1. A method for allowing multiple users to interact utilising a common user interface, the method comprising the steps of:
for each user, receiving input data from said user and displaying said input in a user interface portion associated with the user, and, on receiving an instruction from the user, transferring the input data to a common interface portion viewable by the multiple users.
2. A method in accordance with claim 1, comprising the further step of, on receiving input data from the multiple users, providing a collating function arranged to allow the multiple users to collate multiple instances of input data utilising an arbitrary collating mechanism.
3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the user interface portion and the common interface portion is a window arranged to display text.
4. A method in accordance with claim 3 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the collating function is invoked when a user causes a window to be moved such that the window overlaps at least one other window.
5. A method in accordance with claim 3 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the collating function is invoked when a user causes a closed shape to be drawn around a plurality of windows.
6. A method in accordance with claim 3 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the collating function is invoked when a user causes a window to be placed within another window.
7. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the arbitrary collating mechanism allows the user to ascribe at least one of metadata and additional data to each collation of input.
8. A method in accordance with claim 1, comprising the further step of displaying the input data in the common user interface in a manner which substantially de-identifies the origin of the data.
9. A method in accordance with claim 1, comprising the further step of detecting the presence of an additional input device, such that, when a new input device is connected to the computing system, a new user interface portion is provided for the user.
10. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the collated instances of data may be saved to a file.
11. A method in accordance with claim 3, whereby the step of moving the window comprises the user performing a dragging motion of the window by using at least one of a fingerstylusmouse.
12. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first and common interface portions are located on a unitary interface.
13. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the interface is a tabletop computing system interface.
14. A system allowing multiple users to interact utilising a common user interface, comprising:
a module arranged to receive input data from said user and a display arranged to display said input in a user interface portion associated with the user, wherein, on receiving an instruction from the user, the input data is transferred to a common interface portion viewable by the multiple users.
15. A system in accordance with claim 14, comprising the further step of, on receiving input data from the multiple users, providing a collating function arranged to allow the multiple users to collate multiple instances of input data utilising an arbitrary collating mechanism.
16. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein at least one of the user interface portion and the common interface portion is a window arranged to display text.
17. A system in accordance with claim 16 when dependent on claim 15, wherein the collating function is invoked when a user causes a window to be moved such that the window overlaps at least one other window.
18. A system in accordance with claim 16 when dependent on claim 15, wherein the collating function is invoked when a user causes a closed shape to be drawn around a plurality of windows.
19. A system in accordance with claim 16 when dependent on claim 15, wherein the collating function is invoked when a user causes a window to be placed within another window.
20. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the arbitrary collating mechanism allows the user to ascribe at least one of metadata and additional data to each collation of input.
21. A system in accordance with claim 14, comprising the further step of displaying the input data in the common user interface in a manner which substantially de-identifies the origin of the data.
22. A system in accordance with claim 14, comprising the further step of detecting the presence of an additional input device, such that, when a new input device is connected to the computing system, a new user interface portion is provided for the user.
23. A system in accordance with claim 15, wherein the collated instances of data may be saved to a file.
24. A system in accordance with claim 16, whereby the step of moving the window comprises the user performing a dragging motion of the window by using at least one of a fingerstylusmouse.
25. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the first and common interface portions are located on a unitary interface.
26. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the interface is a tabletop computing system interface.
27. A computer program comprising at least one instruction which, when implemented on a computer readable medium of a computer system, causes the computer system to implement the method in accordance with claim 1.
28. A computer readable medium providing a computer program in accordance with claim 27.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A network interface controller for triggering data communication between communications devices of an asynchronous network having guaranteed delivery times, comprising:
a counting device for generating a signal in response to counting a predetermined number of counts;
a transmit trigger generator for receiving the signal from said counter and, in response, generating a transmit trigger signal;
a transmit memory device, for storing data to be transmitted;
a transmit memory manager for receiving the transmit trigger signal from said transmit trigger generator and, in response, directing at least a portion of said data stored in said memory device to a transmission device for transmission of said data;
a receive trigger generator for receiving the signal from said counter and, in response, generating a receive trigger signal;
a receive memory device, for storing received data; and
a receive memory manager for receiving the receive trigger signal from said receive trigger generator and, in response, directing received data to a location within said receive memory device.
2. The network interface controller of claim 1, wherein said counting device generates a signal in response to counting each of a plurality of predetermined count numbers.
3. The network interface controller of claim 1, further comprising a synchronization device for generating a global timing schedule within which the communication between said communications devices is synchronized, wherein said counting device is set to a predetermined count number in response to a signal from said synchronization device, said signal depicting the start of a time frame of said global timing schedule.
4. The network interface controller of claim 1, wherein said counting device begins counting from a predetermined count number in response to a signal depicting the start of a time frame of a global timing schedule within which the communication between said communications devices is synchronized.
5. The network interface controller of claim 1, wherein said transmit trigger generator, said transmit memory device, said receive trigger generator and said receive memory device are partitioned into different sections.
6. The network interface controller of claim 5, wherein data to be transmitted is stored within respective sections of said transmit memory device such that respective triggers generated by respective sections of said transmit trigger device cause data in respective sections of said transmit memory device to be transmitted.
7. The network interface controller of claim 5, wherein respective triggers generated by respective sections of said receive trigger device cause received data to be stored in respective sections of said receive memory device.
8. The network interface controller of claim 5, wherein the sections of said transmit trigger generator, said transmit memory device, said receive trigger generator and said receive memory device are used to transmit data to and receive data from respective ones of said communication devices.
9. An asynchronous network having guaranteed delivery times for data communicated between communication devices, comprising:
a plurality of communications devices, each of said communications devices including a network interface controller, including;
a counting device for generating a signal in response to counting a predetermined number of counts;
a transmit trigger generator for receiving the signal from said counter and, in response, generating a transmit trigger signal;
a transmit memory device, for storing data to be transmitted;
a transmit memory manager for receiving the transmit trigger signal from said transmit trigger generator and, in response, directing at least a portion of said data stored in said memory device to a transmission device for transmission of said data;
a receive trigger generator for receiving the signal from said counter and, in response, generating a receive trigger signal;
a receive memory device, for storing received data; and
a receive memory manager for receiving the receive trigger signal from said receive trigger generator and, in response, directing received data to a location within said receive memory device;
a network manager for communicating global information among said plurality of communications devices; and
a synchronization device for generating a global timing schedule for synchronizing the communication between said communications devices, wherein in response to at least one trigger, data communicated between the plurality of communication devices in said asynchronous network is transmitted and received according to said global timing schedule.
10. The asynchronous network of claim 9, wherein each of said counting devices generates a signal in response to counting each of a plurality of predetermined count numbers.
11. The asynchronous network of claim 10, wherein non-conflicting ones of said plurality of communications devices generate a trigger in response to said signal generated by a respective counter for each predetermined count number.
12. The asynchronous network of claim 9, wherein said global timing schedule comprises a recurring time frame.
13. The asynchronous network of claim 12, wherein a transmit trigger signal generated by a communications device generates a time slot in a time frame of said global timing schedule in which said communications device may transmit and receive data.
14. The asynchronous network of claim 9, wherein data communication according to said global timing schedule is prioritized such that the delivery time of synchronous data does not exceed a maximum latency allowed for said synchronous data.