METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ESTABLISHING, HOSTING AND MANAGING A SCREEN SHARING SESSION INVOLVING A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20140040360A1
• Filed: 12/07/2011
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Privat, Guillaume
• Granted Patent: US 9,268,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

Techniques for establishing a screen sharing session are described. Consistent with some embodiments, a web conferencing application executing at a mobile computing device enables a user to specify the identity of a remote computer. The identity of the remote computer is communicated to a web conferencing service, directing the server operating the web conferencing service to establish a remote desktop connection with the remote computer. Once established, the web conferencing service receives from the remote computer a stream of information representing a user interface of the remote computer, and then broadcasts the user interface to all computing devices participating in the web conferencing session, while enabling the mobile computing device to manipulate the user interface of the remote computer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

with a web conferencing service executing at a server computer, establishing a web conferencing session between a host-computing device and at least one participant-computing device;

at the server computer, receiving from the host-computing device an identity of a remote computer, and in response, using the identity of the remote computer to establish a remote desktop connection with the remote computer;

at the server computer, receiving from the remote computer via the remote desktop connection a stream of information representing a user interface of the remote computer; and

broadcasting the stream of information representing the user interface to all computing devices participating in the web conferencing session, including the host-computing device and the at least one participant-computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the stream of information representing the user interface that is received at the server computer over the remote desktop connection is encoded and communicated from the remote computer to the server computer in accordance with a remote connection protocol, the method further comprising:

converting the stream of information consistent with a video codec prior to broadcasting the stream of information representing the user interface to all computing devices participating in the web conferencing session.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the remote connection protocol is, or is based on, one of the following:

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), Remote FrameBuffer (RFB), or Virtual Network Computing (VNC);

the video protocol is, or is based on, one of the following;

Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real Time Media Flow Protocol (RTMFP), Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP), or Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP); and

the video codec is, or is based on, one of the following;

Sorenson H263, zlib, H.264, VP6 or VPA.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

at a host interface module of the server computer, receiving from the host-computing device information representing user-input intended for a software application executing at the remote computer; and

communicating the information representing the user-input to the remote computer for processing by the software application.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the host-computing device is a mobile phone or tablet computer with a touch screen display and the user-input intended for the software application executing at the remote computer is received at the server computer as a result of a user interacting with a user interface for a web conferencing application executing at the host-computing device, the user interface presented via the touch screen display.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identity of the remote computer is specified as a hostname or Internet Protocol (IP) address and is received at the server computer during the web conferencing session.

7. A server to operate a web conferencing service, the server comprising:

a processor for executing instructions in the form of computer code;

a memory device in communication with the processor, the memory device for storing instructions executable by the processor;

computer code to establish a web conferencing session between a host-computing device and at least one participant-computing device;

computer code to receive from the host-computing device an identity of a remote computer, and in response, use the identity of the remote computer to establish a remote desktop connection with the remote computer;

computer code to receive from the remote computer, via the remote desktop connection, a stream of information representing a user interface of the remote computer; and

computer code to cause the stream of information representing the user interface to be broadcast to all computing devices participating in the web conferencing session, including the host-computing device and the at least one participant-computing device.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein the stream of information representing the user interface that is received at the server computer over the remote desktop connection is encoded and communicated from the remote computer to the server computer in accordance with a remote connection protocol, the server comprising:

computer code to convert the stream of information consistent with a video codec prior to broadcasting the stream of information representing the user interface to all computing devices participating in the web conferencing session.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the remote connection protocol is, or is based on, one of the following:

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), Remote FrameBuffer (RFB), or Virtual Network Computing (VNC);

the video protocol is, or is based on, one of the following;

Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real Time Media Flow Protocol (RTMFP), Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP), or Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP); and

the video codec is, or is based on, one of the following;

Sorenson H263, zlib, H.264, VP6 or VPA.

10. The server of claim 7, further comprising:

computer code to receive from the host-computing device information representing user-input intended for a software application executing at the remote computer; and

computer code to communicate the information representing the user-input to the remote computer for processing by the software application.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the host-computing device is a mobile phone or tablet computer with a touch screen display and the user-input intended for the software application executing at the remote computer is received at the server as a result of a user interacting with a user interface for a web conferencing application executing at the host-computing device, the user interface presented via the touch screen display.

12. The server of claim 7, wherein the identity of the remote computer is specified as a hostname or Internet Protocol (IP) address and is received at the server computer during the web conferencing session.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

with a web conferencing application executing at a mobile computing device, receiving information identifying a computer with which a remote desktop connection is to be established;

communicating the information identifying the computer to a server operating a web conferencing service with a command directing the web conferencing service to establish a remote desktop connection with the computer;

at the mobile computing device, receiving from the web conferencing service a stream of information being broadcast to all computing devices participating in the web conferencing session, the stream of information representing a user interface of the computer; and

presenting the user interface of the computer on a touch screen display of the mobile computing device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

prior to receiving the information identifying the computer, presenting a user interface element via the touch screen display of the mobile computing device, the user interface element prompting for the information identifying the computer and enabling a user to specify the identity of the computer.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the identity of the computer is specified as a hostname or an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving user-input via the touch screen display of the mobile computing device;

converting the user-input into a command to be processed by the computer; and

communicating the command to the web conferencing service to be forwarded to the computer.

17. A machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed by a processor of a computer, cause the computer to:

receive information identifying a remote computer with which a remote desktop connection is to be established;

communicate the information identifying the remote computer to a server operating a web conferencing service with a command directing the web conferencing service to establish a remote desktop connection with the remote computer;

receive from the web conferencing service a stream of information being broadcast to all computing devices participating in the web conferencing session, the stream of information representing a user interface of the remote computer; and

present the user interface of the remote computer on a display of the computer.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, storing additional instructions, which, when executed by the processor of the computer, cause the computer to:

prior to receiving the information identifying the remote computer, present a user interface element via a display of the computer, the user interface element prompting for the information identifying the remote computer and enabling a user to specify the identity of the remote computer.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the identity of the remote computer is specified as a hostname or an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, storing additional instructions, which, when executed by the processor of the computer, cause the computer to:

receive user-input via a touch screen display of the computer;

convert the user-input into a command to be processed by the remote computer; and

communicate the command to the web conferencing service to be forwarded to the remote computer for processing.