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Patent Title: Method and apparatus for translating key codes between servers over a conference networking system

Assignee: IBM
Patent Number: US5640540
Issue Date: 06-17-1997
Application Number:
File Date:02-13-1995

Abstract: A conference-enabled X application gets distributed to many different X servers, each of which may have different keyboard configurations. Each X server may have a unique range of key codes and a unique keysym to key code mapping. X protocol contains keyboard information in the form of key codes and a modifier bitmask that indicates which key code modifiers, such as the Shift key, are set along with the key code. In order for the conference-enabled X application to interpret the key codes in the protocol correctly, the X conference-enabler provides a technique to translate the key codes between the various X servers in the conference. The method it uses involves querying the keysym that a specific key code/modifier combination is interpreted as on one X server and then finding a valid key code/modifier combination on another X server that has the same keysym. This translation of key codes allows an X application to be used in a conference among X servers with different keyboards and different keysym to key code mappings.

Notes:

Link to USPTO

IBM Pledge dated 1/11/2005