A METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SYNCHRONIZING PRESENTATION OF A DYNAMIC DATA SET TO A PLURALITY OF NODES

• US 20070011356A1
• Filed: 05/26/2005
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GOTO Group Incorporated (LogMeIn, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Alexandrov, Albert, Saavedra, Rafael, Schauser, Klaus, Christiansen, Bernd, Eicken, Thorsten
• Granted Patent: US 8,443,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1881 with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• 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 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A method for synchronizing presentation of a dynamic data set to a plurality of nodes. The method includes the step of generating, by a consumer node in a plurality of nodes, a plurality of data packets representing a change to a dynamic data set. A host node in the plurality of nodes receives the plurality of data packets. The host node transmits to a synchronization engine the plurality of data packets. The synchronization engine generates metadata information representing the difference between the dynamic data set and the plurality of data packets. The synchronization engine transmits to the plurality of nodes the metadata information and the plurality of data packets.

Claims

1. In a system having a plurality of nodes, a method for synchronizing presentation of a dynamic data set to the plurality of nodes, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) generating, by a consumer node in a plurality of nodes, a plurality of data packets representing a change to a dynamic data set;

(b) receiving, by a host node in the plurality of nodes, the plurality of data packets;

(c) transmitting, by the host node to a synchronization engine, the received plurality of data packets;

(d) generating, by the synchronization engine, metadata information representing the difference between the dynamic data set and the plurality of data packets; and

(e) transmitting, by the synchronization engine, to the plurality of nodes, the metadata information and the plurality of data packets.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving by the synchronization engine, a request for the current state of the changing data set.

3. The method of claims 1, wherein step (d) comprises receiving from the host node at least one of the plurality of data packets in encrypted form.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises storing the generated metadata information in a memory device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises storing the received plurality of data packets in a memory device.

6. A system for synchronizing presentation of a dynamic data set to a plurality of nodes comprising:

a consumer host node transmitting at least one metadata packet identifying a plurality of data packets that represent a current state of a dynamic data set and transmitting at least one of the identified data packets; and

a communications service in communication with the consumer host node, the communications service selecting one of the at least one metadata packets and the at least one data packet for transmission to a host consumer node in a plurality of nodes.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a second node in a plurality of nodes, wherein the second node requests the current state of the dynamic data set from the communications service.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the communication service selects one of the at least one metadata packet and the at least one data packet in response to the request made by the second node.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the consumer host node transmits a plurality of metadata packets, each of the plurality of metadata packets representing one state of the dynamic data set.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the communications service further comprises a memory element.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the communications service stores the received at least one metadata packet in the memory element.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the communications service stores the received at least one data packet in the memory element.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the communications service stores in the memory element information regarding transmission of packets to a node.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the consumer node encrypts the at least one data packet before transmission.

15. A communications service synchronizing presentation of a dynamic data set to a plurality of nodes, the service comprising:

a receiving subsystem receiving at least one metadata packet identifying at least one data packet representing a current state of a dynamic data set and at least one data packet identified by the received at least one metadata packet;

a synchronization engine selecting one of the at least one metadata packet and the at least one data packet; and

a transmission subsystem transmitting the selected one of the at least one metadata packet and the at least one data packet.

16. The communications service of claim 15, further comprising a memory element.

17. The communications service of claim 15, wherein the synchronization engine selects one of the at least one metadata packets and the at least one data packet in response to a request received from a node.

18. The communications service of claim 15, wherein the transmission subsystem transmits the selected one of the at least one metadata packet and the at least one data packet to a node in a plurality of nodes.

19. A node presenting a dynamic data set, the node comprising:

an interception subsystem acquiring at least one input from a human interface device, the input representing a change to a dynamic data set;

a transceiver subsystem transmitting the at least one input to a synchronization engine for presentation to a plurality of nodes and receiving from the synchronization engine a plurality of data packets representing a second change to the dynamic data set; and

a display subsystem, in communication with the transceiver subsystem, receiving the plurality of data packets and displaying the plurality of data packets to a user.

20. The node of claim 19, wherein the interception subsystem further comprises a mouse listener.

21. The node of claim 19, wherein the interception subsystem further comprises acquiring at least one input representing a change to a presentation.

22. The node of claim 19, wherein the display subsystem further comprises displaying to the user a cursor represented by an icon selected from a plurality of icons, responsive to the plurality of data packets.