Resource launch from application within application container

• US 8,935,402 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2011
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Henriquez, Alberto, London, Kevin S., Howe, Travis M., Reskusich, Raymond M., Bhattacharyya, Debaprajna, Baker, James Henry III
• Primary Examiner(s): BAYARD, DJENANE M
• Application Number:
  US13/315,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20130151706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131

Abstract

A remote resource application that is associated with an application container in a manner that the application container restricts the remote resource application from directly accessing at least a file system of the computing system. The remote resource application provides a visualization for each of multiple remote resources. The user may launch the remote resource by selecting the corresponding visualization. Some of the remote resources are accessed by launching from the remote resource application itself in the context of the application container. Others of the remote resources are launched outside of the application container. The remote desktop application may operate securely within the application container, and still serve as an integrated location from which a user can access remote resources, regardless of whether the remote resource is launched from internal or external to the application container.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-storage devices having thereon one or more computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to perform a computer-implemented method comprising:

at a remote resource application located in an application container running on a computing system which has a file system or other system environment external to and restricted from access by the remote resource application in the application container, receiving from a broker component one or more visualizations for one or more remote resources;

displaying the received visualizations at a user interface of the remote resource application;

in response to selection of a visualization for a remote resource, the remote resource application requesting the broker component to access launch instructions for the remote resource corresponding to the selected visualization;

determining at a decision component whether the remote resource corresponding to the selected visualization must be launched external to the application container or whether the remote resource corresponding to the selected visualization is able to be launched from the remote resource application inside the application container; and

launching the remote resource corresponding to the selected visualization at the remote resource application.

2. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the broker component intermediates between the remote resource application and the file system to thereby provide one or more visualizations from the file system to the remote resource application.

3. The computer program product in accordance with claim 2, wherein the one or more visualizations are provided in response to the broker component discovering one or more workspaces to which a user of the remote resource application has previously subscribed.

4. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the discovering the one or more workspaces occurs in response to the user completing subscription to at least one of the one or more workspaces.

5. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the discovering the one or more workplaces occurs in response to a change in the remote resources corresponding to at least one of the one or more workspaces.

6. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the user initiates subscription to a workspace by providing an e-mail address.

7. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the user initiates subscription to a workspace by providing a uniform resource locator.

8. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the remote resource application is configured to detect when a user selects a visualization of a remote resource displayed in the user interface of the remote resource application.

9. The computer program product in accordance with claim 8, wherein the broker component intermediates between the remote resource application and the file system when requested to access launch instructions.

10. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the decision component is external to the application container.

11. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the decision component is internal to the application container.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

at a remote resource application located in an application container running on a computing system which has a file system or other system environment external to and restricted from access by the remote resource application in the application container, receiving from a broker component one or more visualizations for one or more remote resources;

displaying the received visualizations at a user interface of the remote resource application;

in response to selection of a visualization for a remote resource, the remote resource application requesting the broker component to access launch instructions for the remote resource corresponding to the selected visualization;

determining at a decision component that is either internal to the remote resource application or external to the remote resource application whether the remote resource corresponding to the selected visualization must be launched external to the application container or whether the remote resource corresponding to the selected visualization is able to be launched from the remote resource application inside the application container; and

launching the remote resource corresponding to the selected visualization at the remote resource application.

13. The computer-implemented method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the broker component intermediates between the remote resource application and the file system to thereby provide the plurality of visualizations from the file system to the remote resource application.

14. The computer-implemented method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the one or more visualizations are provided in response to the broker component discovering one or more workspaces to which a user of the remote resource application has previously subscribed.

15. The computer-implemented method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the discovering the one or more workspaces occurs in response to the user completing subscription to at least one of the one or more workspaces.

16. The computer-implemented method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the discovering the one or more workplaces occurs in response to a change in the remote resources corresponding to at least one of the one or more workspaces.

17. The computer-implemented method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the user initiates subscription to a workspace by providing an e-mail address.

18. The computer-implemented method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the user initiates subscription to a workspace by providing a uniform resource locator.

19. A computer-implemented method comprising:

at a remote resource application located in an application container running on a computing system which has a file system or other system environment external to and restricted from access by the remote resource application in the application container, in response to a user of the remote resource application subscribing to one or more workspaces, receiving from a broker component one or more visualizations for one or more remote resources, at least some of the remote resources corresponding to the one or more workspaces;

displaying the received visualizations at a user interface of the remote resource application;

in response to selection of a visualization for a remote resource, the remote resource application requesting the broker component to access launch instructions for the remote resource corresponding to the selected visualization;

determining at a decision component that is either internal to the remote resource application or external to the remote resource application whether the remote resource corresponding to the selected visualization must be launched external to the application container or whether the remote resource corresponding to the selected visualization is able to be launched from the remote resource application inside the application container; and

launching the remote resource corresponding to the selected visualization at the remote resource application.

wherein the plurality of visualizations were provided in response to a user of the remote resource application subscribing to one or more workspaces, each corresponding to at least a portion of the plurality of remote resources.