MULTIPLE DEVICE CO-BROWSING OF A SINGLE WEBSITE INSTANCE

• US 20140195588A1
• Filed: 01/04/2013
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Pai, Deep Subhash, Badge, Gaurav Moreshwar
• Granted Patent: US 10,237,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provide systems and method for allowing multiple devices to browse the same instance of a website. In a particular embodiment, a method provides receiving an instruction in the co-browsing system to initiate a co-browsing session for a website with a first client and a second client. The method further provides acquiring the website from a server that hosts the website and rendering the website in the co-browsing system to generate a rendered image of the website. The method further provides transferring a first copy of the rendered image to the first client and a second copy of the rendered image to the second client.

Claims

1. A method of operating a co-browsing system, comprising:

receiving an instruction in the co-browsing system to initiate a co-browsing session for a website with a first client and a second client;

acquiring the website from a server that hosts the website;

rendering the website in the co-browsing system to generate a rendered image of the website; and

transferring a first copy of the rendered image to the first client and a second copy of the rendered image to the second client.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the first copy of the rendered image at the first client; and

displaying the second copy of the rendered image at the second client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first client and the second client each comprises a first co-browsing client executing within a web browser on a first device and the second client comprises a co-browsing client executing within a web browser on a second device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before transferring the second copy of the rendered image, applying a filter to the second copy of the rendered image.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the filter masks portions of the second copy of the rendered image so that the portions cannot be viewed at the second client.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the filter indicates portions of the second copy of the rendered image that are not allowed to receive user input from the second client.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the first client, receiving user input into the first copy of the rendered image and transferring the user input to the co-browsing server;

rendering the website in the co-browsing server to generate a second rendered image of the website that accounts for the user input;

transferring a first copy of the second rendered image to the first client and a second copy of the second rendered image to the second client.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the second client, receiving user input into the second copy of the rendered image and transferring the user input to the co-browsing server;

in the co-browsing server, filtering the user input to determine whether the user input is allowed to be entered from the second client;

if the user input is allowed, rendering the website in the co-browsing server to generate a second rendered image of the website that accounts for the user input;

transferring a first copy of the second rendered image to the first client and a second copy of the second rendered image to the second client.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an instruction from the second client to transfer the co-browsing session to a third client;

transferring the second copy of the rendered image to the third client.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first client is executing within a web browsing application on a first device and the second client is executing within a web browsing application on a second device.

11. A co-browsing system, comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive an instruction initiate a co-browsing session for a website with a first client and a second client and acquire the website from a server that hosts the website;

a processing system configured to render the website to generate a rendered image of the website; and

the communication interface further configured to transfer a first copy of the rendered image to the first client and a second copy of the rendered image to the second client.

12. The co-browsing system of claim 11, wherein the first client is configured to display the first copy of the rendered image and the second client is configured to display the second copy of the rendered image.

13. The co-browsing system of claim 11, wherein the first client and the second client each comprises a first co-browsing client executing within a web browser on a first device and the second client comprises a co-browsing client executing within a web browser on a second device.

14. The co-browsing system of claim 11, further comprising:

the processing system further configured to apply a filter to the second copy of the rendered image before transferring the second copy of the rendered image.

15. The co-browsing system of claim 14, wherein the filter masks portions of the second copy of the rendered image so that the portions cannot be viewed at the second client.

16. The co-browsing system of claim 14, wherein the filter indicates portions of the second copy of the rendered image that are not allowed to receive user input from the second client.

17. The co-browsing system of claim 11, further comprising:

the communication interface configured to receive, from the first client, user input into the first copy of the rendered image;

the processing system configured to render the website to generate a second rendered image of the website that accounts for the user input;

the communication interface further configured to transfer a first copy of the second rendered image to the first client and a second copy of the second rendered image to the second client.

18. The co-browsing system of claim 11, further comprising:

the communication interface configured to receive, from the second client, user input into the second copy of the rendered image;

the processing system configured to filter the user input to determine whether the user input is allowed to be entered from the second client and, if the user input is allowed, render the website to generate a second rendered image of the website that accounts for the user input;

the communication interface further configured to transfer a first copy of the second rendered image to the first client and a second copy of the second rendered image to the second client.

19. The co-browsing system of claim 11, further comprising:

the communication interface configured to receive an instruction from the second client to transfer the co-browsing session to a third client and transfer the second copy of the rendered image to the third client.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for operating a co-browsing server, wherein the instructions, when executed by the co-browsing server, direct the co-browsing server to:

receive an instruction in the co-browsing system to initiate a co-browsing session for a website with a first client and a second client;

acquire the website from a server that hosts the website;

render the website in the co-browsing system to generate a rendered image of the website; and

transfer a first copy of the rendered image to the first client and a second copy of the rendered image to the second client.