Remote monitor controller

A remote monitor controller, comprising:

• a data input module that receives a plurality of different input data;
• an image data converter coupled to the input module, the image data converter receiving the plurality of different input data from the input module and converting the plurality of different input data into a plurality of different image display data;
• an image storing RAM coupled to the image data converter, the RAM receiving the plurality of different image display data and having a plurality of different memories locations specified by the image data converter for storing the plurality of different image display data;
• and
• a plurality of output modules coupled to the image data converter and to the RAM, each output module being coupleable to a plurality of different display devices and structured to retrieve the image display data from the plurality of different memories locations and convert the plurality of different image display data to a plurality of different analog signals for display on the plurality of different display devices.

An installation of display devices coupled to a computer network, the installation comprising:

• an image generating device that places a plurality of different digital image data on the computer network;
• at least one remote monitor controller coupled to the computer network, each remote monitor controller including:
• an input module coupled to the computer network and structured to receive a stream of the plurality of different digital data and to convert the plurality of different digital data into a plurality packages and to output the plurality packages in parallel,
• a microcontroller coupled to the input module and structured to receive the parallel output of plurality of packages from the input module and to convert the plurality of packages into a plurality of different image display data,
• a video RAM module coupled to the microcontroller and structured to store the plurality of different image display data in a plurality of different memory locations specified by the microcontroller, and
• a plurality of output modules coupled to the microcontroller and the video RAM module, each output module being structured to convert the image display data stored in one of the plurality of different memory locations of the video RAM module to signals capable of being displayed as an image on a different type of display device;
• and
• a plurality of display devices, each display device coupled to a respective one of the output modules.

An installation of a plurality of computer displays, comprising:

• an image generating device;
• a plurality of remote monitor controllers, each remote monitor controller coupled to one or more of the computer displays and each remote monitor controller including
• an input unit capable of receiving a string of first and second serial image data destined for a particular address and converting the first and second digital data into first and second readable packages and outputting the first and second readable packages in parallel, the first and second image data selected to be sent to different first and second addresses determined by the image generating device,
• a microcontroller coupled to the input unit and capable of receiving the parallel output of first and second readable packages from the input unit and converting the first and second readable packages into storable first and second digital images,
• a memory storage unit coupled to the microcontroller capable of storing the first and second storable images in first and second locations specified by the microcontroller, and
• first and second output modules coupled to the microcontroller and to the memory storage unit, the output modules being capable of providing first and second video signals corresponding to the first and second stored digital images to first and second displays, respectively, at least until another image for at least one of the first and second displays is received at the input.

A method of providing image data to a plurality of remote computer display units, the method comprising:

• generating a plurality of different image data for different display units;
• addressing the plurality of different image data a corresponding plurality of the display units;
• placing the plurality of image data on a computer network;
• at each of the plurality of addressed display units, retrieving the image data from the computer network;
• converting the plurality of image data into a plurality of locally-stored images in an image data converter;
• storing the plurality of locally-stored images in a memory device at a plurality of different locations determined by the image data converter;
• retrieving the plurality of locally-stored image into a plurality of output modules;
• using each output module, converting one of the locally-stored images into an analog signal formatted for a respective one of the display units;
• and
• continuously showing the locally-stored image on the display units.

A method of providing image data to a plurality of computer display units, the method comprising the steps of:

• generating a plurality of image data using software running on a general purpose computer;
• using the software to address the plurality of image data to a plurality of the display units;
• placing the plurality of image data on a computer network by the computer;
• at each of the plurality of addressed display units, retrieving the image data from the computer network;
• converting the plurality of image data into a plurality of locally-stored images in an image data converter;
• storing the plurality of locally-stored images in a memory device at a plurality of different locations determined by the image data converter;
• retrieving the plurality of locally-stored image into a plurality of output modules;
• using each output module, converting the locally-stored image into a plurality of output signals, each output signal being formatted for a respective one of the display units;
• and
• continuously showing the locally stored image on the display units.

A remote monitor controller, comprising:

• a data input module connectable to a data network and structured to receive an activation signal and an input data stream from a one or more remotely-located PCs over a data network and to convert the input data stream into packages and to output the packages in parallel;
• a data converter coupled to the input module and having an image display data output, the data converter structured to receive the parallel output of packages from the data input module and to convert the packages into a display signal;
• an image storage RAM coupled to the data converter and having a first memory location specified by the data converter for storing a first display signal and a second memory location for storing a second display signal different from the first;
• and
• a plurality of output modules coupled to the data converter and the image storage RAM for converting the first and second display signals stored in the first memory location into corresponding first and second analog signals, each analog signal capable of being displayed as a different image on a different display unit.

A system comprising a plurality of remote monitor controllers connected by a data network to one or more remotely-located PCs, comprising:

• at least two addressable remote monitor controllers, such remote monitor controllers each comprising:
• a data network;
• a data input module connectable to said data network and structured to receive an activation signal and a digital data stream from one or more remotely-located PCs over such data network and to convert the digital data stream into readable packages and to output the readable packages in parallel;
• a digital data converter coupled to the input module and having an image display data output, the digital data converter structured to receive the parallel output of readable packages from the data input module and to convert the readable packages into digital image display data;
• an image storage RAM coupled to the digital data converter and having a first and second memory locations specified by the digital data converter for storing first and second different image display data;
• and
• first and second output modules coupled to the image data converter and the image storage RAM for converting the image display data stored in the first and second memory location into first and second signals capable of being displayed as different first and second images on first and second display units, respectively.

A method for controlling at least two monitors comprising the steps of:

• connecting at least two remote monitor controllers to a data network;
• connecting each of said at least two remote monitor controllers to a plurality of local monitors;
• providing independent addresses for each of said at least two remote monitor controllers;
• connecting a serial digital data stream source to said data network remote from said at least two remote monitor controllers;
• transmitting digital data streams addressed to selective ones of said at least two remote monitor controllers over said data network from said digital data stream source;
• determining by the addressed remote monitor controller that a digital data stream addressed to the addressed remote monitor controller is being transmitted over the network;
• receiving of said digital data streams by the addressed one of said at least two remote monitor controllers;
• processing and storing said digital data stream as image display data in at least two different RAM memory locations of the addressed remote monitor controller, wherein processing and storing the digital data stream includes converting the digital data stream into a plurality of packages of digital image data and converting the plurality of packages of digital image data into image display data in an image converter;
• and
• using first and second output modules coupled to the RAM memory locations, converting the image display data in each of said RAM memory location specified by the image converter into a video signal from the addressed one of the remote monitor controllers to at least one of the local monitors until a new digital data stream addressed to at least one remote monitor controller is received and stored in a third RAM memory location specified by the image converter as image display data and then switching from converting the image display data from at least one of the two RAM memory location into a video signal to converting the image display data in the third RAM memory location into a video signal to another one of the local monitors.