Remote document signing

• US 10,291,721 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2015
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beveridge, Daniel James, Watts, Blake, Mu, Jian
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs, Lashonda T
• Application Number:
  US14/986,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20160344819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

Documents or other files opened on a remote desktop are mirrored onto a mobile client device that allows a user to seamlessly work on such documents or files in either a stationary or mobile fashion. The mirrored files may be presented to the user on the mobile client device with the capacity for the user to sign his or her name—or otherwise mark—the mirrored document on the client device. Once signed, various techniques are executed that cause the signed version of the mirrored files to be communicated back to the remote desktop where the signed files are saved. Such techniques may operate transparent to a user, eliminating the need for the user to constantly have to save and transport signed files between multiple devices when working on the go.

Claims

1. A method for remotely signing documents on a client device, the method comprising:

establishing a session to allow the client device to access a desktop to have a document opened on the desktop and mirrored onto the client device, the client device and the desktop being associated with a same user, the client device having touch screen capability without the desktop having touch screen capability;

polling the desktop for queued mirror commands related to the document opened on the desktop;

based on the queued mirror commands, retrieving from the desktop the document opened on the desktop;

opening the retrieved document on the client device;

receiving, via the touch screen capability on the client device, a user signature on the document; and

mirroring a signed version of the document to the desktop for storage thereon.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein opening the retrieved document on the client device comprises launching a native viewer on the client device to view the opened document, the native viewer including features not available on the desktop comprising one or more of the following:

zoom-in, pan, and rotate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signed version of the document is automatically sent to the user as an e-mail attachment.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the signed version of the document from the client device to the desktop; and

generating a template message on the desktop with the signed version of the document attached.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting a template message with the signed version of the document attached from the desktop to a recipient messaging address without user interaction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is a mobile tablet or a smart phone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is a smart watch or a wearable device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting on the client device one or more options for generating template messages on the desktop that include the signed version of the document;

receiving a user selection of one of the one or more options; and

signaling the desktop to send a message with the signed version of the document attached using the selected template.

9. Computer-storage memory embodied with instruction executable by a processor to enable remote signature of documents on a client device, comprising:

causing the client device to poll a desktop for one or more mirror commands instructive to cause a document opened on the desktop to be mirrored on the client device, the client device and the desktop being associated with a same user, the client device having touch screen capability without the desktop having touch screen capability;

capturing a user signature on the client device, via the touch screen capability on the client device;

creating a signed version of the mirrored document that includes the captured user signature; and

transmitting the signed version of the mirrored document to the desktop.

10. The computer-storage memory of claim 9, further comprising:

queuing on the desktop one or more locations of the document opened on the desktop;

directing the client device to poll the desktop for the one or more locations of the document;

receiving the one or more locations of the document opened on the desktop; and

using the one or more locations to mirror the document onto the client device.

11. The computer-storage memory of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting the signed version of the mirrored document to the desktop; and

causing the desktop to store the signed version of the mirrored document at the one or more locations of the document.

12. The computer-storage memory of claim 10, wherein the client device automatically communicates the signed version of the mirrored document to the desktop upon user signature.

13. The computer-storage memory of claim 10, further comprising generating a template message on the desktop with the signed version of the document attached.

14. The computer-storage memory of claim 10, further comprising transmitting a template message with the signed version of the document attached from the desktop to a recipient messaging address without user interaction.

15. The computer-storage memory of claim 10, wherein the client device is at least one member of a mobile tablet, a smart phone, a smart watch, and a wearable device.

16. The computer-storage memory of claim 10, further comprising:

presenting on the client device one or more options for generating template messages on the desktop that include the signed version of the mirrored document;

receiving on the client device a user selection of one of the one or more options; and

signaling the desktop to send a message with the signed version of the document attached according to the user selection.

17. A client device, comprising:

computer-storage memory embodied with computer-executable instructions for mirroring a document opened on a desktop;

a display device; and

a processor programmed to;

poll the desktop for mirroring commands instructive for causing the document opened on the desktop to be mirrored on the display device, the client device and the desktop being associated with a same user, the client device having touch screen capability without the desktop having touch screen capability;

capture a user signature on the display device, via the touch screen capability on the client device;

create a signed version of the mirrored document that includes the captured user signature; and

transmit the signed version of the mirrored document to the desktop.

18. The client device of claim 17, wherein the client device comprises at least one member of a group comprising a mobile tablet, a smart phone, a smart watch, and a wearable device.

19. The client device of claim 17, wherein the mirroring commands comprise one or more locations corresponding to the document opened on the desktop.

20. The client device of claim 17, wherein the desktop is configured to:

receive the signed version of the mirrored document;

generate a template message with the signed version of the mirrored document; and

transmit the template message with the signed version of the mirrored document.