PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9535578-B2
Application Number: US-201314058016-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Automatic configuration of displays for slide presentation

Abstract:
Systems, methods, and devices are provided for automatically configuring a display layout for a slide presentation to allow a presenter to seamlessly perform effective, professional slide presentation even in unfamiliar locales. A method for doing so may involve receiving connected display information that describes the electronic displays currently connected to the electronic device. When the connected display information indicates that multiple electronic displays are currently connected, the processor of the electronic device may automatically choose, without explicit user assignment, a main presentation display and one or more presenter displays. The main presentation display may display a slide presentation from among the multiple electronic displays, while the presenter displays may display information other than only the slide presentation to aid the presenter. The main presentation display and the presenter displays may be chosen based at least in part on the connected display information.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 receiving, into one or more processors of an electronic device, connected display information that describes electronic displays currently connected to the electronic device; 
 based on the connected display information indicating that multiple electronic displays are currently connected to the electronic device, using the one or more processors to automatically choose without explicit user assignment:
 a main presentation display to display a slide presentation from among the multiple electronic displays; 
 one or more presenter displays to display information other than only the slide presentation from among the one or more multiple electronic displays not chosen to be the main presentation display; and 
 a primary presenter display that includes a graphical presentation control interface lacking on all other of the plurality of presenter displays; 
 
 while running a slide presentation program on the electronic device currently connected to the multiple electronic displays, receiving an indication in the electronic device that the electronic device has been connected to an additional electronic display; and 
 based at least in part on the connected display information, assigning the additional electronic display as the main presentation display and re-assigning the multiple electronic displays to be either the one or more presenter displays or the primary presenter display. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the main presentation display and the one or more presenter displays are chosen based at least in part on an indication by the connected display information that one of the multiple electronic displays is an internal display, an external display, a television, a projector, or a primary display of an operating system running on the processor, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the main presentation display is assigned such that:
 if, based on the connected display information, only one external display is indicated as connected to the electronic device, then the only one external display is assigned as the main presentation display; 
 if, based on the connected display information, more than one external display is indicated as connected to the electronic device and one or more of the external displays is a projector, then the one or more projectors is assigned as the main presentation display; 
 if, based on the connected display information, more than one external display is indicated as connected to the electronic device, none of the external displays is a projector, and one or more of the external displays is a television, then the one or more televisions is assigned as the main presentation display; and 
 if, based on the connected display information, more than one external display is indicated as connected to the electronic device and none of the external displays is a projector or television, then a one or more of the external displays is assigned as the main presentation display based on one or more of display resolution, display size, or operating system prioritization as determined from the connected display information. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is performed upon entering a presentation mode of a slide presentation program. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is performed upon connecting another electronic display while running a slide presentation program. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is performed upon disconnecting one of the multiple electronic displays while running a slide presentation program. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , comprising, when disconnecting the one of the multiple electronic displays results in only one electronic display being connected to the electronic device, using the processor to automatically choose, without explicit user selection, the only one electronic display as the main presentation display in response to the only one electronic display was previously chosen as one of the one or more presenter displays and when the only one electronic display was previously chosen as the main presentation display. 
     
     
       8. An electronic device for performing a slide presentation comprising:
 an internal electronic display; and 
 at least one processor configured to run a slide presentation program to perform the slide presentation, wherein, when one or more external electronic displays are connected to the electronic device while the slide presentation is running, the processor is configured to:
 obtain connected display information describing the internal electronic display and the one or more external electronic displays, wherein the connected display information comprises:
 one or more DisplayID or EDID fields for each respective electronic display; and 
 
 one or more display descriptions determined by an operating system running on the processor, wherein the one or more display descriptions comprises an indication of whether the described display is the internal display or one of the one or more external displays; 
 assign at least one of a group of the internal electronic display and the one or more external electronic displays, based at least in part on the connected display information, to be a main presentation display that displays the slide presentation in full screen, and a remainder of the group of the internal electronic display and the one or more external electronic displays to be a plurality of presenter displays that display information other than a full-screen view of the slide presentation, wherein the plurality of presenter displays comprises a primary presenter display that includes a graphical presentation control interface lacking on all other of the plurality of presenter displays; and 
 in response to an additional electronic display being connected to the electronic device while the slide presentation is running and after the slide presentation is started, automatically assign, based at least in part on the connected display information, the additional electronic display to be the main presentation display and re-assign the group of the internal electronic display and the one or more external electronic displays, based at least in part on the connected display information, to be the plurality of presenter displays, wherein the plurality of presenter displays comprises the primary presenter display. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the processor is configured to assign each of the group of the internal electronic display and the one or more external electronic displays by:
 comparison of the connected display information to a previous presentation display configuration that is associated with a previous set of electronic displays that was previously connected to the electronic device, wherein the previous presentation display configuration describes an assignment of each of the previous set of electronic displays to a respective role in the slide presentation program; and 
 when the connected display information matches the previous set of electronic displays, assign each of the electronic displays currently connected to the electronic device the respective role in the slide presentation program prescribed by the previous presentation display configuration when there is a match. 
 
     
     
       10. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the processor is configured to assign by default one of the one or more external electronic displays to be the main presentation display and to assign the internal electronic display to be one of the plurality of presenter displays. 
     
     
       11. The electronic device of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to assign the internal electronic display to be the primary presenter display. 
     
     
       12. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more DisplayID or EDID fields for each respective electronic display comprise one or more identification fields that uniquely identify that respective electronic display. 
     
     
       13. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more DisplayID or EDID fields for each respective electronic display comprise information relating to resolution, size, or type, or any combination thereof, of that respective electronic display. 
     
     
       14. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more display descriptions determined by an operating system running on the processor comprise information relating to resolution, size, and type, or any combination thereof, of each respective electronic display. 
     
     
       15. One or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media comprising instructions to:
 obtain connected display information providing characteristics of a first set of electronic displays currently connected to an electronic device; 
 obtain a previous presentation display configuration associated with a second set of electronic displays previously connected to the electronic device, wherein the previous presentation display configuration describes an assignment of each of the electronic displays of the second set of electronic displays to a respective role in a slide presentation program; 
 determine whether the first set of electronic displays matches the second set of electronic displays; 
 when the first set of electronic displays matches the second set of electronic displays, assign each of the electronic displays currently connected to the electronic device a respective role in the slide presentation program according to the previous presentation display configuration; and 
 when the first set of electronic displays does not match the second set of electronic displays, assign each of the electronic displays currently connected to the electronic device a respective role in the slide presentation program based on the connected display information so as to correspond to the previous presentation display configuration. 
 
     
     
       16. The machine-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein the first set of electronic displays is determined to exactly match the second set of electronic displays when all of the connected display information associated with the first set of electronic displays matches previous connected display information associated with the second set of electronic displays. 
     
     
       17. The machine-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein the first set of electronic displays is determined to exactly match the second set of electronic displays when each electronic display of the first set of electronic displays shares a respective common unique identifier. 
     
     
       18. The machine-readable media of  claim 17 , wherein the unique identifiers are from a field from DisplayID or EDID data deriving from each electronic display. 
     
     
       19. The machine-readable media of  claim 17 , wherein the unique identifiers are values that attempt to uniquely identify the electronic displays based at least in part on the characteristics of the electronic displays indicated by the connected display information other than DisplayID or EDID data. 
     
     
       20. The machine-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein the first set of electronic displays is determined to substantially match the second set of electronic displays when more than a threshold amount of the connected display information associated with the first set of electronic displays exactly matches previous connected display information associated with the second set of electronic displays. 
     
     
       21. The machine-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein the first set of electronic displays is determined to substantially match the second set of electronic displays when more than a threshold number of EDID or DisplayID fields associated with the first set of electronic displays exactly matches respective EDID or DisplayID fields associated with the second set of electronic displays. 
     
     
       22. A method comprising:
 while running a slide presentation program on an electronic device connected to a first electronic display, receiving an indication in the electronic device that the electronic device has been connected to a second electronic display; and 
 automatically, in the electronic device, assigning the second electronic display that is connected during the running of the slide presentation program to be a main presentation display that displays a slide presentation in full screen and re-assigning the first electronic display to be a presenter display that displays information to aid a presenter other than a full-screen representation of the slide presentation based at least in part on characteristics of the first and second electronic displays, wherein the information to aid the presenter comprises a graphical presentation control interface. 
 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 22 , wherein the characteristics of the first and second electronic displays include indications that the second electronic display is a projector and that the first electronic display is not a projector, and wherein the second electronic display is assigned to be the main presentation display and the first electronic device is assigned to be the presenter display. 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 22 , wherein the characteristics of the first and second electronic displays include indications that the second electronic display does not include an operating system menu bar and that the first electronic display does include the operating system menu bar, and wherein the second electronic display is assigned to be the main presentation display and the first electronic device is assigned to be the presenter display. 
     
     
       25. One or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media comprising instructions to:
 receive, via an electronic device, a user request to enter a rehearse mode in a slide presentation program running on the electronic device; 
 while in the rehearse mode, assign, via the electronic device, one of a plurality of electronic displays currently connected to the electronic device to be a primary presenter display, wherein the primary presenter display comprises a graphical presentation control interface; and 
 while in the rehearse mode, cause, via the electronic device, all of the currently connected displays except the primary presenter display to display a particular image while information relevant to aid a presenter of a slide presentation is displayed on the primary presenter display such that information in the slide presentation program is not displayed on the currently connected displays except for the primary presenter display. 
 
     
     
       26. The machine-readable media of  claim 25 , wherein the particular image is a black screen. 
     
     
       27. The machine-readable media of  claim 25 , wherein the instructions to assign the one of the plurality of electronic displays to be the primary presenter display comprise instructions to first assign a different one of the plurality of electronic displays to be a main presentation display that would, in a presentation mode, display a full screen view of the slide presentation, before selecting from among the remaining ones of the plurality of electronic displays to be the primary presenter display.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This disclosure relates to automatically configuring display layouts for slide presentations. 
     This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. 
     A variety of electronic devices, such as desktop and notebook computers, tablet computers, and similar hand-held devices, use electronic displays to display graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and other image data. In some cases, these electronic devices may connect to more than one electronic display. For instance, a user may employ a multi-monitor configuration in which a desktop extends across more than one electronic display connected to an electronic device. In another example, a user may bring a notebook computer into a meeting room and connect to an electronic projector to perform a slide presentation. 
     When an electronic device employs a multi-display configuration with certain slide presentation programs (e.g., Keynote® by Apple Inc.), a slide presentation may be displayed on one display (e.g., a projector) while other information to aid a presenter is displayed on another display (e.g., a notebook computer screen). Although the presenter may produce beautiful, professional, and effective slide presentations using such a presentation program, operating in a multi-display configuration may entail some user configuration of the displays. When a presenter connects to multiple displays to give a presentation, however, the presenter may want the audience only to see the presentation, and not any other materials that might be used to aid the presenter. Connecting to multiple electronic displays and then selecting and/or configuring the multiple displays may be frustrating to the presenter and may reveal the assistive information to the audience. 
     SUMMARY 
     A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below. 
     This disclosure relates to systems, methods, and computer program products for automatically configuring electronic displays for a slide presentation. Indeed, when a presenter connects an electronic device to an unfamiliar set of electronic displays, or when a presenter connects the electronic device to a set of electronic displays the presenter has previously configured, the electronic device may automatically configure the electronic displays based on at least some of the characteristics of the electronic displays. In one example, the electronic device may identify that the presenter has previously configured a display layout for the set of electronic displays now connected. In response, the electronic device may automatically apply the previous display layout. In another example, the electronic device may automatically select a display layout that is most likely to be appropriate given the characteristics of the electronic displays. A projector or a television, for example, may more likely be appropriate to be a main presentation display that displays the slide presentation than an internal display. Under these circumstances, the electronic device may choose the projector or television to be the main presentation display and choose the internal display to be a presenter display that provides other information to aid the presenter. In this way, a presenter may seamlessly and professionally perform presentations—even in unfamiliar locations or with late notice—without first configuring the display configuration while the audience watches and waits. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various aspects of this disclosure may be better understood upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an electronic device that may use the techniques disclosed herein, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of a handheld device, such as an iPhone® by Apple Inc., representing an example of the electronic device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of a tablet device, such as an iPad® by Apple Inc., representing an example of the electronic device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a notebook computer, such as a MacBook Pro® by Apple Inc., representing an example of the electronic device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a edit mode screen of a presentation program in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a multi-display presentation display layout for a slide presentation, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIGS. 7-11  are examples of screens of presenter displays (PDs) used to provide information to a aid a presenter performing a presentation, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 12  is a chart illustrating one example of a default set of multi-display presenter display layouts, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 13  is a flowchart for automatically configuring a presentation display layout based at least partly on connected display information relating to a set of currently connected electronic displays, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 14  is a flowchart of a method for choosing which connected display to be a main presentation (MP) display, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 15  is a flowchart of a method for choosing a presenter display (PD) layout among the remaining connected electronic display(s), in accordance with an embodiment; and 
         FIG. 16  is a flowchart for determining a presenter display (PD) layout in a rehearse mode of a presentation program, in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     A slide presentation program, such as the Keynote® presentation application program by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., may allow a user to create professional, effective, and visually stunning slide presentations. On an electronic device that is connected to only one display, that single electronic display may operate as a main presentation (MP) display on which the presentation audience can view the slide presentation. When more than one electronic display is connected to the electronic device, one of the connected displays may be the main presentation (MP) display, while other connected displays may operate as presenter displays (PDs) that provide various information to assist the presenter, such as the representations of the current and/or next slide, a current time of day, a timer of remaining or elapsed time, and/or presentation notes. 
     This disclosure provides systems, methods, and devices for seamless and professional operation in a multi-display environment. Using the disclosed techniques, a presenter may perform a presentation on a multi-display layout without individually configuring the displays each time the electronic displays that are connected to the electronic device change. Indeed, presenters frequently perform slide presentations in locations with sets of electronic displays other than those used natively by the presenter and/or the presenter&#39;s electronic device. In many cases, a presenter brings his or her personal notebook computer into a meeting room. There, the presenter connects the notebook computer to an external display, such as a projector or television, that serves as the main point of focus in the room. According to the techniques of this disclosure, the presenter may not need to specifically configure the set of connected displays. Rather, the presenter&#39;s electronic device may automatically configure a presentation display layout—selecting, for example, a main presentation (MP) display and one or more presenter displays (PDs)—for the set of connected electronic displays based at least in part on connected display information describing the displays. 
     In one example, when a presenter connects or disconnects an electronic display to an electronic device running a slide presentation program, the electronic device may automatically determine which connected display is appropriate to be a main presentation (MP) display (e.g., a projector or television) and which electronic display(s) should be presenter displays (PDs) (e.g., an internal display). In fact, the electronic device may even determine which of the presenter displays (PDs) should be a primary presenter display (PD1) that includes various user interface (UI) control features, and which should be secondary presenter displays (PD2, PD3, PD4, and so forth) that display information relating to the presentation but which may not include the control features. The audience may never see the presenter displays (PDs) and the presentation may proceed in a seamless, professional manner. 
     A variety of suitable electronic devices may employ the techniques described below.  FIG. 1 , for example, is a block diagram depicting various components that may be present in a suitable electronic device  10 .  FIGS. 2, 3, and 4  illustrate example embodiments of the electronic device  10 , depicting a handheld electronic device, a tablet computing device, and a notebook computer, respectively. 
     Turning first to  FIG. 1 , the electronic device  10  may include, among other things, a display  12 , input structures  14 , input/output (I/O) ports  16 , one or more processor(s)  18 , memory  20 , nonvolatile storage  22 , a network interface  24 , and a power source  26 . The various functional blocks shown in  FIG. 1  may include hardware elements (including circuitry), software elements (including computer code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium) or a combination of both hardware and software elements. It should be noted that  FIG. 1  is merely one example of a particular implementation and is intended to illustrate the types of components that may be present in the electronic device  10 . Indeed, the various depicted components (e.g., the processor(s)  18 ) may be separate components, components of a single contained module (e.g., a system-on-a-chip device), or may be incorporated wholly or partially within any of the other elements within the electronic device  10 . The components depicted in  FIG. 1  may be embodied wholly or in part as machine-readable instructions (e.g., software or firmware), hardware, or any combination thereof. 
     By way of example, the electronic device  10  may represent a block diagram of the handheld device depicted in  FIG. 2 , the tablet computing device depicted in  FIG. 3 , the notebook computer depicted in  FIG. 4 , or similar devices, such as desktop computers, televisions, and so forth. In the electronic device  10  of  FIG. 1 , the display  12  may be any suitable electronic display used to display image data (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display). Moreover, the electronic device  10  may connect to one or more external electronic displays  12  in various embodiments. Doing so may allow a variety of different information to be displayed on each of the multiple electronic displays  12 . In some examples, the display  12  may represent one of the input structures  14 , enabling users to interact with a user interface of the electronic device  10 . In some embodiments, the electronic display  12  may be a MultiTouch™ display that can detect multiple touches at once. Other input structures  14  of the electronic device  10  may include buttons, keyboards, mice, trackpads, and the like. The I/O ports  16  may enable electronic device  10  to interface with various other electronic devices. 
     The processor(s)  18  and/or other data processing circuitry may execute instructions and/or operate on data stored in the memory  20  and/or nonvolatile storage  22 . The memory  20  and the nonvolatile storage  22  may be any suitable articles of manufacture that include tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media to store the instructions or data, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, rewritable flash memory, hard drives, and optical discs. By way of example, a computer program product containing the instructions may include an operating system (e.g., OS X® or iOS by Apple Inc.) or an application program (e.g., Keynote® by Apple Inc.). 
     The network interface  24  may include, for example, one or more interfaces for a personal area network (PAN), such as a Bluetooth network, for a local area network (LAN), such as an 802.11x Wi-Fi network, and/or for a wide area network (WAN), such as a 4G or LTE cellular network. The power source  26  of the electronic device  10  may be any suitable source of energy, such as a rechargeable lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery and/or an alternating current (AC) power converter. 
     As mentioned above, the electronic device  10  may take the form of a computer or other type of electronic device. Such computers may include computers that are generally portable (such as laptop, notebook, and tablet computers) as well as computers that are generally used in one place (such as conventional desktop computers, workstations and/or servers).  FIG. 2  depicts a front view of a handheld device  10 A, which represents one embodiment of the electronic device  10 . The handheld device  10 A may represent, for example, a portable phone, a media player, a personal data organizer, a handheld game platform, or any combination of such devices. By way of example, the handheld device  10 A may be a model of an iPod® or iPhone® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. 
     The handheld device  10 A may include an enclosure  28  to protect interior components from physical damage and to shield them from electromagnetic interference. The enclosure  28  may surround the display  12 , which may display a graphical user interface (GUI)  30  having an array of icons  32 . By way of example, one of the icons  32  may launch a presentation application program (e.g., Keynote® by Apple Inc.). User input structures  14 , in combination with the display  12 , may allow a user to control the handheld device  10 A. For example, the input structures  14  may activate or deactivate the handheld device  10 A, navigate a user interface to a home screen, navigate a user interface to a user-configurable application screen, activate a voice-recognition feature, provide volume control, and toggle between vibrate and ring modes. Touchscreen features of the display  12  of the handheld device  10 A may provide a simplified approach to controlling the presentation application program. The handheld device  10 A may include I/O ports  16  that open through the enclosure  28 . These I/O ports  16  may include, for example, an audio jack and/or a Lightning® port from Apple Inc. to connect to external devices. The electronic device  10  may also be a tablet device  10 B, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . For example, the tablet device  10 B may be a model of an iPad® available from Apple Inc. 
     In certain embodiments, the electronic device  10  may take the form of a computer, such as a model of a MacBook®, MacBook® Pro, MacBook Air®, iMac®, Mac® mini, or Mac Pro® available from Apple Inc. In this disclosure, an integrated internal electronic display  12  is understood to be connected to the electronic device, even though it may be integral to the electronic device  10 . Thus, when many of the following examples describe a computer in the form of a notebook computer  10 C, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , it should be understood that the integrated internal electronic display  12  is considered to be connected to the computer  10 C for purposes of automatically assigning roles to the various displays  12  that the computer  10 C is connected to. The depicted computer  10 C may include the integrated internal display  12 , input structures  14 , I/O ports  16 , and a housing  28 . In one embodiment, the input structures  14  (e.g., a keyboard and/or touchpad) may be used to interact with the computer  10 C, such as to start, control, or operate a GUI or applications (e.g., Keynote® by Apple Inc.) running on the computer  10 C. 
     With the foregoing in mind, a variety of computer program products, such as applications or operating systems, may use the techniques discussed below to enhance the user experience on the electronic device  10 . For instance, the electronic device  10  may run a presentation program  34  (e.g., Keynote® from Apple Inc.) as shown in  FIG. 5 . The presentation program  34  shown in  FIG. 5  may provide multiple modes of operation, such as an edit mode and a presentation mode. In  FIG. 5 , the presentation program  34  is shown in the edit mode. In the edit mode, the presentation program may provide a convenient and user-friendly interface for a user to add, edit, remove, or otherwise modify the slides of a slide show. To this end, the presentation program  34  may include three panes: a canvas  36 , a toolbar  38 , and a slide organizer  40 . The canvas  36  may display a currently selected slide  42  from among the slide organizer  40 . A user may add content to the canvas  36  using tool selections from the toolbar  38 . Among other things, this content may include objects  44  such as text boxes, images, shapes, and/or video objects. When in the edit mode, the user may add or remove objects and/or may assign actions and/or effects to one or more of the objects. In the presentation mode, the user may display a created slide or a sequence of slides in a format suitable for audience viewing. In some embodiments, the presentation program may provide a full-screen presentation of the slides in the presentation mode, including any animations, transitions, or other properties defined for each object within the slides. 
     As used herein, the term “object” refers to any individually editable component on a canvas (e.g., the canvas  36  of the presentation program  34 ). That is, content that can be added to a slide and/or be altered or edited on the slide may constitute an object. For example, a graphic, such as an image, photo, line drawing, clip art, chart, or table, that may be provided on a slide may constitute an object. In addition, a character or string of characters may constitute an object. Likewise, an embedded video clip may also constitute an object that is a component of a slide. Applying changes or alterations of an object, such as to change its location, size, orientation, appearance or to change its content, may be understood to be changing a property of the object. Therefore, in certain embodiments, characters and/or character strings (alphabetic, numeric, and/or symbolic), image files (.jpg, .bmp, .gif, .tif, .png, .cgm, .svg, .pdf, .wmf, and so forth), video files (.avi, .mov, .mp4, .mpg, .qt, .rm, .swf, .wmv, and so forth) and other multimedia files or other files in general may constitute “objects” as used herein. In certain graphics processing contexts, the term “object” may be used interchangeably with terms such as “bitmap” or “texture.” 
     As used herein, a “slide” should be understood to refer to such a discrete unit of an ordered or sequential presentation. Such a slide, therefore, may be understood to function as a container for a set of objects (as discussed below) that together convey information about a concept. For example, a slide may contain or include different types of multimedia objects (e.g., text, numbers, images, videos, charts, graphs, and/or audio, and so forth) that explain or describe a concept to which the slide is directed and which may be handled or manipulated as a unit due to their being associated with or contained on the slide unit. 
     Further, because a slide may contain multiple objects, a slide may have an associated z-ordering of those objects as they are displayed on the slide. That is, to the extent that objects on the slide may overlap or interact with one another, they may be ordered or layered with respect to a viewer such that some objects are on top of or beneath other objects as they appear on the slide. In this way, a slide may not only have a width and length associated with it, but also a depth. The order or sequence of the slides in a presentation or slideshow is typically relevant in that the information on the slides (which may include both alphanumeric (text and numbers) and graphical components) is meant to be presented in order or sequence and may build upon itself, such that the information on later slides is understandable in the context of information provided on preceding slides. That is, there is a narrative or explanatory flow associated with the ordering or sequence of the slides. As a result, if presented out of order, the information on the slides may be unintelligible or may otherwise fail to properly convey the information contained in the presentation. This should be understood to be in contrast to more simplistic or earlier usages of the term “slide” and “slideshow” where what was typically shown was not a series of multimedia slides containing sequentially ordered content, but projected photos or images which could typically be displayed in any order without loss of information or content. 
     As mentioned above, the depicted example screen shown in  FIG. 5  includes three panes: a slide canvas  36 , a toolbar  38 , and a slide organizer  40  for creating and editing various aspects of a slide of a presentation. With these panes, a user may select a slide of a presentation, add and/or edit the contents of a slide, and animate or add effects related to the contents of a slide. It should be understood that the size of each pane is merely illustrative, and that the relative size of each pane may vary or be adjusted by a user. 
     The slide organizer  40  may display a representation of each slide of a presentation that is being generated or edited. The slide representations may take on a variety of forms, such as an outline of the text in the slide or a thumbnail image of the slide. The slide organizer  40  may allow the user to organize the slides prepared using the application. For example, the user may determine or manipulate the order in which the slides are presented by dragging a slide representation from one relative position to another. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the slide representations in the slide organizer  40  may be indented or otherwise visually set apart for further organizational clarity. 
     Selecting a slide representation in the slide organizer  40  may result in the presentation program displaying the corresponding slide (e.g., slide  42 ) on the canvas  36 . The selected slide  42  may include one or more suitable objects  44  such as, for example, text, images, graphics, video, or any other suitable object. A user may add or edit features or properties of the selected slide  42  when displayed on the slide canvas  36 . For example, a user may edit settings or properties associated with the selected slide  42  (e.g., the slide background or template) on the canvas  36  or may edit the location, orientation, size, properties, and/or animation of objects (e.g., object  44 ) in the selected slide. The user may select a different slide to be displayed for editing on slide canvas  36  by selecting a different slide representation from the slide organizer  40 . 
     In the depicted implementation, a user may customize objects  44  associated with the slide  42  or the properties of the slide  42  using various tools provided by the presentation program  34  in association with the canvas  36 . For example, the toolbar  38  may provide various icons that activate respective tools and/or functions that may be used in creating or editing the slide  42 . For example, the toolbar  38  may include an icon that, when selected, activates a build tool that allows one or more objects (e.g., images, tables, videos, etc.) to be selected and/or grouped. Animations (motion, rotation, changes in size, shading, color, opacity, and so forth) may be generated for such selected objects or groups of objects. In some embodiments, the animations may be rendered in real-time (e.g., using dedicated graphics circuitry, such as a GPU on a video card) when slides containing the animations are displayed or presented as part of a presentation. 
     In some embodiments, the presentation program  34  may allow a control window  46  to be opened or displayed. The presentation program  34  may display the control window  46  automatically (e.g., based on the presentation program context) or in response to a user instruction (e.g., in response to a user instruction to display options related to one or more selected objects). The control window  46  may be moved, resized, and/or minimized/maximized independently of the panes  36 ,  38 , and  40  (e.g., as an overlaid window). The control window  46  may provide one or more user input mechanisms of any suitable type, such as drop down menus, radio buttons, sliders, and so forth. The options available from control window  46  may vary based on a tool selected in toolbar  38  or by a type of object(s)  44  selected on the slide  42 . For example, the control window  46  may provide different respective options if a table, video, graphic, or text is selected on the slide  42  or if no object  44  is selected. It should be understood that although only one control window  46  is shown in  FIG. 5 , the presentation program  34  may include any suitable number of control window  46 . 
     The presentation program may also include a presentation mode, which may also be referred to as a play mode, that can employ a multi-display layout  50  such as that shown in  FIG. 6 . In the example of  FIG. 6 , an electronic device  10  (here, a notebook computer  10 C) running the presentation program in presentation mode is connected to two other external displays  12  (here, a television  52  and a projector  54 ). The notebook computer  10 C may connect to the external displays  12  using any suitable display connection, including Thunderbolt®, DisplayPort®, High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), or the like. When an electronic device  10  such as the notebook computer  10 C connects to external displays  12  such as the television  52  and the projector  54 , the electronic device  10  may automatically configure the multi-display presentation layout  50 . For instance, the projected imagery representing an electronic display  12  of the projector  54  may be automatically selected to be the main presentation (MP) display, the internal display  12  of the notebook computer  10 C may be automatically selected to be the primary presenter display (PD1), and the electronic display  12  of the television  52  may be automatically selected to be a secondary presenter display (PD2). 
     As should be appreciated, the main presentation (MP) display displays the slide presentation created by the presenter in the edit mode of the presentation program. The presenter displays (PDs), including the primary presenter display (PD1) and any secondary presentation displays (PD2, PD3, PD4, and so forth) may be used to display any suitable information and/or navigational tools other than a fullscreen view of the slide presentation that may aid the presenter in performing the presentation. Some features that may be found in the presenter displays (PDs) will be described by way of example in  FIGS. 7-12 , discussed below. 
     In  FIG. 7 , for example, a screen  60  illustrates an example of a primary presenter display (PD1). As used herein, a primary presenter display (PD1) may include a control interface, such as a control tool bar  62 , to enable the presenter to perform certain control features. The control tool bar  62  may, if desired, include a clock  64 . A “show navigator” selection button  66  may enable the presenter to navigate from slide to slide in the slide presentation. An example of the navigator provided by the “show navigator” selection button  66  will be discussed further below with reference to  FIG. 9 . 
     Still considering the screen  60  of  FIG. 7 , the control tool bar  62  may also include other user-selectable icons to enable control over features of the slide presentation program. For example, an information icon  68  may enable the presenter to access information relating to the slide presentation, such as document properties, and so forth. A display layout icon  70  may enable the presenter to configure the various displays  12  currently connected to the electronic device  10  as the main presentation (MP) display or as presentation displays (PDs) that display selectable information. A switch display button  72  may cause the primary presenter display (PD1) to become the main presentation (MP) display, and vice versa. An exit mode button  74  may allow the presenter to exit the presentation mode and return to edit mode. 
     In the example of  FIG. 7 , the primary presenter display (PD1) represented by the screen  60  is, by way of example, the only presenter display (PD) connected to the electronic device  10  that is running the presentation program. As such, selecting the display layout icon  70  may cause a configuration pane  76  to permit a user to select whether certain information is displayed on the screen  60 . Information relating to the current presentation that may aide the presenter may include, for example, a current slide, a next slide, presenter notes, a clock, and/or a timer (e.g., a selectable amount of elapsed or remaining time). As seen in  FIG. 7 , a current slide, next slide, and clock have been selected to be displayed on the screen  60 . Indeed, the top of the screen  60  includes the clock  64 , while the central region of the screen  60  includes a representation  78  of a current slide and a representation  80  of the next slide in the slide presentation. 
     By selecting different information to display from the configuration pane  76 , a presenter may view a variety of information that may aid the presenter in carrying out a successful presentation. Selecting an option to display a current slide, presenter notes, and a clock in the configuration pane  76  may yield, for example, an example screen  90  shown in  FIG. 8 . In the example of  FIG. 8 , the primary presenter display (PD1) displays the screen  90 , which includes a representation  92  of a current view of the current slide and a representation  94  of the completed view once the various animated builds have occurred. Presenter notes  96  are shown at the bottom of the screen  90 , although the presenter notes  96  may alternatively be located in other suitable region of the screen  90 . Selecting the navigator button  66  may cause a navigator pane  102  to be shown on the primary presenter display (PD  1 ), as generally shown in an example screen  100  of  FIG. 9 . The navigator pane  102  may include a slide selection text entry  104  and an inner button  106  (here, labeled “go”), to enable the presenter to jump directly to a desired slide in the slide presentation. Slide representations  108 ,  110 , and  112  provide thumbnail images of the slides of the slide presentation that the presenter may select. 
     When more than two electronic displays are connected to the electronic device  10  (e.g., as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , discussed above), selecting the display configuration icon  70  on the primary presenter display (PD1) may enable the presenter to configure each of the electronic displays  12  as presenter displays (PDs) or as the main presentation (MP) display. For instance, a configuration screen  120 , shown in  FIG. 10 , may appear to enable the presenter to configure the various electronic displays  12 . In the example of  FIG. 10 , text  122  indicates the type of displays  12  and/or the name of the displays  12  that are currently connected to the electronic device  10 . A primary display indicator  124  may denote which of the configurable displays is the primary presenter display (PD1). Thumbnail representations  126  of the various displays  12  may provide a simple and effective view of all of the layout of the various displays  12 . Configuration buttons  128  beneath each of the thumbnail representations  126  may allow the presenter to configure each of the displays  12  individually. 
     Selecting the configuration button  128  may cause the display of a screen segment  130  shown in  FIG. 11 . Specifically, when the presenter selects the configuration button  128 , a configuration pane  132  may allow the presenter to determine whether that particular display  12  will be a main presentation (MP) display (e.g., via a radio button  134 ) or will be a presenter display (PD) (e.g., via a radio button  136 ). When the presenter has decided to configure the display  12  to be a presenter display (PD), as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the presenter also may select what information to show on that presenter display (PD), such as the current slide, the next slide, presenter notes, a clock, and/or a timer. 
     The information described in this disclosure as useful to aid the presenter in carrying out a successful and effective presentation is provided by way of example and is not intended to be exhaustive. Indeed, any suitable information that may assist the presenter, other than the fullscreen view of the presentation as displayed on a main presentation (MP) display, may be used on one or more of the presenter displays (PDs). 
     When the electronic device  10  running the presentation program is connected to more than one electronic display  12 , the displays  12  not showing the presentation may provide such information to aid the presenter to great effect. In some embodiments, all of the electronic displays  12  that do not display the presentation as the main presentation (MP) display may represent primary presenter displays (PD1s) that include a control tool bar  62 . In other embodiments, however, of the remaining electronic displays  12  that do not display the presentation as a main presentation (MP) display, only one or more may represent the primary presenter display (PD1) and other remaining of the electronic displays  12  may represent secondary presenter displays (e.g., PD2, PD3, PD4, and so forth). 
     When multiple electronic displays  12  are connected to the electronic device  10 , the electronic device  10  may apply a default display layout depending on the number of electronic displays  12  that are connected. A chart  150  shown in  FIG. 12  illustrates one example default display layout that may be used. An ordinate  152  of the chart  150  represents the number of displays  12  that are connected to the electronic device, and an abscissa  154  represents the order in which the various electronic displays  12  are assigned. For instance, according to the example chart  150 , a first display  156  of the electronic displays  12  may always represent the main presentation (MP) display regardless of the number of displays  12  connected to the electronic device  10 . A second display  158 , when there are two or more displays  12 , may be chosen to represent a primary presenter display (PD  1 ). In the example of  FIG. 12 , subsequent electronic displays  12  may be secondary presenter displays (PD2, PD3, PD4, and so forth) that display certain respective information by default. For example, a third display  160  may be a second presenter display (PD2), a fourth display  162  may be a third presenter display (PD3), a fifth display  164  may be a fourth presenter display (PD4), and a sixth display  166  may be a fifth presenter display (PD5). In the example of  FIG. 12 , these subsequent presenter displays  160 ,  162 ,  164 , and  166  display, by default, notes, clock, next slide, and a timer, respectively. 
     It should be understood that the default information shown in the various presenter displays (PDs)  158 ,  160 ,  162 ,  164 , and  166  is provided by way of example and is not meant to be exhaustive. Moreover, the particular information provided by way of default may also be influenced by the particular features and/or characteristics of the individual electronic displays  12  to which they are assigned. For example, when the displays  158 ,  160 ,  162 ,  164 , and/or  166  are larger than a threshold size or resolution, additional information may be included on each by default that is not included otherwise. 
     When it comes time for a presenter to perform a slide presentation before an audience, the presenter may not want to spend time configuring the display layout for the presentation. Accordingly, the electronic device  10  running the presentation program  34  may automatically configure the presentation display layout when the electronic device  10  enters a presentation mode, is connected to another electronic display  12  (e.g., while running the slide presentation program), and/or is disconnected from a connected electronic display  12  (e.g., while running the slide presentation program). In this way, a presenter may seamlessly and professionally perform presentations—even in unfamiliar locations or with late notice—without first configuring the display configuration while the audience watches and waits. 
     A flowchart  180  of  FIG. 13  provides one example of a process for automatically configuring the connected displays  12  for displaying a presentation. The flowchart  180  may begin when the presenter causes the electronic device  10  to enter a presentation mode, connect to another display  12 , and/or disconnect from a connected electronic display  12  (block  182 ). The electronic device  10  may receive and consider connected display information  184  that describes the currently connected electronic displays  12  and/or indications of previous presentation display layout(s)  186  (block  188 ). Using at least the connected display information  184 , the electronic device  10  may automatically configure the presentation display layout by applying a previously determined presentation display layout from one of the previous presentation display layout(s)  186  or by prioritizing the connected displays  12  by those likely to be preferred by the presenter to be the main presentation (MP) display or a presenter display (PD). Before continuing, as used herein, the connected display information  184  may be any suitable information that describes the set of the various electronic displays  12  currently connected to the electronic device  10 . This information may include, for example, information provided by the electronic displays  12  themselves (directly or via an operating system (OS) of the electronic device  10 ), or system-level services from the operating system (OS). 
     Display Information Provided by the Electronic Displays. 
     The electronic displays  12  themselves may provide certain information that may be included in the connected display information  184  through data such Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) and/or DisplayID, which are standards of the Video Electronics Standards Associate (VESA). The information provided by such data may include a unique identifier, an indication of the manufacturer, the date of manufacture, a manufacturer product code, operational parameters and characteristics (e.g., screen size, resolution, and so forth), color capabilities, and/or timing information, and so forth. The electronic device  10  may use any suitable fields of such data as the EDID or DisplayID that may be relevant to the operation or identification of each electronic display  12  to carry out the techniques of this disclosure. 
     System-Level Services from the Operating System (OS). 
     The connected display information  184  may also include information about the connected electronic displays  12  determined and/or provided by the operating system (OS) of the electronic device  10 . Such information may include, for example, an indication of whether an electronic display  12  is internal or external to the electronic device  10 , a determination of the type of the electronic display  12  (e.g., projector, television, or so forth), a screen size of the electronic display  12 , and/or the screen resolution of the electronic display  12  (e.g., the maximum screen resolution or the screen resolution currently used by the operating system (OS) when sending image data to that electronic display  12 ). 
     In summary, the connected display information  184  provides information that the electronic device  10  may use to determine, automatically, a likely display layout that the presenter will prefer given the currently connected set of electronic displays  12 . By way of example, and as will be discussed further below, a presenter who connects a notebook computer to a number of electronic displays  12 , one of which is a very large projector, is not likely to want the main presentation (MP) display to appear on the internal display  12  of the notebook computer  10 C. Rather, the presenter is likely to prefer that the main presentation (MP) display is the projector  54 . Thus, the electronic device  10  may use the connected display information  184  to automatically select a default display layout in which the projector  54  is the main presentation (MP) display and the internal display  12  is the primary presenter display (PD1) based at least partly on the connected display information  184 . The previous presentation display layout(s)  186  may represent previous configurations (e.g., presentation display layouts) that have been stored by the electronic device  10  when the electronic device  10  was previously connected to a previous set of electronic displays  12 . 
     Still considering the flowchart  180  of  FIG. 13 , the electronic device  10  may initially ascertain whether the connected display information  184  indicates that the electronic device  10  is connected to more than one display  12  (decision block  190 ). If not, the electronic device  10  may select the sole electronic display  12  to be the main presentation (MP) display and may not select that sole electronic display  12  to be a presenter display (PD). This may be the case even if the process of the flowchart  180  began at block  182  with the disconnection of an electronic display  12 . For instance, the presenter&#39;s notebook computer  10 C may be connected to a projector  54  operating as the main presentation (MP) display and the internal display  12  of the notebook computer  10 C may be serving as a primary presenter display (PD1). When the presenter disconnects the projector  54 , leaving only the single internal display  12  connected to the notebook computer  10 C, the internal display  12  may switch from being the primary presenter display (PD1) to being the main presentation (MP) display. 
     On the other hand, when the connected display information  184  indicates that there are multiple connected electronic displays  12  (decision block  190 ), the electronic device  10  may next consider whether the connected display information  184  matches any previous presentation display layout(s)  186  (decision block  194 ). If there is a match or substantial match, the electronic device  10  may assign roles to the various electronic displays  12  according to the matching previous presentation display layout  186 . 
     As used herein, the term “match” may refer to an exact match or a substantial match. In an exact match, the connected display information  184  indicates that the electronic device  10  has a previous presentation display layout  186  has been determined for the exact same electronic displays  12  (e.g., as indicated by a unique identifier and/or serial number associated with each electronic display  12 ). This may be the case when a presenter repeatedly performs slide presentations at different times in the same meeting room. For instance, a presenter may regularly perform slide presentations to a team of colleagues on a weekly or monthly basis in a particular meeting room. Under these circumstances, a tremendous amount of time and effort may be saved on the part of the presenter to avoid reconfiguring the presentation display layout every time the presenter performs a slide presentation in that meeting room. 
     In contrast to an exact match, a “substantial match” may occur when the connected display information  184  does not indicate that the exact same electronic displays  12  have been previously connected to by the electronic device  10 , but rather that the characteristics of the currently connected set of electronic displays  12  are very similar to those of a previously connected set of electronic displays  12 . For example, the presenter may have previously configured a presentation display layout for a projector  54  and a television  52  connected to a notebook computer  10 C in a first room. This may be stored as a previous presentation display layout  186  in association with that set of connected electronic displays  12 . When the presenter performs a presentation in a different, but similarly outfitted room with a different projector  54  and television  52 , the electronic device  10  may determine that there is a substantial match, even though the electronic device  10  has never connected to these exact electronic displays  12 . That is, a substantial match indicates that the presenter is likely to prefer that a previous configuration associated with a first set of electronic displays  12  be applied to an unfamiliar, but similar, second set of electronic displays  12 . 
     The electronic device  10  may ascertain that the connected display information  184  substantially matches a previous presentation display layout  186  by comparing, for example, whether a previous presentation display layout  186  is associated with a previously connected set of electronic displays  12  having some threshold amount of similarity. For instance, when the electronic device  10  connects to a new set of electronic displays  12  that differ from a previous set of electronic displays  12  by unique identification numbers and/or serial numbers, but for which most other characteristics of DisplayID or EDID data is the same, the electronic device  10  may ascertain a substantial match. In another example, the electronic device  10  may ascertain a substantial match when all but a threshold number of fields of the DisplayID or EDID data from the electronic displays  12  are the same. In another example, the electronic device  10  may ascertain a substantial match when the connected display information  184  indicates that the particular types of electronic displays  12  currently connected to the electronic device  10  (e.g., as indicated by the operating system-level services) are the same as a previously connected set of electronic displays  12 . By way of example, the electronic device  10  may have a previous presentation display layout  186  associated with connecting to a set of electronic displays  12  including an internal display  12 , a projector  54 , and a television  52 . When the electronic device  10  is later connected to a different set of electronic displays  12  identified as the internal display  12 , a different projector  54 , and a different television  52 , the electronic device  10  may ascertain a substantial match and may apply the previous presentation display layout  186 . 
     Even if there is no exact or substantial match (decision block  194 ), the electronic device  10  may still automatically determine an initial presentation display layout based on the connected display information  184  without an explicit user assignment of the electronic displays  12  to particular roles in the presentation program. The electronic device  10  may consider the connected display information  184  to choose a main presentation (MP) display (block  198 ) and assign presenter displays (PDs) from among any remaining electronic displays  12 , provided that the electronic device  10  is connected to more than one electronic display  12  (block  200 ). The electronic device  10  may set the presentation display layout that has been automatically chosen and begin to operate in the presentation (e.g., play) mode (block  202 ). 
     The electronic device  10  may automatically chose the main presentation (MP) display from among the connected electronic displays  12  using any suitable technique that prioritizes the displays  12  from expected user presenter preferences. The priority based on expected user preferences may be determined in any suitable manner (e.g., through experimentation, statistical analysis of user feedback, and so forth). An example of flowchart  210  of  FIG. 14  provides one example of an automatic prioritized selection of the main presentation (MP) display as indicated at block  198  of  FIG. 13 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , the electronic device  10  may consider the connected display information  184  to ascertain properties of the currently connected electronic displays  12  (block  212 ). If the connected display information  184  indicates that there is only one non-internal electronic display  12  (decision block  214 ) the electronic device  10  may select the sole external display  12  to be the main presentation (MP) display and the remaining internal display to be a presenter display (PD) (block  216 ). 
     In some embodiments, the internal display  12  may be chosen to be the main presentation (MP) display instead of the external display  12  at block  216  when the external display  12  includes an operating system (OS) menu bar. This placement of the OS menu bar may indicate that the external display  12  is the display that the presenter uses for primary control over the electronic device  10 . That is, when the external display  12  contains the OS menu bar, then, the presenter may prefer to continue using the external display  12  to control the external device  10  as the primary presenter display (PD1). Alternatively, if the internal display  12  does not have an OS menu bar, the internal display  12  may be treated as an external display for the purposes of the process  210  of  FIG. 14 . Moreover, in some embodiments, the presenter may provide a contemporaneous indication of preference for a different display. For example, the presenter may press the “x” key to cause the next electronic display  12  in the priority of electronic displays  12  as may be determined, for example, by the process  210  of  FIG. 14 . 
     If there are multiple external displays  12  connected to the electronic device  10 , the electronic device  10  may select the main presentation (MP) display by prioritizing from among the multiple external displays  12 . For instance, if one of the connected electronic displays  12  is indicated to be a projector  54  (decision block  218 ), the projector  54  may be selected as the main presentation (MP) display and all other electronic displays may be defined to be presenter displays (PDs) (block  220 ). When there are multiple projectors  54  connected to the electronic device  10 , the electronic device  10  may select the main presentation (MP) display by prioritizing the multiple projectors  54 . For instance, the electronic device  10  select from among the multiple projectors  54  that which has the highest resolution, largest size, or that is next among the electronic displays  12  categorized by the operating system (OS). Additionally or alternatively, if one of the projectors  54  includes an operating system (OS) menu bar, a different one of the projectors  54  that does not include an OS menu bar may be selected as the main presentation (MP) display. In some embodiments, multiple projectors  54  having substantially the same characteristics may all be selected to be main presentation (MP) displays because this may suggest an auditorium or meeting room with multiple audience focal points. 
     If there is not a projector (decision block  218 ), the electronic device  10  may consider whether any of the multiple external electronic displays  12  is identified as a television  52  (e.g., is an electronic display  12  that has a television resolution or is explicitly identified by the operating system (OS) as a television  52 ) (decision block  222 ). If so, the electronic device may select the television  52  to be the main presentation (MP) display and all others as presenter displays (PDs) (block  224 ). As in the case of multiple projectors  54 , when there are multiple televisions  52 , the electronic device  10  may select the main presentation (MP) display by prioritizing the multiple televisions. The electronic device  10  select from among the multiple televisions  52  that which has the highest resolution, largest size, or that is next among the electronic displays  12  categorized by the operating system (OS). Additionally or alternatively, if one of the televisions  52  includes an operating system (OS) menu bar, a different one of the televisions  52  that does not include an OS menu bar may be selected as the main presentation (MP) display. In some embodiments, multiple televisions  52  having substantially the same characteristics may all be selected to be main presentation (MP) displays because this may suggest an auditorium or meeting room with multiple audience focal points. 
     When there are multiple electronic displays  12  and there is neither a projector (decision block  218 ) nor a television (decision block  222 ) among those multiple external displays  12 , the electronic device  10  may prioritize them based on other characteristics. For instance, the electronic device  10  may select one of the multiple electronic displays  12  that does not include an OS menu bar that has the highest resolution, largest size, or that is next among the electronic displays  12  categorized by the operating system (OS) (block  226 ). The other electronic displays  12  not selected to be the main presentation (MP) display may be categorized as presenter displays (PDs). 
     Having assigned the main presentation (MP) display and identified which of the electronic displays  12  will be presenter displays (PDs), the electronic device  10  may assign the particular presenter displays (PDs) to be a primary presenter display (PD1) and/or secondary presenter displays (PD2, PD3, PD4, and so forth), as indicated at block  200  of  FIG. 13 . A flowchart  230  of  FIG. 15  provides one example from a method for automatically selecting the display layout of the presenter displays (PDs) based on the connected display information  184 . The electronic device  10  may consider the connected display information  184  relating to particular characteristics of the various connected electronic displays  12  (block  232 ). If a presenter display preference is indicated as not selected (decision block  234 ), all of the electronic displays  12  that have not been identified as the main presentation (MP) display may be set to particular image (e.g., a neutral color such as black) (block  236 ). Otherwise, when the presenter display preference has been selected (decision block  234 ), the electronic device  10  may consider whether this number of presenter displays has been previously connected to the electronic device  10  (decision block  238 ). If so, this may indicate that the presenter has particular preferences for the various presenter information to be laid out on the various electronic displays  12 , even if the exact same electronic displays  12  have not been connected to in the past. Thus, the electronic device  10  may recall the previous preferences of the presenter for the individual presenter displays PD1, PD2, PD3, and so forth instead of applying defaults, such as those described above in the chart  150  of  FIG. 12 . If the electronic device  10  has not been connected to this number of presenter displays (decision block  238 ), the electronic device  10  may apply the default presenter display characteristics, as described, for example, by the chart  150  of  FIG. 12 . 
     In either case, the electronic device  10  may assign the remaining electronic displays  12  to be particular presenter displays (e.g., PD1, PD2, PD3, and so forth) by prioritizing the electronic displays  12  based on the characteristics indicated by the connected display information  184 . For instance, if there is an internal display  12  that has been set as a presenter display (PD) rather than the main presentation (MP) display (decision block  242 ), that internal display  12  may be set to be the primary presenter display (PD1) (block  244 ). All of the other presenter displays (PDs) may be prioritized (e.g., based on the presence or absence of a OS menu bar, the screen size, screen resolution, and/or being the next among displays  12  listed by the operating system (OS)). 
     If there is not an internal display  12  that is set to be a presenter display (PD) decision block  242 , the electronic device  10  may consider whether an operating system (OS) menu bar is located on a presenter display (PD) (decision block  246 ). If so, that electronic display  12  may be set to be the primary presenter display (PD1) and all other remaining electronic displays  12  assigned to be presenter displays (PDs) may be assigned sequentially after that one in the manner discussed above. Otherwise, if there is neither an internal display  12  that is set as a presenter display (PD) (decision block  242 ) nor an OS menu bar on a presenter display (decision block  246 ), the presenter displays (PDs) may be assigned in order according to other priorities (e.g., the screen size, screen resolution, and/or being the next among displays  12  listed by the OS) (block  250 ). 
     By automatically assigning the presentation display layout when entering the presentation mode or when an electronic display  12  is connected or disconnected, a significant burden on the presenter may be avoided. A presenter may configure a particular set of electronic displays  12  in a particular room or auditorium in advance, and when the presenter reconnects the electronic displays  12 , the presenter&#39;s electronic device  10  may automatically recall the saved presentation display layout without requiring additional configuration on the presenter&#39;s part while the audience watches and waits. Likewise, by automatically prioritizing electronic displays  12  even that have never been previously connected to the presenter&#39;s electronic device  10 , the electronic device  10  may save the user from frustration and embarrassment when performing a slide presentation in an unfamiliar environment. The presenter may simply connect his or her electronic device  10  to a new set of electronic displays  12 . The electronic device  10  may automatically prioritize the electronic displays  12  as discussed above, allowing the presenter to focus on delivering the presentation. 
     In certain embodiments, the presentation program  34  may have other modes than the edit mode and the presentation mode. For example, the presentation program  34  may also include a rehearse mode in which only the primary presenter display (PD1) is active and all other displays  12  are set to a particular image (e.g., a neutral color such as black). As illustrated by a flowchart  260  of  FIG. 16 , the electronic device  10 , upon entering the rehearse mode (block  262 ), may chose a main presentation (MP) display and set it to a particular image (e.g., a neutral color such as black) (block  264 ). The main presentation (MP) display may be selected in the same manner as discussed above with reference to  FIG. 14 . Likewise the flowchart  260  may involve determining the primary presenter display (PD1) in substantially the same manner as in the flowchart  230  of  FIG. 15 . That is, if there is an internal display not selected as the main presentation (MP) display (decision block  266 ), that display may be set to be the primary presenter display (PD1) and all other PDs may be set to show a neutral image such as black (block  268 ). Otherwise, if there is a menu bar on one of the electronic displays not selected as the main presentation (MP) display (decision block  270 ), that display may be set to be the primary presenter display (PD1) and all other electronic displays  12  may be set to a neutral image such as black (block  272 ). If none of the non-main-presentation (MP) displays are internal displays (as in decision block  266 ) or have an OS menu bar (as in decision block  270 ), the primary presenter display (PD1) may be determined according to any suitable priority (e.g., the screen size, screen resolution, and/or being the next among displays  12  listed by the operating system (OS)) (block  274 ). Having ascertained a primary presenter display (PD1) automatically, the presenter may rehearse the slide presentation without revealing the presentation to any audience that may be present and without spending precious time manually configuring the display layout. 
     The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should be further understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20131018
Publication Date: 20170103
Grant Date: 20170103
Priority Date: 20131018
Inventors: UNDERWOOD DAVID A.
TORCHIN EVAN S.
LUCAS ALLEN W.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F3/0484", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1647", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/1423", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B8/464", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N21/4122", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F21/84", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/7445", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F21/84", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/1423", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1647", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0484", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B8/464", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/7445", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N21/4122", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 52827318