Methods and Systems for Providing, by a Remote Machine, Access to a Desk Band Associated with a Resource Executing on a Local Machine

• US 20090070687A1
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Mazzaferri, Richard James
• Granted Patent: US 8,286,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/542 Intercept
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A method for providing, by a remote machine, access to a desk band associated with a resource on a local machine includes receiving, by a first agent on the remote machine, an identification of a desk band associated with a resource on a local machine. The first agent, in communication with a shell on the remote machine, maintains a taskbar window in a remote desktop environment. The taskbar window includes at least one window associated with a resource provided by the remote machine and a window region representing the desk band by using graphical data stored on the remote machine. The first agent transmits, to a second agent on the local machine, window attribute data and output data associated with the taskbar window in the remote desktop environment. The second agent displays at least a portion of the received output data in a local window on a local desktop environment.

Claims

1. In a networked computing system, a method for providing, by a remote machine, access to a desk band associated with a resource executing on a local machine, the method comprising:

(a) receiving, by a first agent executing on a remote machine, an identification of a desk band associated with a resource provided by a local machine;

(b) maintaining, by the first agent, in communication with a shell executing on the remote machine, a taskbar window in a desktop environment on the remote machine, the taskbar window including at least one window associated with a resource provided by the remote machine and including a window region representing the desk band by using graphical data stored on the remote machine; and

(c) transmitting, by the first agent, to a second agent executing on the local machine, window attribute data and output data associated with the taskbar window in the desktop environment on the remote machine; and

(d) displaying, by the second agent executing on the local machine, at least a portion of the received output data in a local window on a desktop environment on the local machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises maintaining, by the first agent, in communication with a shell executing on the remote machine, a taskbar window in a desktop environment on the remote machine, the taskbar window including at least one window associated with a resource provided by the remote machine and including a window region representing the desk band on the local machine by using graphical data received from the local machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein (c) further comprises transmitting, by the first agent to the second agent, a z-order entry for the taskbar window.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(e) receiving, by the first agent, a request for execution of a command associated with a user interface element displayed by the desk band associated with the resource provided by the local machine; and

(f) redirecting, by the first agent, the request to the second agent on the local machine.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein step (f) further comprises transmitting, by the second agent, the request to the resource on the local machine.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising intercepting, by the first agent, a user interaction with the window region.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising intercepting, by the second agent, a user interaction with the window region.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising redirecting, by the second agent, the user interaction to the desk band associated with the resource provided by the local machine.

9. A system for providing, by a remote machine, access to a desk band associated with a resource executing on a local machine, the system comprising:

a first agent, executing on a remote machine, receiving an identification of a desk band associated with a resource provided by a local machine, and maintaining, in communication with a shell executing on the remote machine, a taskbar window in a desktop environment on the remote machine, the taskbar window including at least one window associated with a resource provided by the remote machine and including a window region representing the desk band by using graphical data stored on the remote machine; and

a second agent, executing on the local machine, receiving, from the first agent, window attribute and output data associated with the taskbar window in the desktop environment on the remote machine, and displaying at least a portion of the received output data in a local window on a desktop environment on the local machine.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first agent comprises means for maintaining, in communication with a shell executing on the remote machine, a taskbar window in a desktop environment on the remote machine, the taskbar window including at least one window associated with a resource provided by the remote machine and including a window region representing the desk band on the local machine by using graphical data received from the local machine.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the window attribute data comprises a z-order entry for the taskbar window.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the local window on the desktop environment on the local machine is a local display of the desktop environment on the remote machine.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the local window on the desktop environment on the local machine is a local display of the taskbar window in the desktop environment on the remote machine.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the second agent further comprises an interception component intercepting a user interaction with a local display of the received output data.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the interception component redirects the user interaction to the desk band associated with the resource provided by the local machine.

16. In a networked computing system, a method for providing, by a remote machine, access to a desk band associated with a resource executing on a local machine, the method comprising:

(a) receiving, by a local agent executing on a local machine, window attribute data associated with a taskbar window maintained by a remote machine;

(b) displaying, by the local agent, to a user of the local machine, a first local window representing the taskbar window maintained on the remote machine, responsive to the received window attribute data; and

(c) re-parenting, by the local agent, a second local window displaying a desk band associated with a resource provided by the local machine, to the first local window representing the taskbar window maintained on the remote machine.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving, by the local agent executing on the local machine, output data representing a window associated with a resource provided by the remote machine and displayed in a taskbar window on the remote machine.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein step (b) further comprises displaying, by the local agent, the received output data in a local taskbar window displaying at least one desk band associated with a resource provided by the local machine.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein step (c) comprises directing, by the local agent, a shell on the local machine to paint an image of a local toolbar at a location identified by the window attribute data.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein step (c) comprises directing, by the local agent, a display of the second local window displaying a desk band associated with the resource provided by the local machine, the second local window displayed at a window region identified responsive to the received window attribute data.

21. The method of claim 16 further comprising generating, by an execution of the resource, output data.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising displaying, by the desk band, in the second local window, the generated output data.

23. In a networked computing system, a method for providing, by a remote machine, access to a desk band associated with a resource executing on a local machine, the system comprising:

a local agent, executing on a local machine, the local agent comprising;

a receiver receiving window attribute data associated with a taskbar window maintained by a remote machine;

means for displaying, in communication with a shell on the local machine, a first local window representing the taskbar window maintained on the remote machine, responsive to the received window attribute data; and

means for re-parenting a second local window displaying a desk band associated with a resource provided by the local machine, to the first local window representing the taskbar window maintained on the remote machine.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the receiver receives output data representing a window associated with a resource provided by the remote machine and displayed in a taskbar window on the remote machine.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the local agent further comprises means for displaying the output data representing the window associated with the resource provided by the remote machine in a local taskbar window displaying at least one desk band associated with a resource provided by the local machine.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the desk band displays, in a window region identified by the received window attribute data, output data generated by an execution of the resource provided by the local machine.

27. In a networked computing system, a method for providing, by a remote machine, access to a desk band associated with a resource executing on a local machine, the method comprising:

(a) detecting, by a local agent executing on a local machine, a request, by a first shell on the local machine, for creation of a desk band object associated with a resource provided by the local machine;

(b) instantiating, by the local agent, a proxy container object, responsive to detecting the request;

(c) instantiating, by the proxy container object, the desk band object;

(d) receiving, by a remote agent executing on a remote machine, an identification of the desk band object associated with the resource provided by the local machine;

(e) maintaining, by the remote agent, a window region in a taskbar on a desktop environment maintained on the remote machine, the window region representing the identified desk band object;

(f) instantiating, by the remote agent, on the remote machine, a proxy handler associated with the identified desk band object;

(g) receiving, by the proxy container object, from the proxy handler, an identification of a window region associated with the identified desk band object;

(h) identifying, by the proxy container object, for the desk band object, the identified window region as a desk band site; and

(i) directing, by the desk band object, a display of output data in the identified window region in a display on the local machine of the desktop environment maintained on the remote machine.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein (a) further comprises detecting, by a local agent in communication with a registry on the local machine, a request, by a first shell on the local machine, for creation of a desk band object associated with a resource provided by the local machine.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein (d) further comprises receiving, by a remote agent executing on a remote machine from the local agent, an identification of the desk band object associated with the resource provided by the local machine.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein (d) further comprises receiving, by a remote agent executing on a remote machine from the proxy container object, an identification of the desk band object associated with the resource provided by the local machine.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein (e) further comprises maintaining, by the remote agent in communication with a second shell on the remote machine, a window region in a taskbar on a desktop environment maintained on the remote machine, the window region representing the identified desk band object.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein (i) further comprises directing, by the desk band object in communication with the first shell, a display of output data in the identified window region in a display on the local machine of the desktop environment maintained on the remote machine.

33. The method of claim 27 further comprising translating, by the proxy container object, an identification of a window region received from the proxy handler into an identification of a window region on a display on the local machine.

34. In a networked computing system, a method for providing, by a remote machine, access to a desk band associated with a resource executing on a local machine, the method comprising:

(a) installing, by a local agent executing on a local machine, a proxy container object associated with a resource provided by the local machine;

(b) instantiating, by the proxy container object, a desk band object associated with a resource provided by the local machine;

(c) receiving, by a remote agent executing on a remote machine, an identification of the desk band object associated with the resource provided by the local machine;

(d) maintaining, by the remote agent, a window region in a taskbar on a desktop environment maintained on the remote machine, the window region representing the identified desk band object;

(e) instantiating, by the remote agent, on the remote machine, a proxy handler associated with the identified desk band object;

(f) receiving, by the proxy container object, from the proxy handler, an identification of a window region associated with the identified desk band object;

(g) identifying, by the proxy container object, for the desk band object, the identified window region as a desk band site; and

(h) directing, by the desk band object, a display of output data in the identified window region in a display on the local machine of the desktop environment maintained on the remote machine.

35. The method of claim 34 further comprising translating, by the proxy container object, an identification of a window region received from the proxy handler into an identification of a window region on a display on the local machine.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein (c) further comprises receiving, by a remote agent executing on a remote machine from the local agent, an identification of the desk band object associated with the resource provided by the local machine.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein (c) further comprises receiving, by a remote agent executing on a remote machine from the proxy container object, an identification of the desk band object associated with the resource provided by the local machine.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein (d) further comprises maintaining, by the remote agent in communication with a second shell on the remote machine, a window region in a taskbar on a desktop environment maintained on the remote machine, the window region representing the identified desk band object.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein (h) further comprises directing, by the desk band object in communication with the first shell, a display of output data in the identified window region in a display on the local machine of the desktop environment maintained on the remote machine.

40. In a networked computing system, a system for providing, by a remote machine, access to a desk band associated with a resource executing on a local machine, the system comprising:

a local agent, executing on a local machine, detecting a request by a shell for creation of a desk band object associated with a resource provided by the local machine, and instantiating a proxy container object, responsive to detecting the request;

the proxy container object instantiating the desk band object and identifying a window region as a desk band site;

a remote agent, executing on a remote machine, receiving an identification of the desk band object associated with the resource provided by the local machine, and maintaining a window region in a taskbar on a desktop environment maintained on the remote machine, the window region representing the identified desk band object;

a proxy handler, instantiated by the remote agent and associated with the identified desk band object, transmitting, to the proxy container object, an identification of a window region associated with the identified desk band object; and

the desk band object directing a display of output data in the identified window region in a display on the local machine of the desktop environment maintained on the remote machine.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the proxy container object further comprises a Component Object Model (COM) object.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the proxy container object further comprises a translation component translating an identification of a window region received from the remote agent into an identification of a window region on a display on the local machine.

43. The system of claim 40 further comprising a registry on the local machine, wherein the local agent, in communication within the registry, detects the request, by the first shell on the local machine, for creation of a desk band associated with a resource provided by the local machine.