System and method for multiple display support in remote access software

• US 7,791,559 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GOTO Group Incorporated (LogMeIn, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Piasecki, Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu; Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sadio; Insa
• Application Number:
  US11/532,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20080068289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 345/545, 345/531, 345/744, 345/553, 345/1.1, 345/1.2, 345/1.3, 345 21- 23, 715/769
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

A method of supporting multiple display configurations in a remote access environment, the remote access environment having a host computing device in communication with a viewer computing device comprises: receiving from a host computing device, by a viewer computing device having one or more viewer displays, a list of rectangles, each rectangle representing the boundaries of one of a plurality of host displays; presenting, by the viewer computing device to an end-user of the viewer computing device, a graphical user interface including means for selecting a configuration for displaying a window representing screen data of the plurality of host displays in the viewable area of the one or more displays of the viewer computing device; and displaying in the selected configuration, by the viewer computing device, the window representing the screen data of the one or more host displays. Corresponding systems are also described.

Claims

1. A method of supporting multiple display configurations in a remote access environment, the remote access environment having a host computing device in communication with a plurality of host displays and a viewer computing device in communication with one or more viewer displays, the host computing device and viewer computing device in communication via a network, the method comprising:

(a) receiving from a host computing device that is in communication with a plurality of host displays, by a viewer computing device having one or more viewer displays, i) screen data for each of the plurality of host displays, and ii) a list of rectangles, each rectangle representing the boundaries of one of the plurality of host displays;

(b) presenting, by the viewer computing device to an end-user of the viewer computing device, a graphical user interface for selecting a configuration to display the screen data of the plurality of host displays; and

(c) displaying in the selected configuration, by the viewer computing device in a viewable area of the one or more displays of the viewer computing device, a window representing at least a portion of the screen data of the plurality of host displays.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the viewer computing device comprises a plurality of viewer displays, and wherein step (c) comprises displaying in the selected configuration, by the viewer computing device in at least two of the plurality of viewer displays, the window representing at least a portion of the screen data of the plurality of host displays.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the plurality of host displays comprises the same number of displays as the plurality of viewer displays.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

(d) determining that a host display is not currently shown in the window; and

(e) displaying an indicator at an edge of the window, wherein the indicator provides an indication as to the direction of the host display that is not currently shown.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising

(d) displaying a graphical user interface means for selecting one of the plurality of host displays for viewing;

and

(e) constraining navigation of the window representing the screen data of the plurality of host displays to a currently selected one of the plurality of host displays.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of:

displaying an indicator at an edge of the window wherein the indicator provides an indication as to the direction of a host display that is not currently shown.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the viewer computing device comprises a single viewer display, and wherein step (c) comprises displaying in the selected configuration, by the viewer computing device in the single viewer display, a window representing the screen data of a selected one of the plurality of host displays.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of presenting a graphical indicator at an edge of the window to indicate the ability to transition to another of the host displays not presently shown on the viewer display.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of presenting a graphical indicator at an edge of the window to indicate the ability to transition to another of the host displays not presently shown on the viewer display, wherein another of the host displays exists in the direction of the indicator.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of transitioning to the indicated display upon activation of the graphical indicator.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the viewer computing device has one viewer display and further comprising the step of scaling the screen data of each of the host displays such that the screen data for each host display is displayed on the viewer display.

12. A computer implemented system for supporting multiple display configurations in a remote access environment, the remote access environment having a host computing device in communication with a plurality of host displays and a viewer computing device in communication with one or more viewer displays, the host computing device and viewer computing device in communication via a network, the system comprising:

a viewer computing device having one or more viewer displays, the viewer computing device comprising;

a transceiver which receives, from a host computing device that is in communication with a plurality of host displays, i) screen data for each of the plurality of host displays, and ii) a list of rectangles, each rectangle representing the boundaries of one of the plurality of host displays; and

one or more viewer displays which displays i) a graphical user interface for selecting a configuration to display the screen data of the plurality of host displays, and ii) in the selected configuration, a window representing at least a portion of the screen data of the plurality of host displays.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the viewer computing device comprises a plurality of viewer displays, and wherein the plurality of viewer displays display, in at least two of the plurality of viewer displays, the window representing at least a portion of the screen data of the plurality of host displays.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the plurality of host displays comprises the same number of displays as the plurality of viewer displays.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the viewer computing device further comprises a processor which determines that a host display is not currently shown in the window;

and wherein a viewer display displays an indicator at an edge of the window that provides an indication as to the direction of the host display that is not currently shown.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein a viewer display displays a graphical user interface means for selecting one of the plurality of host displays for viewing;

and

wherein the viewer computing device constrains navigation of the window representing the screen data of the plurality of host displays to a currently selected one of the plurality of host displays.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein a viewer display displays an indicator at an edge of the window that provides an indication as to the direction of a host display that is not currently shown.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the viewer computing device comprises a single viewer display, and wherein the viewer display displays a window representing the screen data of a selected one of the plurality of host displays.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the viewer display displays a graphical indicator at an edge of the window to indicate the ability to transition to another of the host displays not presently shown on the viewer display.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the viewer display displays a graphical indicator at an edge of the window to indicate the ability to transition to another of the host displays not presently shown on the viewer display, and wherein another of the host displays exists in the direction of the indicator.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the viewer display displays the indicated display upon activation of the graphical indicator.

22. The system of claim 12 wherein the viewer computing device comprises a single viewer display, and wherein the viewer computing device scales the screen data of each of the host displays such that the screen data for each host display is displayed on the viewer display.