System and method for dynamically sharing an application program among a plurality of conference devices while maintaining state

• US 5,805,846 A
• Filed: 11/21/1996
• Issued: 09/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ando, Fumio, Kobayashi, Makoto, Nakajima, Amane
• Primary Examiner(s): Burwell, Joseph R.
• Application Number:
  US08/754,518
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 395/329-332, 395/200.04, 395/200.12, 395/330, 379/202
• US Class Current: 715/753
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation

Abstract

A method for dynamically sharing an application in a conference system while maintaining state regardless of whether the application is under execution in all conference devices. The conference system includes a plurality of conference devices with at least one conference device executing an application program. The method for dynamically sharing the application program among the plurality of conference devices in the conference system while maintaining state, includes the steps of: communicating a request to share the application program from a requesting conference device which is executing the application to all enrolled conference devices; storing an executed state of the application program to be shared in the requesting conference device; starting the application program to be shared by enrolled conference devices in which an application program corresponding to the application program to be shared is not started; communicating the executed state stored in the requesting conference device to all enrolled conference devices; and processing by all enrolled conference devices of the application program to be shared in a shared executed state equal to the executed state communicated.

Claims

1. In a conference system including a plurality of conference devices with at least one requesting conference device executing an application program to be used in a conference, a method for dynamically sharing the application program among the plurality of conference devices while maintaining a same state of the application program at each of the plurality of conference devices, said method comprising the steps of:

communicating a request to share the application program from said requesting conference device executing the application program to other ones of said conference devices enrolled in the conference;

storing a current state of the application program in the requesting conference device;

loading the application program by said other ones of said conference devices enrolled in the conference;

communicating the current state from the requesting conference device to said other ones of said conference devices enrolled in said conference; and

processing the application program by said other ones of said conference devices enrolled in said conference to acquire a state equal to the current state.

2. The conference system as recited in claim 1 wherein the application program is a blackboard program for displaying a screen on said conference devices on which users can write messages.

3. In a conference system including a plurality of conference devices wherein a requesting conference device is executing an application program, said requesting conference device adapted for dynamically sharing the application program among the plurality of conference devices while maintaining said plurality of conference devices in a same state, said requesting conference device comprising:

application program storage means for storing an application program used for a conference;

callback protocol storage means, coupled to the application program storage means, for storing a processing program along with identifiers for sharing the application program;

conference control means for maintaining all conference devices in a same state coupled to the callback protocol storage means, wherein one or more registered identifiers of the processing program corresponding to event information indicating a changed state of a conference are previously stored, said conference control means communicating the event information corresponding to the changed state to all said conference devices, said conference control means further for changing a conference execution state to be equal to the changed state corresponding to communicated event information and executing the processing program corresponding to the communicated event information by referencing the registered identifiers; and

communication control means, coupled to the conference control means, for communicating transferred data including the event information.

4. The conference device of claim 3, where the plurality of conference devices communicatively couple so that the event information can be input or output.

5. The conference system as recited in claim 3 wherein the application program is a blackboard program for displaying a screen on said conference devices on which users can write messages.