Remote control of a host computer

• US 8,880,715 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Bailey, Scott, Russell, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): MACILWINEN, JOHN MOORE JAIN
• Application Number:
  US12/257,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20100106766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,203 Days
• Field of Search: 709/230
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor

Abstract

A host computer is remotely controlled by a remote client device over a network that carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol. The host computer establishes a connection to the remote client device using a connection-oriented protocol, and receives commands from the remote client device over the connection-oriented protocol and implements the commands so as to affect a display of the host computer. The host computer transmits content of the display to the remote client device using the connection-oriented protocol. In addition, the host computer identifies one or more rapid-change areas in the display of the host computer in which the display is changing more quickly than a predetermined threshold rate of change, and transmits content of each rapid-change area to the remote client device using a connectionless protocol at a rate higher than the connection-oriented protocol.

Claims

1. A method of operating a host computer which is remotely controlled by a remote client device over a network that carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol, comprising:

establishing a connection to the remote client device using a connection-oriented protocol;

receiving commands from the remote client device over the connection-oriented protocol and implementing the commands so as to affect a display of the host computer;

identifying the one or rapid-change areas in the display of the host computer in which the display is changing more quickly than a predetermined threshold rate of change;

determining protocols for transmitting content of the display of the host computer to the remote client device such that content of each rapid-change area is transmitted to the remote client device using a connectionless protocol, and such that content of the display except the rapid-change areas is transmitted to the remote client device using the connection-oriented protocol;

transmitting content of the display of the host computer to the remote client device using the determined protocol, wherein a rate of transmitting of the connectionless protocols is higher than a rate of transmitting of the connection-oriented protocol;

wherein if the host computer determines that the rate of change for a rapid-change area falls below a second threshold rate of change lower than the threshold rate of change, the host computer changes the protocol for transmitting the content of the rapid-change area from the connectionless protocol to the connection-oriented protocol.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein rapid-change areas are identified by comparing screenshots of the display of the host computer.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein rapid-change areas are identified by monitoring display commands sent by an operating system of the host computer.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein rapid-change areas are identified by monitoring drawing commands sent from a video card in the host computer.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold rate of change is set based on display properties of the remote client device.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the host computer notifies the remote client device to expect data via the connectionless protocol, and transmits coordinates defining the location of the rapid-change area to the remote client device.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting a type of connectionless protocol based on one or more of the following:

a selection made by the user;

encoders or decoders available at the host computer and the remote client device;

a bandwidth of the connection; and

display capabilities of the remote client device.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein if the rate of change for a rapid-change area falls below the threshold rate of change, the host computer delays for a period of time before switching back to a connection-oriented protocol for the rapid-change area.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the host computer temporarily delays identifying rapid-change areas during start-up of the host computer.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein certain display icons or areas are excluded from the identifying step.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein a host cursor is excluded from the identifying step, and wherein the position of the host cursor is transmitted to the remote client device to locally redraw the host cursor on the remote client device.

12. A host computer which is controlled by a remote client device over a network which carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol, the host computer comprising:

a hardware network interface constructed to establish a connection to the remote to the remote client device using a connection-oriented protocol;

said hardware network interface constructed to receive commands from the remote client device over the connection oriented protocol;

a hardware processor constructed to implement the commands so as to affect the display of the host computer;

an identification unit constructed to identity one or more rapid-change areas in the display of the host computer in which the display is changing more quickly than a predetermined threshold rate of change;

a determining unit that determines protocols for transmitting content of the display of the host computer to the remote client device such that the content of each rapid-change area is transmitted to the remote client device using a connectionless protocol, and such that content of the display except the rapid-change areas is transmitted to the remote client using the connection-oriented protocol;

said hardware network interface constructed to transmit content of the display of the host computer to the remote client device using the protocols determined by the determining unit wherein a rate of transmitting of the connectionless protocol is higher than a rate of transmitting of the connection-oriented protocol;

wherein if the host computer determines that the rate of change for a rapid-change area falls below a second threshold rate of change lower than the threshold rate of change, the host computer changes the protocol for transmitting the content of the rapid-change area from the connectionless protocol to the connection-oriented protocol;

a non-transitory computer-readable memory constructed to store computer-executable process steps; and

a hardware processor constructed to function as at the determining unit and the identification unit by executing the computer-executable process steps stored in memory.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for retrievably storing a computer-executable program for operating a host computer which is remotely controlled by a remote client device over a network that carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol, said program comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection to the remote client device using a connection-oriented protocol;

receiving commands from the remote client device over the connection-oriented protocol and implementing the commands so as to affect a display of the host computer;

identifying one or more rapid-change areas in the display of the host computer in which the display is changing more quickly than a predetermined threshold rate of change;

determining protocols for transmitting content of the display of the host computer to the remote client device such that content of each rapid-change area is transmitted to the remote client device using a connectionless protocol, and such that content of the display except the rapid-change area is transmitted to the remote client device using the connection-oriented protocol;

transmitting content of the display of the host computer to the remote client device using the determined protocols, wherein a rate of transmitting of the connectionless protocol is higher than a rate of transmitting of the connection-oriented protocol;

wherein if the host computer determines that the rate of change for a rapid-change area falls below a second threshold rate of change lower than the threshold rate of change, the host computer changes the protocol for transmitting the content of the rapid-change area from the connectionless protocol to the connection-oriented protocol.

14. A method of operating a client device to remotely control a host computer over a network that carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol, comprising:

establishing a connection to the host computer using a connection-oriented protocol;

transmitting commands over the connection-oriented protocol to the host computer;

receiving content of a rapid-change area in a display of the host computer over a connectionless protocol and receiving content of the display except the rapid-change area over the connection-oriented protocol, wherein the rapid-change area is an area changing more quickly than a predetermined threshold rate of change;

displaying the received content of the rapid-change area and the received content of the display except the rapid-change area;

wherein if the host computer determines that the rate of change for a rapid-change area falls below a second threshold rate of change lower than the threshold rate of change, the host computer changes the protocol for transmitting the content of the rapid-change area from the connectionless protocol to the connection-oriented protocol.

15. A client device that remotely controls a host computer over a network that carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol, comprising:

an interface unit constructed to establish a connection to the host computer using a connection-oriented protocol;

a transmission unit constructed to transmit commands over the connection-oriented protocol to the host computer;

a receiving unit constructed to receive content of a rapid-change area in a display of the host computer over a connectionless protocol and to receive content of the display except the rapid-change area over the connection-oriented protocol, wherein the rapid-change area is an area changing more quickly than a predetermined threshold rate of change, wherein if the host computer determines that the rate of change for a rapid-change area falls below a second threshold rate of change lower than the threshold rate of change, the host computer changes the protocol for transmitting the content of the rapid-change area from the connectionless protocol to the connection-oriented protocol;

a display unit constructed to display the received content of the rapid-change area and the received content of the display except the rapid-change area;

a non-transitory computer-readable memory constructed to store computer-executable process steps; and

one or more hardware processors constructed to function as the interface unit, transmission unit and receiving unit by executing the computer-executable process steps stored in memory.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for retrievably storing a computer program for a client device which remotely controls a host computer over a network that carries transmissions in a connection-oriented protocol and a connectionless protocol, said program comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection to the host computer using a connection-oriented protocol;

transmitting commands over the connection-oriented protocol to the host computer;

receiving content of a rapid-change area in a display of the host computer over a connectionless protocol and receiving content of the display except the rapid-change area over the connection-oriented protocol, wherein the rapid-change area is an area changing more quickly than a predetermined threshold rate of change; and

displaying the received content of the rapid-change area and the received content of the display except the rapid-change area;

wherein if the host computer determines that the rate of change for a rapid-change area falls below a second threshold rate of change lower than the threshold rate of change, the host computer changes the protocol for transmitting the content of the rapid-change area from the connectionless protocol to the connection-oriented protocol.