Management of local applications in local and remote desktops in a server-based computing environment

• US 9,032,325 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2011
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RES Software Development BV
• Original Assignee: Real Enterprise Solutions Development B.V. (Ivanti Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Janssen, Bob, Jansen, Peter Gerardus
• Primary Examiner(s): SONG, DAEHO D
• Application Number:
  US13/184,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20120005269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 715/778, 715/779, 715/769, 715/799
• US Class Current: 715/778
• 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

Abstract

In a computing environment comprising multiple desktop windows displayed to a user of a client computer, a method to manage client application windows associated with applications configured to run on the client computer is provided. The method includes detecting user input regarding movement of a client application window from a client desktop window to a remote desktop window, removing a task bar icon associated with the client application window from a task bar displayed in the client desktop window, instructing the remote computer to generate a drone of the client application window in the remote desktop window and to display the task bar icon associated with the client application window in a task bar of the remote desktop window, and displaying the client application window always on top of all other windows. The method may further include applying appropriate clipping region to the client application window.

Claims

1. A client computer for use in a networked computing environment comprising one or more processors, at least a client desktop window and a first remote desktop window configured to be displayed to a user of the client computer, wherein the client desktop window is configured to display a session running on the client computer and the first remote desktop window is configured to display a session running on a first remote computer, the client computer configured to manage a client application window associated with an application configured to run on the client computer, the client computer configured to:

detect a first user input regarding movement of the client application window from the client desktop window to the first remote desktop window;

remove a task bar icon associated with the client application window from a task bar displayed in the client desktop window;

instruct the first remote computer to generate a drone of the client application window in the first remote desktop window;

instruct the first remote computer to display the task bar icon associated with the drone of the client application window in a task bar displayed in the first remote desktop window; and

display the drone of the client application window always on top of all other remote desktop windows.

2. The client computer according to claim 1, wherein the session running on the remote computer comprises at least one additional application window associated with an application configured to run on the remote computer, and wherein the client computer further configured to:

receive a clipping region generated by the remote computer, where the clipping region comprises a part of the at least one additional application window overlapping with the drone of the client application window generated by the remote computer; and

apply the clipping region to the client application window.

3. The client computer according to claim 2, further configured to:

remove the clipping region applied to the client application window when the application configured to run on the client computer receives focus.

4. The client computer according to claim 1, wherein detecting a first user input comprises detecting that the client application window is being moved away from the client desktop window and determining that the client application window at least partially overlaps with the first remote desktop window.

5. The client computer according to claim 4, wherein determining that the client application window at least partially overlaps with the first remote desktop window comprises determining that, following the first user input, an overlap of the client application window with the first remote desktop window is greater than an overlap of the client application window with the client desktop window.

6. The client computer according to claim 5, wherein the networked computing environment further comprises a plurality of remote desktop windows configured to be displayed to the user of the client computer and wherein determining that the client application window at least partially overlaps with the first remote desktop window further comprises determining that, following the first user input, an overlap of the client application window with the first remote desktop window is greater than each of overlaps of the client application window with each of the plurality of remote desktop windows.

7. The client computer according to claim 1, further configured to instruct the first remote computer to display an icon associated with the client application window in one or more of a system tray window maintained by the first remote computer, a system control area maintained by the first remote computer, a notification area window maintained by the first remote computer, and a menu maintained by the first remote computer.

8. The client computer according to claim 1, further configured to:

detect a second user input regarding movement of the client application window from the first remote desktop window to a second remote desktop window, wherein the second remote desktop window is configured to display a session running on a second remote computer;

instruct the first remote computer to remove the task bar icon associated with the client application window from the task bar displayed in the first remote desktop window;

instruct the second remote computer to display the task bar icon associated with the client application window in a task bar displayed in the second remote desktop window; and

instruct the second remote computer to generate a drone of the client application window in the second remote desktop window.

9. A remote computer for use in a networked computing environment comprising one ore more processors, at least a client desktop window and a remote desktop window configured to be displayed to a user of a client computer, wherein the client desktop window is configured to display a session running on the client computer and the remote desktop window is configured to display a session running on the remote computer, the remote computer configured to:

generate a drone of a client application window associated with an application configured to run on the client computer in response to receiving an instruction from the client computer to generate the drone of the client application window in the remote desktop window; and

display a task bar icon associated with the drone of the client application window in a task bar displayed in the remote desktop window.

10. The remote computer according to claim 9, wherein the session running on the remote computer comprises at least one additional application window associated with an application configured to run on the remote computer, and wherein the remote computer is further configured to:

determine a clipping region, where the clipping region comprises a part of the additional application window overlapping with the drone of the client application window generated by the remote computer; and

provide the clipping region to the client computer.

11. The remote computer according to claim 10, further configured to maintain a z-order ranking of the additional application window and the drone of the client application window.

12. The remote computer according to claim 9, further configured to display an icon associated with the client application window in one or more of a system tray window maintained by the remote computer, a system control area maintained by the remote computer, a notification area window maintained by the remote computer, and a menu maintained by the remote computer.

13. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium containing a set of instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method comprising:

detecting a first user input regarding movement of a client application window from a client desktop window to a first remote desktop window, wherein a networked computing environment comprises at least the client desktop window and the first remote desktop window configured to be displayed to a user of a client computer and wherein the client desktop window is configured to display a session running on the client computer and the first remote desktop window is configured to display a session running on a first remote computer and wherein the client application window is associated with an application configured to run on the client computer;

removing a task bar icon associated with the client application window from a task bar displayed in the client desktop window;

instructing the first remote computer to generate a drone of the client application window in the first remote desktop window;

instructing the first remote computer to display the task bar icon associated with the drone of the client application window in a task bar displayed in the first remote desktop window; and

displaying the drone of the client application window always on top of all other remote desktop windows.

14. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the session running on the remote computer comprises at least one additional application window associated with an application configured to run on the remote computer, and wherein method further comprises:

receiving a clipping region generated by the remote computer, where the clipping region comprises a part of the at least one additional application window overlapping with the drone of the client application window generated by the remote computer; and

applying the clipping region to the client application window.

15. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

removing the clipping region applied to the client application window when the application configured to run on the client computer receives focus.

16. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium containing a set of instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method comprising:

generating a drone of a client application window associated with an application configured to run on a client computer in response to receiving an instruction from the client computer to generate the drone of the client application window in a remote desktop window, wherein a networked computing environment comprises at least a client desktop window and the remote desktop window configured to be displayed to a user of the client computer and wherein the client desktop window is configured to display a session running on the client computer and the remote desktop window is configured to display a session running on the remote computer; and

displaying a task bar icon associated with the drone of the client application window in a task bar displayed in the remote desktop window.