Application sharing single document sharing

• US 7,487,457 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2006
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2002
• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US11/343,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 715/733, 715/738, 715/740, 715/748, 715/751, 715/753, 715/755, 715/759, 715/764, 715/765, 715/810, 715/205, 715/234, 709/204, 709/217, 707/1, 707/9, 707/10, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An improved application sharing system and method allow sharing of documents on a per document basis rather than on a per application basis, in order to simplify the user experience and to provide a more secure sharing environment. A window marking method is used to construct a window list describing the shared and unshared status of various windows. In an embodiment of the invention, a viewer machine displays only a most recently active shared document window even when other windows are also marked as shared. In this way, a viewer'"'"'s attention can be automatically focused on a current document of interest.

Claims

1. A method performed by a sharer computer for analyzing a first window associated with an application executing on the sharer computer, comprising:

determining whether a class of a top level parent window of the first window is listed in a map of classes known to be associated with an application of a type selected from the group consisting of single document interface and multiple document interface application types;

marking the top level parent window to signify that its class is listed in the map of classes, if it is determined that the class of the top level parent is listed in the map of classes;

determining whether the first window has been marked as a window that is to be shared and if the first window has been marked as a window that is to be shared, determining whether the first window is a child of a parent window that is associated with a process using a multiple document interface; and

marking the first window with a single document mark to signify that it is a child of a parent window that is associated with a process using a multiple document interface, if it is determined that the first window is a child of a parent window that is associated with a process using a multiple document interface, so that the first window is shared but other windows of the process are unshared.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising constructing a window list containing an indication of an identity of at least one window and an indication of whether the at least one window is to be shared with a viewer computer communicably connected to the sharer computer, the constructing the window list further comprising:

determining whether a first top level window is marked to be shared;

adding an identification of the first top level window to the window list and associating with the identification of the first top level window an indication that the first top level window should not be displayed on the viewer computer, if it is determined that the first top level window is not marked to be shared;

if it is determined that the first top level window is marked to be shared, determining whether the first top level window is marked as being associated with an application of a type selected from the group consisting of single document interface and multiple document interface; and

adding an identification of the first top level window to the window list and associating with the identification of the first top level window an indication that the first top level window should be displayed on the viewer computer if it is determined that the first top level window is not marked as being associated with an application of a type selected from the group consisting of single document interface and multiple document interface.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether a root owner of the first top level window is the most recently active shared window, if it is determined that the first top level window is marked as being associated with an application of a type selected from the group consisting of single document interface and multiple document interface;

if it is determined that the root owner of the first top level window is not the most recently active shared window, adding an identification of the first top level window to the window list and associating with the identification of the first top level window an indication that the first top level window should not be displayed on the viewer computer, and otherwise determining whether a top level parent window associated with the first top level window is associated with an application supporting a multiple document interface;

if it is determined that a top level parent window associated with the first top level window is not associated with an application supporting a multiple document interface, adding an identification of the first top level window to the window list and associating with the identification of the first top level window an indication that the first top level window should be displayed on the viewer computer, and otherwise identifying a top child window of the top level parent window having a highest z-order value compared to all children of the top level parent window; and

determining whether the top child window is marked as being associated with an application of a type selected from the group consisting of single document interface and multiple document interface, and adding an identification of the first top level window to the window list and associating with the identification of the first top level window an indication that the first top level window should be displayed on the viewer computer if the top child window is marked as being associated with an application of a type selected from the group consisting of single document interface and multiple document interface, and otherwise adding an identification of the first top level window to the window list and associating with the identification of the first top level window an indication that the first top level window should not be displayed on the viewer computer.

4. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method of sharing a window of an application associated with a sharer computer with viewer computer, comprising:

receiving an indication that a child window of an application was created;

determining whether a class of an application associated with the child window is listed in a single document mark map, the single document mark map associating application classes with interface types; and

when the child window uses a multiple document interface, marking the child window with a single document mark so that the child window is shared but another child window of the application that is not marked with the single document mark is unshared.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 wherein an interface type is a single document interface.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 wherein an interface type is a multiple document interface.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 further comprising indicating that a top level window associated with the application is listed in the single document mark map by marking with a single document mark the top level window.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 further comprising sharing the child window when it is marked with a single document mark.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 further comprising storing the single document mark in a global atom.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 wherein when the child window uses a single document interface, the child window is not marked with the single document mark.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the child window is shared.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 further comprising sharing the child window when it is a top child window in a z-order list of child windows of the application and the application is marked with a single document mark.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein the application has a multiple document interface.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 wherein when the child window has a single document mark and a root owner of the child window is not the last active shared window, the child window is not shared.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein when a top level parent window of the child window does not have a multiple document interface, the child window is marked as shared.

16. A system for sharing a window of an application from a sharer computer to a viewer computer, comprising:

a component that receives from a user an indication of a child window of an application that is to be shared;

a component that determines whether a class of a top-level parent window associated with the child window appears in a single document mark map, the single document mark map for associating parent window classes with interface types and child window types; and

a component that shares the child window from the sharer computer to the viewer computer when the application has a multiple document interface and the child window is a top child window of the application.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the single document mark map indicates that the class of a top-level parent window has a multiple document interface type.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the child window is the top window of the application when it is highest in a z-order list of child windows of the application.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the single document mark map indicates that the class of a top-level parent window has a single document interface type.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the child window is shared when the interface type of the application is a single document interface type.