Patents by Inventor Thomas W. Costa

Thomas W. Costa has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9489165
    Abstract: An operating system creates one or more virtual display interfaces for communication of display data and user input events between the application layer and one or more virtual display devices. The one or more virtual display devices are not physically connected to the computing system managed by the operating system. One or more applications are executed in an application layer. At least one of the one or more applications communicates display data to and receives user input events from at least one of the one or more display devices using at least one of the display interfaces. At least one other of the one or more applications communicates display data to and receives user input events from at least one of the one or more virtual display devices using at least one of the one or more virtual display interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher P. Wright, Kenneth C. Dyke, Assana M. Fard, Thomas W. Costa
  • Publication number: 20160147494
    Abstract: An operating system creates one or more virtual display interfaces for communication of display data and user input events between the application layer and one or more virtual display devices. The one or more virtual display devices are not physically connected to the computing system managed by the operating system. One or more applications are executed in an application layer. At least one of the one or more applications communicates display data to and receives user input events from at least one of the one or more display devices using at least one of the display interfaces. At least one other of the one or more applications communicates display data to and receives user input events from at least one of the one or more virtual display devices using at least one of the one or more virtual display interfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Inventors: Christopher P. Wright, Kenneth C. Dyke, Assana M. Fard, Thomas W. Costa
  • Patent number: 9336560
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates seamlessly switching between graphics-processing units (GPUs) to drive a display. In one embodiment, the system receives a request to switch from using a first GPU to using a second GPU to drive the display. In response to this request, the system uses a kernel thread which operates in the background to configure the second GPU to prepare the second GPU to drive the display. While the kernel thread is configuring the second GPU, the system continues to drive the display with the first GPU and a user thread continues to execute a window manager which performs operations associated with servicing user requests. When configuration of the second GPU is complete, the system switches the signal source for the display from the first GPU to the second GPU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas W. Costa, Simon M. Douglas, David J. Redman
  • Patent number: 9250700
    Abstract: An operating system creates one or more virtual display interfaces for communication of display data and user input events between the application layer and one or more virtual display devices. The one or more virtual display devices are not physically connected to the computing system managed by the operating system. One or more applications are executed in an application layer. At least one of the one or more applications communicates display data to and receives user input events from at least one of the one or more display devices using at least one of the display interfaces. At least one other of the one or more applications communicates display data to and receives user input events from at least one of the one or more virtual display devices using at least one of the one or more virtual display interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher P. Wright, Kenneth C. Dyke, Assana M. Fard, Thomas W. Costa
  • Publication number: 20140340411
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates seamlessly switching between graphics-processing units (GPUs) to drive a display. In one embodiment, the system receives a request to switch from using a first GPU to using a second GPU to drive the display. In response to this request, the system uses a kernel thread which operates in the background to configure the second GPU to prepare the second GPU to drive the display. While the kernel thread is configuring the second GPU, the system continues to drive the display with the first GPU and a user thread continues to execute a window manager which performs operations associated with servicing user requests. When configuration of the second GPU is complete, the system switches the signal source for the display from the first GPU to the second GPU.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Inventors: Thomas W. Costa, Simon M. Douglas, David J. Redman
  • Publication number: 20140245194
    Abstract: An operating system creates one or more virtual display interfaces for communication of display data and user input events between the application layer and one or more virtual display devices. The one or more virtual display devices are not physically connected to the computing system managed by the operating system. One or more applications are executed in an application layer. At least one of the one or more applications communicates display data to and receives user input events from at least one of the one or more display devices using at least one of the display interfaces. At least one other of the one or more applications communicates display data to and receives user input events from at least one of the one or more virtual display devices using at least one of the one or more virtual display interfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Christopher P. Wright, Kenneth C. Dyke, Assana M. Fard, Thomas W. Costa
  • Patent number: 8797334
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates seamlessly switching between graphics-processing units (GPUs) to drive a display. In one embodiment, the system receives a request to switch from using a first GPU to using a second GPU to drive the display. In response to this request, the system uses a kernel thread which operates in the background to configure the second GPU to prepare the second GPU to drive the display. While the kernel thread is configuring the second GPU, the system continues to drive the display with the first GPU and a user thread continues to execute a window manager which performs operations associated with servicing user requests. When configuration of the second GPU is complete, the system switches the signal source for the display from the first GPU to the second GPU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas W. Costa, Simon M. Douglas, David J. Redman
  • Publication number: 20110164045
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates seamlessly switching between graphics-processing units (GPUs) to drive a display. In one embodiment, the system receives a request to switch from using a first GPU to using a second GPU to drive the display. In response to this request, the system uses a kernel thread which operates in the background to configure the second GPU to prepare the second GPU to drive the display. While the kernel thread is configuring the second GPU, the system continues to drive the display with the first GPU and a user thread continues to execute a window manager which performs operations associated with servicing user requests. When configuration of the second GPU is complete, the system switches the signal source for the display from the first GPU to the second GPU.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Thomas W. Costa, Simon M. Douglas, David J. Redman