Co-browsing Systems and Methods

• US 20110154219A1
• Filed: 12/16/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LiveLOOK, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Khalatian, Igor
• Granted Patent: US 9,535,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1462 with means for detecting differences between the image stored in the host and the images displayed on the remote displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Described are systems and methods for screen sharing between host and agent computing systems. At a time before capturing the screen of the host computing system, each open window corresponding to a browser process is identified. Certain information is acquired about each browser process. It is determined, in response to the certain information acquired about each browser process, whether the open window corresponding to that browser process is eligible for screen capture. For each eligible open window, each visible portion of that eligible open window is captured. Capture of an image on the screen of the host computing system is limited to each visible portion of each eligible open window.

Claims

1. A method for sharing a screen of a host computing system with an agent computing system, the method comprising:

identifying, at a time before capturing the screen of the host computing system, each open window corresponding to a browser process;

acquiring certain information about each browser process;

determining, in response to the certain information acquired about each browser process, whether the open window corresponding to that browser process is eligible for screen capture;

calculating, for each eligible open window, each visible portion of that eligible open window; and

limiting capture of an image on the screen of the host computing system to each visible portion of each eligible open window.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the certain information acquired about each browser process includes a title of the open window corresponding to that browser process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the certain information acquired about each browser process includes a URL (universal resource locator) of a web page presented in the open window corresponding to that browser process.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising masking, after capturing the image on the screen of the host computing system, one or more regions of the captured screen image.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising searching in the screen image for a rectangular region with borders of a particular color and, in response to finding the borders of the particular color, masking the rectangular region.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising searching in the screen image for a rectangular region with text of a particular color and, in response to finding the text of the particular color, masking the rectangular region.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

acquiring child processes of each browser process;

identifying a rectangular region based on the child processes; and

masking the identified rectangular region.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining, in response to the certain information acquired about each browser process, whether the open window corresponding to that browser process is eligible for screen capture includes:

comparing the certain information acquired about each open window with one or more strings in an inclusion list, each string in the inclusion list being associated with content that is eligible for screen sharing with the agent; and

comparing the certain information acquired about each open window with one or more strings in an exclusion list, each string in the exclusion list being associated with content that is ineligible for screen sharing with the agent,

wherein a given open window is eligible for screen sharing if the certain information acquired about the given open window matches a string in the inclusion list and does not match any string in the exclusion list.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising populating the inclusion list and the exclusion lists through an administration panel on the host computing system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising

repeating, before capturing the image on the screen of the host computing system, the steps of identifying, acquiring, determining, and calculating in order to recalculate each visible portion of each eligible open window;

and

wherein the step of limiting capture of an image on the screen of the host computing system is based on results produced by both calculations.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising painting each the captured screen image an image canvas having a size of the screen of the host computing system.

12. A screen-sharing system comprising:

a server system conducting a screen-sharing session between a host computing system and an agent computing system over a network, the server system transmitting a web page to the host computing system, the web page including embedded computer-readable program code to be executed by the host computing system when a browser running on the host computing system displays the web page, the computer-readable program code comprising;

computer-readable program code configured to identify, at a time before capturing a screen of the host computing system, each open window corresponding to a browser process;

computer-readable program code configured to acquire certain information about each browser process;

computer-readable program code configured to determine, in response to the certain information acquired about each browser process, whether the open window corresponding to that browser process is eligible for screen capture;

computer-readable program code configured to calculate, for each eligible open window, each visible portion of that eligible open window; and

computer-readable program code configured to limit capture of an image on the screen of the host computing system to each visible portion of each eligible open window.

13. The screen-sharing system of claim 12, wherein the certain information acquired about each browser process includes a title of the open window corresponding to that browser process.

14. The screen-sharing system of claim 12, wherein the certain information acquired about each browser process includes a URL (universal resource locator) of a web page presented in the open window corresponding to that browser process.

15. The screen-sharing system of claim 12, further comprising computer-readable program code configured to mask, after capturing the image on the screen of the host computing system, one or more regions of the captured screen image.

16. The screen-sharing system of claim 15, further comprising computer-readable program code configured to search in the screen image for a rectangular region with borders of a particular color and, in response to finding the borders of the particular color, masking the rectangular region.

17. The screen-sharing system of claim 15, further comprising computer-readable program code configured to search in the screen image for a rectangular region with text of a particular color and, in response to finding the text of the particular color, masking the rectangular region.

18. The screen-sharing system of claim 15, further comprising:

computer-readable program code configured to acquire child processes of each browser process;

computer-readable program code configured to identify a rectangular region based on the child processes; and

computer-readable program code configured to mask the identified rectangular region.

19. The screen-sharing system of claim 12, further comprising

computer-readable program code configured to repeat, before capturing the image on the screen of the host computing system, the steps of identifying, acquiring, determining, and calculating in order to recalculate each visible portion of each eligible open window;

and

wherein the computer-readable program code configured to limit capture of an image on the screen of the host computing system is based on results produced by both calculations.

20. The screen-sharing system of claim 12, further comprising computer-readable program code configured to paint each the captured screen image an image canvas having a size of the screen of the host computing system.