Remotely controlling a computer via simulated keyboard events

• US 7,177,902 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2001
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hubbard, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt; Yves
• Application Number:
  US10/034,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20030122856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,873 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A keyboard event server (KES) allows an end user to remotely control a computer. The KES accepts a uniform resource locator having a query string that specifies one or more keyboard events to be simulated. The query string may include mnemonics corresponding to one or more keyboard-key presses that can be simulated one after another and/or simultaneously. An end user can use a wireless-access browser running on a wireless-client device to remotely control a target computer through a wireless-access gateway.

Claims

1. A method of allowing a target computer to be remotely controlled through a browser, the method comprising:

accepting a connection from the browser, wherein the browser is executed by a wireless-client device;

downloading to the browser a web page containing remote-control user-interface elements, wherein the remote-control user-interface elements include virtual keyboard keys that are displayed by the browser, wherein a user activating at least one of the virtual keyboard keys causes a message to be sent to the target computer, wherein the message specifies at least one keyboard event to be simulated on the target computer, wherein the at least one keyboard event to be simulated is based upon which of the virtual keyboard keys was activated;

receiving the message that specifies the at least one keyboard event to be simulated on the target computer; and

simulating the at least one keyboard event specified by the received message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepted connection is an HTTP connection from a wireless-access gateway.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the browser is a wireless-access browser.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the wireless-access browser and the target computer communicate through a wireless-access gateway.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote-control user-interface elements comprise hypertext markup language buttons.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote-control user-interface elements comprise wireless markup language select elements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting, the downloading, the receiving, and the simulating are each performed by the target computer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the received message is contained in a query portion of an HTTP request.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein simulating the at least one keyboard event comprises sending an operating system key event to an active application on the target computer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein simulating the at least one keyboard event comprises simulating a press-and-hold operation for at least a first key while simulating a press and then a release of at least a second key.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the received message is part of an HTTP POST.

19. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a target computer to perform the steps recited in claim 4.

12. A method of using a wireless-access browser to remotely control a target computer, the method comprising:

connecting to a wireless-access gateway to establish a wireless-access-browser connection to a keyboard event server running on the target computer;

using the wireless-access browser to download from the keyboard event server a web page containing remote-control user-interface elements, wherein the wireless-access browser is executed by a wireless-client device and wherein the remote-control user-interface elements include wireless markup language select elements that are displayed by the wireless-access browser, wherein a user activating at least one of the wireless markup language select elements causes a message to be sent to the keyboard event server, wherein the message specifies at least one keyboard event to be simulated by the keyboard event server on the target computer, wherein the at least one keyboard event to be simulated is based upon which of the at least one wireless markup language select elements was activated; and

sending to the keyboard event server the message that specifies the at least one keyboard event to be simulated by the keyboard event server on the target computer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the remote-control user-interface elements comprise virtual keyboard keys.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the sent message is contained in a query portion of an HTTP request.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the sent message is part of an HTTP POST.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a wireless-access browser to perform the steps recited in claim 15.

16. A method of allowing a wireless-access browser to remotely control a target computer, the method comprising:

establishing, through a wireless-access gateway, a wireless-access-browser connection to a keyboard event server running on the target computer;

downloading through the wireless-access gateway from the keyboard event server to the wireless-access browser a web page containing remote-control user-interface elements, wherein the wireless-access browser is executed by a wireless-client device and wherein the remote-control user-interface elements include wireless markup language select elements that are displayed by the wireless-access browser, wherein a user activating at least one of the wireless markup language select elements causes a wireless protocol-encoded (WP-encoded) message to be sent to the wireless-access gateway, wherein the WP-encoded message specifies at least one keyboard event to be simulated by the keyboard event server on the target computer, wherein the at least one keyboard event to be simulated is based upon which of the at least one wireless markup language select elements was activated;

converting the wireless protocol-encoded (WP-encoded) message received from the wireless-access browser at the wireless-access gateway into an HTTP message; and

transmitting the HTTP message from the wireless-access gateway to the keyboard event server.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving an HTTP response from the keyboard event server at the wireless-access gateway;

converting the HTTP response to a WP-encoded response; and

transmitting the WP-encoded response from the wireless-access gateway to the wireless-access browser.

18. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a wireless-access gateway to perform the steps recited in claim 17.

21. A mobile terminal that allows an end user to remotely control a target computer, the mobile terminal comprising:

a wireless-access browser that downloads, from a keyboard event server that is executing on the target computer, remote-control user-interface elements that include wireless markup language select elements that are displayed by the wireless-access browser and that, upon user activation, cause the mobile terminal to send to the keyboard event server a message that specifies at least one keyboard event to be simulated by the keyboard event server on the target computer, wherein the at least one keyboard event to be simulated is based upon which of the at least one wireless markup language select elements was activated; and

wherein, the mobile terminal sends to the keyboard event server the message that specifies at least one keyboard event to be simulated by the keyboard event server on the target computer.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the wireless-access browser and the target computer communicate through a wireless-access gateway.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the remote-control user-interface elements comprise virtual keyboard keys.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the sent message is wireless-protocol encoded.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the at least one keyboard event to be simulated comprises simulating a press-and-hold operation for at least a first key while simulating a press and then a release of at least a second key.

26. A remote-control system comprising:

a wireless-access gateway;

a target computer that is running a keyboard event server and that is coupled to the wireless-access gateway;

a mobile terminal running a wireless-access browser that receives remote-control user-interface elements that include wireless markup language select elements that are displayed by the wireless-access browser and that, upon user activation, cause the mobile terminal to send to the wireless-access gateway a message that specifies at least one keyboard event to be simulated by the keyboard event server on the target computer, wherein the at least one keyboard event to be simulated is based upon which of the at least one wireless markup language select elements was activated; and

wherein the keyboard event server receives through the wireless-access gateway from the wireless-access browser the message that specifies the at least one keyboard event to be simulated; and

the keyboard event server simulates on the target computer the at least one keyboard event specified by the message received through the wireless-access gateway.

27. The remote-control system of claim 26, wherein the message received through the wireless-access gateway comprises at least one mnemonic corresponding to the at least one simulated keyboard event.