Systems and methods for sharing application data in a networked computing environment

• US 20060012612A1
• Filed: 06/24/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Johnston, James S., Quinn, William M., Kressin, Mark S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,212,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/642
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1462 with means for detecting differences between the image stored in the host and the images displayed on the remote displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/04 Partial updating of the display screen

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating application sharing in a networked environment is provided. Specifically, the system divides a display area on a host computer into a plurality of regions, with each region comprised of a predetermined number of current pixels. The system then evaluates current pixels within a selected region and compares them to corresponding pixels stored in memory. If the system determines that the value of the current pixel differs from the value of the stored corresponding pixel, all pixels within the region are sent to a receiving computer via a network. The receiving computer inserts the received region into a display such that it matches the display on the host computer from which the region originated.

Claims

1. A method for sharing an application operating on a host computer operatively coupled to a network, said method comprising the steps of:

parsing a display area comprising a plurality of pixels each having a value associated therewith into two or more regions to produce a divided display area wherein each region of said divided display area contains a subset of said plurality of pixels;

determining if members of said subsets of said plurality of pixels differ from a like number of associateable subsets each having a like plurality of members consisting of associateable pixels each having a stored-value and further stored in a memory; and

performing an action on those of said regions of said display area having a member whose value differs from said stored-value associated with a corresponding one of said associateable pixels stored in said memory.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said parsing step involves dividing said display area into two or more regions of equal size such that each of said two or more regions contain the same number of pixels.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said parsing step involves dividing said display area into two or more regions of variable size such that a first one of said two or more regions contains fewer pixels than other of said two or more regions.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining step further comprises the step of:

comparing one of said pixels within each of said subsets of said display area to its respective associateable pixel stored in said memory, said one of said pixels from each subset of said display area being a selected pixel.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said selected pixel is located adjacent to another of said two or more regions of said display area and further transferring those of said adjacent regions which border said selected pixel if said selected pixel has a value that differs from said value of said respective associateable pixel.

6. A method for evaluating a plurality of pixels contained within at least one of a plurality of regions of a display, said at least one of said plurality of regions being a selected region, said selected region further having a plurality of borders capable of touching others of said plurality of regions, said display further used in a networked application sharing environment, said method comprising the steps of:

determining a pixel population, said population accounting for the presence and location of each of said plurality of pixels, said population accounting using a matrix having row and column coordinates for facilitating said accounting;

accepting a criteria; and

identifying a processing sequence for determining those of said plurality that will be examined, said processing sequence using said criteria when making said determination and said processing sequence further capable of adaptively skipping variable numbers of adjacent pixels when processing members of said plurality of pixels.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

selecting a starting pixel using said processing sequence, said starting pixel being the first pixel processed within said selected region;

evaluating said starting pixel to determine if its value differs from a value associated with an associateable pixel stored in a memory; and

selecting another of said plurality of pixels using said processing sequence if said starting pixel value matches said associateable value.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said selecting step further includes selecting any other of said plurality of pixels within said selected region including those of said pixels not adjacent to said starting pixel.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

identifying those of said plurality of regions touching one of said plurality of borders of said selected region if said starting pixel or any of said subsequently processed pixels along one of said plurality of borders has a value differing from the value of its respective associateable pixel stored in said memory; and

transferring those of said plurality of regions touching one of said borders to a receiving computer using said network.

10. A computer-readable medium containing machine-readable instructions for instructing a processor to perform operations for sharing an application over a network, said computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions for parsing a display area into two or more regions producing a divided display area;

instructions for applying said divided display area to a first display comprising a first plurality of pixels each having a first value associated therewith, said applying producing two or more first display regions each containing a subset of said first plurality of pixels;

instructions for storing said two or more first display regions in a memory communicatively associated with said host computer;

instructions for loading an updated display comprising a like plurality of pixels, each member of said like plurality having a second value associated therewith and further being associateable with a member of said first plurality, respectively;

instructions for applying said divided display area to said updated display producing two or more updated display regions each containing a subset of said like plurality, each updated display region further associated with one of said first display regions;

instructions for selecting one of said updated display regions producing a selected region;

instructions for processing said selected region to determine if said second value associated with at least one of said subset of said like plurality differs from said first value associated with said associateable member(s) of said first plurality; and

instructions for performing an action on said selected region if said second value differs from said first value.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein said instructions for processing further comprise:

instructions for comparing a pixel from said subset of said like plurality contained within said selected region to said associateable member of said first plurality.

12. An apparatus for sharing an application over a network, said apparatus comprising:

an interface for sending updated regions over said network to a receiving computer;

a memory for storing a baseline display comprising a first plurality of pixels and for storing an updated display comprising a second plurality of pixels equal in number to said first plurality, and further for storing a region layout index for parsing said baseline display into a first plurality of regions and for parsing said updated display into a second plurality of regions while allowing respective ones of said first and second pluralities of regions to be associated with one another;

a display device for displaying said baseline display and said updated display;

a processor for executing machine-readable instructions for displaying said baseline display on said display device prior to storing said baseline display in said memory, for using said region layout index to parse said baseline display, for displaying said updated display, for parsing said updated display, for processing a pixel contained in one of said second plurality of regions producing a processed pixel, for comparing said processed pixel to one of said first plurality of pixels located within the one of said first plurality of regions associated with said one of said second plurality of regions containing said processed pixel, and for sending said region to said receiving computer if said processed pixel is different than said one of said first plurality of pixels.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said network is an Internet protocol (IP) network.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said apparatus is part of an enterprise management system.

15. A method for sharing an application operating on a host computer operatively coupled to a network, said method comprising the steps of:

parsing a display area into two or more regions producing a divided display area;

applying said divided display area to a first display comprising a first plurality of pixels each having a first value associated therewith, said applying further producing two or more first display regions each containing a subset of said first plurality of pixels;

storing said two or more first display regions in a memory communicatively associated with said host computer;

loading an updated display comprising a like plurality of pixels, each member of said like plurality having a second value associated therewith and further being associateable with a member of said first plurality, respectively;

applying said divided display area to said updated display producing two or more updated display regions each containing a subset of said like plurality, each updated display region further associated with one of said first display regions;

selecting one of said updated display regions producing a selected region;

processing said selected region to determine if said second value associated with at least one of said subset of said like plurality differs from said first value associated with said associateable member(s) of said first plurality; and

performing an action on said selected region if said second value differs from said first value.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said parsing step involves dividing said display area into two or more regions of equal size such that each of said two or more regions contain the same number of pixels.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said parsing step involves dividing said display area into two or more regions of variable size such that a first one of said two or more regions contains fewer pixels than other of said two or more regions.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said processing step further comprises the step of:

comparing a pixel from said subset of said like plurality contained within said selected region to said associateable member of said first plurality.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said pixel is located adjacent to another of said two or more updated display regions.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said processing step further comprises:

selecting an adjacent pixel within said selected region if said comparing determines that said pixel and said associateable member of said first plurality are the same.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said processing step further comprises:

selecting every other pixel within said selected region and comparing it to its respective associateable member until a difference in value is detected.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein those of said updated display regions adjacent to said pixel are sent to a receiving computer if said second value differs from said first value.