REMOTE CONTROL OF A HOST COMPUTER

• US 20100106766A1
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Bailey, Scott, Russell, William C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,880,715 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor

Abstract

A host computer is remotely controlled by a remote client device over a network that carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol. The host computer establishes a connection to the remote client device using a connection-oriented protocol, and receives commands from the remote client device over the connection-oriented protocol and implements the commands so as to affect a display of the host computer. The host computer transmits content of the display to the remote client device using the connection-oriented protocol. In addition, the host computer identifies one or more rapid-change areas in the display of the host computer in which the display is changing more quickly than a predetermined threshold rate of change, and transmits content of each rapid-change area to the remote client device using a connectionless protocol at a rate higher than the connection-oriented protocol.

Claims

1. A method of operating a host computer which is remotely controlled by a remote client device over a network that carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol, comprising:

establishing a connection to the remote client device using a connection-oriented protocol;

receiving commands from the remote client device over the connection-oriented protocol and implementing the commands so as to affect a display of the host computer;

transmitting content of the display to the remote client device using the connection-oriented protocol;

identifying one or more rapid-change areas in the display of the host computer in which the display is changing more quickly than a predetermined threshold rate of change; and

transmitting content of each rapid-change area to the remote client device using a connectionless protocol, at a rate higher than the connection-oriented protocol.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein rapid-change areas are identified by comparing screenshots of the display of the host computer.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein rapid-change areas are identified by monitoring display commands sent by an operating system of the host computer.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein rapid-change areas are identified by monitoring drawing commands sent from a video card in the host computer.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold rate of change is set based on display properties of the remote client device.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the host computer notifies the remote client device to expect data via the connectionless protocol, and transmits coordinates defining the location of the rapid-change area to the remote client device.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting a type of connectionless protocol based on one or more of the following:

a selection made by the user;

encoders or decoders available at the host computer and the remote client device;

a bandwidth of the connection; and

display capabilities of the remote client device.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein if the rate of change for a rapid-change area falls below the threshold rate of change, the host computer delays for a period of time before switching back to a connection-oriented protocol for the rapid-change area.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein if the rate of change for a rapid-change area falls below the threshold rate of change, the host computer does not change back to a connection-oriented protocol for the rapid-change area unless the rapid-change area falls below a second threshold rate of change.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the host computer temporarily delays identifying rapid-change areas during start-up of the host computer.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein certain display icons or areas are excluded from the identifying step.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein a host cursor is excluded from the identifying step, and wherein the position of the host cursor is transmitted to the remote client device to locally redraw the host cursor on the remote client device.

13. A host computer which is controlled by a remote client device over a network which carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol, the host computer comprising:

an interface unit that establishes a connection to the remote client device using a connection-oriented protocol;

a receiving unit that receives commands from the remote client device over the connection-oriented protocol;

a processing unit that implements the commands so as to affect the a display of the host computer;

a connection-oriented transmission unit that transmits content of the display to the remote client device using the connection-oriented protocol;

an identification unit that identifies one or more rapid-change areas in the display of the host computer in which the display is changing more quickly than a predetermined threshold rate of change; and

a connectionless transmission unit that transmits content of each rapid-change area to the remote client device using a connectionless protocol, at a rate higher than the connection-oriented protocol.

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program for operating a host computer which is remotely controlled by a remote client device over a network that carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol, said program comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection to the remote client device using a connection-oriented protocol;

receiving commands from the remote client device over the connection-oriented protocol and implementing the commands so as to affect a display of the host computer;

transmitting content of the display to the remote client device using the connection-oriented protocol;

identifying one or more rapid-change areas in the display of the host computer in which the display is changing more quickly than a predetermined threshold rate of change; and

transmitting content of each rapid-change area to the remote client device using a connectionless protocol, at a rate higher than the connection-oriented protocol.

15. A method of operating a client device to remotely control a host computer over a network that carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol, comprising:

establishing a connection to the host computer using a connection-oriented protocol;

transmitting commands over the connection-oriented protocol to the host computer;

receiving display content of the host computer over the connection-oriented protocol;

receiving rapid-change display content of the host computer over a connectionless protocol; and

displaying the received display content and the received rapid-change display content.

16. A client device that remotely controls a host computer over a network that carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol, comprising:

an interface unit that establishes a connection to the host computer using a connection-oriented protocol;

a transmission unit that transmits commands over the connection-oriented protocol to the host computer;

a connection-oriented receiving unit that receives display content of the host computer over the connection-oriented protocol;

a connectionless receiving unit that receives rapid-change display content of the host computer over a connectionless protocol; and

a display unit that displays the received display content and the received rapid-change display content.

17. A computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for a client device which remotely controls a host computer over a network that carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol, said program comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection to the host computer using a connection-oriented protocol;

transmitting commands over the connection-oriented protocol to the host computer;

receiving display content of the host computer over the connection-oriented protocol;

receiving rapid-change display content of the host computer over a connectionless protocol; and

displaying received display content and the received rapid-change display content.