Remote controlling method a network server remote controlled by a terminal and a memory storage medium for HTML files

• US 6,286,003 B1
• Filed: 04/21/1998
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Muta, Hidemasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Homere, Jean R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBINSON, GRETA LEE
• Application Number:
  US09/063,077
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/102, 707/104, 707/513, 395/712, 395/200.33, 395/200.39, 709/203, 709/208, 345/113, 345/326, 345/501, 345/504, 345/520, 345/522, 345/440, 345/435
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

Control of a GUI screen at a server in a remote location is obtained without requiring the prior installment of special remote controlling software in a remote controlling machine. Remote controlling software is described in an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) file that is held by the server, and a remote controlling machine downloads it using a web browser. The downloaded remote controlling software is automatically activated and sends a request for the activation of remotely controlled software that is present in a remotely controlled server. The remote controlling machine then activates an event monitor, an event sender, a drawing command receiver and a drawing command analyzer, which are functions of the remote controlling software.

Claims

1. A server connected to a network, comprising:

remotely controlled software which executes on the server, wherein the remotely controlled software comprises an input information receiving part, an input information analyzing part responsive to the input information receiving part for providing input information to an operating system of the server, a drawing command monitoring part responsive to the generation of graphics for a graphic user interface desktop at the server and a drawing command sending part responsive to the drawing command monitoring part;

remotely controlling software configured to interact with said remotely controlled software, said remotely controlling software including an input information monitoring part, an input information sending part responsive to the input information monitoring part, a drawing command receiving part and a drawing command analyzing part responsive to the drawing command receiving part for generating graphics corresponding to the graphics for the graphic user interface desktop at the server;

an HTML file holding a description of procedures for accessing said remote controlling software; and

an HTTP daemon for controlling access to said HTML file from said network.

2. A computer system which includes a server connected to a network and a terminal connected to a network, comprising:

remotely controlled software executing on the server, wherein the remotely controlled software comprises an input information receiving part, an input information analyzing part responsive to the input information receiving part for providing input information to an operating system of the server, a drawing command monitoring part responsive to the generation of graphics for a graphic user interface desktop at the server and a drawing command sending part responsive to the drawing command monitoring part;

remotely controlling software configured to interact with said remotely controlled software, said remotely controlling software including an input information monitoring part, an input information sending part responsive to the input information monitoring part, a drawing command receiving part and a drawing command analyzing part responsive to the drawing command receiving part for generating graphics corresponding to the graphics for the graphic user interface desktop at the server;

an HTML file holding a description of procedures for accessing said remote controlling software;

an HTTP daemon for controlling access to said HTML file from said network;

a web browser for accessing said HTML file to download said remote controlling software to the terminal; and

means for storing said remote controlling software.

3. A method of remotely controlling a server having a graphic user interface, the method comprising:

accessing the server via a remote terminal utilizing server access information specified by the terminal;

transmitting a master remote control program from the server to the terminal in response to server being accessed utilizing the server access information;

establishing a connection between the master remote control program at the terminal and a slave remote control program associated with the graphic user interface of the server;

obtaining input at the master remote control program corresponding to input to the graphic user interface of the server so as to provide input information;

sending the input information from the master remote control program at the terminal to the slave remote control program;

receiving the sent input information at the slave remote control program associated with the graphic user interface of the server;

generating graphic user interface (GUI) display information at the server utilizing the graphic user interface of the server by the slave remote control program providing input to the graphic user interface of the server to control the graphic user interface of the server in response to receiving the input information at the slave remote control program so as to generate drawing commands for a desktop image corresponding to the graphic user interface of the server;

transmitting the drawing commands from the slave remote control program to the master remote control program;

receiving the drawing commands at the master remote control program; and

generating the GUI display information at the remote terminal utilizing the received drawing commands so as to provide a GUI display desktop at the remote terminal corresponding to the desktop image of the graphic user interface at the server responsive to drawing commands received by the master remote control program.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the terminal comprises a web browser and wherein the step of accessing the server via a remote terminal utilizing server access information comprises the step of transmitting a Universal Resource Locator to the server specifying a hyper-text markup language (HTML) document associated with the resource of the server to be remotely controlled.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the master control program comprises a JAVA applet executed by a JAVA virtual machine residing at the terminal.

6. A system for remotely controlling a server having a graphic user interface, comprising:

means for accessing the server via a remote terminal utilizing server access information specified by the terminal;

means for transmitting a master remote control program from the server to the terminal in response to server being accessed utilizing the server access information;

means for establishing a connection between the between the master remote control program at the terminal and a slave remote control program associated with the graphic user interface of the server;

means for obtaining input at the master remote control program corresponding to input to the graphic user interface of the server so as to provide input information;

means for sending the input information from the master remote control program at the terminal to the slave remote control program;

means for receiving the sent input information at the slave remote control program associated with the graphic user interface of the server;

means for generating graphic user interface (GUI) display information at the server utilizing the graphic user interface of the server by the slave remote control program providing input to the graphic user interface of the server to control the graphic user interface of the server in response to receiving the input information at the slave remote control program so as to generate drawing commands for a desktop image corresponding to the graphic user interface of the server;

means for transmitting the drawing commands from the slave remote control program to the master remote control program;

means for receiving the drawing commands at the master remote control program; and

means for generating the GUI display information at the remote terminal utilizing the received drawing commands so as to provide a GUI display desktop at the remote terminal corresponding to the desktop image of the graphic user interface at the server responsive to drawing commands received by the master remote control program.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the terminal comprises a web browser and wherein the means for accessing the server via a remote terminal utilizing server access information comprises means for transmitting a Universal Resource Locator to the server specifying a hyper-text markup language (HTML) document associated with the resource of the server to be remotely controlled.

8. A computer program product stored in a computer readable medium for remotely controlling a server having a graphic user interface, comprising:

computer program code which accesses the server via a remote terminal utilizing server access information specified by the terminal;

computer program code which transmits a master remote control program from the server to the terminal in response to server being accessed utilizing the server access information;

computer program code which establishes a connection between the master remote control program at the terminal and a slave remote control program associated with the graphic user interface of the server;

computer program code which obtains input at the master remote control program corresponding to input to the resource of the server so as to provide input information;

computer program code which sends the input information from the master remote control program at the terminal to the slave remote control program;

computer program code which receives the sent input information at the slave remote control program associated with the graphic user interface of the server;

computer program code which generates graphic user interface (GUI) display information at the server utilizing the graphic user interface of the server by the slave remote control program providing input to the graphic user interface of the server to control the graphic user interface of the server in response to receiving the input information at the slave remote control program so as to generate drawing commands for a desktop image corresponding to the graphic user interface of the server;

computer program code which transmits the drawing commands from the slave remote control program to the master remote control program;

computer program code which receives the drawing commands at the master remote control program; and

computer program code which generates the GUI display information at the remote terminal utilizing the received drawing commands so as to provide a GUI display desktop at the remote terminal corresponding to the desktop image of the graphic user interface at the server responsive to drawing commands received by the master remote control program.

9. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the terminal comprises a web browser and wherein the computer readable code which accesses the server via a remote terminal utilizing server access information comprises computer readable which which transmits a Universal Resource Locator to the server specifying a hyper-text markup language (HTML) document associated with the resource of the server to be remotely controlled.