Multi-user computer system

A system for interfacing a plurality of server computers with output and input devices at a plurality of user locations, said system comprising:

• (a) a switch selectively operable to connect said server computers with output and input devices at said user locations so that any said server computers can be associated with a set of output devices and input devices at any of said user locations and connected to the associated output and input devices through said switch, whereby users said user locations can interact with said server computers;
• (b) a supervisory computer system, said supervisory computer system being connected to said switch so that said supervisory computer system can control operation of said switch, said supervisory computer system including a helper computer, said helper computer being operative to run an interactive program for selecting one or more of said server computers for association with a set of input and output devices at a user location, said switch also being selectively operable to associate said helper computer with a set of input and output devices at any one of said user locations so that the so-selected set of output and input devices is connected to the helper computer through said switch for interchange of inputs and outputs through said switch;
• and
• (c) code recognition devices connected to receive the input signals sent by each said input device, said code recognition devices being operative to detect one or more predetermined helper codes in such input signals and to pass said helper codes to said supervisory computer system, said supervisory computer system being operative to instruct the switch to connect the set of input and output devices which sent such helper code to said helper computer whereby users at said user locations can selectively interact with said helper computer to select server computers.

A system for connecting a plurality of input devices at a plurality of user locations to one or more server computers, said system including:

• (a) a plurality of user ports for connection to said input devices, said user ports being disposed at one or more central locations, each user port being adapted for connection to one or more input devices at a user location remote from the central location of such user port;
• (b) a plurality of server ports adapted for connection to server computers;
• (c) a switch for selectively associating said user ports and said server ports so that input signals supplied to each user port by an input device connected thereto will be conveyed to the associated server port and to a server connected to such server port;
• and
• (d) one or more code recognition devices associated with said user ports and located at said one or more central locations, said code recognition devices being operative to detect one or more command codes in input signals supplied through said user ports and provide a code output including code data representing such command code and address data representing the user port carrying the input signals in which such command code was detected.

A method of operating a plurality of server computers from a plurality of user locations comprising the steps of:

• (a) sending input data in a data stream along with command codes from input devices at said user locations to user ports at one or more central locations;
• (b) detecting said command codes at said one or more central locations, forwarding said command codes to a supervisory computer and forwarding said input data from each said user location through a switch to one or more of said server computers;
• and
• (c) actuating said switch in response to at least some of said command codes to change connections between said one or more of said server computers and said input devices.