Maintaining a first session on a first computing device and subsequently connecting to the first session via different computing devices and adapting the first session to conform to the different computing devices system configurations

• US 6,349,337 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2000
• Issued: 02/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Graziadio, Bradley J., Parsons, John E. Jr., Momoh, Oshoma
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prieto, Beatriz
• Application Number:
  US09/587,047
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/228, 709/203, 709/230, 379/90.02, 379/93.31, 379/100.71, 345/786-789
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/327 in the session layer [OSI layer 5]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A server operating system supports multiple client-server sessions and enables a user to begin a session and later dynamically reconnect to that session even if the user uses two different client computers. The operating system has a multi-user session manager to enable multiple client-server sessions on the server and a multi-user stack protocol manager to manage one or more protocol stacks used in communicating with the clients. When a user connects to the server via a first client, the stack protocol manager assigns a first protocol stack to this first client-server connection and the session manager creates a first session for the user. When the user subsequently reconnects to the server using a second client that is different from the first client, the stack manager assigns a second protocol stack to a second client-server connection and the session begins creating a second session for the user. During this latter process, however, the session manager recognizes that the user is affiliated with the first session. The session manager adapts the first session to conform to the system configuration of the second client. The session manager then reassociates the second protocol stack with the reconfigured first session so that the user is returned to his/her original session, even though they logged on from a different client.

Claims

1. In a distributed computer system, a computer-implemented method comprising:

maintaining a session at a first computing device for a user who connects to the first computing device via a second computing device, the session conforming to a system configuration of the second computing device;

subsequently establishing a connection for the user who connects to the first computing device via a third computing device, the third computing device having a system configuration that is different than the second computing device;

recognizing the user as being associated with the session;

adapting the session to conform to the system configuration of the third computing device; and

reassociating the connection with the session.

2. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second and third computing devices have different display types, and the adapting comprises reconfiguring the session to conform to the display type on the third computing device.

3. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the system configuration of the second and third computing devices include parameters selected from a group of parameters comprising display type, keyboard type, network protocol type, peripheral types, human language, and memory drives; and

the adapting comprises changing the session to conform to at least one of the parameters on the third computing device.

4. An operating system embodied on a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1.

5. A computer programmed to perform the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1.

6. In a distributed computer system, a computer-implemented method comprising:

creating a connection with a first computing device, which is being operated by a user;

assigning a first protocol stack to the first computing device;

logging on the user;

establishing a first session for the first computing device;

configuring the first session to conform to configuration parameters of the first computing device;

associating the first session with the user;

ending the connection with the first computing device;

subsequently creating a connection to a second computing device, which is being operated by the same user;

assigning a second protocol stack to the second computing device;

logging on the user;

detecting the user as being associated with the first session;

reconfiguring the first session to configuration parameters for the second computing device; and

reassociating the first session with the user by transferring contents of the second protocol stack to the first protocol stack associated with the first session so that the user may continue with the first session while using the second computing device.

7. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein the first and second computing devices have different display types, and the reconfiguring comprises modifying the first session to conform to the display type on the second computing device.

8. An operating system embodied on a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6.

9. A computer programmed to perform the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6.

10. In a distributed computer system, a computer-implemented method comprising:

maintaining a first session at a host computing device for a user who connects to the host computing device via a first computing device, the first session formatting video data for a first display type corresponding to the first computing device;

subsequently establishing a connection for the user who connects to the host computing device via a second computing device, the second computing device having a second display type that is different than the first computing device;

recognizing the user as being associated with the first session;

reconfiguring the first session to format the video data for the second display type corresponding to the second computing device; and

reassociating the connection with the first session.

11. An operating system embodied on a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 10.

12. A computer programmed to perform the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 10.

13. In a distributed computer system in which a first computing device is connected to communicate with a second computing device via a connection, a computer-implemented method comprising:

creating a first session for a first user who accesses the second computing device from the first computing device;

associating the connection with the first session;

temporarily freezing the first session;

creating a second session for a second user who connects to the second computing device from the first computing device;

associating the connection with the second session;

temporarily freezing the second session; and

subsequently reassociating the connection with the first session.

14. An operating system embodied on a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 13.

15. A computer programmed to perform the computer-implemented method as recited in claim 13.

16. In a distributed computer system, a computer-implemented method comprising:

connecting to a remote computing device via a first computing device to establish a session for a user;

disconnecting from the remote computing device without terminating the session;

subsequently reconnecting to the remote computing device via a second computing device that is also being used by the user; and

re-establishing the first session for the user.

17. In a distributed computer system, a computer-implemented method comprising:

connecting to a remote computing device;

logging on the user to establish a session with the remote computing device;

making first configuration parameters available to the remote computing device so that the session can be configured to conform to the first configuration parameters;

disconnecting from the remote computing device;

subsequently connecting to the remote computing device;

logging on the user, whereby the session is reassociated with the user; and

making second configuration parameters available to the remote computing device so that the session can be configured to conform to the second configuration parameters.

18. An operating system embodied on a computer-readable medium comprising:

computer readable instructions to direct a computing device to recognize when a user, who is connecting to the computing device via a remote computing device, is associated with a previous session that the user started previously; and

computer readable instructions to direct the computing device to reassociate the user with the previous session and to reconfigure the previous session to conform to any different system configurations of the remote computing device in the event that the remote computing device is different than that from which the user originally connected to the computing device to start the previous session.

19. In an operating system embodied on a computer-readable medium, wherein the operating system is capable of providing multiple graphical user interface windowing sessions for multiple computing devices, an improvement to the operating system comprising:

code means for maintaining windowing sessions after computing devices disconnect;

code means for detecting whether a user, who reconnects through a new computing device, is already affiliated with a previous windowing session;

code means for adapting the previous windowing session to conform to a system configuration of the new computing device in an event that the system configuration is different from that of a previous computing device through which the user was previously connected; and

code means for reassociating the user with the previous windowing session.

20. In an operating system embodied on a computer-readable medium, wherein the operating system is capable of facilitating multiple sessions with multiple remote computing devices, an improvement to the operating system comprising:

first computer readable instructions to recognize when a first user, who is connecting via a remote computing device, is associated with a previous session that the first user started previously;

second computer readable instructions to reassociate the first user with the previous session;

the first computer readable instructions further recognizing when a second user, who is connecting via the same remote computing device, is associated with a previous session that the second user started previously; and

the second computer readable instructions further reassociating the second user with the previous session.

21. A system comprising:

first code embodied on a computer-readable medium and executed at a first computing device, the first code enabling multiple graphical user interface windowing sessions for multiple clients;

second code embodied on a computer-readable medium and executed at a second computing device, the second code enabling the second computing device to initiate a connection with the first computing device and to run a local graphical user interface (UI) window; and

the first code being implemented to recognize when a user, who is connecting to the first computing system via the second computing device, is associated with a previous windowing session that the user started previously and to reassociate the user with the previous windowing session, the first code adapting the previous windowing session to conform to any different system configurations of the second computing device in the event that the second computing device is different than a device from which the user originally connected to the first computing device to start the previous windowing session.

22. A system as recited in claim 21, wherein the first computing device comprises a server computer and the first code is implemented as part of a server operating system.

23. A system as recited in claim 21, wherein the second code is configured to run on a second computing device that is implemented with an operating system that is capable of connecting to the first computing device.

24. A system comprising:

first code embodied on a computer-readable medium and executed at a first computing device, the first code enabling multiple graphical user interface windowing sessions for multiple computing devices;

second code embodied on a computer-readable medium and executed at a second computing device, the second code enabling the second computing device to initiate a connection with the first computing device and to run a local graphical window user interface (UI) to the windowing sessions; and

the first code being configured to associate communication to and from the second code with various ones of the windowing sessions so that multiple users can employ the second computing device to operate their own corresponding windowing sessions.

25. A system as recited in claim 24, wherein the first computing device comprises a server computer and the first code is implemented as part of a server operating system.

26. A system as recited in claim 24, wherein the second code is configured to run on a second computing device that is implemented with an operating system that is capable of connecting to the first computing device.