Controlling presentation engine on remote device

• US 8,301,689 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bluestreak Technology (Canada), Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Bluestreak Technology (Canada), Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Dion, Luc
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US12/206,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20090070440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability

Abstract

A communication mechanism or facility for enabling interaction with, and control of, a remote presentation engine for presenting a rich media application, such as one written using animated graphics allows the presentation engine to be configured or instructed remotely to perform certain actions, to send requests, and/or to send information, independently of the animated graphics application being executed. The communication facility between a workstation enables a presentation engine to pass a request by the application for resource stored on a workstation—an image file or a data file, for example—thereby creating a virtual file system. Local resource references can thus be maintained in the application during development without having to download all resources to the device in connection with testing.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for controlling execution of a rich media application by a presentation engine running on a remote device comprised of an embedded computing system, the embedded computing system comprising a microprocessor and memory, the method comprising:

establishing a communication session between the computer and the remote device;

configuring over the communication session, with a server executing on the computer, the presentation engine that is running on the remote device to collect one or more performance metrics or debugging information when the presentation engine is rendering the rich media application; and

transferring the rich media application from the computer to the remote device for execution by the remote device, the presentation engine executing the rich media application by, in part, rendering a series of frames for display on the remote device, the rich media application being written using an animated graphics language.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the remote device performance metrics collected by the presentation engine.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the computer a request from the presentation engine for a resource file not stored on the remote device; and

transmitting the requested resource file to the remote device.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3 wherein the request for the resource file does not include a fully qualified path to a location where the requested resource file is stored, and wherein the method further comprises resolving the request in order to locate and transmit the requested resource file.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the server is comprised of a development tool running on the computer.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising configuring a communication channel between the computer and the remote device.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the remote device is chosen from a group consisting of from a group consisting of a mobile wireless communication device, a mobile telephone, a satellite set top box, or a cable set top box.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation engine determines after rendering of each frame whether to collect the one or more performance metrics or debugging information and, if to be collected, collects the one or more performance metrics or debugging information for transmission to the computer.

9. Computer readable medium, excluding signals, storing program instructions for execution by a computer, the program instructions comprising instructions for:

establishing a communication session between the computer and a remote device, the remote device comprising a microprocessor and memory for running a presentation engine, the presentation executing a rich media application, written using animated graphics, by, in part, rendering a series of frames for display on the remote device;

configuring the presentation engine for collecting one or more of performance metrics and debugging information, with a server by transmitting one or more messages during the communications session; and

transferring a rich media application from the computer to the remote device for execution by the presentation engine.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, the program instructions further comprising instructions for receiving from the presentation engine performance metrics collected by the presentation engine.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions for:

receiving by the computer a request from the presentation engine for a resource file not stored on the remote device; and

transmitting the requested resource file to the remote device.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the request for the resource file does not include a fully qualified path to a location where the requested resource file is stored, and further comprising instructions for resolving the request in order to locate and transmit the requested resource file.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the server is comprised of a development tool running on the computer.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions for configuring a communication channel between the computer and the remote device.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the remote device is chosen from a group consisting of a mobile wireless communication device, a mobile telephone, a satellite set top box, or a cable set top box.

16. The computer readable memory of claim 9, wherein the presentation engine determines after rendering of each frame whether to collect the one or more performance metrics or debugging information and, if to be collected, collects the one or more performance metrics or debugging information for transmission to the computer.

17. Computer readable medium storing program instructions for execution by a processor embedded in a device, the program instructions comprising instructions for:

establishing a communication session of a communication channel between a remote computer and the device;

configuring, over the communication session, execution of a rich media application, written using an animated graphics language, by a presentation engine, the presentation executing the rich media application by, in part, rendering a series of frames for display on the embedded device, to collect one or more of predefined performance metrics and debugging information in response to receiving a message from the remote computer specifying a configuration; and

executing the rich media application, executing comprising rendering graphical frames described by the rich media application.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions for receiving the rich media application file through the communication session and automatically executing it.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the program instructions further comprising instructions for sending a message to the remote computer requesting a resource file that is not stored on the device and that is specified by the rich media application by path that is not fully qualified.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the remote device is chosen from a group consisting of a mobile wireless communication device, a mobile telephone, a satellite set top box, or a cable set top box.

21. The computer readable memory of claim 17, wherein the presentation engine determines after rendering of each frame whether to collect the one or more performance metrics or debugging information and, if to be collected, collects the one or more performance metrics or debugging information for transmission to the computer.

22. A computer implemented method for controlling execution of a rich media application by a presentation engine running on a remote device comprised of an embedded computing system, the embedded computing system comprising a microprocessor and memory, the presentation engine executing the rich media application by, in part, rendering a series of frames, the method comprising:

establishing a communication session between the computer and the remote device;

transferring the rich media application from the computer to the remote device, the rich media application written in an animated graphics language describing to the presentation engine the series of frames to rendered using at least one resource, the rich media application including a local reference to a resource file containing the at least one resource that is not transferred to the remote device with the rich media application;

receiving over the communication session by the computer a request from the presentation engine for the resource file not stored on the remote device for use in playback of the rich media application by the presentation engine; and

transmitting the requested resource file to the remote device;

wherein the request for the resource file does not include a fully qualified path to a location where the requested resource file is stored, and wherein the method further comprises resolving the request in order to locate and transmit the requested resource file.

23. The computer implemented method of claim 22, wherein the remote device is chosen from a group consisting of a mobile wireless communication device, a mobile telephone, a satellite set top box, or a cable set top box.

24. Computer readable medium storing program instructions for execution by a computer, the program instructions comprising instructions for:

establishing a communication session between the computer and a remote device, the remote device comprising a microprocessor and memory for running a presentation engine, the presentation engine executing a rich media application by, in part, rendering a series of frames described by the rich media application, the rich media application referencing at least one resource for display in connection with rendering at least one of the frames;

receiving by the computer a request from the presentation engine for a resource file for the at least one resource for use in playback of a the rich media application by the presentation engine not stored on the remote device, the rich media application including a local reference to a resource file that is not transferred to the remote device with the rich media application; and

transmitting the requested resource file to the remote device;

wherein the request for the resource file does not include a fully qualified path to a location where the requested resource file is stored, and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for resolving the request in order to locate and transmit the requested resource file.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, further comprising instructions for configuring a communication channel between the computer and the remote device.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the remote device is chosen from a group consisting of a mobile wireless communication device, a mobile telephone, a satellite set top box, or a cable set top box.

27. Computer readable medium storing program instructions for execution by a processor embedded in a device, the program instructions comprising instructions for:

establishing a communication session of a communication channel between a remote computer and the device;

receiving a rich media application to be executed having local reference to a resource file that is not transferred to the device with the rich media application, the rich media application being written using an animated graphics language;

executing the rich media application, executing comprising rendering graphical frames described by the rich media application using a presentation engine, the presentation engine executing a rich media application by, in part, rendering a series of frames described by the rich media application, the rich media application referencing at least one resource for display in connection with rendering at least one of the frames;

sending a message to the remote computer requesting a the resource file that is not stored on the device when needed for execution by the presentation engine of the rich media application, the resource file being specified by a local reference having a path that is not fully qualified on the remote computer.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 27, where the instructions further include instructions for receiving the requested file.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for configuring execution of the rich media application in response to receiving a message from the remote computer specifying a configuration;

wherein configuring comprises setting up collection of performance metrics measured during execution of the rich media application.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the remote device is chosen from a group consisting of a mobile wireless communication device, a mobile telephone, a satellite set top box, or a cable set top box.