SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MULTIPLE DISPLAY SUPPORT IN REMOTE ACCESS SOFTWARE

• US 20080068289A1
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GOTO Group Incorporated (LogMeIn, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Piasecki, Derek
• Granted Patent: US 7,791,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/2.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

A method of supporting multiple display configurations in a remote access environment, the remote access environment having a host computing device in communication with a viewer computing device comprises: receiving from a host computing device, by a viewer computing device having one or more viewer displays, a list of rectangles, each rectangle representing the boundaries of one of a plurality of host displays; presenting, by the viewer computing device to an end-user of the viewer computing device, a graphical user interface including means for selecting a configuration for displaying a window representing screen data of the plurality of host displays in the viewable area of the one or more displays of the viewer computing device; and displaying in the selected configuration, by the viewer computing device, the window representing the screen data of the one or more host displays. Corresponding systems are also described.

Claims

1. A method of supporting multiple display configurations in a remote access environment, the remote access environment having a host computing device in communication with a plurality of host displays and a viewer computing device in communication with one or more viewer displays, the host computing device and viewer computing device in communication via a network, the method comprising:

(a) receiving from a host computing device, by a viewer computing device having one or more viewer displays, a list of rectangles, each rectangle representing the boundaries of one of a plurality of host displays;

(b) presenting, by the viewer computing device to an end-user of the viewer computing device, a graphical user interface including means for selecting a configuration for displaying a window representing screen data of the plurality of host displays in the viewable area of the one or more displays of the viewer computing device; and

(c) displaying in the selected configuration, by the viewer computing device, the window representing the screen data of the one or more host displays.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises receiving from a host computing device, by a viewer computing device having a plurality of viewer displays, a list of rectangles, each rectangle representing the boundaries of one of a plurality of host displays;

and step (c) comprises displaying in the selected configuration, by the viewer computing device in at least two of the plurality of viewer displays, the window representing the screen data of the one or more host displays.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the plurality of host displays comprises the same number of displays as the plurality of viewer displays.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

(d) determining a host display is not currently shown in the window; and

(e) displaying an indicator at an edge of the window, wherein the indicator provides an indication as to the direction of the host display that is not currently shown.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising

(d) displaying a graphical user interface including means for selecting one of the one or more host displays for viewing;

and

(e) constraining navigation of the window representing the screen data of the one or more host displays to a currently selected one of the plurality of host displays.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of:

displaying an indicator at an edge of the window wherein the indicator provides an indication as to the direction of the host display that is not currently shown.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises receiving from a host computing device, by a viewer computing device having a single viewer display, a list of rectangles, each rectangle representing the boundaries of one of a plurality of host displays;

and step (c) comprises displaying in the selected configuration, by the viewer computing device in the single viewer display, the window representing the screen data of a selected one of the plurality of host displays.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of presenting a graphical indicator at an edge of the window to indicate the ability to transition to another of the host displays not presently shown on the viewer display.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of presenting a graphical indicator at an edge of the window to indicate the ability to transition to another of the host displays not presently shown on the viewer display, wherein another of the host displays exists in the direction of the indicator.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of transitioning to the indicated display upon activation of the graphical indicator.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the viewer computing device has one viewer display and further comprising the step of scaling the screen data of each of the host displays such that the screen data for each display is displayed on the viewer display.

12. A computer implemented system for supporting multiple display configurations in a remote access environment, the remote access environment having a host computing device in communication with a plurality of host displays and a viewer computing device in communication with one or more viewer displays, the host computing device and viewer computing device in communication via a network, the system comprising:

a viewer computing device having one or more viewer displays, the viewer computing device comprising;

a transceiver which receives, from a host computing device, a list of rectangles, each rectangle representing the boundaries of one of a plurality of host displays; and

one or more viewer displays which displays a graphical user interface including means for selecting a configuration for displaying a window representing screen data of the plurality of host displays in the viewable area of the one or more displays of the viewer computing device; and

displays in the selected configuration the window representing the screen data of the one or more host displays.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the viewer computing device comprises a plurality of viewer displays, and wherein the plurality of viewer displays display, in at least two of the plurality of viewer displays, the window representing the screen data of the one or more host displays.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the plurality of host displays comprises the same number of displays as the plurality of viewer displays.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the viewer computing device further comprises a processor which determines a host display is not currently shown in the window;

and wherein a viewer display displays an indicator at an edge of the window wherein the indicator provides an indication as to the direction of the host display that is not currently shown.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein a viewer display displays a graphical user interface including means for selecting one of the one or more host displays for viewing;

and wherein the viewer computing device constrains navigation of the window representing the screen data of the one or more host displays to a currently selected one of the plurality of host displays.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein a viewer display displays an indicator at an edge of the window wherein the indicator provides an indication as to the direction of the host display that is not currently shown.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the viewer computing device comprises a single viewer display, and wherein the viewer display displays the window representing the screen data of a selected one of the plurality of host displays.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the viewer display displays a graphical indicator at an edge of the window to indicate the ability to transition to another of the host displays not presently shown on the viewer display.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the viewer display displays a graphical indicator at an edge of the window to indicate the ability to transition to another of the host displays not presently shown on the viewer display, wherein another of the host displays exists in the direction of the indicator.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the viewer display displays the indicated display upon activation of the graphical indicator.

22. The system of claim 12 wherein the viewer computing device comprises a single viewer display, and wherein the viewer computing device scales the screen data of each of the host displays such that the screen data for each display is displayed on the viewer display.