Managed screen sharing in an enterprise application

• US 10,430,144 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sugarcrm Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sugarcrm Incorporated
• Inventors: Zheng, Xing, Vink, Jelle
• Primary Examiner(s): Blaufeld, Justin R.
• Application Number:
  US14/840,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20170060350A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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
• 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 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide for managed screen sharing in an enterprise application. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for managed screen sharing in an enterprise application includes loading on behalf of a primary end user an instance of an enterprise application into memory of a computer, directing the instance of the enterprise application to display a screen of data in a display screen of the computer and selecting in the instance of the enterprise application a secondary end user for screen sharing of the screen of data. The method also includes transmitting a request over a computer communications network to a different instance of the enterprise application of the selected end user to display the screen of data in a display screen of the secondary end user. Finally, the method includes displaying the screen of data in the display screen of the secondary end user.

Claims

1. A method for managed screen sharing in an enterprise application, the method comprising:

loading on behalf of a primary end user an instance of an enterprise application into memory of a computer;

displaying in a display screen of the computer, a user interface to the instance of the enterprise application;

directing the instance of the enterprise application to display a first screen of data and a second screen of data, the second screen of data comprising a hyperlink referencing the first screen of data and further comprising multiple different fields of data in the user interface;

selecting, in the instance of the enterprise application, the second screen for inclusion in a sharing request;

in response to selecting the second screen for inclusion in a sharing request, presenting a list of secondary end users that are available for sharing irrespective of any secondary end user'"'"'s computing role;

selecting, in the instance of the enterprise application, one or more of the secondary end users presented in the list for screen sharing;

transmitting a package over a computer communications network addressed to a plurality of different instances of the enterprise application loaded into respective memories of computers corresponding to the selected secondary end users, the package comprising the second screen of data and a corresponding request to display the entire second screen of data in a user interface of each different instance;

intercepting, by screen sharing logic, the package;

for each of the selected secondary end users, modifying the package by;

referencing a table of end users providing information regarding the computing role of each of the end users in the table and device characteristics of each computer corresponding to each of the end users,

determining, the role and device characteristics that correspond to the selected secondary end user,

determining whether the selected secondary end user'"'"'s role permits the selected secondary end user to view each field of data in the second screen of data,

filtering out the fields of data that the selected secondary end user is not permitted to view based on his or her role,

formatting the remaining fields of data in the second screen of data to accommodate the determined device characteristics that correspond to the selected secondary end user, and

forwarding the modified packages to the different instances corresponding to the respective selected secondary end users;

displaying the selected second screen of data comprising the formatted remaining fields and hyperlink referencing the first screen of data in the user interface to the different instance while excluding the fields of data that the secondary end user is not permitted to view based on his or her role from display in the user interface to the different instance;

creating a record of the screen sharing of the second screen of data;

making a first determination of whether the instance of the enterprise application is to terminate based on whether or not sharing of an additional screen is requested;

receiving a selection of the hyperlink referencing the first screen of data at one of the different instances of the enterprise application;

in response to receiving the selection of the hyperlink;

resolving the first determination by determining not to terminate the instance of the enterprise application;

directing the instance of the enterprise application to display the first screen of data,

transmitting the first screen of data from the instance of the enterprise application to the different instance of the enterprise application where the hyperlink was selected; and

displaying the first screen of data in the display screen corresponding to the different instance of the enterprise application where the hyperlink was selected

making a second determination of whether the instance of the enterprise application is to terminate; and

resolving the second determination by terminating the instance of the enterprise application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating the directing, selecting, transmitting and displaying for selected different screens of data.

3. A data processing system configured for managed screen sharing in an enterprise application, the system comprising:

a host computing system comprising one or more computers, each with memory and at least one processor;

at least two client computing devices, each with at least one respective memory and processor;

an application server executing in the host computing system and serving a primary instance of an enterprise application a primary end user of a primary client computing device and a plurality of different, secondary instances of the enterprise application to a plurality of corresponding secondary end users, each of the instances including a user interface displaying multiple different screens of data, with at least the primary instance displaying a first screen of data and a second screen of data, the second screen of data comprising a hyperlink referencing the first screen of data and further comprising multiple different fields of data in the user interface;

the primary instance configured to;

receive a selection of the second screen for inclusion in a sharing request;

in response to receiving the selection of the second screen for inclusion in the sharing request, present a list of secondary end users that are available for sharing irrespective of any secondary end user'"'"'s computing role;

receive a selection of one or more secondary end users presented in the list for screen sharing;

transmit a package over a computer communications network addressed to a plurality of secondary instances of the enterprise application corresponding to the selected secondary end users, the package comprising the second screen of data and a request to display the entire second screen of data in a user interface of each selected secondary instance;

a managed screen sharing module coupled to each of the instances of the enterprise application, the module comprising program code, which, when executed, causes the data processing system to;

intercept the package;

for each of the selected secondary end users, modify the package by;

referencing a table of end users providing information regarding the computing role of each of the end users in the table and device characteristics of each computer corresponding to each of the end users,

determine the role and device characteristics that correspond to the selected secondary end user,

determine whether the selected secondary end user'"'"'s role permits the selected secondary end user to view each field of data in the second screen of data,

filter out the fields of data that the selected secondary end user is not permitted to view based on his or her role,

format the remaining fields of data in the second screen of data to accommodate the determined device characteristics that correspond to the selected secondary end user, and

forward the modified packages to the secondary instances corresponding to the respective selected secondary end users; and

create a record of the screen sharing of the second screen of data;

the secondary instance configured to;

display the selected second screen of data comprising the formatted remaining fields and hyperlink referencing the first screen of data in the user interface to the different instance while excluding the fields of data that the secondary end user is not permitted to view based on his or her role from display in the user interface to the different instance;

receive a selection of the hyperlink referencing the first screen of data at one of the different instances of the enterprise application;

the primary instance further configured to;

make a first determination of whether the primary instance is to terminate based on whether or not sharing of an additional screen is requested;

in response to receiving the selection of the hyperlink;

resolve the first determination by determining not to terminate the instance of the enterprise application;

display the first screen of data;

transmit the first screen of data to the secondary instance of the enterprise application where the hyperlink was selected; and

display the first screen of data in the display screen corresponding to the secondary instance of the enterprise application where the hyperlink was selected;

make a second determination of whether the primary instance of the enterprise application is to terminate; and

resolve the second determination by terminating the instance of the enterprise application.

4. A computer program product for managed screen sharing in an enterprise application, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a device to cause the device to perform a method comprising:

loading on behalf of a primary end user an instance of an enterprise application into memory of a computer;

displaying in a display screen of the computer, a user interface to the instance of the enterprise application and directing the instance of the enterprise application to display multiple different screens of data in the user interface;

directing the instance of the enterprise application to display a first screen of data and a second screen of data, the second screen of data comprising a hyperlink referencing the first screen of data and further comprising multiple different fields of data in the user interface;

selecting, in the instance of the enterprise application, the second screen for inclusion in a sharing request;

in response to selecting the second screen for inclusion in a sharing request, presenting a list of secondary end users that are available for sharing irrespective of any secondary end user'"'"'s computing role;

selecting, in the instance of the enterprise application, one or more of the secondary end users presented in the list for screen sharing;

transmitting a package over a computer communications network addressed to a plurality of different instances of the enterprise application loaded into respective memories of computers corresponding to the selected secondary end users, the package comprising the second screen of data and a corresponding request to display the entire second screen of data in a user interface of each different instance;

intercepting, by screen sharing logic, the package;

for each of the selected secondary end users, modifying the package by;

referencing a table of end users providing information regarding the computing role of each of the end users in the table and device characteristics of each computer corresponding to each of the end users,

determining, the role and device characteristics that correspond to the selected secondary end user,

determining whether the selected secondary end user'"'"'s role permits the selected secondary end user to view each field of data in the second screen of data,

filtering out the fields of data that the selected secondary end user is not permitted to view based on his or her role,

formatting the remaining fields of data in the second screen of data to accommodate the determined device characteristics that correspond to the selected secondary end user, and

forwarding the modified packages to the different instances corresponding to the respective selected secondary end users;

displaying the selected second screen of data comprising the formatted remaining fields and hyperlink referencing the first screen of data in the user interface to the different instance while excluding the fields of data that the secondary end user is not permitted to view based on his or her role from display in the user interface to the different instance;

creating a record of the screen sharing of the second screen of data;

making a first determination of whether the instance of the enterprise application is to terminate based on whether or not sharing of an additional screen is requested;

receiving a selection of the hyperlink referencing the first screen of data at one of the different instances of the enterprise application;

in response to receiving the selection of the hyperlink;

resolving the first determination by determining not to terminate the instance of the enterprise application;

directing the instance of the enterprise application to display the first screen of data,

transmitting the first screen of data from the instance of the enterprise application to the different instance of the enterprise application where the hyperlink was selected; and

displaying the first screen of data in the display screen corresponding to the different instance of the enterprise application where the hyperlink was selected

making a second determination of whether the instance of the enterprise application is to terminate; and

resolving the second determination by terminating the instance of the enterprise application.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises repeating the directing, selecting, transmitting and displaying for selected different screens of data.