Patent ID: 6018340
Filing Date: 2000-01-25
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
In a computer system that includes (a) an operating system with (i) a graphical user interface (GUI), (ii) a user subsystem which together with the GUI provides for managing a plurality of applications, (iii) a graphical device interface for routing GUI information relating to said applications such as a cursor or an application window for display, (iv) first and second device drivers for receiving GUI information routed from the graphical device interface, and (v) a forking display driver interposed between said user subsystem and said graphical display interface on the one hand, and said first and second device drivers on the other, and (b) at least two monitors each having an actual monitor space which, when connected, combine to define a virtual monitor space for displaying GUI information, a method for allocating the display of graphical user information such as a cursor position or an application window, entirely on only one or the other of the two separate actual monitor spaces, the method comprising the steps of:dynamically inserting the forking display driver in the event that a second monitor is connected to the system, so that the system does not require re-initialization to use the forking display driver;comparing a position of the object within said virtual monitor space so as to determine the relationship of said position to each of the actual monitor spaces;choosing one of the two actual monitor spaces based on the results derived from said comparing step;displaying the entire object only within the chosen actual monitor space of one of the monitors; andthe forking display driver also dynamically removing itself in the event the second monitor is disconnected from the system.