when the display controller is invoked by launching an application program, the image appears on the second display area when the application program is launched.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of claim 9 wherein the display adjustment facility adjusts the display resolution parameters of the video display system by performing function calls to driver software of the video display system.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 9 wherein the display adjustment facility decreases the size of the first display area.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
49 words
The system of claim 9 wherein the image is displayed on a part of the first display area as well as on the second display area, so that at least a part of the image appears to continuously overwrite the operating system user interface while the image is displayed.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
51 words
The system of claim 9 wherein the display transfer mechanism writes at least a portion of the image such that the portion of the image is displayed along with the operating system user interface in a manner that prohibits the operating system user interface from overwriting the portion of the image.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system of claim 9 wherein the display adjustment facility changes the resolution of the video display system to increase the number of pixels of the displayable area of the video display system.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
125 words
A computer-readable memory medium containing instructions for controlling a computer processor in a computer system to display an image on a video display system, the computer system having an operating system display interface that enables an operating system user interface to be displayed in a portion of a first display area, by: adjusting the display resolution parameters of the video display system to create a second display area that is outside the control of the computer operating system display interface; and writing the image to the second display area so that the image is displayed in conjunction with the operating system user interface, wherein the instructions to display the image are performed by one of a service of the operating system and an application program.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
125 words
A computer-readable memory medium containing instructions for controlling a computer processor in a computer system to display an image on a video display system, the computer system having an operating system display interface that enables an operating system user interface to be displayed in a portion of a first display area, by: adjusting the display resolution parameters of the video display system to create a second display area that is outside the control of the computer operating system display interface; and writing the image to the second display area so that the image is displayed in conjunction with the operating system user interface, wherein the instructions to display the image are performed by one of a service of the operating system and an application program.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
40 words
The computer-readable memory medium of claim 17 wherein, when the instructions are performed as a service of the operating system, the image appears to be displayed as part of the initialization of the video display system by the operating system.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
35 words
The computer-readable memory medium of claim 17 wherein, when the instructions are performed by launching an application program, the image appears to be displayed on the second display area when the application program is launched.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
33 words
The computer-readable memory medium of claim 17 wherein the adjusting of the display resolution parameters of the video display system is performed by function calls to driver software of the video display system.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
25 words
The computer-readable memory medium of claim 17 wherein the adjusting of the display resolution parameters further comprises decreasing the size of the first display area.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
51 words
The computer-readable memory medium of claim 17 wherein the image is displayed on a part of the first display area as well as on the second display area so that at least a part of the image appears to continuously overwrite the operating system user interface while the image is displayed.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
50 words
The computer-readable memory medium of claim 17 wherein at least a portion of the image is written such that the portion of the image is displayed along with the operating system user interface in a manner that prohibits the operating system user interface from overwriting the portion of the image.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
33 words
The computer-readable memory medium of claim 17 wherein the adjusting the display resolution parameters of the video display system increases the number of pixels of the displayable area of the video display system.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-08-19 | 2006-02-18 | 2006-08-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-08-19 | 2010-02-18 | 2010-08-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-08-19 | 2014-02-18 | 2014-08-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |