Gesture-based collaboration

• US 7,917,584 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xcerion AB
• Original Assignee: Xcerion AB
• Inventors: Arthursson, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilles, Jude J Jean
• Application Number:
  US12/256,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20090172101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/203, 709/226, 709/219, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions

Abstract

Generally described, the present invention is directed to a network operating system that provides more effective ways of leveraging the connectivity of computer networks. In one embodiment, an XML virtual machine is implemented that accepts high-level application code written in an XML programming language as input. Functionality is provided to interpret or translate the application code written in an XML programming language into code that is suitable for execution across computer platforms. Moreover, the XML virtual machine supports the Model View Controller (MVC) design paradigm that facilitates true data abstraction from applications to a common data model. Multi-instance applications, with each instance potentially supporting multiple views, may be created and executed.

Claims

1. A method of actively sharing an application configured to be executed on both an originating and destination computing device, the method comprising:

binding the application executing on the originating computing device with one or more documents maintained in a data model, the one or more documents representing a state of the executing application;

initiating a collaboration session between the originating and destination computing devices, in which the state of the application executing on the originating computing device is exported to the destination computing device, comprising;

serializing the state of the application on the originating computing device;

propagating a serialized representation of the application state generated on the originating computing device to a server computing device that is configured to manage data exchange between the originating and destination computing devices; and

providing the destination computing device with rights to access resources associated with the application and the serialized representation of the application state generated by the originating computing device;

in response to the occurrence of a state change to the application executing on the originating computing device;

updating the one or more documents bound to the application executing on the originating computing to represent the state change;

generating a transaction on the originating computing that provides a description of the state change; and

transmitting the transaction that provides the description of the state change to the server computing device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein to export the state of the executing application from the originating computing device includes identifying the resources utilized by the application as specified in an application package.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein to export the state of the executing application includes delivering application resources to the destination computing device without requiring the application to have been previously installed on the destination computing device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user drags-and-drops a visual rendering of an application dialog over the boundary of a visual display in order to initiate the collaboration session.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an object associated with a user name displayed on a visual display is activated to initiate the collaboration session.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein to export the state of the executing application from the originating computing device to the destination computing device, includes:

maintaining an outbox special folder associated with the first user on a network file system;

maintaining an inbox special folder associated with the second user at the network file system; and

wherein a server process is configured to monitor the outbox special folder associated with the first user, identify an incoming message to initiate a collaboration session located in the outbox special folder of the first user, and move the message to the inbox special folder of the second user.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one resource in which the destination computing device is provided with access rights is identified dynamically from the process or view utilized by an application instance on the originating computing device.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein exporting the state of the application, includes:

utilizing an identifier associated with the first user to generate a unique name for the collaboration session; and

wherein the resources of the application are associated with the unique name and temporary rights are provided to the second user to access application resources associated with the unique name.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein to export the state of the application includes serializing information from one or more objects associated with the application into a text or binary format.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the information serialized from the one or more objects includes at least one variable describing a state of a user interface component selected from the group of a variable describing whether the user interface component is minimized, expanded, and selected.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein to export the state of the executing application includes configuring an object that models a user interface component to identify the data that the object is bound from an Xbind.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising building the application on the destination computing device includes using an XML virtual machine that accepts application code written in an XML programming language as input and causes the application code to be executed.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein building the application on the destination computing device includes utilizing a data type recognizer to identify the received document type as an application package.

14. A computer-readable medium bearing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more computer processors, carries out a method of propagating a change affecting an application between computing devices, comprising:

establishing a collaboration session between a first and second computing device;

in response to the first computing device experiencing a change that affects the application;

applying a binding that propagates the change to a data model to implement the change locally on the first computing device;

generating a transaction that describes the change;

causing the transaction that describes the change to be transmitted to the second computing device; and

interpreting the received transaction to implement the change on the second computing device, wherein interpreting the received transaction includes updating a state of the application'"'"'s user interface based on a binding between a data model and a user interface component.

15. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein a type of collaboration session established causes the first and second computing devices to share a virtual desktop in which the position occupied by an application dialogue is shared across screen displays.

16. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein a type of collaboration session established causes the presentation and position occupied by an application dialogue to be mirrored on both the first and second computing devices.

17. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein a type of collaboration session established causes an application view to be cloned so that state changes and data updates affecting the application are propagated between the first and second computing devices, and wherein re-positioning of an application dialogue is not mirrored on both the first and second computing devices.

18. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein establishing a collaboration session between a first and second computing device, includes:

identifying a dynamic resource used by an application instance executing on the first computing device; and

providing the second computing device with at least temporary rights to access the dynamic resource.

19. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein implementing the state change locally on the first computing device includes providing a data update event bus that automatically propagates a data update from a document to a user interface component bound to the document.

20. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the state change is implemented locally on the first computing device asynchronously from the transaction being transmitted to the second computing device.

21. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein interpreting the transaction on the second computing device includes deserializing XML data in the transaction and providing the deserialized data to an appropriate in-memory object.

22. A computing device configured to participate in a collaboration session, comprising:

a processor;

a network interface for sending data over a network while participating in the collaboration session;

a memory having computer-readable media with computer-executable components for exchanging data in the collaboration session, including;

a data update bus configured to automatically propagate data updates from an application'"'"'s user interface to one or more documents bound to the application;

a state manager that automatically causes the state of the application'"'"'s view to be described in one or more state documents;

a collaboration manager configured to;

identify the occurrence of data updates affecting the one or more documents bound to the application and state changes affecting the visual display of the application; and

cause transactions describing the data updates and state change to be encapsulated and transmitted to a second computing device that is participating in the collaboration session.

23. The computing device as recited in claim 22, wherein the data update bus is further configured to cause the data update to be implemented locally by causing user interface components bound to a document to be notified of the data update.

24. The computing device as recited in claim 22, wherein to identify the occurrence of state changes affecting the visual display of the application includes:

determining whether a user interface component that experienced a state change is an atomic component;

if the state change affects an atomic component, obtaining data describing the state change from an in-memory object; and

propagating data describing the state change to the one or more state documents.

25. The computing device as recited in claim 22, wherein the memory further includes a communication channel component for abstracting communications with a network service that manages the exchange of messages during the collaboration session.

26. The computing device as recited in claim 22, wherein the collaboration manager is further configured to:

obtain an update message that describes a state change to the application that occurred on the second computing device; and

cause a user interface component to implement the state change that occurred on the second computing device.