Method and apparatus for providing remote access, control of remote systems and updating of display information

• US 6,331,855 B1
• Filed: 04/28/1999
• Issued: 12/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GetGo, Inc. (LogMeIn, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Expertcity.Com, Inc.
• Inventors: Schauser, Klaus E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chauhan, Ulka J.
• Application Number:
  US09/301,022
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 345/501-504, 345/520, 345/521, 345/523, 345/507, 345/509, 345/508, 345/511, 345/531, 345/537, 709/208, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 345/502
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1462 with means for detecting differences between the image stored in the host and the images displayed on the remote displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/04 Partial updating of the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/103 Detection of image changes, e.g. determination of an index representative of the image change
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/16 Determination of a pixel data signal depending on the signal applied in the previous frame
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/125 using unified memory architecture [UMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/18 Use of a frame buffer in a display terminal, inclusive of the display panel

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method for controlling information displayed on a first processor-based system, from a second processor-based system. The apparatus comprises a memory to store instruction sequences by which the second processor-based system is processed, and a processor coupled to the memory. The stored instruction sequences cause the processor to: (a) examine, at a predetermined interval, a location of a currently displayed image; (b) compare the location with a corresponding location of a previously displayed image to determine if the previously displayed image has changed; (c) transmitting location information representing the change; and (d) storing the changed information on the first processor-based system. Various embodiments are described.

Claims

1. A system for controlling information displayed on a first processor-based system, on a second processor-based system comprising:

a memory to store instruction sequences by which the first processor-based system is processed; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the stored instruction sequences cause the processor to;

(a) examine, at an interval, at least one pixel at a selected location of a currently displayed image by (a.1) determining a non-linear order of examination and (a.2) examining, at the interval, the at least one pixel at the selected location of the currently displayed image;

(b) compare the location with a corresponding location of a previously displayed image to determine if the previously displayed image has been changed;

(c) transmitting location information representing the change; and

(d) storing the changed information on the second processor-based system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored instruction sequences further cause the processor to display the changed information on the second processor-based system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein (a.1) comprises:

listing each line i, where i=0 to N−

1, where N a the total number of lines;

obtaining the binary representation of each line i;

reversing the binary representation of each line i;

determining an order of examination based on the reversed binary representation of each line i.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein (a.1) comprises:

(a.1.i.) determining an initial order of examination X, where X is an integer;

(a.1.ii.) determining a subsequent order of examination (X+K), where K is an integer, based on the initial order of examination.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the repeating stored instruction sequence further causes the process to and wherein (b) further comprises:

repeating (a.1.i.) and (a.1.ii.) using a value of X that is different from that previously selected, and repeating (b) if a previous examination process determines that the previously displayed image has not changed.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein (a.1) comprises:

determining a list of most recently changed locations;

determining an order of examination based on the list.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein prior to (d), the instruction sequences further cause the processor to further determine an extent of said change by examining a predetermined area surrounding said change and comparing said predetermined area with a previously stored image of said predetermined area.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instruction sequences further cause the processor to transmitting location information representing said extent of said change;

and storing the extent of said changed information on the second processor-based system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein in (a) and (b), the location is any one of:

a predetermined location, a statistically determined location or an arbitrarily determined location.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one pixel is a plurality of pixels proximate to a current position of a mouse.

11. A method for controlling information displayed on a first processor-based system, on a second processor-based system, comprising:

(a) examining, at an interval, at least one pixel at a selected location of a currently displayed image by (a.1) determining a non-linear order of examination and (a.2) examining, at the interval, the at least one pixel at the selected location of the currently displayed image;

(b) comparing the location with a corresponding location of a previously displayed image to determine if the previously displayed image has been changed;

(c)transmitting location information representing the change; and

(d) storing the changed information on the second processor-based system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying the changed information on the second processor-based system.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein (a.1) comprises:

listing each line i, where i=0 to N−

1, where N is the total number of lines;

obtaining the binary representation of each line i;

reversing the binary representation of each line i;

determining an order of examination based on the reversed binary representation of each line i.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein (a.1) comprises:

(a.1.i.) determining an initial order of examination X, where X is an integer;

(a.1.ii.) determining a subsequent order of examination (X+K), where K is an integer, based on the initial order of examination.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the stored instruction sequences further cause the process to repeat (a.1.i.) using a value of a X that is different from that previously selected, and repeating (b) if a previous examination process determines that the previously displayed image has not changed.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein (a.1) comprises:

determining a list of most recently changed locations;

determining an order of examination based on the list.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising, prior to (d), determining an extent of said change by examining a predetermined area surrounding said change and comparing said predetermined area with a previously stored image of said predetermined area.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting location information representing said extent of said change;

and storing the extent of said changed information on the second processor-based system.

19. The method of claim 11, where in (a) and (b), the location is any one of:

a predetermined location, a statistically determined location or an arbitrarily determined location.

20. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer program code embodied therein for controlling information displayed on a first processor-based system, on a second processor-based system, the computer program product having;

(a) computer readable program code for examining, at an interval, at least one pixel at a selected location of a currently displayed image by (a.1) determining a non-linear order of examination and (a.2) examining, at a predetermined interval, the at least pixel at the selected location of the currently displayed image;

(b) computer readable program code for computing a checksum of the location with a previously computed checksum to determine if the previously displayed image has been changed with a corresponding location of a previously displayed image to determine if the previously displayed image has been changed;

(c) computer readable program code for transmitting location information representing the change; and

(d) computer readable program code for storing the changed information on the second processor-based system.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising computer readable code for displaying the changed information on the second processor-based system.

22. The computer readable program product of claim 20, wherein (a.1) comprises:

listing each line i, where i=0 to N−

1, where N is the total number of lines;

obtaining the binary representation of each line i;

reversing the binary representation of each line i;

determining an order of examination based on the reversed binary representation of each line i.

23. The computer readable program product of claim 20, wherein (a.1) comprises:

(a.1.i.) determining an initial order of examination X, where X is an integer;

(a.1.ii.) determining a subsequent order of examination (X+K), where K is an integer, based on the initial order of examination.

24. The computer readable program product of claim 23, further comprising computer readable program code for repeating (a.1.i.) and (a.1.ii.) using a value of X that is different form that previously selected, and repeating (b) if a previous examination process determines that the previously displayed image has not changed.

25. The computer readable program product of claim 23, further comprising computer readable code for determining an extent of said change by examining a predetermined area surrounding said change and comparing said predetermined area with a previously stored image of said predetermined area.

26. The computer readable program product of claim 25, further comprising computer readable code for transmitting location information representing said extent of said change;

and storing the extent of said changed information on the second processor-based system.

27. The computer readable program product of claim 20, wherein (a.1) comprises:

determining a list of most recently changed locations;

determining an order of examination based on the list.

28. The computer readable program product of claim 20, wherein in (a) and (b), the location is any one of:

a predetermined location, a statistically determined location or an arbitrarily determined location.

29. A system of controlling information displayed on a first process-based system, on a second process-based system, comprising:

a memory to store instruction sequences by which the first processor-based system is processed; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the stored instruction sequences cause the processor to;

(a) determine an initial order of examination X, where X is an integer (b) examine, at an interval, a location of a currently displayed image;

(c) compute a checksum of the location;

(d) compare the computed checksum with a previously computed checksum to determine if the previously displayed image has been changed;

(e) transmitting location information representing the change, (f) storing the changed information on the second processor-based system, (g) determining a subsequent order of examination (X+K), where K is an integer, based on the initial order of examination, and (h) determining a second order of examination and a second subsequent order of examination using a value X that is different from that previously selected.

30. A method comprising:

examining selected pixels of a subregion of an image currently displayed on a first processor-based system by a second processor-based system;

comparing the selected pixels with corresponding pixels of a portion of a previously displayed image to determine if the previously displayed image has been changed; and

transmitting information representing a change between the currently displayed image and the previously displayed image from the first processor-based system to the second processor-based system.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

storing the information representing the change on the second processor-based system; and

displaying the information representing the change on the second processor-based system.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the determining the order of the examination of the selected pixels, comprises:

listing each line i, where i=0 to N−

1, where “

N”

is the total number of lines of the currently displayed image;

obtaining the binary representation of each line i of the currently displayed image;

reversing the binary representation of each line i of the currently displayed image; and

determining an order of examination based on the reversed binary representation of each line i of the currently displayed image.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the determining the order of the examination of the selected pixels, comprises:

determining an initial order of examination of the image beginning at line X of the image, where “

X”

is an integer; and

determining a subsequent order of examination of the image continuing at line (X+AK), where “

K”

is a fixed integer and “

A”

is a variable integer.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

incrementing the variable integer A if no change between the currently displayed image and the previously displayed image.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the repeating stored instruction sequence further causes the process to and wherein the comparing of the selected pixels further comprises:

repeating the determining of the initial order of examination and the subsequent order of the examination of the image using a value of X that is different from that previously selected.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein the determining the order of the examination of the selected pixels, comprises:

determining a list of most recently changed pixels being the selected pixels;

determining an order of examination based on the list.

37. The method of claim 30, wherein the selected pixels are a plurality of pixels proximate to a current position of a mouse.

38. The method of claim 30, wherein the selected pixels of the subregion form a portion of a line of the image.

39. The method of claim 30 wherein the selected pixels of the subregion form a tile of the image.