Framework for user interaction with multiple network devices

• US 7,624,192 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2003
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Meyers, Brian R., Smith, Gregory R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dollinger; Tonia L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shin; Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US10/750,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20050193143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,156 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/230, 709/238, 709/201, 709/227, 709/208, 715/733, 715/740, 380/270
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A framework for providing user interaction with one or more networked devices. The invention allows for user configuration of networked computers such that each of the networked computer input and output devices interact with one another in a prescribed manner. The configuration associates relative geographic relationships for each networked computer using agent modules located on each networked computer that keeps track of the current location of a cursor based upon the geographic relationships. If the current cursor position corresponds to another networked computer, an agent module blocks incoming input streams so that they are not processed by the local computer, and transmits the input device signals to a remote agent module corresponding to the remote networked computer. The remote computer agent module injects the input device instructions into the remote system, which causes the remote computer to process the input stream from the local computer.

Claims

1. A system embodied on a computer-readable storage medium that facilitates controlling a computing device, the system comprising:

a local agent component configured to;

receive local input device data from one or more local input devices of a local system;

route the local input device data to a remote system for the control thereof with the one or more local input devices,

switch the local input device data to the remote system upon detecting a motion of a user interface pointer associated with a switching area on a user interface of the local system; and

transmit content from a local clipboard at the local system to a remote clipboard at the remote system upon detecting that the content has been copied to the local clipboard, wherein;

a location of the switching area on the user interface of the local system is determined based on a physical location of the remote system relative to a physical location of the local system; and

the motion of the user interface pointer associated with the switching area is selected from the group consisting of;

placing the user interface pointer within the switching area, moving the user interface pointer in a particular direction within the switching area, moving the user interface pointer within a particular speed range within the switching area, and combinations thereof.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the local agent component is further configured to receive a signal from the remote system to cease routing the local input device data to the remote system, the signal being triggered by placing a second user interface pointer at the remote system within a second switching area on a user interface of the remote system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the local input device data is used by the remote system along with remote input device data from one or more remote input devices to facilitate control of the remote system using at least one of the one or more local input devices, the one or more remote input devices, a combination of one or more of the local and remote input devices.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a remote agent component of the remote system in communication with the local agent component to facilitate control of the remote system through the remote agent component, the remote agent component signaling the local agent component to disengage control of the remote system via the one or more local input devices by routing the local input device data for processing only by the local system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the local agent component is further configured to emulate, on the local system, a touch pad interface derived from a user interface of the remote system to control the remote system, and wherein the touch and interface displays control objects of the remote system, and space in the user interface of the remote system that provides no meaningful function or purpose related to interacting with the local system is eliminated.

6. A system embodied on a computer-readable storage medium that facilitates control of a second computing system with a first computing system, comprising:

a first agent programmed on the first computing system that receives local input device data from a local input device; and

a second agent of the second computing system that communicates with the first agent to facilitate control of the second computing system, the local input device triggers routing of the local input device data by the first agent to the second agent based on a motion of a pointer associated with a switching area on a user interface of the first computing system, wherein;

a location of the switching area on the user interface of the local system is determined based on a physical location of the remote system relative to a physical location of the local system;

the motion of the pointer associated with the switching area is selected from the group consisting of;

placing the pointer within the switching area, moving the pointer

in a particular direction within the switching area, moving the pointer within a particular speed range within the switching area, and combinations thereof; and

the first agent transmits clipboard information copied from the first computing system to the second agent to facilitate sharing of clipboard data between the first and second computing systems.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the location of the switching area is determined manually by a user who configures a physical orientation of the second computing system with respect to the first computing system, in response to which a first switching area location is determined on the user interface of the first computing system and a second switching area location is determined on a user interface of the second computing system.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the location of the switching area is determined automatically by automatically determining a physical orientation of the second computing system with respect to the first computing system, in response to which the first agent determines placement of the switching area on the user interface of the first computing system based on the determined physical orientation.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the first agent facilitates copying of the clipboard data from the first computing system to the second computing system by encapsulating the clipboard data and transmitting the encapsulated clipboard data to the second agent, and wherein the second agent verifies whether the encapsulated clipboard data is allowed to be copied to the second computing system.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the first agent of the first computing system is coupled to a database of associations between a user, the first computing system, and the second computing system such that deployment of the second computing system within a working area of the first computing system automatically facilitates control of the second computing system by the user via the first computing system.

11. A method for controlling a computer, the method comprising:

employing a processor executing computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium to implement acts comprising;

receiving input device data associated with a local input device of a first computing system

designating at least one switching location within a user interface of the first computing system, wherein the at least one switching location is determined based on a physical location of a second computing system relative to the first computing system such that the at least one switching location is created near or in a direction of the physical location of the second computing system;

determining whether a location of a user interface pointer coincides with the at least one switching location;

routing the input device data to the second computing system upon determining that the location of the user interface pointer coincides with the at least one switching location;

determining that content at the first computing system has been copied to a local clipboard; and

transmitting the content from the local clipboard to a remote clipboard of the second computing system upon detecting that the content has been copied to the local clipboard.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising emulating a touch pad on a display of the first computing system to facilitate control of the second computing system.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising tracking a physical location of the second computing system such that placement of the second computing system within a working area of the first computing system causes the first agent to automatically designate the at least one switching location within the user interface of the first computing system for control of the second computing system.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one switching location comprises at least one of a display element or an icon, and wherein placement of the user interface pointer associated with the first computing device within the at least one switching location instructs the first agent to route the input device data to the second computing system.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting the content comprises encapsulating the content and transmitting the encapsulated content to the remote clipboard of the second computing system.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising authenticating the second computing system before transmitting the content thereto, wherein authenticating and transmitting are performed one of automatically or manually.

17. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions encoded thereon, the computer-executable instructions upon execution by one or more processors configure a computer to perform acts comprising:

receiving local input device data from one or more local input devices of a local system;

routing the local input device data to a remote system upon detecting a motion of a first user interface pointer associated with a first switching area on a user interface of the local system;

transmitting content from a local clipboard at the local system to a remote clipboard at the remote system upon detecting that the content has been copied to the local clipboard; and

routing the local input device data to the local system only upon receiving a signal from the remote system to cease routing the local input device data to the remote system, wherein;

a location of the first switching area on the user interface of the local system is determined based on a physical location of the remote system relative to a physical location of the local system such that the location of the first switching area is created near or in a direction of the physical location of the remote system;

the motion of the first user interface pointer associated with the first switching area is selected from the group consisting of;

placing the first user interface pointer within the first switching area, moving the first user interface pointer in a particular direction within the first switching area, moving the first user interface pointer within a particular speed range within the first switching area, and combinations thereof; and

the signal is triggered by a motion of a second user interface pointer associated with a second switching area on a user interface of the remote system.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the acts further comprise emulating, on the local system, a touch pad interface derived from the user interface of the remote system to control the remote system, and wherein the touch pad interface displays only control objects of the remote system, and space in the user interface of the remote system that provides no meaningful function or purpose related to interacting with the local system is eliminated.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the acts further comprise tracking the physical location of the remote system such that placement of the remote system within a working area of the local system automatically creates the first switching area on the user interface of the local system and the second switching area on the user interface of the remote system.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein transmitting the content further comprises encapsulating the content and transmitting the encapsulated content to the remote clipboard at the remote system.

21. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the acts further comprise authenticating the remote system before transmitting the content thereto, wherein authenticating and transmitting are performed one of automatically or manually.