WO2014064696A1

WO2014064696A1 - Time saving device

Info

Publication number: WO2014064696A1
Application number: PCT/IL2013/050862
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Behagen
Original assignee: Michael Behagen
Priority date: 2012-10-25
Filing date: 2013-10-24
Publication date: 2014-05-01

Abstract

A device and method for displaying data from a secondary device onto a slave display, the device including: (a) a non-volatile storage unit, adapted to store display data; (b) a communications unit, adapted to operationally couple the device with a slave display unit; (c) a processing unit, configured to display the stored display data on the slave display unit operationally coupled to a master computing unit, the processing unit including a switching module, adapted to reversibly provide at least partial control, of the operationally coupled slave display unit, to the processing unit.

Description

Title: Time Saving Device

This patent application claims priority from, and the benefit of, U. S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/718,204, filed October 25, 2012.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an auxiliary device for a main computing device and, more particularly, to a device which displays visual data on a screen of the main computing device when the main device is not responding as desired by the user, in order to fill the wasted time.

A good proportion of a user's time is spent waiting for the computer to respond. A user waits for the PC to switch on, waits for it to switch off, waits for an internet page to load, waits for the PC to complete an operation, a restart takes time, a user may wait for a reply to a chat message, or wait for a file to download or upload. The examples are countless and well known.

While waiting, in many cases it is difficult to work. For example, the PC may freeze, or the current operation may demand priority from the CPU, putting all other operations on hold. It has been calculated that units of wasted time are mostly composed of short segments of 4 to 60 seconds each.

There are generally two types of problems that computers experience from a user point of view: the first type of problem is when the computer stops working and needs to be restarted (e.g. receiving a 'blue screen' or critical error message); the second type of problem is that the computer is working responds very sluggishly to input or not at all.

It would be highly advantageous to have a secondary device capable of electively displaying desired data on the computer screen even when the main computer is not responding as desired. DEFINITIONS

Secondary device - the immediate invention pertains to a device which is intended to be used as a secondary or auxiliary device to a main computer. For purposes of clarity, the device is referred to herein as a 'secondary device' or simply 'device'.

Device components - while in most embodiments of the invention the secondary device is a cohesive independent unit embedded on a single substrate, in other embodiments, the components that make up the sum total of the 'secondary device' are collocated with other components. Therefore, the term 'secondary device' is considered to include the sum total of the device components which afford the attributed functionality, even when not embodied on a distinct substrate independent from other devices and components.

Primary computing device - or primary device or master computer are terms used interchangeably which refer to a main computer to which the secondary device is connected, or to which the [slave] display is connected.

Slave display - the display or monitor on which the display data is displayed is referred to as a 'slave display' or simply 'display' when such a term is not deem ambiguous. The term is derived from the fact that the display is a slave to the master computer.

Display data - the term display data is used herein to refer to text, images, video feeds, audio/visual clips, online or offline web pages, a graphic user interface (GUI), computer program and the like. In short, the display data anything that can be displayed on a screen and/or heard through speakers connected to the monitor. In general the term display data is understood to mean display data of the secondary device unless otherwise stipulated such as "primary display data" which refers to display data from a primary device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To address the problems of wasted time, the immediate invention allows a user to utilize time when the computer is not responding as desired. In general, display data is/are stored on the secondary device. In one preferred embodiment on the invention the secondary device referred to herein works independently of the main computer and serves to store and present information to the user, filling empty moments, while waiting for the main computer to respond as desired.

The secondary device may be accessed by an icon on the screen (slave display). By moving the mouse over this icon, or by clicking on the icon, or by some other means, as described herein, a toggle switch enables the secondary device display data to be seen on the screen, displaying audiovisual information, like an image, a short clip, or stored web pages. The icon may be displayed on a portion of the screen which is under control of the secondary device. Actuating or toggling the switch may be via a physical button (or some other manner of actuation discussed elsewhere herein) on the secondary device.

The secondary device may come pre-programmed with information such as words and sentences for learning foreign languages, road safety signs, trivia questions and answers, short clips, pictures of interesting locations all over the world, 5-second film clips, and so on. In some embodiments, the secondary device can receive and store new data by recording and transferring to a memory/storage unit. For example, whenever the user watches an interesting web page he may decide to instruct the main computer to record the web page address or offline pages on the secondary device in order to view later. Likewise, a short film, or a length of audio may be stored for later viewing. This operation of storing data to the secondary device is made in a quick and easy way preferably by a one-touch operation, by a process similar to a print-screen operation, (i.e. storing the information as an image, in a format such as a tiff, jpeg, or storing clips in a format such as flv, or h264, in an uncompressed format, or saved and stored as an html page).

According to the present invention there is provided a device including: (a) a nonvolatile storage unit, adapted to store display data; (b) a communications unit, adapted to operationally couple the device with a slave display unit; (c) a processing unit, configured to display the stored display data on the slave display unit operationally coupled to a master computing unit, the processing unit including a switching module, adapted to reversibly provide at least partial control, of the operationally coupled slave display unit, to the processing unit.

According to further features in preferred embodiments of the invention described below the communications unit is adapted to be operationally coupled to an external data port or an internal bus port and/or includes a wireless communications component.

According to still further features the device further includes: (d) a switching component, operationally coupled to the switching module, the switching component adapted to be actuated by a user.

According to still further features the switching component is selected from the group consisting of: (i) an actuator on the secondary device; (ii) a touch sensitive input device; (iii) a sound input device; (iv) an optical input device; (v) an actuator on the slave display; and (vi) an actuator on a remote device.

According to still further features the processing unit is adapted to display the display data on at least a portion of the slave display and wherein it is adapted to display the display data concurrently with primary display data displayed by a primary computing unit operationally coupled to the slave display.

According to still further features the processing unit is adapted to concurrently display the display data in a manner selected from the group consisting of: (i) displaying the display data and the primary display data in distinct areas of the slave display, (ii) opaquely overlaying the display data over at least a partial segment of the primary display data, and (iii) transparently overlaying the display data over at least a partial segment of the primary display data.

According to still further features the communications unit is further adapted communicate with at least one input device and the processing unit is further adapted to allow the at least one input device to interact with the display data.

According to still further features the at least one input device is operationally coupled to a unit selected from the group consisting of: the primary computing unit, the slave display, and the communications unit.

According to still further features the communications unit is further adapted communicate with an audio component and the processing unit is further adapted to effect audio output through the audio component and wherein the audio component is operationally coupled to a unit selected from the group consisting of: a primary computing unit, the slave display unit, and the communications unit.

According to still further features the communications unit is further adapted to operationally couple a mobile communications device (MCD) to the slave display, and the processing unit is further adapted to display MCD display data on the slave display.

According to still further features the communications unit is further adapted to operationally couple the memory unit to an extrinsic storage device such as a volatile memory device, or a non-volatile memory device.

According to still further features the device further includes a GPU.

According to another embodiment, a device includes: (a) a storage unit, adapted to store display data; (b) a communications unit, adapted to operationally couple the device with a slave display unit; and (c) a processing unit, configured to display the stored display data on the slave display unit.

According to still further features the device further includes: (d) a switching component, adapted to reversibly provide at least partial control, of the operationally coupled slave display unit, to the processing unit, the switching component adapted to be actuated by a user. According to still further features the switching component is integrated into the slave display or into a master computing unit operationally coupled to the slave display unit, or into an input device. The input device is operationally coupled to a unit selected from the group consisting: a master computing unit, the slave display unit, the communications unit. The input device is selected from the group comprising: a mouse, a pointing device, a keyboard, a microphone, a camera, human interface device.

According to still further features the processing unit is a GPU.

According to another embodiment, there is provided a method for displaying data from a secondary device onto a slave display, the method including the steps of: (a) receiving a switching command; (b) switching control of the slave display from a master computing device to the secondary device; and (c) displaying the display data stored on the secondary device on the slave display.

According to still further features the method further includes the steps of: (d) receiving a switch-back command; and (e) switching control of the slave display from the secondary device to the master computing device.

According to still further features the switching command is received when the master computing device is non-responsive to user input.

According to still further features the switchback command is received when the master computing device becomes responsive to user input.

According to still further features the display data is displayed on the slave display according to a predefined queue or according to user selection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments are herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an implementation of the device of the immediate invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an implementation of the device of the immediate invention on a PCI board;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an implementation of the device of the immediate invention on USB device;

FIG. 4 is a pictorial depiction of a device holder coupled to a monitor;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a further implementation of the device of the immediate invention; FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a further implementation of the device of the immediate invention;

FIG. 7 is a main flow diagram according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is flow diagram of a subroutine according to an embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The principles and operation of a secondary device with display data according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description.

The secondary device is a completely independent of the main computer and has a

CPU and other hardware necessary to display text, images and sound (similar to a video card) which, when combined with a screen, has the ability to display an image or text on the screen and direct audio through speakers.

Various embodiments of the invention include the same basic components. Similar components are indicated with a reference number with the same last two-digits but with a first digit which signifies the Figure number.

DEVICE COMPONENTS

Referring now to the drawings, Figure I illustrates a schematic diagram of a secondary device 100 according to the immediate invention. The secondary device 100 can be used for the operations described in association with any of the computer-implement methods and devices described herein, according to one implementation. The device 100 includes a processor 110, a memory 120, a storage unit 130, and an input/output controller 140. Each of the components 110, 120, 130, and 140 are interconnected using a system bus 150. The processor 110 is capable of processing instructions for execution within the system 100. In one implementation, the processor 110 is a single-threaded processor. In another implementation, the processor 110 is a multi-threaded processor. The processor 110 is capable of processing instructions stored in the memory 120 or on the storage device 130 to display graphical information for a user interface on the input/output device 140.

The memory 120 stores information within the system 100. In some implementations, the memory 120 is a computer-readable medium. The memory 120 is a volatile memory unit in some implementations and is a non- volatile memory unit in other implementations and in still other implementations memory 120 includes of combination of volatile and non-volatile memory units. The storage device 130 is capable of providing mass storage for the system 100. In one implementation, the storage devicel30 is a computer-readable medium, in various different implementations, the storage device 130 may be a flash drive device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device.

The input/output controller or communications unit 140 provides input/output operations for the system 100. In one implementation, the input/output 140 device includes or is coupled to one or more of: a keyboard, a pointing device (not shown), a sound input device (e.g. a microphone (not shown)), an optical input device (e.g. a camera (not shown)), a touch sensitive input device (e.g. a touch screen (not shown)), a wireless/remote communication device (not shown) and. any other type of Human Interface Device (HID). Furthermore, I/O control 140 handles all communications between the device and external or extrinsic mechanisms. For example, I/O 140 can couple the device to a local or wide are network in a wired or wireless manner, but connecting to a router or over a cellular data network. Exemplarily, Antenna 142 may enable local wireless communication or remote wireless communication (discussed below) or both. In another implementation, the input/output device 140 includes or is operationally coupled to a display unit (e.g. a slave display/monitor) for displaying graphical user interfaces and/or data.

Processing Unit

Processing unit 110 includes the hardware, firmware and/or software needs to control the secondary device and effect the functions detailed below. Primarily, the processing unit is configured to display the various display data stored on the storage unit of the device. A major function of the processing unit is the 'switching' function whereby the secondary device seizes at least partial control over the screen which is connected to the primary computer. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the switching function is handles by a switching module which may be a hardware module or may be embodied in firmware or software or any combination thereof. The switching module "hijacks" screen control for at least a portion of the screen. The switching module may only provide partial control of the screen to the processing unit, sharing control with the primary computer. In this manner, the screen concurrently displays the display-data of the main computer and the display-data of the secondary device. Further details on concurrent displays are discussed below. The switching module is also tasked with relinquishing control over the screen, back to the primary computer.

In some embodiments the processing unit further includes a graphical processing unit (GPU) for encoding and decoding the stored display-data so as to be in a format that can be displayed by the screen. In other embodiments the GPU is part of the I/O control unit or Communications Unit (see e.g. Fig. 3). In still other embodiments the GPU is a separate component (see Fig. 2 GPU 212).

In other embodiments, the processing unit is a GPU. In such embodiments, the switching mechanism may be controlled by the GPU or by an external switching component such as the monitor itself or the primary computer. For example, a button on the monitor can toggle the graphic input from the main computer to the secondary device and vice versa. In another example, an input device such as a mouse can send a toggle signal (using a dedicated button or combination of existing buttons or by directing a cursor to an icon and clicking on the icon or any other method) to the main computer, or directly to the monitor, which switches the graphical input from the main computer to the secondary device.

Memory

In some embodiments, the device memory 120 includes computer readable media in the form of volatile, such as random access memory (RAM 222 in Fig. 2), and/or non- volatile memory, such as read only memory (ROM 224 in Fig. 2). RAM 222 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently be operated on by processing unit(s) 110.

Storage Unit

Device 100 includes a storage unit 130 which can be removable or non removable, volatile/non-volatile computer storage media. By way of example only, Fig. 1 illustrates a hard disk drive 130 for reading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (typically called a "hard drive"). Alternatively, the storage unit is a solid state drive for reading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile flash memory. Alternatively, or additionally, the storage unit can be a removable flash memory such as a memory card or USB flash drive (e.g. USB flash drive 630 in Fig. 6) and the like. The storage unit stores the display data of the secondary device. The display data may be queued for automatic display, may have a semi-automatic mechanism for manual and/or automatic display or may may be manually manipulated by a user through a displayed GUI.

Communications Unit

Communications unit includes an input/output (I/O) controller 140 and controls all input and output and all communications between the device and the environment.

In some embodiments of the invention, the secondary component includes one or more wireless communications components, such as antenna 142. The wireless communications components are capable of local and/or remote communication. Local communications can be facilitated, for example, by a Bluetooth antenna and transceiver unit, or a Near Field Communications (NFC) component etc. Remote communications can be facilitated through a local wireless router via a WiFi component and the like. Alternatively and/or additionally, remote communications can be facilitated by a cellular data network component or even a satellite communications component. The secondary device can use the remote communications unit to i dependently (of the main computer and even local router) connect to the Local Area Network or Wide Area Network or Cellular Data Network and from there to the Internet or cloud environment. Exemplary Embodiments

One embodiment of the invention is depicted in Fig. 2. In the depicted embodiment, the invention includes a hardware component which is can be added to the motherboard of the 'primary device' or 'master computer'. The hardware component is in the form of a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) board 200 which slots into a PCI Bus expansion slot via pin connectors 242. The Pin connectors 242 are coupled to the I/O controller 240. A Storage unit 230 and memory 220 are connected to a processor 210 and GPU 212 via a system bus 250. The term "PCI board" is intended to include any type of component which can be added to the motherboard as an encapsulated system. For example, the term is intended to include components such as PCI Express card, an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) card etc. Furthermore, the embodiment is strictly exemplary.

In another embodiment of the invention, the components of the device can be embodied directly onto the motherboard of the primary computer. Preferably, the components are isolated from other components connected to the primary computer CPU (Central Processing Unit[s]), while even more preferably, directly connected to the display components.

In both of the aforementioned embodiments, the hardware and/or firmware and/or software of the device, monitor the primary processing units and determine whether the system is overburdened and therefore not responding adequately to the user. Many other reasons for a computer not responding as desired exist, such as (but not limited to), a slow or overburdened router, CPU overheating, software applications, device drivers and other components creating conflicts or infinite loops or not working properly and many many other reasons known in the art. In such a cases, the device can automatically seize at least partial control of the display device (slave display) so as to display the stored display data. Alternatively and/or additionally the user can manually cause the stored display data to be displayed on the slave display. Exemplary manual mechanisms for switching display control are discussed elsewhere herein. Manual control can be achieved at anytime by actuating the switching mechanism. Generally, a user would switch display control to the secondary device when the primary device is not responding to input or taking a protracted amount of time to perform a process or load an image etc.

In yet another embodiment, the device is an external device that can be attached to a primary computer or a display device (slave display). In a first configuration, the external device is adapted to be coupled to an external port such a USB port, a serial/parallel port, a CD/DVD drive, an expansion slot (e.g. for memory cards and the like) etc. of the primary computer. Fig. 3 is an exemplary schematic diagram of a secondary device embodied on a USB device 300. A CPU 310 is connected to a Memory 320, a storage unit 330 and an I/O controller 340 via a bus 350. I/O controller 340 communicates with connector pins of the USB device. In the exemplary embodiment depicted in the Figure, a GPU 342 is included in the I/O controller or communications unit 340.

In a second general configuration, the external device is adapted to be coupled 'directly' to the monitor (slave display). Fig. 5 depicts one exemplary embodiment of the invention according to the aforementioned second general configuration. In the exemplary embodiment depicted in the Figure, a 'shunt' device 500 is be interposed between a monitor 504 and a primary computing device 502. The monitor connects to the shunt via a cable 506 and connector 508, such as a USB connector or a HDMI connector. The shunt on the one hand couples the monitor to the computer, while on the other hand connects the external device directly to the monitor. The shunt itself is the device (i.e. includes all the device components discussed elsewhere herein), with a receiving port 540 for the monitor data cable and a communications cable of its own which connects to an external USB (or other) port on the primary computer 502.

In a second embodiment depicted in Fig. 6, a device shunt 600 includes a USB port 640 for receiving a storage device 630, exemplarily depicted as a USB flash drive, which can be plugged into the shunt and removed therefrom to be plugged into a different computing device (e.g. in order to load new display data into the device memory).

A smartphone or other mobile computing device (e.g. tablet computers, mini tablet computers etc.) can serve as the innovative device. Appropriate software (e.g. a downloadable mobile application) on the mobile device and reciprocating software and/or firmware and/or hardware on the primary device and/or screen allows the mobile device to interface with the slave display and/or primary computer. Pressing an activation button or touching the touch- sensitive display can effect the 'switching' procedure which transfers control or partial control of the slave display to the mobile device.

Some monitors include external ports on the monitor frame. A device with a USB male connector can be mounted on the monitor frame. Alternatively, a device can be coupled to the frame port via a cord like other peripheries (mouse, printer, flash drive etc.). Further alternatively, a physical holder (similar to a handsfree mount used for mobile devices in vehicles) can be mounted on the monitor frame. Fig. 4 is a pictorial depiction of the latter embodiment. A holder 40 includes a connector 42 serving to couple a monitor 44 to the external device (not shown). Holder 40 is a mobile device holder for holding smart phones and GPS units. A smart phone such as an iPhone™ can be seated in holder 40 and secured there by a clamping mechanism 41. During the seating operation, the phone is docked with the connector 42, coupling the device to monitor 44

In yet another embodiment, the components of the device are integrated into the display device itself (as indicated in Fig. 1). In this manner, the device is always able to display data on the monitor. The stored display data may be update or augmented by an external storage device (e.g. an SD card) which is inserted into external port, coupled to the device components. Alternatively and/or additionally, the integrated device may include a wireless component as discussed elsewhere herein.

The aforementioned embodiments and configurations each have benefits and drawbacks. Exemplarily, internal components (cards or integrated components) can be affected along with the rest of the primary computing components and therefore be ineffective as a time-saving device. For example, if a faulty driver for the video card of the primary computer enters into an infinite loop which entails sending data to the monitor, the system will hang. In such a case the user would 'switch' to the time-saving device in order to view the display data stored therein. Unfortunately, as the internal devices use the same bus as the primary computer components, the time-saving device will not be able to display any data.

Further exemplarily, external components may suffer the same or other drawbacks. For example, a device which is coupled to the slave display through the primary system (e.g. the device is plugged into a USB port) may similarly be prevented from displaying data as described above. On the other hand, a device connected directly to the monitor may need to be updated manually by connecting the device to a primary computing source. Even the embodiment in which a mobile computing [and communications] device is coupled to the slave display, suffers some possible drawbacks. For example, a smartphone which is coupled to a slave display may be unavailable for conducting telephone calls (especially if connected via a holder with an integrated communications port). Any of the integrated embodiments add production costs to the end-products and are inherently unavailable in legacy systems. Nonetheless, each embodiment also has benefits and methods of overcoming the drawbacks can also be overcome.

Mobile Computing Devices - Smartphones, Tablets, etc.

in the embodiment whereby the secondary device is embodied a mobile computing device (MCD) such as a smartphone or tablet computer, once the MCD is coupled to the primary computer or monitor, the cellular screen can be duplicated onto the slave screen. By manual selection, either with the mouse, keyboard or by touching the screen, or by touching the MCD itself, or by other means detailed herein, a user can switch from the PC image (primary display data) to the cell phone image.

In other embodiments, communications are set up between the computer mouse, the screen, and the MCD image on the screen so that the user is able to control the MCD with the mouse. In another feature of the invention, once mounted on the screen, or connected by wire or wirelessly, the user is able to control the mobile phone by use of the keyboard. According to another feature of the invention, once mounted on the screen, or connected by wire or wirelessly, the user is able to control the mobile phone (or other MCD) by connecting up a camera, embedded in the mobile phone that detects changes in lighting, to be used as a light or motion sensor. According to another feature of the invention, once mounted on the screen, or connected to the screen by a wire or wirelessly, the user is able to control the mobile phone, by using an voice commands such as "change", or "return" or audio commands such as a clap of the hands or a snap of the fingers. The commands are recorded either on the MCD microphone or the screen microphone or via a computer microphone. According to another feature of the invention, communication between the cell phone and screen, for presenting MCD images (or other display data) is wireless and does not require a physical mount or wired connection. According to another feature of the invention, the mobile phone comes with a compatible adaptor Fitting to the screen mount. Other

According to another feature of the invention, the secondary device has storage capabilities and the ability to output visual information and/or sound that is/are translated either by the screen display video card or by an integrated video card or Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) of the secondary device, or through a combination of the two cards. According to another feature of the invention, the secondary device allows the user to download, capture or save the same information that can be stored on any computer hard disk to the secondary device or to the cell phone.

In another feature of the invention, the component has the ability to accept and to send information directly from another storage device through cable or through wireless means in order to allow the transfer of material in both directions.

According to other features of the invention, the secondary device can be programmed to periodically load and save website pages from the Internet (or any other networked sites). For example, pages and sections from the site that are designated in advance by the user (such as a homepage, news, culture, and economics, weather) are stored on the memory unit of the secondary device and selectively displayed when the computer is busy. Alternatively and/or additionally, offline web pages are saved to the memory unit or converted into a suitable format and saved.

According to other features of the invention, the user can program the primary/ master computer to save data to the memory unit of the secondary device (or to convert to a suitable file format and save to the memory unit) news sites (or any other sites) and upload the site or pages periodically. The data may be saved to the memory unit from a transient memory such as RAM or a non-transient memory such as a hard drive.

According to other features of the invention, the user can give instructions to audio files from the main computer or from the Internet or any other external source, to be stored in the device and call them up when the user manually actuates the switching mechanism or automatically when the main computer is busy. According to other features of the invention, the user programs the device to store movie files from the main computer or from the Internet (or from any other external source).

According to other features of the invention, the device is not part of a screen or mobile phone, or the main computer, but rather an independent, stand-alone device, connected directly to the screen either via a cable or wirelessly. According to other features of the invention, the standalone device, as described herein, comes with an integrated screen and/or speakers. SCREEN CONTROL

According to various features of the invention, it is possible to choose whether the display data sent by the device to the screen is displayed on the entire screen or takes up only a part of the screen, and to choose which part of the screen the data is displayed on. Utilizing only part of the screen allows the user to see both the display data as well as the data from the primary computer, allowing the user to decide whether the computer is no longer 'busy' or unresponsive.

Similarly a feature of system displays the display data sent by the device in a semi- transparent, enabling the user to see, on the same screen, both the primary display data and the device display data, with a user deciding on the relationship (percentage of transparency) between the two sets of data. (Similar to a 'widget' which is transposed over a portion of the desktop display, in Windows™ Vista™ operating system.)

Users can return to the primary computer control at any time. Returning total or primary control of the display to the primary computer can be accomplished by the same switching procedure used to give control of the display to the device in the first place.

AUDIO INPUT/OUTPUT

Some screens are equipped with built in speakers and/or audio out ports while some even have built in microphones or audio in ports. In the aforementioned configurations of the monitors, or where the speaker/microphone peripherals are connected to the main computer or where the system are semi integrated (e.g. laptops) or fully integrated (e.g. tablet computers or smartphones) - the secondary devices, in some embodiments, are able to access the audio peripherals, while in other embodiments, they are not able to directly access the audio peripherals. Hardware, firmware and software considerations allow or do not allow the secondary device to access the audio peripherals.

SWITCHING CONTROL

According to other features of the invention the computer mouse will be connected to, or associated with, the secondary device, either by cable, or wirelessly, or by using the current USB wire connection between the mouse and the computer and from there, between the computer and screen.

According to other features of the invention, switching between the main computer image and device display data, and vice versa, is done by pressing a button or switch located on the screen. According to other features of the invention, switchover back and forth between the main computer image and the device display data is done by pressing a key on the keyboard, or a two-key combination, such as "s" and "d" together, or by rapidly tapping the space key twice and the like. Exemplarily, a special purpose key on the keyboard can be programmed or preprogrammed to effect the switch function.

According to other features of the invention, the switching back and forth of the screen image between the main computer and the device display data is done by using an optical input device such as a camera, or motion detector located on the screen or connected to the screen/main computer. Exemplarily, lighting or image changes (e.g. rapid hand movements captured by the camera) effect the switch. The I/O controller of the device registers the signal from the optical input device and the processing unit recognizes the predefined pattern and instructs the switching module to effect the switch procedure.

According to other features of the invention, switchover back and forth of the screen image between the main computer and the device display data is done using an external camera, connected to the screen, via cable or wirelessly, and changing instantly the lighting or image e.g.: rapid hand movements detected by the lens. The sensor in the component in this case recognizes the signal and change the image and audio.

According to other features of the invention, switchover back and forth of the screen image between the main computer and the device display data is done by sound e.g. knocking on the table, or saying the word "CHANGE". A sound activation module or sound input device senses the sound (e.g. clicking of fingers, knocking on the table etc.) and logic in the device recognizes the signal and. switches control of the images and/or audio (display data) sent to the screen and/or audio output devices.

According to other features of the invention, once the device display data is shown, browsing within the data stored in the memory/storage component of the secondary device (such as paging from one image to another, switching from one file to another, or skipping, when learning a language, for example, from one element to the next) is exemplarily done by choosing one of the prescribed operations, but in no way limited to: a mouse operation, a keyboard operation, altering the light entering the camera, speech recognition via a microphone, or by pressing a button, switch, touch pad etc. located on the secondary device, the screen, a remote device or the like.

According to other features of the invention, returning to the main computer data display can be done by sounding a predefined audio input such as saying the word "RETURN" or by knocking twice instead of once, or three times instead of twice or effecting any other audio input which is captured by the sound activation module.

According to other features of the invention, by configuring a continual and constant order, there will be an automatic conversion, (on a daily, hourly, nightly, weekly, several hourly basis or prompted by an event of "substances and materials" listed below) to an image format or an HTML format (or any other suitable format) from the Internet, and a transfer

(save) the data to storage unit of the secondary device.

Exemplarily "substances and materials" include, but are in no way limited to: new emails, messages from the user's bank, bank balance updates, stock market updates, quotes from certain shares, credit card statements, credit card balance, new purchases made with the credit card, payments due, social networking post messages, or any other configuration according to the user's taste.

For example, after waking up in the morning, while turning on the computer, connecting to the Internet, and waiting for a site to upload, on the same screen, information stored on the secondary device may be viewed. The information may have been downloaded onto the component during the night, or stored on a mobile phone, whether connected to the screen or independently. News headlines may be viewed; the user's bank balance and credit card expenses may be viewed; the user may check SMS text messages, read a daily spiritual page, view stock prices on the stock exchange, read a social network message, or view a newly uploaded video. The data (text, images, audio) may be displayed either as a full image or as a split image (and/or heard over the speakers). The user simply pages through images in a folder going from one image to another, or by paging through saved html pages.

In the meantime, the main computer gets itself ready to start up and connects to the

Internet. If something needs to be done on the main computer by the user, for example, if the user needs to type in a password, or to type a site address, the user simply switches to the main computer.

Alternatively, an independent method is chosen to control the secondary device.

According to other features of the invention all the above are stored in a folder on the main computer, and while waiting for the Internet to come online and load one or more sites, the user may view information. The information may be obtained from the pre-configured sites, saved as an image (in a convenient format), and, without having to download the site again, allows the user to browse easily and quickly from one page to another. According to other features of the invention, entry to the device display data is protected by a password. According to other features of the invention, SMS text messages are sent to the device and stored there in a format suitable to be presented.

According to other features of the invention, switchover from a minor image of the mobile phone screen to main computer image is done by the means listed above that specify switching between the main computer and the component.

According to other features of the invention, the system may be configured such that switchover to and from device display data to main computer image and browsing the information stored in the component is done by means other than the mouse and keyboard, keeping the mouse and keyboard dedicated to the main computer.

According to other features of the invention once the mobile phone is connected to the screen, the CPU of the mobile phone is used to assist in displaying information stored in the component.

According to other features of the invention, the component requests the minimum CPU power from the main computer, for those instances when operation of the mouse and keyboard cannot be monitored by the integrated CPU of the secondary device.

According to other features of the invention, control of the whole process of the relationship between the main computer and the component switchover to and from, and browsing, is made using a screen remote control or a component remote control that comes as a separate unit. Exemplarily, a computer mouse can be augmented with a remote control component which communicated wirelessly with the secondary device. For example, a dedicated button on the augmented/specialty mouse can be a remote actuator which sends a wireless signal to the communications unit or I/O controller of the secondary device via an integrated wireless component on the secondary device. Additionally and/or alternatively, the augmented mouse can send the switching signal via a standard wire connector or a Bluetooth / Infrared (IR) or other wireless coupling means used to couple the mouse to the main computer for general or regular purposes. The switching signal may contain a priority data packet which overrides other input signals, so that even if the regular mouse input is not registering, the priority switching signal will get through. According to some embodiments, the signal from the mouse (or other input device) triggers a switching component in the secondary device. According to other embodiments the signal from the mouse (or other input device) triggers a switching component in the primary computer. According to other embodiments the signal from the mouse (or other input device) triggers a switching component in the monitor itself. According to some embodiments of the invention, the aforementioned prioritized signal can be generated by other input devices besides the augmented/specialty mouse. Input devices include, but are not limited to, a microphone, mouse, keyboard, camera, and any other Human Input Device known in the art. Examples of switching triggers or actuators are discussed above.

According to other features of the invention the secondary device has enough CPU power to enable the user to play programmed or installed computer games stored in the storage component of the device. Alternatively and/or additionally, as discussed elsewhere herein, the secondary component includes one or more wireless communications components. The wireless communications components are capable of local and/or remote communication (see section DEVICE COMPONENTS). As discussed above, the secondary device can use the remote communications unit to independently (of the main computer and even local router) connect to a network (see Fig. 1) which may be a Local Area Network or a Wide Area Network or a Cellular Data Network and from there to the Internet or cloud environment. According to other features of the invention the secondary device has enough CPU power to enable the user to play an online or web game via the remote communications component of the device. Likewise, where made possible by the CPU capabilities and storage space, any and all online activities can be conducted via the secondary device. In particular, a processing unit which includes a Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) would best allow for any and all of the aforementioned features.

According to other features of the invention, by sending information from the main computer CPU to the secondary device, and also from the router to the secondary device, switchover is automated, based on how taxed the computer is (percentage CPU being used for a certain amount of time) or how busy the computer is with the Internet (e.g. how much data is being downloaded per unit time for a certain amount of time). The user is able to preprogram the threshold value for automation (i.e. the percentage CPU power used for the length of time prescribed or the volume of Internet data for a prescribed length of time) that causes the switchover.

Fig. 7 is a main flow diagram according to one embodiment of the invention. In step 701, the secondary device or the primary device or the monitor receives a switch command.

In step 703, control of the slave display is switched from the master computing device to the secondary device.

In step 705, display-data stored on the secondary device is displayed on the slave monitor. In step 707, a switch-back command is received from a switching component (discussed above).

In step 709, control of the slave display is switched from the secondary device to the master computing device until a new switching command is received.

It is to be understood that control over the display may be full control, partial control or simply preference being given to display data being broadcast/communicated from the secondary device over the display-data of the primary device / master computing unit.

Fig. 8 is a flow diagram of an exemplary subroutine according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 8 depicts an exemplary automatic subroutine track and a manual subroutine track for switching control of the slave display between the primary device and the secondary device of the immediate invention.

At step 801, the primary device has control over the slave display. In step 801, the switching module or device logic checks whether the primary device is non-responsive. The primary device can be non-responsive according to predefined parameters such as wait time for CPU response, load time, CPU usage, CPU temperature and any other number of parameters that indicate that the primary device is not responding as quickly as the user would like. If the primary device is not non-responsive, then the Go To step 803. If the primary device is non-responsive then Go To step 805.

In step 803 the device logic checks whether a manual switch command has been issued (e.g. a switching button on the secondary device has been actuated etc.) or not. If a switch command has been issued the Go To step 805. Otherwise Go To step 801.

In step 805, control, is switched to the secondary device.

In step 807, display-data stored on the secondary device is displayed according to a predefined queue or according to user selection.

In step 809, the device logic checks if the primary device is responsive yet. If the main computing device becomes responsive to user input then Go To step 811. If master computing device is still not responsive then Go To step 807.

In step 811, device logic checks with whether to issue a switch-back command or not. According to the manual track, the user is asked whether to issue the switch back command or not. According to automatic track, the system logic decides whether to issue the switch back command or not. If the switch-back is issued, then Go To step 813. If the switch-back command is not issued, then Go To step 807.

In step 813 control of the slave display (or displaying data on the slave display) is switched back to the primary / master computing device. According to the automatic track Go To step 801. According to the manual track Go To step 803.

The features described herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. The apparatus can be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage device, for execution by a programmable processor; and method steps can be performed by a programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the described implementations by operating on input data and. generating output. The described features can be implemented advantageously in one or more computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. A computer program is a set of instructions that can be used, directly or indirectly, in a computer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result. A computer program can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment.

Suitable processors for the execution of a program of instructions include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and the sole processor or one of multiple processors of any kind of computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a primary and/or secondary device are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memories for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computing device will also include, or be operatively coupled to communicate with, one or more mass storage devices for storing data files; such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and optical disks. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incoiporated in, ASICs (application- specific integrated circuits). To provide for interaction with a user, the features can be implemented on a primary or secondary computing device having a display device such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball by which the user can provide input to the computer.

The features can be implemented in a computer system that includes a back-end component, such, as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, such as an application server or an Internet server, or that includes a front-end component, such as a client computer having a graphical user interface or an Internet browser, or any combination of them. The components of the system can be connected by any form or medium of digital data communication such as a communication network. Examples of communication networks include, e.g., a LAN, a WAN, cellular data network, and the computers and networks forming the Internet.

The computer system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a network, such as the described one. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications and other applications of the invention may be made. Therefore, the claimed invention as recited in the claims that follow is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS

1. A device comprising:

(a) a non- volatile storage unit, adapted to store display data;

(b) a communications unit, adapted to operationally couple the device with a slave display unit;

(c) a processing unit, configured to display said stored display data on said slave display unit operationally coupled to a master computing unit, said processing unit including a switching module, adapted to reversibly provide at least partial control, of said operationally coupled slave display unit, to said processing unit.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said communications unit is adapted to be operationally coupled, to an external data port.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said communications unit is adapted to be operationally coupled to an internal Bus port.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said communications unit includes a wireless communications component.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) a switching component, operationally coupled to said switching module, said switching component adapted to be actuated by a user.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein said switching component is selected from the group consisting of:

(i) an actuator on said secondary device;

(ii) a touch sensitive input device;

(iii) a sound input device;

(iv) an optical input device;

(v) an actuator on said slave display; and

(vi) an actuator on a remote device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said processing unit is adapted to display said display data on at least a portion of said slave display unit.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said processing unit is adapted to display said display-data concurrently with primary display-data displayed by said master computing unit operationally coupled to said slave display unit.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein said processing unit is adapted to concuiTentiy display said display data in a manner selected from the group consisting of:

(i) displaying said display data and said primary display-data in distinct areas of said slave display unit,

(ii) opaquely overlaying said display data over at least a partial segment of said primary display-data, and

(iii) transparently overlaying said display-data over at least a partial segment of said primary display-data.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein said communications unit is further adapted communicate with at least one input device and said processing unit is further adapted to allow said at least one input device to interact with said display data.

1 1. The device of claim 10 wherein said at least one input device is operationally coupled to a unit selected from the group consisting of: said master computing unit, said slave display, and said communications unit.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said communications unit is further adapted communicate with an audio component and said processing unit is further adapted to effect audio output through said audio component and wherein said audio component is operationally coupled to a unit selected from the group consisting of: said master computing unit, said slave display unit, and said communications unit.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein said communications unit is further adapted to operationally couple a mobile communications device (MCD) to said slave display, and said processing unit is further adapted to display MCD display data on said slave display.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein said communications unit is further adapted to operationally couple said memory unit to an extrinsic storage device.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein said extrinsic storage device is selected from a group of storage devices comprising: a volatile memory device, and a non- volatile memory device.

16. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU).

17. A device comprising:

(a) a storage unit, adapted to store display data; (b) a communications unit, adapted to operationally couple the device with a slave display unit; and

(c) a processing unit, configured to display said stored display data on said slave display unit.

18. The device of claim 17, further comprising:

(d) a switching component, adapted to reversibly provide at least partial control, of said operationally coupled slave display unit, to said processing unit, said switching component adapted to be actuated by a user.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein said switching component is integrated into said slave display.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein said switching component is integrated into a master computing unit operationally coupled to said slave display unit.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein said switching component is integrated into an input device.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein said input device is operationally coupled to a unit selected from the group consisting: a master computing unit, said slave display unit, said communications unit.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein said input device is a device selected from the group comprising: a mouse, a pointing device, a keyboard, a microphone, a camera, human interface device.

24. The device of 17, wherein said processing unit is a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU).

25. A method for displaying data from a secondary device onto a slave display, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a switching command;

(b) switching control of the slave display from a master computing device to the secondary device; and

(c) displaying the display data stored on the secondary device on the slave display.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the steps of:

(d) receiving a switch-back command; and

(e) switching control of the slave display from the secondary device to said master computing device.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said switching command is received when said master computing device is non-responsive to user input.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said switchback command is received when said master computing device becomes responsive to user input.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein said display data is displayed on the slave display according to a predefined queue.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein said display data is displayed according to a user selection.