SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ALLOWING A USER TO CONTROL THEIR COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT WITHIN A VIRTUAL COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20110083081A1
• 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, Williams, Adam, Jaudon, Joe
• Application Number:
  US12/575,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20110083081A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/743
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for allowing a user to control their computing environment within a virtual computing environment. Specifically, various systems and methods as provided by the present invention allow for users to configure their computing environment within a virtual computing environment based on changing locations within a single 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 allow for user control of the computing environment based on user policy rules. These user policy rules may be used to implement access control on users of the computing session.

Claims

1. A method for allowing a user to control a computing environment within a computing session, comprising:

detecting a request from the user to configure an aspect of the computing environment;

determining a computing session attribute;

selecting a user policy rule based on the computing session attribute, wherein the user policy rule defines an allowed level of control of the computing environment by the user; and

applying the user policy rule to the computing environment by allowing or preventing the user from controlling the computing environment based on the user policy rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing session attribute includes a user credential, a terminal type, a terminal physical location, a terminal network location, and a terminal connection type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user policy rule is based on a user interface action, a user credential, or a user interface designation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user interface action is selected from the group consisting of:

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, terminating, suspending, or deleting a process.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the user credential includes a user identity and a user group.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the user interface designation identifies a specific user interface element, a file, or a directory.

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

8. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the user policy rule to the computing environment involves allowing or preventing the user from interacting with a user interface of the computing environment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein allowing or preventing the user from interacting with the user interface comprises allowing the user to or preventing the user from executing a user interface action.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user interface action is selected from the group consisting of:

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, terminating, suspending, or deleting a process.

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

detecting a request from the user to configure an aspect of the computing environment;

determining a computing session attribute;

selecting a user policy rule based on the computing session attribute, wherein the user policy rule defines an allowed level of control of the computing environment by the user; and

applying the user policy rule to the computing environment by allowing or preventing the user from controlling the computing environment based on the user policy rule.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computing session attribute includes a user credential, a terminal type, a terminal physical location, a terminal network location, and a terminal connection type.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the user policy rule is based on a user interface action, a user credential, or a user interface designation.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the user interface action is selected from the group consisting of:

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, terminating, suspending, or deleting a process.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the user credential includes a user identity and a user group.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the user interface designation identifies a specific user interface element, a file, or a directory.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the user policy rule is selected from a datastore.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein applying the user policy rule to the computing environment involves allowing or preventing the user from interacting with a user interface of the computing environment.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein allowing or preventing the user from interacting with the user interface comprises allowing the user to or preventing the user from executing a user interface action.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the user interface action is selected from the group consisting of:

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, terminating, suspending, or deleting a process.