Interacting with software applications displayed in a web page

• US 7,555,529 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2002
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Muir, Jeff, Behrakis, Elias C., Panasyuk, Anatoly, Bloomfield, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue; Larry D
• Assistant Examiner(s): BILGRAMI, ASGHAR H
• Application Number:
  US10/288,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20030063119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,428 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/232, 709/203, 709/237, 709/217, 709/219, 395/157, 395/154, 395/275, 395/200, 340/716
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The invention enables the display of application-output data within application-output windows embedded in a web browser window. The application-output windows can be dynamically moved, resized and otherwise manipulated within the web browser window even when the application program providing the source of the application-output data is non-web enabled (e.g., legacy applications). The invention receives window attribute information associated with the application-output windows via a first virtual channel and displays application-output data received via a second virtual channel within the application-output windows, which are formed and/or modified using the window attribute information.

Claims

1. A system for incorporating at least one remote window from a remote desktop environment into a local desktop environment comprising:

a first virtual channel coupled to a remote desktop environment and conveying window attribute data associated with a remote window present on the remote desktop environment;

a second virtual channel coupled to the remote desktop environment and receiving application-output data produced by an application program executing in the remote desktop environment; and

a client agent coupled to the remote desktop environment via the first and second virtual channels, the client agent;

establishing a communications link, independent from a browser application, with the application program executing on the remote desktop environment;

receiving for display, without intervention by the browser application, application output produced by the application program via the second virtual channel; and

directing the formation of an application-output window for displaying the received application-output data, the application-output window being formed at least partially outside the boundaries of a browser window in the local desktop environment in accordance with the window attribute data conveyed by the first virtual channel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the client agent further comprises establishing a communication link that is independent from the browser application between the application program executing on the remote desktop environment and the application window using a window parameter, by which the application output passes from the application program executing on the remote desktop environment to the application-output window without intervention by the browser application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first virtual channel further comprises receiving window attribute data modifiable independently of the web browser.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the client agent further comprises monitoring and responding to events associated with the application-output window.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the client agent resizes the application-output window in response to an input received by the client agent.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the client agent forms the first and second virtual channels independently of the web browser.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an unmodified application program generating the application-output data.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising;

an application object embedded in a web page displayed in the web browser window, the application object including at least one property affecting the application-output window; and

a client agent instantiated in response to the application object and capable of modifying the property of the application object upon receipt of the window attribute information from the second virtual channel.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the application object is an ActiveX control.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the application-output window is a child window of a web browser window.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of application-output windows positioned within the web browser window, each of the application-output windows displaying application-output data received from a different application server.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising a combined windows list being formed and maintained by the client agent, the combined windows list representing a modifiable z-order of the application-output window in the local desktop environment.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the window attribute data associated with the remote window and conveyed by the second virtual channel includes the size and z-order of the remote window.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising a local operating system forming the local desktop environment, the client agent periodically polling the local operating system to detect an attribute change in the corresponding window, wherein the client agent transmits a message to the remote desktop environment indicative of the attribute change.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the application-output window exhibits window attribute data substantially similar relative to the local desktop environment as the window attribute data of the remote window relative to the remote desktop environment.

16. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of communication links coupling the local desktop environment with a plurality of remote desktop environments, the communication links including first and second virtual channels conveying graphical and window attribute data associated with remote windows from the plurality of remote desktop environments to the client agent, wherein the client agent forms application-output windows in the local desktop environment corresponding to each of the plurality of remote windows.

17. A method for incorporating at least one remote window from a remote desktop environment into a local desktop environment, the method comprising:

(a) establishing, by a client agent, a communications link independent from a browser application, with an application program executing on a remote desktop environment;

(b) sending, by the client agent, commands to the remote desktop environment to begin execution of the application program;

(c) receiving, by a first virtual channel coupled to the remote desktop environment window and independent of the browser application, attribute data associated with a remote window present on the remote desktop environment;

(d) receiving, by a second virtual channel coupled to the remote desktop environment, application-output data, the second virtual channel independent of the browser application; and

(e) directing, by the client agent coupled to the remote desktop environment via the first and second virtual channels, the formation of an application-output window for displaying the received application-output data, the application-output window being formed at least partially outside the boundaries of a browser window in the local desktop environment in accordance with the window attribute data conveyed by the first virtual channel.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of monitoring and responding, by the client agent, to events associated with the application-output window, independently of the web browser.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the resizing, by the client agent, the application-output window in response to an input received by the client agent.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of forming a combined windows list storing at least some of the window attribute data.

21. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of establishing, independently of the web browser, the first and second virtual channels.

22. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of receiving application-output data generated by an unmodified application program.

23. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of executing a client agent in response to an application object embedded in a web page displayed in the web browser window, the client agent establishing the first and second virtual channels independently of the web browser.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of using the received window attribute data to modify at least one property of the application object, the modified property at the application object triggering a corresponding change in the application-output window.

25. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of executing a client agent in response to an ActiveX control embedded in a web page displayed in the web browser window, the client agent establishing the first arid second virtual channels independently of the web browser.

26. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of providing a plurality of application-output windows positioned at least partially outside the boundaries of a browser window, each of the application-output windows displaying application-output data received from a different application server.

27. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of:

polling a local operating system associated with the local desktop environment to detect an attribute change in the corresponding window; and

transmitting a message to the remote desktop environment indicative of the detected attribute change.

28. The method of claim 17 wherein the application-output window exhibits window attribute data substantially similar relative to the local desktop environment as the window attribute data of the remote window relative to the remote desktop environment.

29. A method for incorporating at least one remote window from a remote desktop environment into a local desktop environment and displaying application-output data in the local desktop environment, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting application-output data associated with the remote window via a first virtual channel coupled to the local desktop environment;

(b) transmitting window attribute data associated with the remote window via a second virtual channel coupled to the local desktop environment; and

(c) transmitting messages to the local desktop environment directing the formation of a application-output window in the local desktop environment, the application-output window displaying the application output transmitted via the second virtual channel in accordance with the window attribute data transmitted via the first virtual channel.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of forming a combined windows list storing at least some of the window attribute data in response to the transmitted messages.

31. The method of claim 29 further comprising the steps of:

polling a remote operating system associated with the remote desktop environment to detect an attribute change in the remote window; and

transmitting a message to the local desktop environment indicative of the detected attribute change.