Lending target device resources to host device computing environment

• US 10,025,684 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2014
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Khoury, Issa Y., Davis, Darren Ray, Mikkola, Petteri, Threlkeld, Elizabeth Fay, Shipley, Kenton Allen, Moran, Keri Kruse, Balasubramanian, Ramrajprabu, Derks, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Alrobaye, Idriss N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Franklin, Richard B
• Application Number:
  US14/495,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20160085654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,392 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3041 where the computing system component is an input/output interface interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units G06F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/10 Program control for peripheral devices G06F13/14 - G06F13/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4068 Electrical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/503 Resource availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

Various models may enable a first device to share a device resource with a second device in various contexts, such as sharing computing sessions via terminal services; sharing displays via display mirroring; and sharing input components across devices. However, such techniques often utilize ad hoc sharing models that depend on configuration and/or administrative access of each device; limit the capabilities of such sharing; and/or exhibit security concerns. Instead, a target device may advertise an availability of a target device resource. A host device may request the target device to lend the target device resource to the computing environment of the host device. The target device may reserve the target device resource for the host device, which may then integrate the target device resource into the host computing environment. The model may enable the user to utilize resources even from target devices that the user is not otherwise permitted to use.

Claims

1. A method of integrating target device hardware resources of a target device into a host computing environment of a host device having a processor, the method comprising:

executing, on the processor, instructions that cause the host device to;

detect an advertisement of availability of the target device hardware resources from the target device; and

responsive to receiving a request from a host device user to borrow one or more particular target device hardware resources of the advertised target device hardware resources for use in the host computing environment;

transmit to the target device a request to borrow the one or more particular target device hardware resources for use in the host computing environment; and

responsive to receiving from the target device an acceptance of the request, integrating the one or more particular target device hardware resources with host device resources of the host computing environment on par with other devices that are physically or wirelessly directly connected to the host device;

wherein;

the request from the host device user specifies a content item to be presented through the one or more particular target device hardware resources; and

transmitting the request to the target device further comprises;

transmitting to the target device a description of the content item to be presented through the one or more particular target device hardware resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the instructions further causes the host device to, upon detecting the advertisement of availability of the target device hardware resources through the target device, notify the host device user of the availability of the target device hardware resources for integration with the host computing environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the advertisement of availability of the target device resources further comprises:

receiving a target proximity threshold from the host device; and

detecting a physical proximity, within the target proximity threshold, of the host device to a target device that advertises the availability of the target device hardware resources.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the target device advertises an availability of at least two target device hardware resources through the target device;

the request from the host device user specifies a selected one or more target device hardware resources to be integrated with the host computing environment; and

transmitting the request to the target device further comprises;

transmitting to the target device a request to borrow only the selected one or more target device hardware resources for use in the host computing environment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selecting of one or more target device hardware resources further comprises:

the host device and the target device engaging in scheduling a reservation of the selected one or more target device hardware resources for the host device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the selecting of one or more target device hardware resources further comprises:

identifying one or more target devices and target device hardware resources that are idle and/or well-adapted to circumstances of the host device; and

load balancing among the one or more target devices and target device hardware resources.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the selecting of one or more target device hardware resources further comprises:

bargaining between the host device and the target device a cost for reservation of the selected one or more target device hardware resources.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the detected advertisement of availability from the target device advertises availability of at least two target device hardware resources through the target device;

the request from the host device user specifies a selected one or more target device hardware resources to be integrated with the host computing environment; and

transmitting the request to the target device further comprises;

transmitting to the device a request to borrow only the selected one or more target device hardware resources for use in the host computing environment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the selecting of one or more target device hardware resources further comprises:

the host device sending to the target device a scheduling of reservation of the selected one or more target device hardware resources.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the selecting of one or more target device hardware resources further comprises:

identifying one or more target devices and target device hardware resources that are idle and/or well-adapted to circumstances of the host device; and

load balancing among the one or more target devices and target device hardware resources.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement of availability of the target device hardware resources is through broadcast.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement of availability of the target device hardware resources is through multicast.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement of availability of the target device hardware resources is in response to a query from the host device.

14. A memory device storing instructions that, when executed on a processor of a host device, cause the host device to integrate target device resources of a target device into a host computing environment of the host device, by:

detecting an availability of a target device resource through the target device; and

responsive to receiving a request from a host device user to borrow the target device resource for use in the host computing environment;

transmitting to the target device a request to borrow the target device resource for use in the host computing environment; and

responsive to receiving from the target device an acceptance of the request;

integrating the target device resource with host device resources of the host computing environment; and

presenting the target device resource to the host device user within the host computing environment;

wherein;

the host device further comprises a curated computing environment that is limited to a selected application; and

executing the instructions further cause the host device to;

present the curated computing environment instead of the host computing environment on the host device; and

while presenting the curated computing environment on the host device, present the host computing environment through the target device resource of the target device.

15. The memory device of claim 14, wherein:

the request from the host device user specifies a content item to be presented using the target device resource; and

transmitting the request to the target device further comprises;

transmitting to the target device a description of the content item to be presented through the target device resource.

16. The memory device of claim 14, wherein the detected availability of the target device resource is through broadcast, multicast, or in response to a query from the host device.

17. A memory device storing instructions that, when executed on a processor of a host device, cause the host device to integrate target device resources of a target device into a host computing environment of the host device, by:

detecting an availability of a target device resource through the target device; and

responsive to receiving a request from a host device user to borrow the target device resource for use in the host computing environment;

transmitting to the target device a request to borrow the target device resource for use in the host computing environment; and

responsive to receiving from the target device an acceptance of the request;

integrating the target device resource with host device resources of the host computing environment; and

presenting the target device resource to the host device user within the host computing environment;

wherein;

the target device resource further comprises a target presentation component; and

integrating the target device resource with the host device resources of the host computing environment further comprises;

using a host network resource of the host device, retrieving a content item; and

transmitting the content item to the target device for presentation through the target presentation component.

18. The memory device of claim 17, wherein:

upon detecting the availability of the target device hardware resources through the target device, the host device notifies the host device user of the availability of the target device hardware resources for integration with the host computing environment.

19. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the memory device additionally stores instructions that, when executed on a processor of the host device, cause the host device to:

send a target proximity threshold between the target device and the host device to the target device; and

detect the availability of the target device hardware resources within the target proximity threshold.