WO1995003600A1

WO1995003600A1 - Computer assembly

Info

Publication number: WO1995003600A1
Application number: PCT/US1994/008171
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dror Ginossar
Original assignee: RUN-RAD UNLIMITED NETWORKING Ltd; Run-Rad Unlimited Networking Inc
Current assignee: RUN-RAD UNLIMITED NETWORKING Ltd; Run-Rad Unlimited Networking Inc
Priority date: 1993-07-21
Filing date: 1994-07-20
Publication date: 1995-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 1996-01-21
Also published as: AU7338894A; IL110353A0

Abstract

A computer assembly (24) including a first housing (10) containing a keyboard (12), a first display (14) mounted on the first housing (10) and having a first display area (16), a second housing (20) containing computer apparatus, a second display (24) not mounted on the first housing (10) and having a second display area (26), the first display area (14) being much smaller than the second display area (26).

Description

COMPUTER ASSEMBLY

The present invention relates to computer apparatus generally and more particularly to computer displays.

There are known various arrangements wherein a display is mounted alongside a keyboard. U.S. Patents which illustrate such arrangements are described in U.S. Patents 4,359,730 to Kunikane et al, 4,394,649 to Suchoff et al, and 4,881,064 to Nishino.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved computer assembly including an auxiliary display of user input within the instantaneous field of view of the user. There is thus provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a coraput- er assembly including a first housing containing a keyboard, a first display mounted on the first housing and having a first display area, a second housing containing computer apparatus, a second display not mounted on the first housing and having a second dis- play area, the first display area being much smaller than the second display area. Further in accordance with a preferred embod- iment of the present invention the assembly also in- eludes connection apparatus for providing display inputs to the first display. There is still further provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention retrofit keyboard display apparatus for use with a computer assembly including computer apparatus, a display and a keyboard and including a supplemental display element which is arranged to be positioned and viewed in its entirety in the instantaneous field of view of a user looking at the keyboard, and connection apparatus for providing display inputs to the supple- mental display element. Also in accordance with a preferred embodi- ment of the present invention the supplemental display element is attachable to the keyboard. There is additionally provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention for use with a computer assembly including a housing containing computer apparatus and a conventional dis- play having a given display area, combination keyboard and display apparatus including a keyboard housing, a keyboard mounted in the keyboard housing, and an auxil- iary display mounted in the keyboard housing and having an auxiliary display area which is a small part of the given display area. Further in accordance with a preferred embod- iment of the present invention the assembly also in- eludes connection apparatus for providing display inputs to the auxiliary display. Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the computer appa- ratus includes a single-user computer such as but not limited to a personal computer. Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the computer appa- ratus includes a multi-user computer such as a raain- frame computer or a minicomputer and the first housing includes at least one first housing associated with the multi-user computer. Further in accordance with a preferred embod- iment of the present invention the first display in- eludes a flat display and the second display includes a CRT display. Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the display in- eludes a CRT display and the supplemental display element includes a flat display. Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the conventional display is a CRT display and the auxiliary display includes a flat display. Also in accordance with a preferred embodi- ment of the present invention the first display is a flat display and the second display is a flat display. Further in accordance with a preferred embod- iment of the present invention the display includes a flat display and the supplemental display element includes a flat display. Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the conventional display is a flat display and the auxiliary display includes a flat display. Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the second display displays a first plurality of lines of text and the first display displays a second plurality of lines of text, much smaller than the first plurality. Also in accordance with a preferred erabodi- ment of the present invention the display displays a first plurality of lines of text and the supplemental display element displays a second plurality of lines of text, much smaller than the first plurality. Further in accordance with a preferred embod- iment of the present invention the conventional display displays a first plurality of lines of text and the auxiliary display displays a second plurality of lines of text, much smaller than the first plurality. Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the auxiliary display element includes a flat display. Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the supplemental display element is raountable onto the keyboard. Also in accordance with a preferred embodi- ment of the present invention the first display in- eludes a display control unit operative to provide a display, in the first display area, of a subset of information displayed in the second display area. Yet further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the display of the second plurality of lines on the second display is visually distinguished from the second display of the remainder of the first plurality of lines. Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a data port of the computer apparatus. Further in accordance with a preferred embod- iment of the present invention the connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a video port of the com- puter apparatus. Also in accordance with a preferred embodi- ment of the present invention the connection apparatus of the retrofit keyboard display apparatus is arranged to be coupled to the keyboard and includes circuitry for converting keyboard outputs to display inputs. Further in accordance with a preferred embod- iment of the present invention the connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a keyboard bus port of the computer apparatus. There is yet further provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a computer assembly including a first housing which is normally located within a user's .instantaneous field of view, a first display mounted on the first housing and having a first display area, a second housing contain- ing computer apparatus, and a second display not mount- ed on the first housing and having a second display area, the first display area being much smaller than the second display area. Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the first housing contains an original text support operative to support an original text. Also in accordance with a preferred embodi- ment of the present invention the original text support includes a book support operative to support a book. Further in accordance with a preferred embod- iment of the present invention the original text sup- port includes a sheet support operative to support at least one sheet of original text. Yet further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the sheet support includes a sheet suspending element from which at least one sheet of original text may be suspended. There is still further provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention retrofit original text support display apparatus for use with an original text support and a computer assem- bly including computer apparatus, a display and an input device and including a supplemental display element which is arranged to be positioned and viewed in its entirety in the instantaneous field of view of a user looking at an original text supported by the original text support, and connection apparatus for providing display inputs to the supplemental display element. There is additionally provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, for use with a computer assembly including a housing containing computer apparatus and a conventional dis- play having a given display area,. combination original text support and display apparatus including an original text support housing, an original text support mounted in the original text support housing, and an auxiliary display mounted in the origi- nal text support housing and having an auxiliary dis- play area which is a small part of the given display area. Further provided in accordance with a pre- ferred embodiment of the present invention is a data feeding method including providing a computer assembly including computer apparatus, a display, an input device, a supplemental display element and connection apparatus for providing display inputs to the supple- mental display element, and positioning the supplemen- tal display element in the instantaneous field of view of a user looking at the input device. Additionally provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a data feeding method including providing an original text support and a computer assembly including computer apparatus, a display, a user input device, a supplemen- tal display element and connection apparatus for pro- viding display inputs to the supplemental display element, and positioning the supplemental display element in the instantaneous field of view of a user looking at the original text support. Further in accordance with a preferred erabod- iment of the present invention the first display is arranged, relative to the original text support, such that the first display and an original text supported by the original text support are both positioned within the instantaneous field of view of a user looking at the original text. Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the connection apparatus is also arranged to be coupled to a keyboard bus port of the computer apparatus. Yet further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the step of posi- tioning includes the step of attaching the supplemental display element to the input device. Additionally in accordance with a preferred - embodiment of the present invention the computer appa- ratus includes a single user computer such as but not limited to a personal computer. Also in accordance with a preferred erabodi- ment of the present invention the computer apparatus includes a multi-user computer such as a mainframe computer or minicomputer and the first housing includes at least one first housing associated with the multi- user computer.

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a pictorial illustration of opera- tion of computer apparatus constructed and operative in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a pictorial illustration of a keyboard and display assembly constructed and operative in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 illustrates one embodiment of computer apparatus constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 4 illustrates another embodiment of computer apparatus constructed and operative in accord- ance with the present invention; Fig. 5 illustrates yet another embodiment of computer apparatus constructed and operative in accord- ance with the present invention; Fig. 6 illustrates still another embodiment of computer apparatus constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 7 illustrates a still further embodiment of computer apparatus constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention; Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are sirapli- fied block diagrams illustrating a plurality of alter- native embodiments of circuitry useful in implementing the apparatus of the present invention; Figs. 15A and 15B, taken together, form a simplified flowchart illustrating.- the functionality of a controller employed in the apparatus of Fig. 8; Fig. 16 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of a controller employed in the apparatus of Fig. 9; Fig. 17A is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of a keyboard controller employed in the apparatus of Fig. 11; Fig. 17B is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing a functionality, provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, of a computer employed in the apparatus of Fig. 11; Fig. 18 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of a CPU forming part of the main board of Fig. 12; Fig. 19 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of a controller employed in the apparatus of Fig. 12; Fig. 20 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of a controller employed in the apparatus of Fig. 13; Fig. 21 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of a controller employed in the apparatus of Fig. 14; Fig. 22 is a simplified block diagram of electronic circuitry useful in implementing the erabodi- ment of Fig. 6; Fig. 23 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of controller 726 of Fig. 22 in extracting information from the VRAM to be displayed on display 74; Fig. 24 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of the CPU of main board 773 in providing an indication of cursor position to control- ler 726 of Fig. 22; Fig. 25 illustrates a still further embodi- ment of computer apparatus constructed and operative in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 26 is a block diagram of electronic circuitry useful in implementing the embodiment of Fig. 25; Fig. 27 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of the controller of Fig. 26; Fig. 28 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of the computer of Fig. 26; Fig. 29 is a pictorial illustration of opera- tion of computer apparatus constructed and operative in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 30 is a pictorial illustration of opera- tion of computer apparatus constructed and operative in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention.

Reference is now made to Fig. 1, which illus- trates computer apparatus constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The computer apparatus preferably includes a first housing 10 containing a keyboard 12, and having mounted thereon a first display 14. The computer apparatus preferably also in- eludes a second housing 20 containing computer appara- tus, such as a personal computer or other single-user computer, or a minicomputer, mainframe or other multi- user computer, which may be located adjacent the first housing 10, as shown, or alternatively remote there- from. The computer apparatus may, for example, comprise a conventional workstation. The computer apparatus also includes a second display 24, not mounted on the first housing 10. The second display may or may not be mounted on the second housing 20. It is noted that the first display 14 has a display area 16 which is typically much smaller than the corresponding display area 26 of the second display 24. Preferably the first display 14 is a flat display and the second display 24 is a ^• CRT display. Alternatively both displays 14 and 24 may be flat displays. Preferably, the computer assembly also in- eludes connection apparatus 28 for providing display inputs to the first display 14. It is a particular feature of the present invention that the first display is located on or adjacent to the keyboard within the instantaneous field of view of a non-touch typist who is looking at the keyboard as he types. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second display also displays what is displayed on the first display, together with additional material, as seen in Fig. 1. Preferably, the material that is also displayed on the first display is visually differentiated from the remainder of the displayed material on the screen of the second display, such as, for example, by the use of a different size, color, font type, background characteristic, highlight- ing, upper casing, boldface, italics, or emphasis. In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first display 14 displays one or two current lines of text while the second display 24 displays multiple lines of text of which the lines displayed in the first display are a subset. In accordance with another preferred embodi- ment of the present invention, the first display 14 displays one or a few current words in a text which are a subset of the multiple lines of text displayed on the second display. In accordance with another preferred embodi- ment of the present invention, the first display 14 displays one or a few current characters in a text which are a subset of the multiple lines of text dis- played on the second display. Preferably, the current character on the displayed current line is indicated, as by a cursor. The first display may also display informa- tion which is not a subset of the information dis- played on the second display. For example, the first display may display, in addition to the information which is a subset of the second display information, an interpretation of functional or command keys depressed by the user. The subset of information displayed by the first display may include lines which are non-adjacent to one another. For example, the subset of information may comprise first and second lines of text, the first line of text comprising the first line of a document file now being processed and the second line of text may comprise the current line of the document file. Reference is now made to Fig. 2, which illus- trates a computer keyboard 40 constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the inven- tion having an elongate flat display 42 mounted thereon. Display 42 is preferably provided with sepa- rate connection apparatus 44 for connection to a com- puter, separate from conventional keyboard connection apparatus 46. Fig. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention wherein a flat display 50 is separate from and mountable onto a conventional keyboard 52 by any suitable method such as by clipping on or by means of an adhesive. Flat display 50 may thus be employed in a retrofitted mode on existing keyboard installations. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, the display 50 is provided with connection apparatus including a cable 54 and interface apparatus 56, which connects the display 50 directly to the computer/keyboard interface, such that the display 50 may receive display inputs directly from the keyboard 52, via keyboard connection cable 57 which is coupled via interface apparatus 56 to the keyboard port of a computer 58, without communi- eating with computer 58. It is appreciated that interface apparatus 56 need not be connected to computer 58 but rather may, for example be connected to the keyboard 52 or alterna- tively may be provided within a separate housing. Fig. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention wherein a flat display 60 is provided with connection apparatus including a cable 62 which is coupled to a video or data port of a computer 64 via an interface 65. A keyboard 66 onto which the display 60 may be mounted or with which the display 60 may be used, is connected to the keyboard port of computer 64 by a conventional keyboard cable 68. The use of appara- tus 56 as in the embodiment of Fig. 3 is thus obviated. Fig. 5 illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention wherein a flat display 69 is integrally formed with a keyboard assembly 70. The keyboard assembly 70, including display 69 includes a cable 71 which is coupled to a keyboard input port of a computer 72. Fig. 6 illustrates still another embodiment of the present invention wherein a flat display 74 is integrally formed with a keyboard assembly 75. The keyboard assembly 75, including display 74, includes a cable 76 which is coupled to a keyboard input port of a computer 77 via a connector 80 and a cable 78 which is connected to a video or data port of the computer 77 via a connector 81. • Fig. 7 illustrates a still further embodiment of the present invention which is identical to that of the video port-coupled embodiment of Fig. 4 except that connector 65, which is connected to the display monitor port of the computer 64, comprises a video splitter and is operative not only for connection of display 60 but also for connection of a conventional display monitor 79. It is appreciated that the flat displays of Figs. 1 - 4 and 7 may be provided as separate elements, i.e. separate from the keyboards, or alternatively may be provided as an integral part of the keyboards. If a flat display is provided as a separate element, it preferably includes one or more mounting elements such as clips 83 of Fig. 3 which allow the flat display to be removably mounted in any suitable location. For example, the flat display may be removably mounted within the instantaneous field of view of a user look- ing at the keyboard or within the instantaneous field of view of a user looking at an original text from which the user is keying in data or within the instan- taneous field of view of a user looking at any type of display other than a display of hJLs own input, as shown in Figs. 29 - 30. Reference is now made to Fig. 8 which illus- trates a preferred embodiment of interface apparatus 56 (Fig. 3), particularly suitable for use with a Macin- tosh platform. Keyboard 52 is connected via an ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) cable 57 (Fig. 3) and a first connector 82 to interface apparatus 56. The keyboard is also directly connected via the ADB cable 57 and a second connector 84 to the computer 58. The keyboard output is supplied to a conven- tional ADB interface 86 which outputs it to a control- ler 88 which may employ an optional RAM and EPROM 90. The output of controller 88 is supplied to external display 50 (Fig. 3) which typically incorporates a display driver 91. The functionality of controller 88 in provid- ing a display input to display 50 in response to inputs received from keyboard 52 will be described hereinbelow with reference to Figs. 15A and 15B. Reference is now made to Fig. 9 which illus- trates a preferred embodiment of interface apparatus 65 (Fig. 4) . Keyboard 66 is connected directly to the keyboard input of computer 64 via a suitable connector. Interface apparatus 65 is coupled to the computer 64 via a conventional data connector 92 and includes a data connection interface 94 which receives display information from the computer and supplies it to a controller 96. Controller 96 may employ an optional RAM and EPROM 98. The output of controller 96 is supplied to external display 60 (Fig. 4) which typically incor- porates a display driver 98. The functionality of controller 96 in provid- ing a display input to display 60 in response to inputs received from keyboard 66 is described hereinbelow with reference to Fig. 16. Reference is now made to Fig. 10 which illus- trates a preferred embodiment of circuitry 100 employed in keyboard assembly 70 (Fig. 5),. particularly suitable for use with a Macintosh platform. The keyboard assem- bly 70 is connected via an ADB cable 71 and connector 102 to computer 72 (Fig. 5) . Circuitry 100 includes a conventional ADB interface 104 which communicates with a keyboard controller 106 which may employ an optional RAM and EPROM 108 and which is coupled to a key array 110 of keyboard assembly 70. The output of controller 106 is supplied to external display 69 (Fig. 5) which typically incorporates a display driver 112. Two alternative functionalities of controller 106 in providing a display input to display 69 in response to inputs received from key array 110 are as follows: a. The controller 106 has the functionality of a conventional keyboard controller, i.e. decoding of electrical indications of depressed keys into a form of data which is acceptable by the computer 72 and trans- mission of that data to computer 72 via ADB interface 104 and ADB connector 102. The controller 106 also has the functionality of employing the same data in order to update display 69. A preferred method for updating display 69 in accordance with decoded indications of depressed keys is described below with reference to Figs. 15A and 15B. b. The controller 106 has the functionality of a conventional keyboard controller, i.e. decoding of electrical indications of depressed keys into a form of data which is acceptable by the computer 72 and trans- mission of that data to computer 72 via ADB interface 104 and ADB connector 102. The computer 72 employs the data to generate display updating commands which govern updating of the display on its own screen. The computer 72 transmits back to controller 106 the updating com- mands which pertain to information which is displayed on display 69. Controller 106 is operative to update the display 69. A suitable method for updating display 69 is described below with reference to Fig. 16. Reference is now made to Fig. 11 which illus- trates a preferred embodiment of circuitry 120 employed in keyboard assembly 75 (Fig. 6), particularly suitable for use with a Macintosh platform. The keyboard assem- bly 75 is connected via an ADB cable 76 and connector 122 to computer 77 (Fig. 6) . Circuitry 120 includes a conventional ADB interface 124 which communicates with a keyboard controller 126 which may employ an optional RAM and EPROM 128 and which is coupled to a key array 130 of keyboard assembly 75. A data connector 131 also connects circuitry 120 via cable 78 (Fig. 6) with computer 77. A data connection interface 134 is provided between the data connector 131 and keyboard controller 126. The output of keyboard controller 126 is supplied to auxiliary display 74 (Fig. 6) which typi- cally incorporates a display driver 132. The functionality of keyboard controller 126 in providing a display input to display 74 in response to inputs received from key array 130 is described hereinbelow with reference to Fig. 17A. The functional- ity of the computer 77, in providing the controller 126 with an indication of all changes which pertain to display 74, is described hereinbelow with reference to Fig. 17B. Reference is now made to Fig. 12, which illustrates circuitry incorporated within computer 64 in the embodiment of Fig. 4 wherein cable 62 is coupled to the video port of the computer 64 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. A convention- al computer video module 140 communicates with the main bus 142 of the computer 64 together with a main board 143. Module 140 communicates in a conventional manner with a conventional monitor 144 via a video port 146 of the computer 64. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an auxiliary video card 148 is provided in communication with the main bus 142. The auxiliary video card comprises a bus interface 150 which communicates with a display buffer 152. The display buffer 152 communicates via an internal bus 154 with a controller 156 which may be associated with a RAM and EPROM 158. The functionality of controller 156 is de- scribed hereinbelow with reference to Fig. 19. The auxiliary video card 148 is coupled via a display auxiliary connector 160, cable 62 (Fig. 4), and another display auxiliary connector 162 to display 60 (Fig. 4) which incorporates a display interface circuit 164 for converting data into signals suitable for driving auxiliary display 60. It is appreciated that, according to one alternative embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus of Fig. 12 may be employed to implement the embodiment of Fig. 6. According to this embodiment, display 60 and display interface 164 of Fig. 12 may be built in within the same housing as keyboard assembly 75 of Fig. 6. The connection between display auxiliary connectors 160 and 162 is then provided by cable 78 of Fig. 6 rather than by cable 62 of Fig. 4. Reference is now made to Fig. 13, which illustrates circuitry incorporated within computer 64 in the embodiment of Fig. 4 wherein cable 62 is coupled to the video port of the computer 64 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. A conven- tional computer video module 170 communicates with the main bus 172 of the computer 64 together with a main board 173. Module 170 communicates in a conventional manner with a conventional monitor 174 via a video port 176 of the computer 64. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an auxiliary video card 178 is provided in communication with the main bus 172. The auxiliary video card comprises a bus interface 180 which communicates with a controller 182 which may be associated with a RAM and EPROM 184. The CPU of main board .173 is typically pro- vided with the capability to provide an ongoing indica- tion of the cursor position to controller 182. The functionality of the controller 182 is described hereinbelow with reference to Fig. 20. The auxiliary video card 178 is coupled via a display auxiliary connector 190, cable 62 (Fig. 4), and another display auxiliary connector 192 to display 60 (Fig. 4) which incorporates a display interface circuit 194 for converting data into video signals. The difference between the embodiments of Figs. 12 and 13 will now be explained. The embodiment of Fig. 12 requires modification in the operating system of the computer so as to load display output information into display buffer 152 as well as into VRAM 147. In the embodiment of Fig. 13, display buffer 152 is obviated and the contents of the VRAM 177 are directly accessed by controller 182. The embodiment of Fig. 13 is thus believed to be transparent to the operating system of the computer and thus easier to implement in existing operating systems. It is appreciated that, according to one alternative embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus of Fig. 13 may be employed to implement the embodiment of Fig. 6. According to this embodiment, display 60 and display interface 194 of Fig. 13 may be built in within the same housing as keyboard assembly 75 of Fig. 6. The connection between display auxiliary connectors 190 and 192 is then provided by cable 78 of Fig. 6 rather than by cable 62 of Fig. 4. Reference is now made to Fig. 14 which illus- trates a preferred embodiment of interface apparatus useful in the embodiment of Fig. 7. The apparatus may be incorporated in connector 65, display 60 or in a discrete housing. Computer 64 generates video signals which are supplied to monitor 79 which provides a suitable dis- play thereof. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, computer.64 is also provided with the capability of inserting suitable beginning and end identifiers into the VRAM. The beginning and end identifiers respectively identify the beginning and the end of a region of predetermined size surrounding the cursor position. Optionally, the positions of the identifiers, and therefore the location of the region surrounding the cursor, are visible to the user, for example by selecting symbols for the identifiers which are dis- playable by the monitor 79. A video splitter 200, typically incorporated within connector 65, splits off the video signals coming through the display monitor port of computer. 64 in order to supply the video signals, typically via cable 62 (Fig. 7) and a video connector 202, to video interface and logic circuitry 204. Video interface and logic circuitry 204 receives the video stream, finds the beginning and end identifiers included therewithin, and decodes the video signals between the beginning and end identifiers, thereby to convert the video signals to a format suitable for use by a controller 206 with which it communicates. Controller 206 may be associated with a RAM and EPROM 208. The output of controller 206 is supplied to external display 60 (Fig. 7) which typically incor- porates a display driver 210. The functionality of controller 206 in pro- viding a display input to display 60 is described hereinbelow with reference to Fig. 21. It is appreciated that, according to one alternative embodiment of the present invention, units 204, 206, 208 and 210, as well as display 60, may be built in within the same housing as keyboard 66, in- stead of being provided as retrofit components. Reference is now made to Figs. 15A and 15B which is a simplified flowchart illustrating the func- tionality of controller 88 of Fig. 8. The method of Figs. 15A and 15B preferably comprises the following steps: STEP 300: The controller 88 idles until an interrupt occurs. The interrupt comprises receipt of an indication, via ADB interface 86, that one or more keys of keyboard 52 have been depressed. STEP 310: The controller 88 decodes the data arriving from ADB interface 86, in accordance with the keyboard representation format inherent to computer 58. An indication of the keyboard representation format inherent to computer 58 is preferably provided during a set-up session. For example, the keyboard representation formats for each of a plurality of commonly used computers may be stored in EPROM 90 of Fig. 8. During the set-up session, the user may indi- cate which of the plurality of commonly used computers is to be employed. STEP 320: The controller retrieves a display code representing a visually sensible representation of the character of the depressed key or keys. For exam- pie, if the SHIFT and "a" key are depressed, the con- troller retrieves a display code representing the two diagonal lines and one horizontal line which form the letter "A". The display code corresponding to each set of one or more simultaneously depressed keys is typi- cally stored in a suitable table. For some keys, such as the ENTER key, the COMMAND key and the arrow keys, "null" information is stored, since no visually sensi- ble representation of these keys is provided. STEP 330: If the simultaneously depressed key or keys access null information, then the controller returns to its idle state. If the simultaneously de- pressed key or keys access a display code in the table, then: STEP 340: The last entry positioning mode is determined, preferably in accordance with a user's selection, during a set-up session, of one of a plural- ity of pre-defined last entry positioning modes. For example, the follpwing two last entry positioning modes may be pre-defined: a. Fixed position of last character: The posi- tion, within display 50, of the most recently entered character is fixed. b. Fixed position of entered characters: The position, within display 50, of a previously entered character remains fixed, for as long as there is room, even when a subsequent character is entered. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the display 50 may be cleared each time a particular key is pressed, such as the ENTER key or the space key. If the last entry position mode is (a), i.e. Fixed Position of Last Character, then the presently displayed sequence of characters is moved one position to the left (STEP 350) and the new character is added to the right (STEP 352). If the user has indicated, during a set-up session or at any point during a work session, that the language is a right-to-left language such as Hebrew, the presently displayed sequence of characters is moved one position to the right and the new character is added to the left. If the last entry position mode is (b) , i.e. Fixed Position of Entered Characters, then if the display line is not yet full (STEP 360), the new char- acter is added to the right (STEP 370) and the control- ler returns to idle. If the display line is full, the presently displayed sequence of characters is moved one position to^'the left (STEP 380) before performing step 370. Reference is now made to Fig. 16 which is a simplified flowchart illustrating the functionality of controller 96 of Fig. 9. The method of Fig. 16 preferably comprises the following steps: STEP 400: The controller 96 idles until interrupted by an incoming message which arrives from the computer via interface 65 and cable 62 (Fig. 4) . The incoming message either comprises a downloading of new decoding information or indicates that there has been a change in the computer screen display which pertains to the subset of the computer screen display which appears on display 60 (step 410) . If the incoming message indicates that there has been a change in the computer screen display which pertains to the subset of the computer screen display which appears on display 60, the incoming message typically comprises a command, information regarding operand characters on which the command is to be per¬ formed and an indication of the position at which the command is to be performed. For example, the command may comprise an "insert". The operand characters in this case comprises the character/s to be inserted and the position comprises the location within the display 60 at which the character/s are to be inserted. The information regarding the operand charac- ters typically comprises the identity of the operand characters and may also comprise information regarding attributes and modifiers of the operand characters, such as an indication that a particular character should be in italics or should be represented in a particular size and type of font. In step 420, the command is decoded in ac- cordance with command decoding information which is typically pre-stored in RAM/EPROM 98. In step 430, the identity of the operand characters are decoded in accordance with character decoding information which is typically pre-stored in RAM/EPROM 98. In step 440, attributes and modifiers of the operand characters are decoded in accordance with attribute/modifier decoding information which is typi- cally pre-stored in RAM/EPROM 98. If, in the course of performing any of steps 420, 430 and 440, the controller 96 encounters a cora- raand, operand character, attribute, modifier or other data element which cannot be decoded on the basis of the decoding information currently stored in RAM/EPROM 98, the controller 96 preferably requests decoding information for the undecodable data element from the computer 64. In step 450, the information decoded in steps 420, 430 and 440 is employed in order to generate a new display 60 and the controller returns to idle. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, command decoding information, char- acter decoding information and attribute/modifier decoding information may be downloaded from the comput- er 64 to the RAM/EPROM 98, via the controller 96. For example, this occurs when, during a work session, the user decides to employ a new font, set of graphic or other characters, or "virtual" keyboard, such as a "virtual" keyboard with Greek characters, in which case, new character decoding information would be downloaded. If the incoming message comprises a download- ing of decoding information (STEP 410), the internal tables of RAM/EPROM 98 are updated (STEP 460). Prefera- bly, a representation of the newly downloaded informa- tion appears on display 60 (STEP 470) . For example, if the user decides to employ a "virtual" Greek keyboard, the representation of the newly downloaded character decoding information may comprise a display of the letters of the Greek alphabet. Fig. 17A is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of keyboard controller 126 of Fig. 11. The keyboard controller 126 idles until interrupted. If the interruption comprises an incoming message from computer 77 via data connector 131 and data connector interface 134, then the controller carries out the method of Fig. 16, from step 410 on- ward. If the interruption comprises an indication that a key or keys of key array 130 have been depressed, then the controller 126 performs the following steps: STEP 500: The depressed keys are decoded. STEP 510: The decoded key information is sent to computer 77 via ADB interface 124 and ADB connector 122. Fig. 17B is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing a functionality of computer 77 of Fig. 11, in providing the controller 126 of Fig. 11 with an indica- tion of all changes which pertain to display 74 of Fig. 11. The indication preferably comprises all informa- tion required by controller 126 in order to suitably update display 74. It is appreciated that computer 77 has many functionalities other than that subject of Fig. 17B; however, these functionalities are generally outside of the scope of the present invention. The method of Fig. 17B is typically carried out by a computer program resident in computer 77. The method of Fig. 17B is carried out each time there is a change in the contents of the VRAM of computer 77, preferably immediately after the change takes place. The method of Fig. 17B employs two buff- ers, termed herein the "old data" buffer and the "new data" buffer, and preferably comprises the following steps: STEP 511: The portion of the just changed VRAM contents pertaining to a region of predetermined size surrounding the current cursor position is copied into the "new data" buffer. The size of the region corresponds to the size of the auxiliary display 74. STEP 512: The just changed VRAM data in the "new data" buffer is compared to the old VRAM data in the "old data" buffer, which was stored in the "old data" buffer just after the change in the VRAM which preceded the present change. The comparison indicates whether or not there is any change in the display area of the auxiliary display 74. As described above, the method of Fig. 17B is performed each time there is a change in the contents of the VRAM of computer 77. If the VRAM contents changes twice in rapid succession, the second perform- ance of the method of Fig. 17B, corresponding to the second VRAM contents change, may begin before the first performance of the method of Fig. 17B, corresponding to the first VRAM contents change, has been completed. In step 519, the computer 77 determines whether the previ- ous performance of the method of Fig. 17B has been completed. If so, the method continues to step 513. If not, the method continues to step 515. STEP 513: If there is a change in the auxil- iary display, the computer program determines whether it knows of a transformation which transforms the information in the "old data" buffer to the information in the "new data" buffer. Typically, the computer program knows of many types of relatively simple transformations and does not know of some types of complex transformation which are carried out by external software such as word proces- sors. Simple transformations which are typically known to the computer program may, for example, include the following: a. Moving the cursor n positions forward or backward; b. Inserting a character at the cursor position; and c. Deleting a character at the cursor position. STEP 514: If the computer knows of a suitable transformation, that transformation and the operands relevant thereto are sent to controller 126 of Fig. 11. STEP 515: If the computer does not know of any suitable transformation for producing the new data from the old data, the computer sends a message to the controller 126 including the entire contents of the "new data" buffer and instructing the controller to replace the present auxiliary display with these con- tents. If the answer to step 519 is "no", indicating that the previous updating process was interrupted, step 515 is performed, rather than steps 513 and 514, in order to prevent use of partially updated informa- tion. STEP 516: The contents of the "new data" buffer are copied into the "old data" buffer. Preferably, the computer program is also operative when a new font, character set or virtual keyboard is selected by a user. At this point, the computer program determines whether the controller 126 holds the new font/character set/virtual keyboard. If not, the computer program downloads the new font/set/virtual keyboard to the controller 126. Fig. 18 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of a CPU forming part of main board 143 of Fig. 12. Conventionally, the CPU forming part of a main board changes the VRAM 147 of computer video card 140 as necessary. Each change in VRAM 147 may comprise a change in cursor position, a change in the character codes stored in the VRAM, or both. The steps of Fig. 18 are typically carried out each time the VRAM 147 is changed. In step 517, the CPU determines whether or not the change in the VRAM in- eludes a change in cursor position. If not, step 524 is performed. If so, steps 518, 520 and 522 are performed before step 524. In step 518, the range surrounding the new cursor is computed. In step 520, the cursor position in the display buffer 152 is updated. In step 522, the display buffer 152 is updat- ed to include the contents of VRAM 147 pertaining to the range surrounding the new cursor. If the new cursor position is close to the old cursor position such that the new range partially overlaps the old range, step 522 is preferably performed by a suitable transforraa- tion, thereby retaining the relevant portions of the old contents of display buffer 152, instead of replac- ing the entire contents of display buffer 152 with new contents. In step 524, the CPU determines whether or not the change in the VRAM contents falls within the range surrounding the current cursor. If not, no fur- ther steps are carried out. If the change does fall within the range, the contents of display buffer 152 of the auxiliary video card 148 are suitably changed (STEP 530) . The format of the message provided to display buffer 152 is such that the new contents of display buffer 152, once processed by controller 156, will result in an appropriate display of the VRAM change on display 60. Fig. 19 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of controller 156 employed in the apparatus of Fig. 12. The controller 156 continually checks display buffer 152 for new data (STEP 540). If new data is detected while old data is still being processed, the processing of the old data is discontinued and process- ing of the new data is initiated. Processing of new data comprises the follow- ing steps: STEP 550: The new data is read and interpret- ed. STEP 560: New contents are constructed for display interface 164 which suitably reflect the new data. For example, step 560 may comprise steps 340 and onward of Figs. 15A - 15B. STEP 570: Display commands are generated and written onto display interface 164. The display cora- mands allow display interface 164 to display the new contents constructed in step 560, on display 60. Fig. 20 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of a controller 182 employed in the apparatus of Fig. 13. As described above with reference to Fig. 13, the CPU of main board 173 pro- vides an ongoing indication of the cursor position to controller 182. In step 580, the controller 182 re- ceives the cursor position from the CPU of main board 173. In step 590, the controller 182 copies into local memory the portion of the contents of VRAM 177 which pertains to a range of predetermined size surrounding the cursor position. The controller then performs steps 600 and 610 which are similar to steps 560 and 570 of Fig. 19. Fig. 21 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of controller 206 of Fig. 14. The controller 206 idles until interrupted by arrival of new video data decoded by video interface and logic 204. The controller 206 reads the new decoded video data (STEP 620) and compares it (STEP 630) to the current contents of the region surrounding the cursor position, as stored in RAM 208. If the new data is identical to the current contents of the RAM 208, no further operations are performed. If the new data differs from the current contents of RAM 208, control- ler 206 generates suitable display commands for display driver 210 in accordance with the new data (STEP 640) and stores the new data in RAM 208 (STEP 650) . Reference is now made to Fig. 22 which is a simplified block diagram of electronic circuitry useful in implementing the embodiment of Fig. 6. The apparatus includes circuitry 720 employed in keyboard assembly 75 (Fig. 6), particularly suitable for use with a Macin- tosh platform. The keyboard assembly 75 is connected via an ADB cable 76 and connector 722 to computer 77 (Fig. 6) . Circuitry 720 includes a conventional ADB bus interface 724 which communicates with a controller 726 which may employ an optional RAM and EPROM 728 and which is coupled to a key array 730. A data connector 731 also connects circuitry 720 via cable 78 (Fig. 6) with computer 77. A data connection interface 734 is provided between the data connector 731 and controller 726. The output of controller 726 is supplied to external display 74 (Fig. 6) which typically incorpo- rates a display driver 732. Conventional circuitry is incorporated within computer 77. A conventional computer video module 770 communicates with the main bus 772 of the computer 77 together with a main board 773. Module 770 communicates in a conventional manner with a conventional monitor 774 via a video port 776 of the computer 77. Data connector 731 is connected with the main bus 772 via cable 78, bus extension connector 81 and bus interface 778. ADB connector 722 is connected with the main bus 772 via cable 76, ADB connector 80 and ADB interface 780. Optionally, data connector interface 734, data connector 731, cable 78, bus extension connector 81 and bus interface 778 may be eliminated and the functionalities thereof may be carried out by ADB connector 722, cable 76, ADB connector 80 and ADB interface 780 in addition to the other functionalities of these elements. The functionality of controller 726 in ex- tracting information from the VRAM to be displayed on display 74 is described hereinbelow with reference to Fig. 23. The functionality of the CPU of main board 773 in providing an indication of the position of the cursor within VRAM 777 of Fig. 22, to controller 726 is described hereinbelow with reference to Fig. 24. The VRAM cursor position indication may be provided via bus interface 778, bus extension connector 81, cable 78, data connector 731 and data connector interface 734. Alternatively, the VRAM cursor position indication may be provided via ADB interface 780, ADB connector 80, cable 76, data connector 722 and ADB interface 724. Reference is now made to Fig. 23 which is a simplified flowchart illustrating the functionality of controller 726 of Fig. 22 in extracting information from the VRAM to be displayed on display 74. In addi- tion, controller 726 is operative to conventionally decode depressed keys on keyboard 75 and send the decoded key data to computer 77 (Fig. 6) . The functionality of controller 726 is pref- erably embodied in the following steps: STEP 800: The controller 726 requests the VRAM cursor position from the CPU of main board 773 of Fig. 22. The controller then idles until interrupted by key/s being depressed on keyboard 75 (Fig. 6) or by a response on the part of the main board CPU. If interrupted by key/s being depressed, steps 810 and 820 are performed, as follows: STEP 810: The depressed key/s are convention- ally decoded. STEP 820: The decoded key data is sent to computer 77. If a response regarding a current position of the cursor within VRAM 777, which may or may not be a new cursor position, is received from the main board CPU, the following steps are performed: STEP 830: Read the current VRAM cursor posi- tion. STEP 840: Read the VRAM portion surrounding the VRAM cursor position through data connector inter- face 734 of Fig. 22. STEP 850: Convert the surrounding VRAM por- tion into display driver format. STEP 860: Send the converted surrounding VRAM portion to display driver 732 of Fig. 22. The method then returns to step 800. If both types of interrupt occur siraultane- ously, the depressed key/s interrupt is preferably dealt with before the CPU response interrupt. Reference is now made to Fig. 24 which is a simplified flowchart illustrating, the functionality of the CPU of main board 773 in providing an indication of VRAM cursor position to controller 726 of Fig. 22. The main board CPU is also operative, upon occurrence of an interrupt in which information is received regarding depressed key/s, to perform conventional operations corresponding to the depressed key/s, which operations are outside of the scope of the invention. The VRAM cursor position indication providing functionality of the CPU preferably includes the fol- lowing steps: The CPU idles or engages in activities irrel- evant to the cursor position indication functionality until interrupted by an interrupt in which a request for the current VRAM cursor position is received from controller 726 of Fig. 22. If a depressed key/s interrupt and a control- ler cursor position request interrupt occur simultane- ously, the depressed key/s interrupt is preferably dealt with before the controller cursor position re- quest interrupt. Upon receipt of the controller cursor posi- tion request, the following steps are typically per- formed: STEP 870: The CPU reads the VRAM cursor position information from the memory of main board 773 of Fig. 22; and STEP 880: The VRAM cursor position informa- tion is sent to the controller 726. The CPU now returns to idling or to its other activities. Reference is now made to Fig. 25 which illus- trates a still further embodiment of the present inven- tion which is similar to the embodiment of Fig. 6 except that cable 78 is replaced by a cable 900 con- nected to the display monitor port of the computer 77 via a video splitter 910. Fig. 26 is a block diagram of electronic circuitry useful in implementing .the embodiment of Fig. 25. The apparatus of Fig. 26 interfaces with computer 77 of Fig. 25 and is generally similar to the apparatus of Fig. 14 which interfaces with computer 64 of Fig. 7. However, in the embodiment of Fig. 26, the controller receives indications of depressed keys directly from key array 920 of the keyboard assembly 75. The control- ler conventionally decodes these indications and con- ventionally transfers the decoded indications to com- puter 77 via an ADB interface 930, an ADB connector 940 and cable 76. Fig. 27 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of the controller of Fig. 26 in providing a display input to display 74 of Fig. 25. The method of Fig. 27 is similar to the method of Fig. 21 except that, upon an interrupt comprising an indication that one or more keys in key array 920 have been de- pressed, steps 950 and 960 are performed. Fig. 28 is a simplified flowchart illustrat- ing the functionality of the computer 77 of Fig. 26 in inserting updated beginning and end identifiers into the VRAM of computer 77 each time the VRAM is updated. A VRAM update may or may not include a change in the position of the cursor within the VRAM. It is appreci- ated that computer 77 typically has many other func- tionalities which are outside of the scope of the present invention. The method of Fig. 28 preferably comprises the following steps: STEP 970: Just prior to updating the VRAM (step 972), the beginning and end identifiers are removed from the VRAM. STEP 978: Just after updating the VRAM, new beginning and end identifiers are written into the VRAM according to the current cursor position. Reference is now made to Figs. 29 and 30 which illustrate operation of computer apparatus gener- ally similar to any of the embodiments of Figs. 1 - 4 and 7 except that the auxiliary .display 980 is posi- tioned within the instantaneous field of view of a user looking at an original text which is to be keyed in. The auxiliary display 980 may be provided integrally with or mounted on an original text supporting device such as a book suspending element or other book support or such as a sheet suspending element or other sheet support. Alternatively, the auxiliary display may be a separate piece of equipment which is positioned by the user within his instantaneous field of view, when looking at an original text. In Fig. 29, the auxiliary display 980 is connected to the computer 990, as via a cable 994. In Fig. 30,the text supporting device 996 with which the auxiliary display 980 is integrally provided is connected to the computer 990, as via a cable 998. The circuitry shown and described above with reference to Figs. 8, 9 and 12 - 14 and the flowcharts pertaining thereto are each useful in conjunction with the embodiments of Figs. 29 - 30. The above descrip- tions of Figs. 8, 9 and 12- 14 are pertinent to the embodiments of Figs. 29 - 30 except that the auxiliary display of Figs. 29 - 30 is numbered 980 rather than as in Figs. 8, 9 and 12 - 14 and the cable connecting the auxiliary display to the computer is numbered 994 in Fig. 29 and 998 in Fig. 30, rather than as in Figs. 8, 9 and 12 - 14. It is appreciated that the auxiliary display provided in the various embodiments of the present invention provides an indication to a user of inputs provided by him, as understood by the system he is operating. The applicability of the present invention is not limited to provision of an indication of a system's understanding of keyboard inputs. Rather, the auxiliary display provided herein may provide an indi- cation to a user of a system's understanding of any type of input provided to the system via any suitable type of input, including, for example, voice inputs, inputs via a pen or mouse or optical character reader, and combinations of the above inputs. Some or all of the various cables shown and described hereinabove in Figs. 1 - 7, 25, 29 and 30 may be replaced by wireless connections. It is appreciated that the present invention is useful for applications in which text is represented as characters and also for graphic display applications such as but not limited to applications in which text is represented graphically. It is appreciated that various features of ' the invention which are, for clarity, described in the contexts of separate embodiments may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevi- ty, described in the context of a single embodiment may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcom- bination. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereina- bove. Rather, the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims that follow:

Claims

C L I S 1. A computer assembly including: a first housing containing a keyboard, a first display mounted on said first housing and having a first display area; a second housing containing computer appara- tus; a second display not mounted on said first housing, being mounted in a display housing and having a second display area, said first display area being much smaller than said second display area; first connection apparatus external to said first housing for providing a display of keyboard inputs to the first display from at least one of the keyboard and the computer apparatus; and second connection apparatus for providing display inputs to the second display from at least one of the keyboard and the computer apparatus.

2. A computer assembly including: a first housing containing a keyboard, a first display mounted on said first hous- ing, having a first display area and providing a dis- play of keyboard inputs; a second housing containing computer appara- tus; and a second display not mounted on said first housing and not mounted on said second housing, being mounted on a display housing and having a second dis- play area, said first display area being much smaller than said second display area; and data communication apparatus interconnecting said keyboard, said computer apparatus and said first and second displays.

3. Keyboard display apparatus for use with a computer assembly including computer apparatus, a display and a keyboard and comprising: a supplemental display element which is arranged to be connected to at least one of said com- puter apparatus and said keyboard and to display key- board inputs; and connection apparatus for providing said keyboard inputs to the supplemental display element from at least one of said computer apparatus and said keyboard.

4. Retrofit keyboard display apparatus according to claim 3 and wherein said supplemental display ele- ment is attachable to the keyboard.

5. For use with a computer assembly including a housing containing computer apparatus and a convention- al display having a given display area, combination keyboard and display apparatus comprising: a keyboard housing separate from the housing containing computer apparatus; a keyboard mounted in said keyboard housing; and an auxiliary display mounted in said keyboard housing and having an auxiliary display area which is a small part of the given display area, said auxiliary display being operative to display keyboard inputs.

6. A computer assembly according to claim 5 and also comprising connection apparatus for providing display inputs to the auxiliary display.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said computer apparatus comprises a single-user comput- er.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said computer apparatus comprises a multi-user computer and wherein said first housing comprises at least one first housing associated with the multi-user computer.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 and wherein said multi-user computer comprises an individual one of the following group: a minicomputer; and a mainframe computer.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said first display comprises a flat display and said second display comprises a CRT display.

11. Apparatus according to claim 3 and wherein said display comprises a CRT display and said supple- mental display element comprises a flat display.

12. Apparatus according to claim 5 and wherein said -conventional display is a CRT display and said auxiliary display comprises a flat display.

13. Apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said first display is a flat display and said second display is a flat display.

14. Apparatus according to claim 3 and wherein said display comprises a flat display and said supple- mental display element comprises a flat display.

15. Apparatus according to claim 5 and wherein said conventional display is a flat display and said auxiliary display comprises a flat display.

16. Apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said second display displays a first plurality of lines of text and said first display displays a second plurality of lines of text, much .smaller than the first ^' plurality.

17. Apparatus according to claim 3 and wherein said display displays a first plurality of lines of text and said supplemental display element displays a second plurality of lines of text, much smaller than the first plurality.

18. Apparatus according to claim 5 and wherein said conventional display displays a first plurality of lines of text and said auxiliary display displays a second plurality of lines of text, much smaller than the first plurality.

19. Apparatus according to claim 5 and wherein said auxiliary display element comprises a flat dis- play.

20. Apparatus according to claim 3 and wherein said supplemental display element is mountable onto the keyboard.

21. Apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said first display comprises a display control unit operative to provide a display, in the first display area, of a subset of information displayed in said second display area.

22. Apparatus according to claim 16 and wherein the display of said second plurality of lines on the second display is visually distinguished from the second display of the remainder of the first plurality of lines.

23. Apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said first connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a data port of the computer apparatus.

24. Apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said first connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a video port of the computer apparatus.

25. Keyboard display apparatus according to claim 3 and wherein said connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to said keyboard and includes circuitry for converting keyboard outputs to display inputs.

26. Apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said first connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a keyboard bus port of the computer appara- tus.

27. Apparatus according to claim 3 and wherein said connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a keyboard bus port of the computer apparatus.

28. Apparatus according to claim 6 and wherein said connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a keyboard bus port of the computer apparatus.

29. Apparatus according to claim 23 and wherein said first connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a keyboard bus port of the computer appara- tus.

30. A computer assembly including: a first housing which is normally located within a user's instantaneous field of view; a first display mounted on said first housing and having a first display area; a second housing containing computer appara- tus; a second display not mounted on said first housing and having a second display area, said first display area being much smaller than said second dis- play area; and connection apparatus external to the first housing for providing keyboard inputs to the first display from at least one of the keyboard and the computer apparatus.

31. A computer assembly according to claim 30 wherein the first housing contains an original text support operative to support an original text.

32. A computer assembly according to claim 31 wherein the original text support comprises a book support operative to support a book.

33. A computer assembly according to claim 31 wherein the original text support comprises a sheet support operative to support at least one sheet of original text.

34. A computer assembly according to claim 33 wherein the sheet support comprises a sheet suspending element from which at least one sheet of original text may be suspended.

35. Original text support display apparatus for use with an original text support and a computer assem- bly including computer apparatus, a display and an input device and comprising: a supplemental non-hard copy display element which is attached to the original text support; and connection apparatus for providing keyboard inputs to the supplemental display element from at least one of the keyboard and the computer assembly.

36. For use with a computer assembly including a housing containing computer apparatus and a convention- al display having a given display area, combination original text support and display apparatus comprising: an original text support housing; an original text support mounted in said original text support housing; and an auxiliary display arranged to be coupled to said computer apparatus and mounted in said origi- nal text support housing and having an auxiliary dis- play area which is a small part of the given display area.

37. A data feeding method comprising: providing a computer assembly including computer apparatus, a display, an input device, a supplemental display element and connection apparatus for providing display inputs to the display and input device inputs to the supplemental display element from at least one of said computer apparatus and input device; and positioning the supplemental display element in the instantaneous field of view of a user looking at the input device.

38. A data feeding method comprising: providing an original text support and a computer assembly including computer apparatus, a display, a user input device, a supplemental display element and connection apparatus for providing display inputs to the display and user input device inputs to the supplemental display element from at least one of said computer apparatus and user input device; and attaching the supplemental display element to the original text support.

39. Apparatus according to claim 31 wherein said first display is arranged, relative to the original text support, such that the first display and an origi- nal text supported by the original text support are both positioned within the instantaneous field of view of a user looking at the original, text.

40. Apparatus according to claim 24 and wherein said connection apparatus is also arranged to be cou- pled to a keyboard bus port of the computer apparatus.

41. A method according to claim 37 wherein said step of positioning comprises the step of attaching the supplemental display element to the input device.

42. A computer assembly according to claim 30 wherein said computer apparatus comprises a single-user computer.

43. A computer assembly according to claim 30 wherein said computer apparatus comprises a multi-user computer and said first housing comprises at least one first housing associated with the multi-user computer.

44. A computer assembly according to claim 43 wherein said multi-user computer comprises an individu- al one of the following group: a minicomputer; and a mainframe computer.

45. Apparatus according to claim 30 and wherein said second display displays a first plurality of lines of text and said first display displays a second plurality of lines of text, much smaller than the first plurality.

46. Apparatus according to claim 35 and wherein said display displays a first plurality of lines of text and said supplemental display element displays a second plurality of lines of text, much smaller than the first plurality.

47. Apparatus according to claim 36 and wherein said conventional display displays a first plurality of lines of text and said auxiliary display element dis- plays a second plurality of lines of text, much smaller than the first plurality.

48. Apparatus according to claim 35 and wherein said connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a data port of the computer apparatus.

49. Apparatus according to claim 35 and wherein said connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a video port of the computer apparatus.

50. Apparatus according to claim 17 and wherein the display of said second plurality of lines on the second display is visually distinguished from the second display of the remainder of the first plurality of lines.

51. Apparatus according to claim 18 and wherein the display of said second plurality of lines on the second display is visually distinguished from the second display of the remainder of the first plurality of lines.

52. Apparatus according to claim 3 and wherein said connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a data port of the computer apparatus.

53. Apparatus according to claim 3 and wherein said connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a video port of the computer apparatus.

54. Apparatus according to claim 6 and wherein said connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a data port of the computer apparatus.

55. Apparatus according to claim 6 and wherein said connection apparatus is arranged to be coupled to a video port of the computer apparatus.