Application sharing using endpoint interface entities

• US 9,733,993 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: DeSantis, Curtis, Busby, George Edward, Suresh, Sandeep, Mital, Vijay, Anuar, Nizam, Abraham, Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): RONI, SYED A
• Application Number:
  US14/791,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20170004022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

Sharing an application in response to detecting one or more environmental events (such as user input). The mechanism operates multiple applications, and maintains a registry of endpoint interface entities. The endpoint interface entities may include hardware entities or hardware entities in association with environmental criteria. For each of at least some of the applications, the mechanism identifies at least one endpoint interface entity that is to interface with the endpoints at least a portion of the application. The selected endpoint interface entity is then allowed to interface with the application (or the portion). In some embodiments, the application is a transformation chain having endpoints.

Claims

1. A method for sharing an application in response to detected one or more environmental events at a first endpoint interface entity, the method comprising:

an act of operating a plurality of applications;

an act of maintaining a registry of a plurality of endpoint interface entities, each comprising a combination of a hardware entity and user criteria;

for each of at least some of the plurality of applications, an act of performing the following;

an act of identifying at least one endpoint interface entity that is to interface with at least a portion of the application, the at least one endpoint interface entity selected from the plurality of endpoint interface entities in the registry; and

an act of allowing the identified endpoint interface entity to interface with the at least the portion of the application including detecting interactions of at least one particular type of the identified endpoint interface entity with the at least the portion of the application.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, the act of identifying the at least one endpoint interface entity that is to interface with at least a portion of the application comprising:

an act of determining that the identified endpoint interface entity is credentialed to corresponding with the at least a portion of the application.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2, the act of identifying the at least one endpoint interface entity that is to interface with at least a portion of the application comprising;

an act of determining that one or more environmental criteria are satisfied with respect to the endpoint interface entity and the at least a portion of the application.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, the at least a portion of the application comprising a plurality of endpoints such that corresponding with the at least a portion of the application includes interfacing with the plurality of endpoints.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, the act of identifying the at least one endpoint interface entity that is to interface with at least a portion of the application comprising:

an act of determining that an output endpoint for rendering at the hardware entity of the identified endpoint interface entity is perceivable to at least one user that satisfies the user criteria of the identified endpoint interface entity.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, the act of identifying the at least one endpoint interface entity that is to interface with at least a portion of the application comprising:

an act of determining that an output endpoint for rendering at the hardware entity of the identified endpoint interface entity is perceivable to at least a plurality of users that satisfies the user criteria of the identified endpoint interface entity.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, the act of identifying the at least one endpoint interface entity that is to interface with at least a portion of the application comprising:

an act of determining that an output endpoint for rendering at the hardware entity of the identified endpoint interface entity does not conflict with at least one other output endpoint rendered at the hardware entity.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, the act of allowing the identified endpoint interface entity to interface with the at least the portion of the application comprising an act of restricting output visualizations according to capabilities of the hardware entity of the identified endpoint interface entity.

9. The method in accordance with claim 1, the act of identifying the at least one endpoint interface entity that is to interface with at least a portion of the application comprising:

an act of determining that an input endpoint for inputting at the hardware entity of the identified endpoint interface entity is capable of receiving input from at least one user of the identified endpoint interface entity.

10. The method in accordance with claim 1, the act of identifying the at least one endpoint interface entity that is to interface with at least a portion of the application comprising:

an act of determining that an input endpoint for inputting at the hardware entity of the identified endpoint interface entity is capable of receiving input from a plurality of users of the identified endpoint interface entity.

11. The method in accordance with claim 1, the act of identifying the at least one endpoint interface entity that is to interface with at least a portion of the application comprising:

an act of determining that an input endpoint for inputting at the hardware entity of the identified endpoint interface entity does not conflict with at least one other input endpoint rendered at the hardware entity.

12. The method in accordance with claim 1, the act of allowing the identified endpoint interface entity to interface with the at least the portion of the application comprising an act of restricting input according to capabilities of the hardware entity of the identified endpoint interface entity.

13. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the one or more environmental events occur such that there is a single user for multiple of the plurality of endpoint interface entities.

14. The method in accordance with claim 1, the one or more environmental events for at least one of the plurality of endpoint interface entities comprising a position or one or more users with respect to the hardware entity of the endpoint interface entity.

15. The method in accordance with claim 1, the environmental events for at least one of the plurality of endpoint interface entities comprising an authorization of one or more users with respect to access to the hardware entity of the endpoint interface entity.

16. The method in accordance with claim 1, the environmental events for at least one of the plurality of endpoint interface entities comprising a condition of one or more users.

17. The method in accordance with claim 1, the act of allowing the identified endpoint interface entity to interface with the at least the portion of the application comprising an act of recording interactions of the identified endpoint interface entity with the at least the portion of the application.

18. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable hardware storage devices having thereon one or more computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method for sharing an application in response to detecting one or more environmental events at a first endpoint interface entity, the method comprising:

an act of operating a plurality of applications;

an act of maintaining a registry of a plurality of endpoint interface entities, each comprising a combination of a hardware entity and user criteria;

for each of at least some of the plurality of applications, an act of performing the following;

an act of identifying at least one endpoint interface entity that is to interface with at least a portion of the application, the at least one endpoint interface entity selected from the plurality of endpoint interface entities in the registry; and

an act of allowing the identified endpoint interface entity to interface with the at least the portion of the application including detecting interactions of at least one particular type of the identified endpoint interface entity with the at least the portion of the application.

19. A computing system comprising the following:

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable hardware storage devices having thereon one or more computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method for sharing an application in response to detecting one or more environmental events at a first endpoint interface entity, the method comprising;

an act of operating a plurality of applications;

an act of maintaining a registry of a plurality of endpoint interface entities, each comprising a combination of a hardware entity and user criteria;

for each of at least some of the plurality of applications, an act of performing the following;

an act of identifying at least one endpoint interface entity that is to interface with at least a portion of the application, the at least one endpoint interface entity selected from the plurality of endpoint interface entities in the registry; and

an act of allowing the identified endpoint interface entity to interface with the at least the portion of the application including recording interactions of the identified endpoint interface entity with the at least the portion of the application.