Method and Apparatus for Remote Display of Drawn Content

• US 20080115073A1
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group), Cytrix Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Duncan, Andrew, Erickson, Shawn, Kohn, Bradley
• Application Number:
  US11/871,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20080115073A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0383 Remote input, i.e. interface arrangements in which the signals generated by a pointing device are transmitted to a PC at a remote location, e.g. to a PC in a LAN
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• 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 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

Method and system for the remote display of drawn content. In one embodiment, a drawing window is created at a source device, a location of a system mouse event is observed at a viewer device and the transparency of a pixel in the drawing window at the source device at the location of the mouse event is manipulated. The pixel may be cleared, thereby making the location of the mouse event transparent, which may send the mouse event to a non-transparent window immediately below the drawing window.

Claims

1. A method for the remote display of drawn content, the method comprising:

creating, at a source device, a drawing window defining a region for the display of drawn content;

providing a copy of the drawing window to at least one viewer device;

observing a location of a system mouse event occurring at a viewer device; and

manipulating the transparency of at least one pixel in the drawing window at the source device at the location of the mouse event when the location of the mouse event is within the copy of the drawing window.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the drawing window is at least semi-transparent.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein manipulating at least one pixel at the location of the mouse event comprises clearing a single pixel at the location of the mouse event.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein manipulating the transparency of at least one pixel at the location of the mouse event causes at least one pixel of the drawn content to become temporarily transparent.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising providing information concerning the mouse event to a non-transparent window appearing immediately below the drawing window in Z-order.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein manipulating at least one pixel at the location of the mouse event comprises drawing a single pixel at the location of the mouse event.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein manipulating the transparency of at least one pixel at the location of the mouse event causes at least one pixel of the drawn content to become temporarily opaque.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing information concerning the mouse event to the drawing window.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising using the mouse event to draw new content in the drawing window.

11. A system for the remote display of drawn content, the system comprising:

a drawing window created at a source device, defining a region for the display of drawn content;

a copy of the drawing window provided to at least one viewer device;

a mouse event tap for observing a location of a system mouse event occurring at a viewer device; and

a display element for manipulating the transparency of at least one pixel in the drawing window at the source device at the location of the mouse event when the location of the mouse event is within the copy of the drawing window.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the drawing window is at least semi-transparent.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein manipulating at least one pixel at the location of the mouse event comprises clearing a single pixel at the location of the mouse event.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein manipulating the transparency of at least one pixel at the location of the mouse event causes at least one pixel of the drawn content to become temporarily transparent.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the mouse event tap further provides information concerning the mouse event to a non-transparent window appearing immediately below the drawing window in Z-order.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein manipulating at least one pixel at the location of the mouse event comprises drawing a single pixel at the location of the mouse event.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein manipulating the transparency of at least one pixel at the location of the mouse event causes at least one pixel of the drawn content to become temporarily opaque.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the mouse event tap further provides information concerning the mouse event to the drawing window.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the viewer device uses the mouse event to draw new content in the drawing window.

21. A computer-readable storage medium containing executable instructions, the set of instructions comprising:

instructions for creating, at a source device, a drawing window defining a region for the display of drawn content;

instructions for providing a copy of the drawing window to at least one viewer device;

instructions for observing a location of a system mouse event occurring at a viewer device; and

instructions for manipulating the transparency of at least one pixel in the drawing window at the source device at the location of the mouse event when the location of the mouse event is within the copy of the drawing window.