DOCUMENT VIEWING MECHANISM FOR DOCUMENT SHARING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20150082199A1
• Filed: 04/25/2014
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Schmieder, Robert W., Ben-Shachar, Ido M., Leichtling, Ivan J., Fuller, Deana Rae
• Application Number:
  US14/262,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20150082199A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

An improved application sharing system and method are described wherein a display of shared information is constructed such that application artifacts that are of no use to the viewer are not displayed to the viewer. In this way, a greatest possible portion of a viewing area can be used to display document content rather than such artifacts. In an embodiment, the functionality of reducing the display in this manner is engageable and disengageble by a viewing user. In a further embodiment of the invention, the functionality of reducing the display is automatically engaged and disengaged based on actions of a sharing user with respect to the shared information.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method for displaying a representation of a shared window on a viewing display of a viewing computing device, the method comprising:

receiving an entirety of the shared window wherein the shared window is a window of an application, the shared window having both a document content area and an application artifact area;

identifying, by a sharing process executing at the viewing computing device, the document content area of the shared window and the application artifact area of the shared window; and

displaying, on the viewing display, the document content area of the shared window while omitting from the display the application artifact area of the shared window,

wherein;

the application artifact area comprises at least one graphical object actuatable to affect the operation of the application

the shared window is associated with an application running on a sharing computing device,

the sharing computing device comprises a sharer display upon which is displayed the shared window, and

the sharing computing device is communicably linked to the viewing computing device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the application is user alterable to enter a mode of operation wherein the application artifact area of the shared window is represented on the viewing display.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein identifying the document content area of the shared window further comprises associating a parent window class of the shared window with a sub-window class associated with a sub-window within the shared window containing the document content area.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the viewing computing device is communicably linked to the sharing computing device via a network comprising a local area network.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the viewing computing device is communicably linked to the sharing computing device via a network comprising a wide area network.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the viewing computing device is communicably linked to the sharing computing device using the Internet.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving an indication that control of the application running on the sharing computing device has been relinquished by a user of the sharing computing device and is ceded to a user of the viewing computing device; and

automatically switching a mode of the viewing display whereby the application artifact area of the shared window is represented on the viewing display.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

identifying a menu that intersects both the artifacts area and the document area; and

in response to identifying the menu, modifying the viewing display to show the artifacts area.

29. A computer readable memory storing instructions configured to, in response to being executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for displaying a representation of a shared window on a viewing display of a viewing computing device, the operations comprising:

receiving an entirety of the shared window wherein the shared window is a window of an application, the shared window having both a document content area and an application artifact area;

identifying, by a sharing process executing at the viewing computing device, the document content area of the shared window and the application artifact area of the shared window; and

displaying, on the viewing display, the document content area of the shared window while omitting from the display the application artifact area of the shared window,

wherein;

the application artifact area comprises at least one graphical object actuatable to affect the operation of the application

the shared window is associated with an application running on a sharing computing device,

the sharing computing device comprises a sharer display upon which is displayed the shared window, and

the sharing computing device is communicably linked to the viewing computing device.

30. The computer readable memory of claim 29, wherein the application is user alterable to enter a mode of operation wherein the application artifact area of the shared window is represented on the viewing display.

31. The computer readable memory of claim 29, wherein identifying the document content area of the shared window further comprises associating a parent window class of the shared window with a sub-window class associated with a sub-window within the shared window containing the document content area.

32. The computer readable memory of claim 29, wherein the viewing computing device is communicably linked to the sharing computing device via a network comprising a local area network.

33. The computer readable memory of claim 29, wherein the viewing computing device is communicably linked to the sharing computing device using the Internet.

34. The computer readable memory of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an indication that control of the application running on the sharing computing device has been relinquished by a user of the sharing computing device and is ceded to a user of the viewing computing device; and

automatically switching a mode of the viewing display whereby the application artifact area of the shared window is represented on the viewing display.

35. The computer readable memory of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying a menu that intersects both the artifacts area and the document area; and

in response to identifying the menu, modifying the viewing display to show the artifacts area.

36. A system for displaying a representation of a shared window on a viewing computing device, the system comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive an entirety of the shared window wherein the shared window is a window of an application, the shared window having both a document content area and an application artifact area;

a window analyzer configured to identify, by a sharing process executing at the viewing computing device, the document content area of the shared window and the application artifact area of the shared window; and

a viewing display configured to display the document content area of the shared window while omitting from the display the application artifact area of the shared window,

wherein;

the application artifact area comprises at least one graphical object actuatable to affect the operation of the application

the shared window is associated with an application running on a sharing computing device,

the sharing computing device comprises a sharer display upon which is displayed the shared window, and

the sharing computing device is communicably linked to the viewing computing device.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the application is user alterable to enter a mode of operation wherein the application artifact area of the shared window is represented on the viewing display.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein identifying the document content area of the shared window further comprises associating a parent window class of the shared window with a sub-window class associated with a sub-window within the shared window containing the document content area.

39. The system of claim 36, wherein

the transceiver is further configured to receive an indication that control of the application running on the sharing computing device has been relinquished by a user of the sharing computing device and is ceded to a user of the viewing computing device;

and

the viewing display is configured to automatically switch to a mode of operation of whereby the application artifact area of the shared window is represented on the viewing display.

40. The system of claim 36, wherein:

the window analyzer is further configured to identify a menu that intersects both the artifacts area and the document area; and

a viewing display is further configured to, in response to the window analyzer identifying the menu, modify the viewing display to show the artifacts area.