Terminal operation system

• US 6,335,739 B1
• Filed: 10/20/1999
• Issued: 01/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Watanabe, Satoru, Matsukura, Ryuichi, Sasaki, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Jankus, Almis R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUNNINGHAM, GREGORY F
• Application Number:
  US09/421,004
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 345/619, 345/730-734, 345/741, 345/743, 345/751, 345/753-755, 345/759, 709/204, 709/205
• US Class Current: 715/755
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

In electronic conference systems, a terminal operation system prevents a conflict of operations to a plurality of processing objects displayed on a shared screen of an operated terminal, enhances smooth proceeding of the conference and realizes easier operation. An operating terminal and an operated terminal are connected via a network, and an operation authority is set on a shared screen display device of the operated terminal by each AP or window as an unit for processing objects. The operation authority is managed with an operation authority managing table in an operation authority managing portion, which controls the active processing objects and operates input operation from the operating terminal having the operation authority and the processing objects via an operation input accepting portion. Conditions can be set with respect to acquiring operation authorities and making them effective. The operated terminal also plays a roll as one operating terminal by acquiring the operation authority as one operating terminal under an equal condition.

Claims

1. A terminal operation system for operating at least one second computer terminal by at least one first computer terminal by utilizing the corresponding input devices connected to the first terminals, where at least one first computer terminal and at least one second computer terminal are connected to each other in a communication channel,

said second computer terminal comprising:

a display portion,

a display controlling portion for controlling and displaying a plurality of processing objects on said display portion, and

an operation authority managing portion for managing and controlling setting and assignment of an operation authority individually to each of the plurality of processing objects,

wherein said first computer terminal acquires the operation authority for each of the processing objects that is desired to be operated by using the first computer terminal from said operation authority managing portion so as to perform operation input to the processing object based on the acquired operation authority.

2. The terminal operation system according to claim 1, wherein said second computer terminal comprises;

an operation object managing portion for specifying one processing object that is currently operable for processing among the plurality of processing objects displayed on said display portion, and

an operation input accepting portion for accepting operation input to the processing object specified by said operation object managing portion; and

wherein said operation authority managing portion treats only the operation authority set to the processing object specified in said operation object managing portion as effective,

said operation input accepting portion accepts the operation input only from the first computer terminal holding the operation authority,

when the processing object specified by said operation object managing portion is changed, said operation authority managing portion treats only the operation authority set to the changed processing object as effective, and

said operation input accepting portion accepts only the operation input from the first computer terminal that newly has acquired the operation authority.

3. The terminal operation system according to claim 1, wherein

the processing object is managed by an application unit,

the operation authority is managed by a unit of a window region of an application displayed on a screen of said display portion, and

said operation authority managing portion dynamically sets a corresponding operation authority at every execution of starting of the application and generating a window in said first computer terminal and manages the operation authority by dynamically releasing the corresponding operation authority at every execution of ending the application and deleting the window.

4. The terminal operation system according to claim 1, wherein

said display portion includes at least one display screen,

the display screen includes at least one screen region,

the operation authority is managed by a unit of the screen region,

said operation authority managing portion treats the operation authority set to the screen region where a pointer of said second computer terminal exists as effective, and

when the pointer of said second computer terminal moves to another screen region, said operation authority managing portion treats the operation authority set to the screen region where the moved pointer exists as effective.

5. The terminal operation system according to claim 1, wherein said operation authority managing portion comprises an operation authority effective condition managing portion for setting and managing a condition for switching effectiveness/ineffectiveness of the operation authority set to each processing object and treats only the operation authority that meets the condition set to said operation authority effective condition managing portion as effective.

6. The terminal operation system according to claim 1, wherein, under a condition that only one operation authority is available to each of the first computer terminals at one time, when said first computer terminal acquires another operation authority, said operation authority managing portion releases the operation authority which has been held so far in order that another first computer terminal can acquire the released operation authority.

7. The terminal operation system according to claim 1, wherein, in an environment where said second computer terminal comprises an input portion to perform operation input to a processing object displayed on said display portion,

said second computer terminal acquires an operation authority under a same condition as said first computer terminal,

said operation authority managing portion manages acquisition of the operation authority by said second computer terminal, and

said second computer terminal performs the operation input to a corresponding processing object based on the acquired operation authority.

8. The terminal operation system according to claim 1, wherein, in an environment where said second computer terminal comprises the input portion to perform operation input to a processing object displayed on said display portion,

said second computer terminal acquires an operation authority under a different condition from said first computer terminal,

said operation authority managing portion manages acquisition of the operation authority by said second computer terminal,

said second computer terminal performs the operation input to a corresponding processing object based on the acquired operation authority,

the different condition is such that the operation authority is acquired when the operation input to the processing object is started via the input portion of said second computer terminal, and

said second computer terminal can acquire the operation authority preferentially over other first computer terminals.

9. The terminal operation system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal operation system operates at least two said second computer terminals,

said operation authority managing portions comprise means for notifying each other of managing information,

when one first computer terminal is permitted to acquire an operation authority, said operation authority managing portion notifies the operation authority managing portions in other second computer terminals of the acquisition,

said operation authority managing portions in said other second computer terminals check whether said one first computer terminal holds the operation authority,

when said one first computer terminal holds the operation authority, said operation authority managing portion releases the operation authority so that another first computer terminal can acquire the released operation authority.

10. A computer-readable recording medium storing a processing program for realizing a terminal operation system, which uses an input/output device connected to a first computer terminal to operate a second computer terminal in a communication channel where a plurality of computer terminals connected to each other, the processing program comprising:

a display controlling processing step of controlling and displaying a plurality of processing objects on said display portion in the said second computer terminal;

an operation authority managing processing step of managing and controlling setting and assignment of an operation authority individually to each of the plurality of processing objects;

an operation authority assigning processing step of assigning the operation authority to said first information terminal for each of the processing objects that the first computer terminal desires to operate;

an operation input processing step of said first computer terminal to perform operation input to the processing object based on the acquired operation authority.

11. The recording medium according to claim 10, wherein, in the terminal operation system, said second computer terminal itself comprises an input portion to perform operation input to a processing object displayed on said display portion, and

in the processing program, said operation authority assigning processing step comprises a processing step of assigning the operation authority to said second computer terminal under a same condition as said first computer terminal,

said operation authority managing processing step comprises a processing step of managing acquisition of the operation authority by said second computer terminal, and

said operation input processing step comprises a processing step of performing operation input to the processing object based on the operation authority acquired by said second computer terminal in said operation authority assigning processing step.

12. The recording medium according to claim 10, wherein the terminal operation system comprises at least two said second computer terminals, and in the processing program, said operation authority managing processing step comprises:

a processing step of notifying each other of operation authority managing information of said second computer terminals;

a processing step, when one second computer terminal has permitted one first computer terminal to acquire the operation authority, of notifying other second computer terminals of operation authority managing information,

a processing step of checking whether said one first computer terminal holds the operation authority, based on the operation authority managing information of said other second computer terminals, and

a processing step of releasing the operation authority when said one first computer terminal turns out to be holding the operation authority as a result of the checking of the operation authority, so that another first computer terminal can acquire the released operation authority.