Application sharing user interface improvements

• US 7,721,223 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2002
• 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., Fuller, Deana Rae
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pan; Yongjia
• Application Number:
  US11/401,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 715/733, 715/751, 715/753, 715/781, 715/790, 715/791, 709203-205
• US Class Current: 715/790
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

An improved application sharing system and method are described wherein shared window data is treated according to different sets of rules depending upon the fraction of the shared window data that corresponds to the actual shared window. In this manner, occlusions of a shared window on a sharer display may be disguised or handled by a viewer display to minimize the impact of the occlusion on a viewing user, providing a more consistent and less confusing viewer experience.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions for constructing a viewer display of a shared window in an application sharing environment comprising a sharer computing device having associated therewith a sharer display upon which is rendered the shared window, and a viewer computing device communicably linked to the sharer computing device and having associated therewith a viewer display, the instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving at the viewer computing device first window information from the sharer computing device, wherein the first window information comprises sufficient information to construct a first viewer display of the shared window, and constructing the first viewer display of the shared window;

receiving at the viewer computing device second window information from the sharer computing device, wherein the second window information comprises sufficient information to construct only a non-unity portion of a second viewer display of the shared window on the viewer display, wherein the non-unity portion omits an obscured portion of the shared window;

determining whether the obscured portion of the shared window comprises less than a predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window; and

constructing a third viewer display of the shared window, wherein window information used to construct the third viewer display comprises a combination of the second window information with a portion of the first window information if it is determined that the obscured portion of the shared window comprises less than a predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window, and wherein the window information used to construct the third viewer display consists essentially of the first window information if it is determined that the obscured portion of the shared window does not comprise less than a predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window, wherein the instructions for constructing a third viewer display of the shared window further comprise instructions for;

setting a timer to expire after a predetermined amount of time if it is determined that the obscured portion of the shared window does not comprise less than a predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window;

determining whether third window information has been received prior to expiration of the timer indicating that an obscured portion of the shared window comprises less than a predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window; and

constructing a modified viewer display of the shared window wherein the modified viewer display is adapted to indicate visually to a human user that the information contained therein is not current, if such third window information has not been received prior to expiration of the timer.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the portion of the first window information that is combined corresponds to a portion of the shared window that is obscured.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the constructing a modified viewer display includes washing out the first viewer display.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3 wherein the washing out includes alpha-blending the first viewer display.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the constructing a modified viewer display includes displaying an indication that sharing has been paused.

6. A method for constructing a viewer display of a shared window in an application sharing environment comprising a sharer computing device having associated therewith a sharer display upon which is rendered the shared window, and a viewer computing device communicably linked to the sharer computing device and having associated therewith a viewer display, comprising:

receiving at the viewer computing device first window information from the sharer computing device, wherein the first window information comprises sufficient information to construct a first viewer display of the shared window, and constructing the first viewer display of the shared window;

receiving at the viewer computing device second window information from the sharer computing device, wherein the second window information comprises sufficient information to construct only a non-unity portion of a second viewer display of the shared window on the viewer display, wherein the non-unity portion omits an obscured portion of the shared window;

determining whether the obscured portion of the shared window comprises less than a predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window; and

constructing a third viewer display of the shared window, wherein window information used to construct the third viewer display comprises a combination of the second window information with a portion of the first window information if it is determined that the obscured portion of the shared window comprises less than a predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window, and wherein the window information used to construct the third viewer display consists essentially of the first window information if it is determined that the obscured portion of the shared window does not comprise less than a predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window, wherein constructing a third viewer display of the shared window further comprising;

setting a timer to expire after a predetermined amount of time if it is determined that the obscured portion of the shared window does not comprise less than a predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window;

determining whether third window information has been received prior to expiration of the timer indicating that an obscured portion of the shared window comprises less than a predetermined fraction of the area of the shared window; and

constructing a modified viewer display of the shared window wherein the modified viewer display is adapted to indicate visually to a human user that the information contained therein is not current, if such third window information has not been received prior to expiration of the timer.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the portion of the first window information that is combined corresponds to a portion of the shared window that is obscured.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the constructing a modified viewer display includes washing out the first viewer display.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the washing out includes alpha-blending the first viewer display.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the constructing a modified viewer display includes displaying an indication that sharing has been paused.