Methods and systems for providing, by a remote machine, access to graphical data associated with a resource provided by a local machine

• US 7,890,570 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Mazzaferri, Richard James
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, LE HIEN
• Application Number:
  US12/210,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20090070404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/542 Intercept
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A method for providing, by a remote machine, access to graphical data associated with a resource provided by a local machine includes initializing, by a remote agent on a remote machine, a proxy icon handler. The proxy icon handler receives, from an icon handler on a local machine, data associated with an icon for a resource provided by the local machine. The proxy icon handler modifies a window in a remote desktop environment displaying a plurality of icons including at least one icon associated with a resource provided by the remote machine and the icon associated with the resource provided by the local machine. The remote agent transmits, to the local machine, window attribute data associated with the modified window and graphical data representing the window displaying the plurality of icons. The local agent displays the received graphical data in a window formed according to the received window attribute data.

Claims

1. In a networked computing system, a method for providing, by a remote machine, access to graphical data associated with a resource provided by a local machine, the method comprising:

(a) initializing, by a remote agent executing on a remote machine, a proxy icon handler;

(b) receiving, by the proxy icon handler, from an icon handler executing on a local machine, data associated with an icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine;

(c) modifying, by the proxy icon handler, in communication with a shell on the remote machine, a window displaying a plurality of icons in a remote desktop environment, the plurality of icons including at least one icon associated with a resource provided by the remote machine and including the icon associated with the resource provided by the local machine;

(d) transmitting, by the remote agent, to a local agent executing on the local machine, window attribute data associated with the window displaying the plurality of icons and graphical data representing the window displaying the plurality of icons;

(e) displaying, by the local agent executing on the local machine, the received graphical data in a window formed according to the received window attribute data; and

(f) receiving, by the proxy icon handler, a request for access to the resource provided by the local machine and associated with the icon; and

(g) redirecting, by the proxy icon handler, the request to the local agent executing on the local machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises receiving, by the proxy icon handler executing on the remote machine, an identification of an icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine, the icon displayed in a system tray window maintained by the local machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises receiving, by the proxy icon handler executing on the remote machine, an identification of an icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine, the icon displayed in a system control area window maintained by the local machine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises receiving, by the proxy icon handler executing on the remote machine, an identification of an icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine, the icon displayed in a notification area window maintained by the local machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises receiving, by the proxy icon handler, an identification of the icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises receiving, by the proxy icon handler, a file including the icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises modifying, by the proxy icon handler, in communication with the shell, a system tray window displaying the plurality of icons in the remote desktop environment, the plurality of icons including at least one icon associated with a resource provided by the remote machine and including the icon associated with the resource provided by the local machine.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises removing, from the plurality of icons, a duplicate icon.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises generating, by the proxy icon handler, the window displaying the plurality of icons in the remote desktop environment, the window including at least one icon associated with a resource provided by the remote machine, and including a modified version of the icon associated with the resource provided by the local machine.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein step (f) further comprises receiving, by the proxy icon handler, from a shell executing on the remote machine, an identification of a user interaction with the icon associated with the resource provided by the local machine.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting, to the local machine, a z-order entry for the window displaying the plurality of icons.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising replacing a display of a system tray on the local machine with a display of the window displaying the plurality of icons.

13. A system for providing, by a remote machine, access to graphical data associated with a resource provided by the local machine, the system comprising:

a remote agent executing on a remote machine;

a proxy icon handler initialized by the remote agent and comprising;

a transceiver receiving, from an icon handler on a local machine, data associated with an icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine, and means for modifying a window displaying a plurality of icons in a remote desktop environment, the window including at least one icon associated with a resource provided by the remote machine and including the icon associated with the resource provided by the local machine;

a local agent executing on the local machine, receiving, from the remote agent, window attribute data associated with the window displaying the plurality of icons and graphical data representing the window displaying the plurality of icons, and displaying the received graphical data in a window formed according to the received window attribute data; and

wherein the transceiver receives a request for access to the resource provided by the local machine associated with the icon and redirects the request to the icon handler executing on the local machine.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the remote agent further comprises a transmitter transmitting, to the local agent, a z-order entry for the window displaying the plurality of icons.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the local agent further comprises means for replacing a display of a system tray window on the local machine with a display of the window displaying the plurality of icons.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the proxy icon handler further comprises a receiver receiving an identification of the icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the proxy icon handler further comprises a receiver receiving a file including the icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the proxy icon handler further comprises means for modifying a system tray window displaying the plurality of icons in the remote desktop environment, the plurality of icons including at least one icon associated with a resource provided by the remote machine and including the icon associated with the resource provided by the local machine.

19. The system of claim 13 further comprising a filter applied by the proxy icon handler to remove, from the plurality of icons, a duplicate icon.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the proxy icon handler further comprises means for modifying, by the proxy icon handler, the window displaying the plurality of icons in the remote desktop environment, the window including at least one icon associated with a resource provided by the remote machine, and including a modified version of the icon associated with the resource provided by the local machine.

21. In a networked computing system, a method for providing, by a local machine, access to graphical data associated with a resource provided by a remote machine, the method comprising:

(a) receiving, by a local agent executing on a local machine, an icon associated with a resource provided by a remote machine;

(b) incorporating, by the local agent, the icon associated with the resource provided by the remote machine into a local window displaying a plurality of icons in a local desktop environment, the plurality of icons including at least one icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine;

(c) re-parenting, by the local agent, the local window displaying the plurality of icons in the local desktop environment to a window displaying, to a user of the local machine, a desktop environment maintained by the remote machine and providing integrated access to both resources provided by the local machine and resources provided by the remote machine; and

(d) redirecting, by the local agent, to a remote icon handler, a request for access to the resource provided by the remote machine and associated with the icon.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising providing, by the remote icon handler, access to the resource provided by the remote machine and associated with the icon.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising receiving, by the local agent, from a local proxy icon handler, an identification of a user interaction with the icon associated with the resource provided by the remote machine.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein step (b) further comprises incorporating, by a local agent, the icon associated with the resource provided by the remote machine into a local system tray window displaying a plurality of icons in a local desktop environment, the plurality of icons including at least one icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein step (c) comprises directing, by the local agent, a shell on the local machine to paint an image of a local system tray window at a location identified by the window attribute data.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein step (c) comprises directing, by the local agent, a display of a local window displaying a system tray including at least one icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine, the local window displayed at a window region identified responsive to the received window attribute data.

27. A system for providing, by a local machine, access to graphical data associated with a resource provided by the remote machine, comprising:

a local agent executing on a local machine comprising;

means for incorporating an icon associated with a resource provided by a remote machine into a local window displaying a plurality of icons in a local desktop environment, the plurality of icons including at least one icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine and

means for re-parenting the local window displaying the plurality of icons in the local desktop environment to a window displaying, to a user of the local machine, a desktop environment maintained by the remote machine and providing integrated access to both resources provided by the local machine and resources provided by the remote machine; and

a proxy icon handler on the local machine comprising

means for receiving a request for access to the resource provided by the remote machine and associated with the icon, and

means for redirecting the request to the local agent.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the local agent further comprises means for incorporating the icon associated with the resource provided by the remote machine into a local system tray window displaying a plurality of icons in a local desktop environment, the plurality of icons including at least one icon associated with a resource provided by the local machine.

29. The system of claim 27 further comprising a proxy icon handler on the local machine receiving a request for access to the resource provided by the remote machine and associated with the icon.

30. The system of claim 27 further comprising a proxy icon handler on the local machine receiving an identification of a user interaction with the local display of the icon associated with the resource provided by the remote machine.

31. The system of claim 27 further comprising a proxy icon handler on the local machine redirecting, to the remote agent, a request for access to the resource provided by the remote machine and associated with the icon.