Remote collaboration system with multiple host computers using multiple applications

• US 6,047,314 A
• Filed: 02/27/1998
• Issued: 04/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Fitzpatrick, Catherine M., Carleton, Allison A., Schwartz, Krista S., Pommier, Theresa M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Application Number:
  US09/032,242
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/204, 345/330, 345/331, 345/332
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The invention concerns using multiple computers to hold a conference. Under the invention, an application program can run on a single computer, yet remote participants can issue commands to the program. Remote participants can watch the program operate, because the invention replicates the display window of the running program onto the displays of the remote computers. Any participant can make annotations on the participant'"'"'s own computer display. The invention copies the annotations to the displays of the other participants.

Claims

1. A method of operating multiple computers, each having a display, comprising the following steps:

a) maintaining application programs in several computers;

b) selecting one of the several computers;

c) selecting an application program stored in any of the computers;

d) running the selected application program on the computer that maintains the application, to thereby cause the application program to provide output on the display of the one selected computer;

e) allowing users of two or more computers to provide input to the application program; and

f) replicating said output on the displays of the multiple computers.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the step of replicating comprises the step of intercepting GDI calls which generate said output, and informing other of said computers of said intercepted calls.

3. Method according to claim 1, and further comprising the steps of repeating the steps of paragraphs (b) through (f), on a different computer than the one originally selected.

4. Method according to claim 1, and further comprising the steps of:

g) making annotations on each computer'"'"'s display, in response to input from the user of each computer.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein the annotations include graphical images and text.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein data used to generate the annotations on the display is stored at a different region of memory than data used to generate said output.

7. Method according to claim 4, and further comprising the step of making private annotations on a user'"'"'s display, which are not replicated onto other displays.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein private areas of a user'"'"'s display are not replicated on other displays.

9. Method according to claim 1, and further comprising the steps of:

g) receiving an indication from each user that subsequent input is to be treated as annotation data, and

i) creating annotations on the display of each user'"'"'s computer in response to the input, and

ii) replicating said annotations on other displays; and

h) delivering input from each user to another entity, when said indication is absent.

10. A system of multiple computers, each having a display, comprising:

a) means for maintaining application programs in several computers;

b) means for selecting an application program stored on any one of the several computers;

c) means for running the selected application program on the computer that stores the selected application, which provides output on the selected computer'"'"'s display;

d) means for allowing users of two or more computers to provide input to the application program; and

means for replicating said output on the displays of the multiple computers.

11. System according to claim 10, and further comprising

f) means, independent of the program, for drawing annotations, which include text and graphics, on the display of each user'"'"'s computer, in response to input from the user;

and

g) replication means for replicating the annotations on displays of other computers.

12. System according to claim 11, wherein the replication means comprises a means for intercepting GDI calls, and informing other computers of the intercepted calls.

13. System according to claim 11, wherein data which is used to generate the annotations for a display is kept separate from the data used to generate the display itself.

14. System according to claim 10, wherein each computer comprises:

f) input router means, which selectively routes mouse messages to either

i) the program or

ii) an annotation means, which generates annotations on the display of the computer, in response to the mouse messages; and

g) means for replicating the annotations on displays of other computers.

15. In a computer system which includes a collection of several computers linked together by one or more data channels, wherein two, or more, computers each store a group of application programs, including word-processing programs and graphics generation programs, the improvement comprising:

a) means for allowing a user of a first computer to select a program from the group stored on any computer, and run the selected program, which generates an image on the display of said computer;

b) means for allowing other computers to issue commands to the program, which commands may cause said image to change;

c) means for replicating the image on the displays of all computers;

d) annotations means, distinct from said program, for allowing a user of every computer to annotate the display of the user'"'"'s computer; and

e) means for collecting annotations and replicating the annotations on all displays in the collection.

16. System according to claim 15, wherein the annotation means is effective to create annotations when the program selected comprises a word-processing program, and also when the program selected comprises a graphics generation program.

17. System according to claim 15, wherein the annotation means is effective to create annotations upon displays generated by different types of programs.

18. A method of operating multiple computers, each having a display, and all of which can be interlinked by communication channels, comprising the following steps:

a) running message-driven operating systems on all computers;

b) storing multiple programs on at least one computer;

c) selecting one of the multiple programs from a second computer and running one of said programs on the computer that stores the program;

d) running a second program on each computer, which

i) allows a user to annotate the user'"'"'s display, and then

ii) replicates the annotations on other displays.

19. Method according to claim 18, wherein the second program intercepts GDI calls, and informs other computers of the intercepted calls.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a) a computer-readable storage medium; and

b) programming, stored on said medium, which;

i) runs on a computer having an operating system which comprises a graphical user interface, GUI;

ii) runs along with an application program which uses said operating system;

iii) accepts input from a user and selectively

A) routes the input to the program or

B) generates annotations over an image generated by said application program and, transmits information to other computers;

which allows replication of the annotations; and

iv) receives information of the type identified in paragraph (b)(iii)(B), and replicates annotations in response.