Patent ID: 8106880

Claim:
A first data-processing device comprising: a first receiver for receiving a first user-input signal from a first user-input device; a first transmitter for transmitting a first displayable signal to a video display device; a second transmitter for transmitting the first user-input signal to a second data-processing device, wherein the first data-processing device is separate from the first user-input device, the video display device, and the second data-processing device; a second receiver for receiving a second displayable signal from the second data-processing device; and a processor for (a) executing a state machine that determines whether the first user-input signal is intended for the first data-processing device, and for (b) (i) when the first user-input signal is intended for the first data-processing device, processing the first user-input signal, resulting in a first displayable signal that is to be transmitted via the first transmitter to the video display device, and (ii) when the first user-input signal is intended for the second data-processing device, transmitting, via the second transmitter, the first user-input signal to the second data-processing device; wherein the first data-processing device is a telephone comprising an external interface to a keyboard and an external interface to a mouse, wherein the telephone enables sharing by the first data-processing device and the second data-processing device of at least one peripheral device, and wherein the first user-input device and the video display device are both peripheral devices, and wherein the processor modifies the received second displayable signal, resulting in the first displayable signal such that the first displayable signal comprises at least part of the second displayable signal.