SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DYNAMICALLY UPDATING A USER INTERFACE WITHIN A VIRTUAL COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20110082938A1
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aventura HQ Incorporated (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Aventura HQ Incorporated (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: LOWREY, DAVID, JAUDON, JOE
• Application Number:
  US12/575,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20110082938A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for dynamically manipulating and/or reconfiguring a user interface within a virtual computing environment. Specifically, various systems and methods as provided by the present invention allow for dynamic manipulation or reconfiguration of a user interface within a computing session. Depending on the embodiment, the system and method may be used for sessions provided by an application control environment or a virtual computing environment. Embodiments of the invention enable dynamic manipulation, control, and reconfiguration of the user interface within a computing environment based on user interface rules. These user interface rules may be used to implement policy and access control on users of the computing session.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a user interface in a computing environment, comprising:

detecting a request to establish a computing session from a terminal, wherein the computing session contains the user interface having a user interface element;

determining a terminal attribute;

selecting a user interface rule based on the terminal attribute, wherein the user interface rule controls, manipulates or reconfigures the user interface element based on a criterion; and

applying the user interface rule to the user interface element within the computing session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the user interface to the computing session occurs after the computing session has been established.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal attribute includes terminal type, terminal physical location, terminal network location, and terminal connection type.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request for a computing session further comprises receiving login information from the terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface element has a user interface attribute to which the user interface rule is applied.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user interface attribute includes appearance, screen position, user accessibility, and behavior.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing session is provided by a virtual computing environment or application control environment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is sent from the terminal to a server providing the computing session.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the criterion is based on a user interface action, a user credential, or a designation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user interface action is creating, hiding, closing, minimizing, maximizing, normalizing, hiding, or moving a graphical window;

reordering two or more graphical windows;

keyboard input;

creating, deleting or renaming a file;

creating, deleting, renaming, or modifying a directory;

changing a file attribute;

changing a directory attribute; and

executing, killing, or deleting a process.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the user credential includes a user identity and a user group.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the designation identifies a specific user interface element, a file, or a directory.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface rule is selected from a datastore.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the user interface rule to the computing session comprises:

intercepting a user interface action on a specific user interface element from the terminal to the server; and

performing the user interface action in accordance with the user interface rule to affect control, manipulation, or reconfiguration of the specific user interface element.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the user interface rule to the computing session comprises manipulating the computing session appearance and behavior in accordance with the user interface rule.

16. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer program code embodied therein for controlling a user interface in a computing environment, comprising:

detecting a request to establish a computing session from a terminal, wherein the computing session contains the user interface having a user interface element;

determining a terminal attribute;

selecting a user interface rule based on the terminal attribute, wherein the user interface rule controls, manipulates or reconfigures the user interface element based on a criterion; and

applying the user interface rule to the user interface element within the computing session.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein applying the user interface to the computing session occurs after the computing session has been established.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the terminal attribute includes terminal type, terminal physical location, terminal network location, and terminal connection type.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein receiving a request for a computing session further comprises receiving login information from the terminal.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the user interface element has a user interface attribute to which the user interface rule is applied.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the user interface attribute includes appearance, screen position, user accessibility, and behavior.

22. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computing session is provided by a virtual computing environment or application control environment.

23. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the request is sent from the terminal to a server providing the computing session.

24. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the criterion is based on a user interface action, a user credential, or a designation.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the user interface action is creating, hiding, closing, minimizing, maximizing, normalizing, hiding, or moving a graphical window;

reordering two or more graphical windows;

keyboard input;

creating, deleting or renaming a file;

creating, deleting, renaming, or modifying a directory;

changing a file attribute;

changing a directory attribute; and

executing, killing, or deleting a process.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the user credential includes a user identity and a user group.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the designation identifies a specific user interface element, a file, or a directory.

28. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the user interface rule is selected from a datastore.

29. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein applying the user interface rule to the computing session comprises:

intercepting a user interface action on a specific user interface element from the terminal to the server; and

performing the user interface action in accordance with the user interface rule to affect control, manipulation, or reconfiguration of the specific user interface element.

30. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein applying the user interface rule to the computing session comprises manipulating the computing session appearance and behavior in accordance with the user interface rule.