Abstract: There is provided a system and method for ensuring relatively reliable transmission of data across a network connection from a client device to a server. The client device has a buffer in which new data items for transmission are stored on a FIFO basis. The method significantly reduces the chance of losing important data even when sending it over an unreliable connection. It does this without the cost. complexity and possible performance sacrifices of a fully-reliable transport protocol. In cases where limited memory is available on the processor of the client device, the method can be implemented even when memory is insufficient to store “reliable” transmission protocol code. The method is especially useful if the client is a relatively simple device, which has no other need for the processing power needed to implement TCP or other such protocols. In one example, the client device may be a terminal including a display and may wish to return keyboard and mouse data. The network may be wireless.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus and method for transmitting, over a general purpose data network, graphical data to a display device having a memory. The apparatus has a graphics component for generating graphical data in an appropriate format for direct transmission to corresponding addresses in the display device memory. Graphical data transmitted from the network interface specifies an address in the memory of that display device upon which an action is required. The apparatus is thus more efficient than conventional remote graphics systems. Direct transmission of graphical data to a memory address uses less network capacity as a single address value can generally be packed more tightly than a pair of coordinates. The invention simplifies the requirements placed on display devices: since the data is not transmitted as geometric coordinates there is no need for the display device to perform complicated arithmetic operations to convert incoming geometries to memory addresses.

Abstract: There is provided a screen multiplexor for processing graphical display data and an associated distribution method. A plurality of graphical display data streams is received at the multiplexor, processed and directed to one or more network-connected display devices. The network is a general purpose data network and may be wireless. The directed data streams can be spatially multiplexed, temporally multiplexed, and/or multiplexed in such a way that data from one stream is overlaid on data from another stream. The distribution method and screen multiplexor thus allow a flexible relationship between the number of screens and the sources of the information to be displayed thereon.

Abstract: A display system in which one or more display devices are arranged to be addressed by a data processing device (e.g. a laptop computer) coupled to the display devices over a general purposes data network, thereby providing an ultra-thin network-connected display. The image data transmitted the display devices directly represents an image to be displayed on the display devices. In one embodiment the system includes an adaptor which couples a conventional display device to the network, thereby delivering the display data directly to the display device over the network. In an alternative configuration, the system includes a network-enabled monitor, which incorporates ultra-thin client componentry. Both embodiments dispense with the limitations imposed by dedicated VGA cables. Display devices addressed by the data processing device can thus be placed at great distances from the data processing device, and from one another. Wireless networks are also contemplated.