Control unit operations in a real-time collaboration server

• US 7,516,179 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2007
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Teplov, Ilya, Huck, Paul, Skurikhin, Aleksey
• Primary Examiner(s): BATES, KEVIN T
• Application Number:
  US11/732,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20070185958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a real-time collaboration server, a control unit manages a collaboration mode. The control unit operates a virtual client that maintains a virtual screen reflecting the status of the collaboration (e.g., the contents of a shared desktop or whiteboard). The virtual client renders collaboration data within the virtual screen. New clients are synchronized with an ongoing collaboration by packing and sending them a copy of the virtual screen. The control unit maintains a queue of collaboration data to be sent to participating clients. Each client may have a pointer identifying the queued data it is processing. The queue may be collapsed (e.g., when it reaches a maximum size) by sending a copy of the virtual screen to one or more clients that have not yet consumed old data in the queue; those clients are then updated to skip the queue entries embodied in the virtual screen.

Claims

1. A method of managing a queue of collaboration data for clients participating in a real-time collaboration, comprising:

operating a control unit configured to manage dissemination of collaboration data to clients participating in a real-time collaboration;

in said control unit, maintaining a queue to store said collaboration data, wherein the clients are configured to consume said collaboration data in the order queued;

for each client;

maintaining a reference identifying a queue entry comprising data currently being processed by the client; and

executing a virtual client configured to maintain a virtual screen comprising a portion of the collaboration data;

receiving from a first client a request for data from a next entry in the queue;

identifying a virtual screen entry in the queue comprising the newest collaboration data included in the virtual screen;

determining a total amount of data in all queue entries between the next entry and the virtual screen entry, inclusive;

comparing the amount of data in the virtual screen to the total amount; and

collapsing the queue by;

transmitting said virtual screen to the first client; and

updating the client'"'"'s reference to identify the queue entry comprising the newest data included in said virtual screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said collapsing the queue further comprises:

deleting one or more entries of the queue.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the queue has reached a maximum size;

wherein, if the queue has reached the maximum size, said first client is a client whose reference refers to the oldest entry in the queue.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving new collaboration data from a presenter client;

passing said new collaboration data to said virtual client; and

storing said new collaboration data in the queue only after said virtual client processes said new collaboration data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving new collaboration data from a presenter client; and

storing said new collaboration data in the queue;

wherein said virtual client receives access to said stored new collaboration data at substantially the same time as the clients.

6. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of managing a queue of collaboration data for clients participating in a real-time collaboration, the method comprising:

operating a control unit configured to manage dissemination of collaboration data to clients participating in a real-time collaboration;

in said control unit, maintaining a queue to store said collaboration data, wherein the clients are configured to consume said collaboration data in the order queued;

for each client;

maintaining a reference identifying the queue entry comprising data currently being processed by the client; and

executing a virtual client configured to maintain a virtual screen comprising a portion of the collaboration data;

receiving from a first client a request for data from a next entry in the queue;

identifying a virtual screen entry in the queue comprising the newest collaboration data included in the virtual screen;

determining a total amount of data in all queue entries between the next entry and the virtual screen entry, inclusive;

comparing the amount of data in the virtual screen to the total amount; and

collapsing the queue by;

transmitting said virtual screen to the first client; and

updating the client'"'"'s reference to identify the queue entry comprising the newest data included in said virtual screen.

7. A real-time collaboration system, comprising:

a processor;

memory;

a control unit configured to manage a mode of a real-time collaboration in which content of a first attendee'"'"'s client is shared with other attendees'"'"' clients;

a queue in which said control unit stores said content for transmission to the other attendees'"'"' clients, wherein the other attendees'"'"' clients are configured to consume the content in the order queued;

one or more communication modules configured to transmit the content to the other attendees'"'"' clients;

for each attendee'"'"'s client;

a corresponding reference identifying a queue entry containing content the client is currently processing; and

a virtual client configured to maintain a virtual screen configured to mirror the content;

wherein the control unit further comprises;

a mechanism configured to receive a request for content in a first entry of the queue for a slow attendee client;

a mechanism configured to identify an amount of content in the virtual screen;

a mechanism configured to determine a total amount of content in the first entry, a second entry comprising the newest content mirrored in the virtual screen, and all entries between the first entry and the second entry; and

a collapsing mechanism, wherein if the amount of content in the virtual screen is less than the total amount of content, the collapsing mechanism is configured to collapse the queue by;

sending the slow attendee client a copy of the virtual screen; and

updating the slow attendee client'"'"'s corresponding reference to identify the second entry.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein updated content of the first attendee'"'"'s client is provided to said virtual client prior to being stored in said queue.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein updated content of the first attendee'"'"'s client is stored in said queue, and made available to said virtual client and the other attendees'"'"' clients, at substantially the same time.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein said virtual client is configured to render, in said virtual screen, updated content received from the first attendee'"'"'s client.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein said virtual client is further configured to generate a copy of said virtual screen for transmission to a new attendee'"'"'s client, to facilitate synchronization of the new attendee'"'"'s client with the real-time collaboration.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein said control unit comprises said virtual client.

13. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

one or more data consumers configured to schedule the transmission of queued content to an attendee client.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said one or more data consumers comprises one data consumer for each attendee client.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said one or more data consumers comprises a data consumer for said virtual client.

16. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

one or more data providers configured to provide content to said control unit from attendees'"'"' clients, including said first attendee'"'"'s client.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein the collapsing mechanism is configured to collapse said queue if said queue reaches a maximum size.

18. The system of claim 7, wherein collapsing said queue comprises:

identifying a slow attendee client, wherein the corresponding reference of said slow attendee client identifies the oldest entry in said queue;

sending the slow attendee client a copy of said virtual screen;

updating said slow attendee client'"'"'s corresponding reference to identify the queue entry comprising the newest content mirrored in said virtual screen; and

deleting said oldest entry in said queue.