System and method for zero-footprint screen capture

• US 9,215,266 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoom International A.S.
• Original Assignee: ZOOM International s.r.o
• Inventors: Kridlo, Michal
• Primary Examiner(s): RUBIN, BLAKE J
• Application Number:
  US13/359,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20130198336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A system for zero-footprint screen capture, comprising a communication server software module, a screen capture server software module, a web server software module, and a media upload server software module, wherein the web server, on receiving a request for a specific web page from a client application whose screen is to be captured, uploads a persistent screen capture software application to the client, and further wherein, upon receiving a connection request from the screen capture application, establishes a persistent connection to the screen capture application and, on receiving a notification from the communication server pertaining to an interaction involving a user of the client application, sends instructions via the persistent connection to the screen capture application, and wherein the media upload server receives via the established connection to the uploaded screen capture application one or more data packets containing screen capture graphics data.

Claims

1. A system for zero-footprint screen capture, comprising:

a communication server software module operating on a network-connected computer;

a web server software module operating on a network-connected computer;

a screen capture server software module operating on a network-connected computer; and

a media upload server software module operating on a network-connected computer;

wherein the web server, on receiving a request for a specific web page from a client application whose screen is eligible to be captured, uploads a screen capture software application to the client;

further wherein, upon receiving a connection request from the screen capture application uploaded to the client, the screen capture server establishes a connection to the uploaded screen capture application;

further wherein the screen capture server, on receiving a notification from the communication server pertaining to an interaction involving a user of the client application, sends instructions via the connection to the uploaded screen capture application; and

wherein the media upload server, on receiving a connection request from the uploaded screen capture application, establishes a connection to the uploaded screen capture application, and receives via the established connection to the uploaded screen capture application one or more data packets containing screen capture graphics data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data packets containing screen capture graphics data are stored in a media storage database connected to the media upload server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data packets containing screen capture graphics data are transmitted by the media upload server to a monitoring station for viewing by a monitoring user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user of the client application eligible for screen capture is an agent of a contact center.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data packets are formatted using a protocol that allows at least variable screen capture graphics data compression based on available upload bandwidth.

6. The system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of media upload servers and wherein the screen capture server, when sending instructions to the screen capture application to commence a screen capture operation, includes in the instructions an identity or a location of a particular media upload server to connect to for the screen capture operation being commenced.

7. A method for zero-footprint screen capture, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a connection from a client device to a web server;

(b) uploading and installing a screen capture application from a screen capture server to the client device, if a screen capture application is not already installed on the client device;

(c) establishing a connection from the uploaded screen capture application to the screen capture server;

(d) receiving a notification from a communication server at the screen capture server pertaining to a user interaction involving the client device;

(e) based at least on notification received, sending instructions from the screen capture server to the uploaded screen capture application instructing it to commence screen capture operations;

(f) based on the instructions received by the uploaded screen capture application, obtaining screen capture screen graphics data; and

(g) sending the screen capture graphics data in a plurality of data packets to a media upload server.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of storing the screen capture graphics data received by the media upload server in a media storage database.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of transmitting the data packets containing screen capture graphics data by the media upload server to a monitoring station for viewing by a monitoring user.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the data packets are formatted using a protocol that allows at least variable screen capture graphics data compression based on available upload bandwidth.

11. The method of claim 7, comprising a plurality of media upload servers and wherein the screen capture server, when sending instructions to the screen capture application to commence a screen capture operation, includes in the instructions an identity or a location of a particular media upload server to connect to for the screen capture operation being commenced.