Patent ID: 8799394

Claim:
A portable computing device configured to switch between a plurality of modes that includes a wired zero client mode and a wireless zero client mode, the device comprising: memory storage configured to store machine-readable instructions; one or more local control processors configured, by the machine readable instruction in the memory storage, to: execute a controller and gateway on the portable computer device to operate the portable computer device in a local mode that operates independent of a host computer remote from the portable computer device, wherein the one or more local control processors receive input from an input device during the local mode; receive an indication to switch from the local mode to a zero client mode that relies upon the host computer for operation; discontinue the local mode based on the received indication to switch to the zero client mode; and one or more zero client processors configured, by the machine readable instruction in the memory storage, to: receive, from the one or more local control processors, at least partial control of the portable computing device when the local mode has been discontinued and based on the indication to switch to the zero client mode, wherein the one or more zero client processors receive input from the input device during the zero client mode; and execute a zero client communication protocol with the host computer, wherein the zero client communication protocol facilitates the host computer communicating to the one or more zero client processors only display information based on a process executing at the host computer; and, wherein the indication to switch from the local mode to the zero client mode comprises an indication to switch from the local mode to a wireless zero client mode; the one or more local control processors are further configured to: operate a wireless communication protocol by the controller and gateway based on the indication to switch from local mode to the wireless zero client mode, wherein the controller and gateway facilitates wireless communication between host computer and the one or more zero client processors during the wireless zero client mode; and the one or more zero client processors are further configured to: receive the display information from the host computer based on the wireless communication protocol and via the controller and gateway executed by the one or more local control processors.