System and method for configuring a multi-user computer system

A method of configuring a collection of input and output devices on a multi-user computer system, comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a multi-user computer including a multi-user computer Universal Serial Bus (USB) bus;
• b) providing non-display input and output devices for each one of two or more computer users, at least a first one of said computer users having non-display input and output devices which are non-Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices;
• c) attaching a first user's non-USB devices to a non-USB bus on a multi-user computer;
• d) attaching at least a second computer user's non-display input and output devices including at least a keyboard and a mouse to a chain of USB hubs connected to said USB bus on said multi-user computer;
• e) automatically associating said first user's non-USB devices as a collection for said first user;
• f) analyzing said multi-user computer USB bus chain of USB hubs to automatically associate said two or more computer users' devices as collections of said non-display devices to find said chains of USB hubs and to associate said non-display devices into two or more collections attached directly to said USB chain;
• g) attaching a display device to said multi-user computer for each one of said collection of non-display devices;
• h) displaying a user input prompt on one of said display devices;
• i) responding to said user input prompt with a user input event from one of said collections intended to function with said display from step h;
• j) assigning said display device from step h and i to said collection from step i;
• and
• k) sequentially continuing steps h, i, and j until each one of said display devices are assigned to one of said collections, such that all of said collection of said input and output devices are configured.

A system for configuring collections out of a first plurality of input and output non-display devices and a second plurality of display devices on a multi-user computer that utilizes a plurality of computer data buses, comprising:

• a) means for automatically analyzing said data buses and associating said first plurality of non-display devices into individual collections for each of at least two users when each of said first plurality of non-display devices in said collections attached to a non-Universal Serial Bus (USB) bus or USB chain that is attached to a said multi-user computer;
• b) means for displaying a first user input prompt on a first of said display devices;
• c) means for adding said first of said display devices to the same said collection as said first plurality of said non-display devices used in responding to said first user prompt;
• and
• d) means for adding a second or greater of said second plurality of display devices to said collections of said first plurality of said non-display devices used in responding to successive user prompts.