Processing occluded windows during application sharing

• US 7,028,266 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2002
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Leichtling, Ivan J., Schmieder, Robert W., Ben-Shachar, Ido M., Fuller, Deana Rae
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D.
• Application Number:
  US10/116,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20030189599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 715/790, 715/791, 715/753
• US Class Current: 715/790
• 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: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

An improved application sharing system and method are described wherein shared window data is treated according to different sets of rules depending upon the fraction of the shared window data that corresponds to the actual shared window. In this manner, occlusions of a shared window on a sharer display may be disguised or handled by a viewer display to minimize the impact of the occlusion on a viewing user, providing a more consistent and less confusing viewer experience.

Claims

1. A method for constructing a viewer display of a shared window in an application sharing environment comprising a sharer computing device having associated therewith a sharer display upon which is rendered the shared window and a viewer computing device communicably linked to the sharer computing device and having associated therewith the viewer display, the shared window having a partially obscured portion on the sharer display, the method comprising:

receiving first window information comprising information to construct a first viewer display of the shared window;

constructing the first viewer display of the shared window upon receiving the first window information;

receiving second window information comprising information to construct on the viewer display only a portion of a second viewer display of the shared window that is not obscured;

determining whether the obscured portion of the shared window comprises less than a predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window;

when the obscured portion of the shared window comprises less than the predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window, constructing a third viewer display of the shared window, wherein window information used to construct the third viewer display comprises a combination of the second window information with a portion of the first window information corresponding to the obscured portion of the shared window;

when the obscured portion of the shared window does not comprise less than the predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window, setting a timer to expire after an amount of time and determining whether third window information has been received prior to expiration of the timer; and

when the third window information is not received prior to expiration of the timer, constructing a modified viewer display of the shared window that is adapted to indicate that the information contained therein is not current.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the modified viewer display is adapted by washing out contents thereof.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the action of constructing the modified viewer display further comprises placing a notification on the modified viewer display to indicate that an application sharing session associated with the shared window has been paused.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising constructing, when the third window information has been received prior to expiration of the timer, a current viewer display of the shared window wherein window information used to construct the current viewer display comprises at least the third window information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined fraction is approximately three-tenths.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a portion of an obscuring window obscures the shared window on the sharer computing device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the obscuring window is associated with an application other than an application associated with the shared window.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the obscuring window is a system window associated with an operating system of the sharer computing device.