Method and system for dynamic translation between different graphical user interface systems

• US 5,831,609 A
• Filed: 06/06/1995
• Issued: 11/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Exodus Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Zeck, Steven, Goodrich, Donald W., London, Mitchell B., Katz, Alan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US08/472,935
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 395/157, 395/158, 395/156, 395/159, 395/160, 395/335, 395/374, 395/338, 395/339, 395/340, 395/682, 395/326, 395/327, 395/341, 395/337, 395/351, 395/352, 395/353, 395/359, 395/330, 463/31
• US Class Current: 715/746
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/04 Display device controller operating with a plurality of display units

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards a translation software that provides remote access to an application program that is executing on a host machine in its native operating system environment. The translation software monitors messages that are relayed from the application program to an application interface that is provided via the native operating system. Upon recognizing a message that affects a graphical user interface of the native operating system, the translation software converts the message into a protocol that is recognized by a remote graphical user interface. By monitoring and converting messages in this fashion, the translation software allows the application program to be displayed remotely.

Claims

1. A method for running an application as an X-Client so as to enable the application to be displayed with an X-Windows manager, the method comprising the steps of:

launching a "WINDOWS/NT" session;

invoking an application from within the "WINDOWS/NT" session;

monitoring output messages that are sent from the application;

determining that one of the monitored output messages is a graphical user interface command; and

when the monitored output message is a graphical user interface command, enabling an X-Windows manager program to act on the command, and informing the "WINDOWS/NT" device driver of results of the command that was acted on by the X-Windows manager program, wherein the enabling step includes converting the graphical user interface command from a "WINDOWS/NT" format into a format that is recognized by X-Windows manager program to enable the X-Windows manager program to act on the command.

2. A method for providing remote display and interaction with an application program that is executing on a local machine, the local machine executing the application program using a native operating system, wherein the native operating system includes a local application interface structured to respond to graphical user interface commands from the application program, and a local graphical user interface, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a graphical user interface command that is output from the application program to the application interface;

converting the detected graphical user interface command from a first format to a second format, the first format being recognizable by the local graphical user interface and not recognizable by a remote graphical user interface and the second format being recognizable by the remote graphical user interface and not recognizable by the local graphical user interface, wherein the local graphical user interface is a graphical user interface of WINDOWS or WINDOWS/NT; and

sending the converted command to the remote graphical user interface so that the detected message can be interpreted by the remote graphical user interface wherein the remote graphical user interface, is an X-Windows graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the remote graphical user interface is a graphical user interface known as X.

4. A method for providing remote user interaction with an application program that is being run in its native environment on a host machine, the native environment providing a local graphical user interface for allowing local user interaction with the application program, the method comprising the steps of:

determining when the application program has sent a command to the local graphical user interface;

suspending the native environment'"'"'s ability to process the determined command;

converting the determined command to a protocol that is recognizable by a remote graphical user interface; and

sending the converted command to the remote graphical user interface to enable the remote graphical user interface to act on the converted command, wherein the local graphical user interface is a graphical user interface of WINDOWS or WINDOWS/NT and the remote graphical user interface is an X-Windows graphical user interface.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the remote graphical user interface is a graphical user interface known as X.

6. A computer system that executes an application program using an operating system that includes a first graphical user interface that has an ability to process graphical user interface commands, the computer system comprising:

a monitoring device that determines that the application program has sent a command to the first graphical user interface, the command being in a first format that is recognizable by the first graphical user interface;

a disabling device that suspends the local first graphical user interface'"'"'s ability to process the determined command; and

a modifier that converts the determined command from the first format to a second format that is recognizable by a second graphical user interface and sends the converted command to the second graphical user interface to enable the second graphical user interface to act on the converted command, wherein the first graphical user interface is a graphical user interface of WINDOWS or WINDOWS/NT and the second graphical user interface is an X-Windows graphical user interface.

7. A method for allowing a Windows or "WINDOWS/NT" application to run in its native environment in addition to running as an X-Client using an X window manager so as to enable the application to be displayed on a remote X-Terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

remotely launching the Windows or "WINDOWS/NT" application;

monitoring system calls and display-driver calls that are made by the Windows or "WINDOWS/NT" application;

determining whether one of the monitored system calls is a graphical user interface related command;

determining whether one of the monitored system calls would affect an internal state of a window owned by the Windows or "WINDOWS/NT" application; and

whenever one of the monitored system calls is a graphical user interface command and whenever one of the monitored system calls would affect the internal state of the window owned by the Windows or "WINDOWS/NT" application program, converting the system call into one or more graphical user interface command recognizable by the X window manager, causing the X window manager to execute the one or more graphical user interface commands on the remote X-Terminal and then allowing an operating system of the native environment to process the call.

8. A method for execution-time translation from a first graphical operating system to a second graphical operating system wherein the first graphical operating system does not provide for remotely displaying application programs, and wherein the second graphical operating system does provide for remotely displaying application programs, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring system calls that are made by an application program that is executing in the first graphical operating system;

determining whether one of the monitored system calls is a graphical user interface related command;

determining whether one of the monitored system calls would affect an internal state of a window that is owned by the application program that is executing in the first graphical operating system; and

whenever one of the monitored system calls is a graphical user interface command and whenever one of the monitored system calls would affect the internal state of the window that is owned by the application program that is executing in the first graphical operating system, converting the system call into one or more graphical user interface command recognizable by the second graphical operating system, causing the second graphical operating system to execute the one or more graphical user interface commands converted from the system call to affect a remote display screen controlled by the second graphical operating system and then allowing the first graphical operating system to process the system call, wherein the first graphical operating system is WINDOWS or WINDOWS/NT and the second graphical operating system includes X-Windows.

9. A method for translating, from a first graphical operating system to a second graphical operating system, commands of an application program that is executing in the first graphical environment wherein the first graphical operating system does not provide for a remote display of the application program, and wherein the second graphical operating system does provide for the remote display of the application program, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring device driver calls that are made by the application program;

determining when one of the monitored device driver calls is targeted for a window that is owned by the application program; and

whenever one of the monitored device driver calls is targeted for the window that is owned by the application program, issuing appropriate commands in the second graphical operating system in order to accomplish an effect on a remote display that is controlled by the second graphical operating system, wherein the first graphical operating system is WINDOWS or WINDOWS/NT and the second graphical operating system includes X-Windows.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

allowing the first graphical operating system to process the monitored device driver call only after issuing the appropriate commands in the second graphical operating system.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring application program interface calls that are made by the application program;

determining when one of the monitored application program interface calls is a graphical user interface command; and

whenever one of the monitored application program interface calls is a graphical user interface command, issuing appropriate commands in the second graphical operating system in order to accomplish an effect on the remote display that is controlled by the second graphical operating system.