Method and apparatus for synchronizing virtual and physical mouse pointers on remote kvm systems

Abstract

A method and system is disclosed for synchronizing the virtual and physical mouse cursors of a local computer and a remotely controlled computer. Video signals generated by a host computer are transmitted to a client computer in order to allow the user of a client computer to have a virtual presence on the host computer. However, the signals transmitted by the host computer may contain errors that can cause a physical mouse to lose synchronization with a virtual mouse. Therefore this virtual presence architecture uses USB protocol and human interface descriptors that support the movement of a mouse to an absolute position in order to synchronize a virtual mouse cursor with a physical mouse cursor.

1 . A method of providing mouse synchronization, comprising:
 utilizing universal serial bus (USB) protocol to provide movement of a mouse cursor on a host computer to an absolute position, and   synchronizing the position of a logical mouse and the position of an actual mouse using the absolute position information without operator intervention.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a virtual presence client (VPC) calculates said logical mouse position. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operating system of the logical mouse is tested to determine if it supports the use of different human interface descriptors (HIDs). 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the HIDs are USB compatible. 
     
     
         5 . A method of providing mouse synchronization, comprising:
 generating a signal utilizing human interface descriptors (HIDs) at a remote computer,   the HIDs including a plurality of user-operated devices which may support moving a pointer at a local computer to an absolute position in order to synchronize a local mouse with a remote mouse.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein a PC tablet is used to provide the HIDs. 
     
     
         7 . A method of mouse synchronization comprising:
 testing a series of operating systems to determine which human interface descriptors (HIDs) are supported by such operating systems;   writing a device code on a virtual presence server (VPS) to ask which operating system (OS) is in use on a host computer housing the VPS;   determining which OS is in use on the host computer;   initializing the USB channel on the host computer with a compatible HID; and   using such HID over the USB channel to synchronize a remote and local mouse at an absolute position.   
     
     
         8 . An automatically invoked method of synchronizing a local mouse with a remote mouse, comprising:
 trying different human interface descriptors (HIDS) to determine which HIDs work with an operating system (OS) in use, and   synchronizing the local and remote host mouse positions using the HIDs, transparently without the need for operator intervention.   
     
     
         9 . A virtual presence architecture (VPA) for a host computer comprising:
 a virtual presence server (VPS); and   a virtual presence client (VPC) communicating with the host, said VPC receiving absolute mouse coordinates without operator intervention.   
     
     
         10 . The VPA of  claim 9 , wherein one or more human interface descriptors (HIDs) are used in conjunction with a universal serial bus (USB) interface to provide said absolute mouse coordinates. 
     
     
         11 . The VPA of  claim 6 , wherein the VPS is a PCI card installed in a PCI slot of the host computer.