Supervisory control system for networked multimedia workstations that provides remote launching of files
First Claim
1. In a computer network of the type including at least one master workstation and a plurality other workstations, a method for launching a user-manipulatable file at selected ones of the other workstations from the master workstation, comprising the steps of:
- selecting a file stored at the master workstation;
transmitting an identification of the selected file to each of the other workstations at which the file is to be launched, said identification including the name of the file and at least one other attribute pertaining to the selected file;
locating the selected file from those stored at each of said other workstations; and
opening the selected file at each of said other workstations so that the file is in a state to be manipulated by users at said other workstations.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A supervisory control system for a networked multimedia computing system that addresses the foregoing limitations associated with currently existing systems provides a teacher or network administrator at a master workstation with the ability to open a specified document on selected remote workstations in the network. If the document is not already present on the various remote workstations, the teacher can first transmit it to each one that does not already have it. At the remote workstations, the document is stored at the same location as it is in the master workstation, to facilitate finding it on subsequent occasions. When a command is sent to open the document, it is identified by specific attributes that enable it to be distinguished from other documents that may have the same name. With this feature, a teacher can easily reset an entire computer lab so that each student will be at the same position for the beginning of a new class, for example. This same feature can also be used to launch application programs at destination workstations, as well as quit applications on selected workstations.
84 Citations
33 Claims
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1. In a computer network of the type including at least one master workstation and a plurality other workstations, a method for launching a user-manipulatable file at selected ones of the other workstations from the master workstation, comprising the steps of:
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selecting a file stored at the master workstation; transmitting an identification of the selected file to each of the other workstations at which the file is to be launched, said identification including the name of the file and at least one other attribute pertaining to the selected file; locating the selected file from those stored at each of said other workstations; and opening the selected file at each of said other workstations so that the file is in a state to be manipulated by users at said other workstations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A networked computer system, comprising:
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a master workstation; a plurality of other workstations; means at said master workstation for selecting a user-manipulatable file stored in a memory that is accessible from the master workstation; means at said master workstation for transmitting an identification of the selected file to each of said plurality of workstations; means at said master workstation for generating a command to open the selected file; means at each of said other workstations for locating the selected file from those stored in a memory that is accessible from said other workstation; and means responsive to the location of the selected file and to said command for opening the selected file at each of said other workstations so that said file is in a state to be manipulated by users at said other workstations. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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26. The system of claim 26 wherein the selected file is a document, and said software program is an application program for manipulating the contents of said document.
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33. A method for remotely launching a file in a plurality of computers that are connected to a master computer, comprising the steps of:
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designating, at said master computer, a file that is to be launched at the plurality of computers; transmitting a command to open the designated file from the master computer to the plurality of computers, said command including the name of the file and other information for uniquely identifying the designated file; searching local storage media at each of the plurality of computers to locate the designated file; determining at each of the plurality of computers where the designated file was located whether the designated file is a document or an application program; launching the program if the designated file is an application program; if the designated file is a document, locating an application program at each of the plurality of computers which is capable of handling the contents of the document, launching the application program, and opening the document within the launched program at each of the plurality of computers.
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Specification