Method and system for providing remote access to applications

• US 8,073,941 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2007
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CloudOn Ltd. (Dropbox, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Apptou Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Binyamin, Shuki
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US12/301,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20090204711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 718/104, 718/105
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/28 involving image processing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1038 Load balancing arrangements to avoid a single path through a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method of remotely providing an application includes receiving, at an access server, a request for an application from a client. One or more application servers which are capable of providing the requested application are identified base at least in part on a resource of the identified one or more application servers. The client is provided with the identified one or more application servers which are capable of providing the application.

Claims

1. A method of remotely providing an application comprising:

receiving, at an access server, a request for an application from a client;

identifying one or more application servers which are capable of providing the requested application based at least in part on a resource of the identified one or more application servers;

providing, to the client, a list of the identified one or more application servers which are capable of providing the requested application; and

receiving, at the access server from the client, an application server selection from the list of the identified one or more application servers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a position of an application server within the list is based at least in part on the resource of the application server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the access server, the client with the requested application through the selected application server.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the requested application is provided to the client through a communication channel directly between the selected application server and the client.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the requested application is provided to the client through a communication channel between the access server and the client.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing a second requested application to the client through the communication channel between the access server and the client.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the resource of the identified one or more application servers.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the resource is identified using a detection application installed on the identified one or more application servers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource of the identified one or more application servers relates to at least one of a cost of the requested application, a cost of a license for the requested application, a memory capacity of the identified one or more application servers, an amount of memory used by the requested application, an amount of processing consumed by the requested application, a number of peripherals used by the requested application, a time of day at which the request is received, a maximum bandwidth of the identified one or more application servers, a bandwidth required by the requested application through the identified one or more application servers, a processor of the identified one or more application servers, whether the identified one or more application servers provide the requested application, whether advertising is included in the requested application, an amount of the advertising included in the requested application, a version of the requested application, a number of licenses for the requested application which are available through the identified one or more application servers, a latency between the access server and the identified one or more application servers, a security level of the identified one or more application servers, a geographic location of the identified one or more application servers, an operating system with which the identified one or more application servers are compatible, a work load of the one or more application servers, and a latency between the identified one or more application servers and the client.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user preference from the client, wherein the user preference comprises a desired property of the requested application or a desired property of the identified one or more application servers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the received user preference relates to at least one of a cost of the requested application, a bandwidth of the identified one or more application servers, a version of the requested application, a user ranking of the identified one or more application servers, a memory capacity of the identified one or more application servers, an amount of memory used by the requested application, an amount of processing consumed by the requested application, a number of peripherals used by the requested application, a bandwidth required by the requested application through the identified one or more application servers, a processor of the identified one or more application servers, whether advertising is included in the requested application, an amount of the advertising included in the requested application, a number of licenses for the requested application which are available through the identified one or more application servers, a latency between the access server and the identified one or more application servers, a latency between the identified one or more application servers and the client, a geographic location of the identified one or more application servers, an operating system with which the identified one or more application servers are compatible, a work load of the one or more application servers, and a security level of the identified one or more application servers.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a position of an application server within the list of the identified one or more application servers provided to the client is based at least in part on the received user preference.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the resource of the identified one or more application servers corresponds to the received user preference.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a resource of the client, wherein the identified one or more application servers are identified based at least in part on the identified resource of the client.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the identified resource of the client relates to at least one of an operating system of the client, a memory capacity of the client, a processor of the client, a network connection of the client, a built in component of the client, a peripheral device of the client, a bandwidth of the client, a size of a display of the client, a resolution of the display, a geographical location of the client, a peripheral connected to the client, and a local application installed on the client.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the resource of the client is identified through a detection application installed on the client.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the identified resource of the client is a dynamic resource capable of changing.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the identified resource of the client comprises a current location of the client.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising repeatedly determining the resource of the identified one or more application servers in response to the request for the application from the client to detect changes in the resource of the of the identified one or more application servers.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource of the identified one or more application servers is a dynamic resource capable of changing.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the resource of the identified one or more application servers comprises a current work load of the identified one or more application servers.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the resource of the identified one or more application servers comprises a current latency between the identified one or more application servers and the client.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the access server and to the client, an interface indicating a plurality of different applications available to the client;

and wherein the receiving the request for an application comprises receiving, from the client, a selection of at least one of the plurality of different applications indicated by the interface.

24. A method of remotely providing an application comprising:

receiving, at an access server, a request for an application from a client;

identifying, at the access server, an application server for providing the requested application to the client, wherein the application server is identified based at least in part on a resource of the application server; and

providing, from the access server, an instruction to the application server such that the requested application is provided to the client.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein providing the instruction comprises:

directing the identified application server to provide the requested application;

receiving the requested application from the identified application server; and

providing the requested application to the client through a communication channel established with the client.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving a second application request from the client;

identifying a second application server for providing the second requested application to the client;

receiving the second requested application from the identified second application server; and

providing the requested second application to the client though the communication channel.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein providing the instruction comprises providing the identified application server with an identification of the client such that a communication channel through which the requested application is provided is able to be established between the client and the identified application server.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the request for the application is received through a web portal.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising receiving enrollment information through the web portal.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the request for the application is received through a dedicated application installed on the client.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein the identified application server is adapted to store data related to at least one of a saved application file and user information received from the client.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein the identified application server is adapted to communicate with a second application server such that the identified application server is capable of sharing information with the second application server.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein the instruction comprises a data structure corresponding to the requested application such that the identified application server is capable of creating a data stream corresponding to the requested application.

34. The method of claim 24, further comprising providing an interface to the client indicating a plurality of different applications;

and wherein the receiving the request for an application comprises receiving, from the client, a selection of at least one of the plurality of different applications.

35. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a processor, cause the processor to mediate between a client and an application server, the instructions configured to:

receive a request for an application from a client;

identify one or more application servers which are capable of providing the requested application to the client based at least in part on a resource of the identified one or more application servers;

provide a list of the identified one or more application servers to the client; and

receive, from the client, an application server selection from the list of the identified one or more application servers.

36. An access server system for identifying an application server, the access server system comprising:

a mediator application, wherein the mediator application comprises computer code configured to

receive a request for an application from a client;

identify an application server which is capable of providing the requested application to the client;

identify a resource of the application server, wherein the identified resource relates to a user preference received from the client; and

provide the identified resource to the client for use in a determination of whether the identified application server is to be used;

a memory configured to store the mediator application; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the mediator application.

37. The access server system of claim 36, wherein the access server system is in communication with a second access server system adapted for at least one of providing redundancy, storing user information received from the client, and storing information related to the application server.

38. The access server system of claim 36, wherein the mediator application is further configured to establish a connection between the client and a second client such that the client is capable of communicating with the second client.