Remote control of a shared application

• US 10,567,480 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2017
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Loader, Marguerite R., Durant, Brook J., Herman, Douglas W., Rogan, Philip A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chou, Alan S
• Application Number:
  US15/617,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20170272511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 709203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/546 Xcast
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media are provided for enabling client devices to remotely control a shared application. A remote control service receives a request for a shared application to be controlled by a multiple client devices. Based on this request, the client devices are enabled to remotely control the shared application. A command from one of the client devices is received at the remote control service to modify a display of the shared application without the client device receiving any sensitive information associated with the shared application or the computing device running the shared application. The command is used to cause a modification to the display of the shared application.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computing device having at least one processor, the method for enabling remote control of a shared application run by the computing device, the method comprising:

receiving a request to allow a first device to participate in remotely controlling the shared application with a second device;

based on the request, enabling the first device and the second device to remotely control the shared application without the first or second device having received secure information associated with the shared application;

receiving a command from the first device to modify a display of the shared application; and

utilizing the command to cause a modification to the display of the shared application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the first and second devices to remotely control the shared application further comprises:

assigning an attribute to a remotely controlled session associated with the shared application; and

communicating the attribute to the shared application, the attribute enabling the first and second devices to control the shared application by way of a control application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the control application is a web page.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the attribute is one of a non-human readable identifier, a human readable name, a unique identifier, or a numerical identifier.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the sensitive information excludes the attribute that is communicated to the shared application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the command from the first client device modifies the content of the shared application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the command from the first client device does not modify the content of the shared application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein either the first or second device is remote from the shared application and views the shared application using a screen-sharing application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensitive information is information, other than the attribute, that identifies the shared application or the computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the display of the shared application is a presentation view of the shared application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to participate in remotely controlling the shared application is received from the shared application, the computing device, or a third-party device or application.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared application is one or more of a document, a game, an enterprise software, a presentation, a web page, or a video.

13. One or more computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a method for enabling one or more client devices to remotely control a shared application, the method comprising:

assigning one or more attributes to a remotely controlled session associated with the shared application;

communicating the one or more attributes to the shared application, the one or more attributes enabling the one or more client devices to access a control application having controls corresponding to the shared application;

receiving a command from at least one of the one or more client devices, the command enabling the one of the one or more client devices to modify the shared application without the one or more client devices having received secure information associated with the shared application; and

modifying a display associated with the shared application in accordance with the command.

14. The media of claim 13, further comprising receiving a request to allow the one or more client devices to remotely control the shared application.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the one or more client devices is located remotely from the one or more computing devices running the shared application.

16. The media of claim 13, wherein the control application is accessed by the one or more client devices via a web page.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the display of the shared application corresponds to a display device that is separate and distinct from the one or more computing devices running the shared application.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensitive information is identifying information associated with the shared application or the one or more computing devices other than the one or more attributes.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more attributes are one or more of a non-human readable identifier, a human readable name, a unique identifier, or a numerical identifier.

20. A system for enabling one or more client devices to remotely control a shared application, the system comprising:

a processor; and

computer storage media storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a request to allow the one or more client devices to participate in a remote control of the shared application,

assign an attribute to a remotely controlled session associated with the shared application,

based on the assigned attribute, enable the one or more client devices to modify a display of the shared application without the one or more client devices having received secure information from the shared application,

receive a command from the one or more client devices to modify a display of the shared application, and

modify the display of the shared application in accordance with the command.