METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING ACCESS, FROM WITHIN A VIRTUAL WORLD, TO AN EXTERNAL RESOURCE

• US 20090106347A1
• Filed: 10/17/2007
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Harwood, William T., Tonks, Hugh
• Granted Patent: US 8,024,407 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/509 Offload
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]

Abstract

In a method for providing access to resources, a virtual world application executing on a first server transmits, to a client, data representative of at least one virtual world object. The virtual world application receives, from the client, a request to access a resource executed on a second server. The virtual world application requests access to the requested resource and, in response, receives output data generated by the resource. The virtual world application transmits, to the client, the received output data and data representative of a second virtual world object. In some aspects, the virtual world application receives a request to render, on a virtual world object, output data generated by a resource executed on the client. An agent intercepts the output data generated by the resource executed on the client. A virtual world client applies the intercepted output data as a texture to a virtual world object.

Claims

1. A method for providing, to a client device, access, via a command executed in a virtual world application executing on a first server, to a resource executing on a second server, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting, by a virtual world application executing on a first server, to a client device, data representative of at least one virtual world object for display on the client device;

(b) receiving, by the virtual world application, from the client device, a request to access a resource executed on a second server;

(c) requesting, by the virtual world application, access to the requested resource executed on the second server;

(d) receiving, by the virtual world application, from the second server, output data generated by the requested resource executed on the second server; and

(e) transmitting, by the virtual world application, to the client device, the output data generated by the requested resource and data representative of a second virtual world object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (e) further comprises transmitting, by the virtual world application, to the client device, data representative of a second virtual world object having a texture including the output data generated by the execution of the requested resource.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (e) further comprises transmitting, by the virtual world application, to the client device, data including an instruction to render the second virtual world object with the texture including the output data generated by the execution of the requested resource.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving, by an agent on the first server, output data generated by an execution of the resource provided by the second server.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving, by an agent on the first server, output data generated by an execution of a second resource provided by a third server.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of transmitting, by the virtual world application, to the client device, the output data generated by the execution of the requested resource and data representative of a modified version of the at least one virtual world object

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying, by a virtual world client, executing on the client device, data representative of a second virtual world object having a texture including the output data generated by the execution of the requested resource.

8. A system for providing, to a client device, access to an application executing on a first server, via a command executed in a virtual world application executing on a second server, comprising:

a client device displaying data generated by a virtual world application;

a first server executing a requested resource; and

a second server executing the virtual world application, receiving, from the first server, output data generated by the execution of the requested resource, and transmitting, to the client device, the received data and data representative of at least one virtual world object.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the virtual world application further comprises an agent receiving, from the first server, output data generated by the execution of the requested resource, and transmitting, to the client device, data representative of at least one virtual world object and the received output data.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the virtual world application further comprises an agent transmitting to the client device data representative of a second virtual world object having a texture including the output data generated by the execution of the requested resource.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the virtual world application further comprises an agent transmitting, to the client device, data including an instruction to render the second virtual world object with the texture including the output data generated by the execution of the requested resource.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the virtual world application further comprises an agent receiving output data generated by an execution of a second resource provided by a third server.

13. The system of claim 8 further comprising a virtual world client executing on the client device and displaying data representative of at least one virtual world object having a texture including the output data generated by the execution of the requested resource.

14. A method for displaying, in a virtual world environment, output data generated by a resource executing on a first machine, the virtual world environment generated by a second machine, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a virtual world client executing on a first machine, from a second machine, data representative of at least one virtual world object for display on the first machine;

receiving, by the virtual world client, a request to render, on the at least one virtual world object, output data generated by a resource executed on the first machine;

intercepting, by an agent in communication with the virtual world client, the output data generated by the resource executed on the first machine; and

rendering, by the virtual world client, the at least one virtual world object with a texture including the output data generated by the resource executed on the first machine.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of receiving, by the virtual world client, data including an instruction to render a second virtual world object with the texture including the output data generated by the execution of the resource on the first machine.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of receiving, by the virtual world client, output data generated by a second resource executed on a third machine.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of receiving, by the virtual world client, data representative of a third virtual world object and an instruction to render the third virtual world object with a texture including the output data generated by the execution of the second resource on the third machine.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of receiving, by the virtual world client, the output data generated by the requested resource and data representative of a modified version of the at least one virtual world object.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of displaying, by the virtual world client, data representative of a second virtual world object having a texture including the output data generated by the resource executed on the first machine.

20. A system for displaying, in a virtual world environment, output data generated by a resource executing on a first machine, the virtual world environment generated by a second machine, comprising:

an agent executing on a first machine and intercepting output data generated by a resource executed on the first machine;

a virtual world client executing on the first machine, receiving, from a second machine, data representative of at least one virtual world object for display on the first machine and rendering the at least one virtual world object with a texture including the intercepted output data generated by the resource executed on the first machine.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the virtual world client further comprises a receiver receiving data including an instruction to render a second virtual world object with the texture including the output data generated by the resource executed on the first machine.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the virtual world client further comprises a receiver for receiving output data generated by a second resource executed on a third machine.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the virtual world client further comprises a receiver for receiving data representative of a third virtual world object and an instruction to render the third virtual world object with a texture including the output data generated by the execution of the second resource on the third machine.

24. The system of claim 20 further comprising a virtual world application executing on the second machine and transmitting, to the virtual world client, data representative of the at least one virtual world object.

25. A computer readable medium having instructions thereon that when executed cause a processor to display, in a virtual world environment, output data generated by a resource executing on a first machine, the virtual world environment generated by a second machine, the computer readable medium comprising:

instructions to receive, by a first agent executing on a first machine, from a virtual world application executing on a second machine, a request to access a resource executed on the first machine;

instructions to transmit, by the first agent, to the virtual world application, output data generated by the requested resource executed on the first machine; and

instructions to transmit, by a second agent in communication with the virtual world application, to a third machine, the output data generated by the requested resource, data representative of a virtual world object, and an instruction to render the virtual world object with a texture including the output data generated resource.