Abstract: Thin-client terminal systems allow server computer systems to be shared by multiple computer users. However, thin-client terminal systems that use analog signals can only be placed a limited distance from the main server computer system. On the other hand, thin-client terminal systems that rely purely on digital signals can be expensive to produce. A thin-client multiplier that combines the two different approaches communicates digitally with main server computer system such that it can be placed any distance from the main server computer system. The thin-client multiplier also provides output information received from the server system and electrical power to analog thin-client terminal systems and receives input information from the analog thin-client terminal systems. The received input information is provided to the server system for processing.

Abstract: In a system and method for a thin-client terminal system having a local screen buffer using a serial bus, a serial bus interface device receives encoded data from a thin-client server system. The serial bus interface device decodes the encoded data according to a serial bus data format and provides the decoded data to a thin-client control system. The thin-client control system distributes the decoded data for processing to a video processing system, an audio processing system, and an input/output control system. The thin-client control system also receives input data from input devices connected to the thin-client terminal system. The input data is processed and encoded according to the serial bus data format for transmission to the thin-client server system.

Abstract: Systems and methods for compositing an image from display planes are disclosed. An internal matrix having transparency data indicating transparency of a macro block of a digital representation of a display is accessed. An external matrix is accessed if the internal matrix indicates the macro block includes a transparent and opaque pixel, wherein the external matrix has transparency data indicating transparency of each pixel in the macro block. A first display plane is read based on the transparency data indicating opaque pixels and the first display plane data is sent to a first buffer. Second display plane data of a second display plane is read and sent to a second buffer if the transparency data indicates transparent pixels. Control data is inserted into the first buffer accordingly such that an image is generated based on at least one of the first and second display plane data and the control data.

Abstract: An internal matrix corresponding to a representation of a display screen and having transparency data of a macro block is accessed. Display plane data from either a first or second plane is read if the internal matrix indicates the macro block is non-translucent and from both planes when the internal matrix indicates translucency. A high-level external matrix having high-level external transparency data indicating transparency of pixels is accessed if the internal transparency data indicates the macro block includes a window boundary. Display plane data from either the first or second plane is read if the high-level external transparency data indicates a non-translucent pixel and from both planes when the internal matrix indicates translucency. A detailed external matrix is accessed if the internal transparency data indicates the macro block is translucent or if the high-level external transparency data indicates the pixel is translucent. The first and second planes are blended accordingly.

Abstract: Systems and methods for hardware-accelerated key color extraction are disclosed. An update corresponding to a portion of a digital representation of a display screen is received. Key color information for locations within the update is identified. A data structure code associated with the portion of the digital representation of the display screen is determined based on the identification of the key color information. The data structure code is provided to a data structure. During a scan of the frame buffer for display, the frame buffer is capable of being read according to the data structure.

Abstract: The video output system in a computer system reads pixel information from a frame buffer to generate a video output signal. In addition, full-motion video may also be displayed in a window defined in the frame buffer. If the native resolution of the full-motion video is larger than the window defined in said frame buffer then valuable memory space and memory bandwidth is being wasted by writing said larger full-motion video in a memory system (and later reading it back) when some data from the full-motion video will be discarded. Thus, a video pre-processor is disclosed to reduce the size of the full-motion video before that full-motion video is written into a memory system. The video pre-processor will scale the full-motion video down to a size no larger than the window defined in the frame buffer.

Abstract: The video output system in a computer system reads pixel information from a frame buffer to generate a video output signal. In addition, a full-motion video may also be displayed. Reading from both the frame buffer and the full-motion video buffer when displaying the full-motion video window wastes valuable memory bandwidth. Thus, the disclosed system provides a system and methods for identifying where the video output system must read from the frame buffer and where it must read from the full-motion video buffer while minimizing the amount of area it reads from both the frame buffer and the full-motion video buffer.

Abstract: Thin-client terminal systems allow computer systems to be shared by multiple computer users. With modern technology, the cost of implementing a thin-client terminal system can be very low. To improve thin-client terminal systems, a thin-client terminal system accepts user input data in a first serial interface format and transcodes the user input data into a second serial interface format for transmission to a server.

Abstract: A video output system in a computer system reads pixel information from a frame buffer to generate a video output signal. In addition, a full-motion video may also be displayed. Reading from both the frame buffer and the full-motion video buffer when displaying the full-motion video window wastes valuable memory bandwidth. Thus, the disclosed system provides a system and methods for identifying where the video output system must read from the frame buffer and where it must read from the full-motion video buffer while minimizing the amount of area it reads from both the frame buffer and the full-motion video buffer.

Abstract: Systems and methods for an efficient display data transfer algorithm over a network are disclosed. A compressed frame buffer update transmitted from a server via a network is received by a hardware decompression engine. The hardware decompression engine identifies one or more palette entries indicated in the compressed frame buffer update and determines whether the one or more palette entries is stored in a palette cache of the hardware decompression engine. If the one or more palette entries is not stored in the palette cache, the hardware decompression engine writes the one or more palette entries from an external palette memory to the palette cache. Decompressed display data is generated based on the compressed frame buffer update using the palette cache. The decompressed display data is written to an output buffer of the hardware decompression engine.

Abstract: Systems and methods for an efficient display data transfer algorithm over a network are disclosed. A compressed frame buffer update transmitted from a server via a network is received by a hardware decompression engine. The hardware decompression engine identifies one or more palette entries indicated in the compressed frame buffer update and determines whether the one or more palette entries is stored in a palette cache of the hardware decompression engine. If the one or more palette entries is not stored in the palette cache, the hardware decompression engine writes the one or more palette entries from an external palette memory to the palette cache. Decompressed display data is generated based on the compressed frame buffer update using the palette cache. The decompressed display data is written to an output buffer of the hardware decompression engine.

Abstract: In a digital video processing system for processing full-motion video in computer terminal systems, two main rendering paths are created for a computer terminal system: a screen buffer path and a full-motion video path. The screen buffer path renders a desktop display from a screen buffer within the terminal system. The full-motion video path decodes a video stream and then processes the decoded video stream with a video processing pipeline to fit the video frames within a destination video window within the desktop display. The video processing pipeline performs clipping, blending, chroma resampling, resizing, and color converting of the video frames in pipelined stages with minimal memory accesses. A video adapter then combines the desktop display with the processed digital video for a final terminal display.

Abstract: Techniques for use within computer systems that communicate with multiple different terminal systems using multiple different terminal protocols are disclosed. In one embodiment, a partial protocol converter module is installed in a computer server system to enable the computer server system to communicate with terminal systems that use terminal protocol other than the terminal protocol used natively by the computer server system. The partial protocol converter module directly accesses a screen buffer in the computer server system that is associated with the terminal systems that use terminal protocol other than the terminal protocol used natively by the computer server system. The partial protocol converter module detects updates to the screen buffer and encodes these display screen updates into a message using the native protocol used by the terminal system and then transmits that encoded message to the terminal system.

Abstract: Example embodiments of the present disclosure concern a system and method for selectively intercepting communications in a cloud computing environment by receiving communications from one or more thin-client terminal systems connected via a local area network, determining one or more recipients of each received communication, and based on a determination that the one or more recipients of a communication include only thin-client terminal systems connected via the local area network, intercepting the communication and preventing the communication from being transmitted to a central server connected to the local area network via a wide area network, storing the communication, and forwarding the communication to the one or more recipients connected to the local area network.

Abstract: A system for simplifying the configuration and administration of computer networks. A the server system first sends a broadcast message out to the other network nodes on the computer network to learn configuration of each other network nodes on the local network. Next, network software within each other network node (not shown) responds to the broadcast message with a response containing configuration information and an identifier key value. In one embodiment, the identifier key value may be a randomly generated number. The server system then builds a table of network nodes using the information received in the response messages sent in response to the broadcast message. The server may then communicate with systems having duplicate addresses using the identifier key value. In some embodiments, the server system may send request messages to one or more network nodes specifying a network configuration change.

Abstract: Graphics display adapters for driving multiple display monitors have become very popular. Graphics display adapters that drive multiple monitors can be used to provide terminal services to multiple independent terminals or be used to provide multiple displays to a single user. Generating video signals for multiple display systems puts a heavy burden on the video memory system since multiple different video signal generators may read from associated frame buffers in a shared video memory system. In one disclosed embodiment, a plurality of video memory read triggers are provided wherein at least two of which are staggered to reduce the load on the video memory system. In response to each read trigger, display data is read from a frame buffer to an associated video signal generation circuit. Each video signal generation circuit then provides a display signal to an associated display screen in a multi-screen environment.

Abstract: To conserve communication channel bandwidth, video information must often be compressed in low bandwidth environments. To significantly reduce bandwidth usage, a first disclosed embodiment proposes transmits a reduced color depth image initially and then later transmitting additional color depth information when the image becomes static. In this manner, a reduced color image is displayed when an image is dynamic but a full color image is displayed when the image becomes static. Note that the additional color information is transmitted only when bandwidth is has become less utilized since updated image information is no longer being transmitted since the image has become static. The additional color depth information may be stored in the same buffer or within a different buffer in the receiving system. A second embodiment delays additional color depth information and also spatially reduces the additional color depth information.

Abstract: Graphics display adapters for driving multiple display monitors have become very popular. Graphics display adapters that drive multiple monitors can be used to provide terminal services to multiple independent terminals or be used to provide multiple displays to a single user. Generating video signals for multiple display systems puts a heavy burden on the video memory system since multiple different video signal generators may read from associated frame buffers in a shared video memory system. In one disclosed embodiment, a plurality of video memory read triggers are provided wherein at least two of which are staggered to reduce the load on the video memory system. In response to each read trigger, display data is read from a frame buffer to an associated video signal generation circuit. Each video signal generation circuit then provides a display signal to an associated display screen in a multi-screen environment.

Abstract: A system for simplifying the configuration and administration of computer networks. A the server system first sends a broadcast message out to the other network nodes on the computer network to learn configuration of each other network nodes on the local network. Next, network software within each other network node (not shown) responds to the broadcast message with a response containing configuration information and an identifier key value. In one embodiment, the identifier key value may be a randomly generated number. The server system then builds a table of network nodes using the information received in the response messages sent in response to the broadcast message. The server may then communicate with systems having duplicate addresses using the identifier key value. In some embodiments, the server system may send request messages to one or more network nodes specifying a network configuration change.

Abstract: Thin-client terminal systems allow computer systems to be shared by multiple computer users. With modern technology, the cost of implementing a thin-client terminal system can be very low. To expand the market for thin-client terminal systems, a serial bus interface is used to couple a thin-client terminal system to a computer system.