Framework for user interaction with multiple network devices

• US 20050193143A1
• Filed: 12/30/2003
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Meyers, Brian R., Smith, Gregory R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,624,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A framework for providing user interaction with one or more networked devices. The invention allows for user configuration of networked computers such that each of the networked computer input and output devices interact with one another in a prescribed manner. The configuration associates relative geographic relationships for each networked computer using agent modules located on each networked computer that keeps track of the current location of a cursor based upon the geographic relationships. If the current cursor position corresponds to another networked computer, an agent module blocks incoming input streams so that they are not processed by the local computer, and transmits the input device signals to a remote agent module corresponding to the remote networked computer. The remote computer agent module injects the input device instructions into the remote system, which causes the remote computer to process the input stream from the local computer.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates controlling a computing device, comprising a local agent component that receives local input device data of one or more local input devices of a local system and routes the local input device data to a remote system for the control thereof with the one or more local input devices.

2. The system of claim 1, the agent component further receives remote system data associated with the remote system that is processed to determine whether to route the local input device data to the remote system.

3. The system of claim 1, the local input device data is used by the remote system along with remote input device data of one or more remote input devices to facilitate control of the remote system, using at least one of the one or more local input devices, the one or more remote input devices, and a combination of one or more of the local and remote input devices.

4. The system of claim 1, the local agent component communicates with a remote agent component of the remote system to facilitate control of the remote system though the remote agent component.

5. The system of claim 4, the remote agent component signals the local agent component, in response to which the local agent component disengages control of the remote system via the one or more local input devices by routing the local input device data for processing only by the local system.

6. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the system of claim 1.

7. The system of claim 1, each of the local system and the remote system is one of a desktop computer, a portable computer, and a handheld portable computing device.

8. The system of claim 1, the one or more local input devices comprise a mouse, a keyboard, a trackball, a joystick, a microphone, a touch pad, a pointing stick, a game pad, and a touch screen.

9. The system of claim 1, the local agent component facilitates copying data from the local system to the remote system.

10. The system of claim 1, the local agent component facilitates emulation of a remote display screen of the remote system on the local system.

11. The system of claim 1, the local agent component facilitates emulation of a touch pad interface on the local system to control the remote system.

12. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for collaborative control of a remote system by a local system and the remote system, the program comprising a local agent component that receives local input device data of at least one local input device of the local system and routes the local input device data to the remote system to control the remote system with the at least one local input device.

13. A system that facilitates control of a second computing system with a first computing system, comprising:

a first agent of the first computing system that receives local input device data of a local input device; and

a second agent of the second computing system that communicates with the first agent to facilitate control of the second computing system, the local input device triggers routing of the local input device data by the first agent to the second agent.

14. The system of claim 13, the first agent routes the local input device data based upon a location of a pointer associated with at least one of the first computing system and the second computing system, the pointer location coinciding with switching area of a user interface that triggers the first agent to route the input device data.

15. The system of claim 14, the switching area is determined manually by a user that configures the physical orientation of the second computing system to the first computing system, in response to which at least one of the switching area is determined on a display of the first computing system and second switching area is determined on a display of the second computing system.

16. The system of claim 14, the switching area is determined automatically by automatically determining the physical orientation of the second computing system to the first computing system, in response to which the first agent determines placement of the switching area on a display of the first computing system.

17. The system of claim 13, the first agent routes the local input device data based upon location of a pointer associated with a remote input device of the second computing system, the pointer location matching a location of a display element of the second computing system that triggers the second agent to signal the first agent to route the input device data to the first computing local system only.

18. The system of claim 13, the first agent facilitates copying of clipboard data from the first computing system to the second computing system by encapsulating the clipboard data and transmitting the encapsulated clipboard data to the second agent, which second agent verifies that the clipboard data can be copied to the second computing system.

19. The system of claim 13, further comprising a database of associations between a user, the first computing system, and the second computing system such that deployment of the second computing system proximate the first computing system automatically facilitates control of the second computing system by the user via the first computing system.

20. The system of claim 13, further comprising a database disposed at least one of on a network and with the local system, the database receives update information from the first computing system such that deployment of the second computing system on the network triggers automatic update of the second computing system with the update information.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising routing the clipboard data from the first system to a plurality of other systems.

24. The method of claim 19, the first agent facilitates routing of the clipboard data by further encapsulating the clipboard data and transmitting the encapsulated clipboard data to the second system.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising routing the clipboard data from the first system to one or more other systems that are currently in use.

21. A method of controlling a computing system, comprising:

providing a first agent of a first system, which agent facilitates the routing of clipboard data from the first system; and

routing the clipboard data to a second system in response to a routing signal.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising authenticating the second system before routing the clipboard data thereto, wherein authentication and routing are performed one of automatically and manually.

26. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for controlling a computer, the method comprising:

receiving at least one of input device data and clipboard data associated with a first agent of a first computing system; and

switching at least one of the input device data and the clipboard data to a second computing system based upon the input device data.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising emulating a touch pad on a display of the first computing system to facilitate control of the second computing system.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising tracking a location of the second computing system such that placement of the second computing system proximate to the first computing system causes the first agent to automatically facilitate control of the second system.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising configuring the first agent by designating one or more locations on a display screen of the first computing system to trigger routing of the input device data to the second system.

30. The method of claim 29, the one or more locations include at least one of a display element and an icon that are associated with triggering the first agent to route the input device data to the second computing system.

31. The method of claim 26, the first system is a stylus-based mobile computer.

32. A system that facilitates controlling a computing system, comprising:

means for providing an agent for a first system, which agent receives input device data of one or more input devices of the first system; and

means for signaling the agent to route the input device data to at least a second system;

means for routing the input device data to the second system for processing;

means for presenting objects displayed by the second system, on a display of the first system; and

means for controlling the second system via the display of the first system.

33. The system of claim 32, the means for presenting is performed by emulating a user interface of the second system.

34. The system of claim 33, the user interface is one of a touch pad interface and a touch screen interface.

35. The system of claim 32, the means for signaling is a button or a key of an input device the is selected.

36. The system of claim 32, the means for routing further comprises a second agent means of the second system that facilitates routing of the input device data to an input of the second system for the control thereof.

37. The system of claim 32, further comprising means for automatically routing clipboard content from the first system to the second system, the second system including a second agent that verifies that the clipboard content can be received at the second system.

38. The system of claim 37, the agent initiates emulation of a display of the second system on the first system, the emulation provides one or more icons for selection by a user of the first system.

39. A computer program stored on a computer readable medium for the collaboration of disparate computing systems, comprising an agent component of a first computing system that facilitates the routing of at least one of input device data of the first system and content data of the first system to select ones of a plurality of remote computing systems.

40. The computer program of claim 39, the select ones of the plurality of computing systems include one of computing systems currently being used and computing systems of a designated group.