The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 01, 2002
Filed:
Dec. 16, 1999
Michael Aaron Kaply, Austin, TX (US);
Jeffrey Allen Jones, Round Rock, TX (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
An apparatus which allows a user to use any desired combination of keyboard, input device, and display to operate and control either of two computer systems. The switching apparatus is in a computer system comprising a display adapter operable to output a display signal, an input adapter operable to receive a keyboard signal and a pointing device signal, a display device operable to receive a display signal, a keyboard operable to output a keyboard signal, and a pointing device operable to output a pointing device signal. The switching apparatus comprises a display switching circuit connected to the display signal and connectable to an external display signal, operable to select between the display signal and the external display signal and output the selected signal to the display device or to an external display device; a keyboard switching circuit connected to the keyboard signal and connectable to an external keyboard signal, operable to select between the keyboard signal and the external keyboard signal and output the selected signal to the input adapter or to an external computer system; and a pointing device switching circuit connected to the pointing device signal and connectable to an external pointing device signal, operable to select between the pointing device signal and the pointing device keyboard signal and output the selected signal to the input adapter or to an external computer system.