# US 8,786,517 B2 · System and method for displaying a user interface across multiple electronic devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,786,517 B2 - Document ID: US8786517B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/401,564 - Filed: 2012-02-21 - Published: 2013-08-22 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2012-02-21 - Assignees: BlackBerry Limited - Applicants: Mathias Lewin; Dan Zacharias Gärdenfors; Marcus Eriksson - Inventors: Mathias Lewin; Dan Zacharias Gärdenfors; Marcus Eriksson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8786517B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/0484: for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range - G06F 3/1446: {display composed of modules, e.g. video walls} - G09G 5/12: Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players - G09G 2356/00: Detection of the display position w.r.t. other display screens - G09G 2370/022: Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally - G09G 2370/06: Consumer Electronics Control, i.e. control of another device by a display or vice versa - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00) ## Abstract A system and method are provided for displaying a user interface using multiple electronic devices. The method comprises providing a first user interface framework on a first electronic device having a first display screen; the first user interface framework determining that a second display screen on a second electronic device is available via a connection between the first and second electronic devices; the first user interface framework using application logic from an application on the first mobile device to determine a first user interface portion to be displayed on the first display screen and a second user interface portion to be displayed on the second display screen; and the first user interface framework providing data associated with the second user interface portion to the second electronic device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of displaying a user interface using multiple electronic devices, the method comprising: providing a first user interface framework on a first electronic device having a first display screen, the first user interface framework for handling user interface operations and decisions on behalf of at least one application on the first electronic device independent of device platform; the first user interface framework determining that a second display screen on a second electronic device is available via a connection between the first and second electronic devices; the first user interface framework obtaining application logic from an application on the first electronic device and using the application logic to determine, for the application, a first user interface portion to be displayed on the first display screen and a second user interface portion to be displayed on the second display screen; the first user interface framework displaying for the application, the first user interface portion on the first display screen; and the first user interface framework providing data associated with the second user interface portion to the second electronic device to enable the second user interface portion to be displayed, for the application, on the second display screen. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising the first user interface framework obtaining one or more screen settings of the second electronic device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, the one or more screen settings comprising at least one screen dimension for generating a combined user interface utilizing the first and second display screens. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: the first user interface framework determining an interaction with the first user interface portion or the second user interface portion; and the first user interface framework enabling an update to be applied to at least one of the first user interface portion and the second user interface portion according to the interaction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising notifying the application of the interaction and obtaining additional application logic from the application for updating the at least one of the first user interface portion and the second user interface portion on behalf of the application. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, the first user interface framework communicating with a second user interface framework on the second electronic device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, the first user interface framework comprising a user interface client engine operable to communicate with a first user interface rendering engine on the first electronic device for displaying the first user interface portion, and operable to communicate with a second user interface rendering engine on the second electronic device for displaying the second user interface portion. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the connection between the first and second electronic device being established using any one or more of a short-range communication connection, a mobile network, a local network, an acoustic channel, a computer vision channel, and communicating sensors. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second electronic devices is a mobile device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the first and second electronic devices comprising different form factors. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the application logic defining a distribution of user interface elements across multiple display screens that is independent of the screen sizes of the first display screen and the second display screen. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the user interface framework supporting a plurality of applications. ### Claim 13 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions for displaying a user interface using multiple electronic devices, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for: providing a first user interface framework on a first electronic device having a first display screen, the first user interface framework for handling user interface operations and decisions on behalf of at least one application on the first electronic device independent of device platform; the first user interface framework determining that a second display screen on a second electronic device is available via a connection between the first and second electronic devices; the first user interface framework obtaining application logic from an application on the first electronic device and using the application logic to determine, for the application, a first user interface portion to be displayed on the first display screen and a second user interface portion to be displayed on the second display screen; the first user interface framework displaying for the application, the first user interface portion on the first display screen; and the first user interface framework providing data associated with the second user interface portion to the second electronic device to enable the second user interface portion to be displayed, for the application, on the second display screen. ### Claim 14 A first electronic device comprising a processor, memory, and a display, the memory comprising computer executable instructions for displaying a user interface using multiple electronic devices, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for: providing a first user interface framework on a first electronic device having a first display screen, the first user interface framework for handling user interface operations and decisions on behalf of at least one application on the first electronic device independent of device platform; the first user interface framework determining that a second display screen on a second electronic device is available via a connection between the first and second electronic devices; the first user interface framework obtaining application logic from an application on the first electronic device and using the application logic to determine, for the application, a first user interface portion to be displayed on the first display screen and a second user interface portion to be displayed on the second display screen; the first user interface framework displaying for the application, the first user interface portion on the first display screen; and the first user interface framework providing data associated with the second user interface portion to the second electronic device to enable the second user interface portion to be displayed, for the application, on the second display screen.