REDIRECTION OF MULTIPLE REMOTE DEVICES

• US 20100077019A1
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Holk, Eric T., Mahajan, Rajneesh, Yerrace, Frank D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,645,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques for multiple audio device capture and playback during a remote desktop session. A custom device manager may instantiate proxy audio input and output devices on the server corresponding to each real device on the client computer. The proxy devices may redirect their respective audio input and output data to the physical device on the client. In an embodiment, multiple audio devices may be instantiated during a remote session, and multiple independent audio streams may be redirected to the selected device on the client computer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for redirecting input/output data in a client server environment, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an application executing on a server for available input/output devices;

requesting input/output device information from a client computer;

receiving the input/output device information from the client computer, the device information uniquely identifying input/output devices on the client computer;

associating a proxy device with at least one identified input/output device and returning information regarding the associated proxy device to the application; and

receiving from the application data directed to the associated proxy device and redirecting the received data to the input/output device associated with the proxy device, wherein the proxy device transmits the received data to the identified input/output device interface associated with the proxy device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the client computer a notification of input/output device configuration changes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the input/output device information further comprises at least one property associated with a device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising synchronizing at least one property between the client computer and the server, comprising transmitting a request to a proxy device to read or set a property on an input/output device on the client computer, the proxy device transmitting the request over the communications channel to the client computer.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising creating properties for each input/output device and handling requests for properties for the input/output device without communicating to the client computer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is an audio application, further comprising:

redirecting a plurality of audio streams to an input/output audio device on the client computer by combining audio streams destined for the audio device and transmitting the combined audio stream over a communications channel to the audio device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising measuring communication channel parameters on the communications channel and selecting an audio encoder as a function of the communication channel parameters.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising configuring the associated proxy device to use a fixed audio format.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each proxy device is independently configured.

10. A system adapted to provide services to a client computer over a remote network connection, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory communicatively coupled to said at least one processor, the memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions capable of;

receiving via a first API a request for available audio devices;

transmitting a request for the client computer'"'"'s audio devices to a client device manager executing on the client computer, wherein the client device manager communicates to the client computer'"'"'s resources via a second API executing on the client computer;

receiving from the client device manager information indicative of the specific audio devices on the client computer;

associating proxy devices corresponding to the specific audio devices, the proxy devices enabling redirection of audio input and output to the corresponding audio devices, wherein each proxy device retains independent state and configuration information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the audio devices further comprise at least one property associated with the devices, wherein the at least one property is synchronized between the client computer and the server, further comprising:

receiving from a proxy device a request from an audio application to read or set a property on the corresponding device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the property comprises at least one of a device'"'"'s form factor, audio formats supported by the device, or a priority associated with the device.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

redirecting a plurality of audio streams to at least one of the specific audio devices on the client computer by combining audio streams targeted to the at least one of the specific audio devices and transmitting the combined audio stream to the proxy device corresponding to the least one of the specific audio devices.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

measuring communication channel parameters on the communications channel, and selecting an audio encoder as a function of the communication channel parameters.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving from the client computer a notification of device changes;

activating proxy devices corresponding to new audio devices; and

removing proxy devices corresponding to removed audio devices.

16. A computer readable storage medium storing thereon computer executable instructions for redirecting audio data, comprising:

receiving from a server over a communications channel a request for available input/output audio devices;

requesting, via an API, input/output audio device information, the device information uniquely identifying input/output audio device interfaces;

encoding and transmitting the input/output audio device information over the communications channel to the server;

associating a proxy device with at least one identified input/output audio device, the proxy device comprising at least one interface for receiving redirected audio inputs and outputs from the server, wherein the proxy device transmits the redirected audio inputs and outputs to the identified audio input/output device interface associated with the proxy device.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a request to access properties associated with an audio device, and responding to the request by requesting the properties via the API and returning received properties.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving at least one redirected audio stream over the communications channel, the redirected audio stream comprising combined audio streams from applications executing on the server and directed to one of the proxy devices;

combining the redirected audio stream with available audio data from an application executing locally on the client computer; and

directing the combined audio stream to an audio device associated with the directed proxy device.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

monitoring for new and removed devices via the API; and

transmitting to the server a notification of device configuration changes.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

registering with the API for notifications about new or removed devices; and

transmitting to the server a notification of device configuration changes.