DESKTOP SHARING METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20090292999A1
• Filed: 05/21/2008
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: LaBine, David, Quibell, Wojtek, Altosaar, Mark, Mitchell, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 8,887,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/740
• 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: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation

Abstract

In a distributed computer network where displayed information is shared between at least two computers, a method of enabling remote control of a host computer having a display region that is to be shared with at least one client computer. The method includes tracking time lapsed since a local user input event has occurred while the host computer is under local control and in the event that the time lapsed exceeds a threshold, enabling remote control of the host computer by a client computer.

Claims

1. In a distributed computer network where displayed information is shared between at least two computers, a method of enabling remote control of a host computer having a display region that is to be shared with at least one client computer, comprising:

while the host computer is under local control, tracking time lapsed since a local user input event has occurred;

in the event that the time lapsed exceeds a threshold, enabling remote control of the host computer by a client computer.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

resuming local control of the host computer upon the occurrence of a local user input event.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

transferring remote control to another client computer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transferring remote control to another client computer is enabled only in the event that time lapsed since a remote user input event exceeds the threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein transferring of remote control occurs immediately upon the occurrence of a request from the other client computer.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

in the event that remote control is not enabled, displaying a message at a requesting client computer indicating that remote control is not currently enabled.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a request for remote control is provided by mouse clicking on the shared display region being displayed on a client computer.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

displaying a notification message at the host computer that another computer is remotely controlling the host computer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the local user input event is a mouse activity event, keyboard activity event, or pen activity event.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the notification message is at least one of a cursor label and a bubble window adjacent the toolbar interface on the host computer.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a user on the host computer to pause and unpause remote control of the host computer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is three (3) seconds.

13. A desktop sharing application, comprising:

a shared display region;

said desktop sharing application being dynamically conditionable between a host mode, wherein said shared display region displays a shared region of the desktop of a host computer upon which the desktop sharing application is executing, and a client mode, wherein said shared display region displays a shared region of the desktop of a client computer executing the desktop sharing application conditioned in host mode with which said desktop sharing application is in communication;

said desktop sharing application in said host mode tracking time lapsed since a local user input event on said host computer and in the event that time lapsed exceeds a threshold, enabling remote control of said host computer by a client computer.

14. In a distributed computer network where displayed information is shared between at least two computers, a method of remotely controlling a shared desktop comprising:

sharing a region of a desktop on a host computer with a client computer;

receiving a request from the client computer to remotely control the host computer'"'"'s desktop; and

in the event that a time lapsed since a local user input activity on the host computer has exceeded a threshold, enabling remote control of the host computer by the client computer.