Method and apparatus for controlling a computer over a TCP/IP protocol network

• US 9,059,967 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AI-CORE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Reference Limited Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hickman, Paul L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bengzon, Greg C
• Application Number:
  US11/588,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,154 Days
• Field of Search: 709/208, 709/300, 709201-204, 709/200, 709217-219, 715716-730, 715/733, 715738-751, 719317-319, 719328-329, 719/310
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications

Abstract

The present invention permits virtually the entire functionality of a computer system to be made accessible over a network such as the Internet or an Intranet. More particularly, the present invention permits a computer system to be run as a “virtual machine” through a web page provided at a web site on the World Wide Web (WWW). The apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of computers arranged in a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet or an Intranet. At least one of the computers has at least one unique address designating a web site. A host computer system (which may or may not be one of the computers on the Internet) can be “posted” onto an “advertising” web page at the web site to permit other computers coupled to the Internet to interact directly with the host computer system. The computer “posted” on the web page is referred to as the “host” or “advertiser” computer, and computers accessing the host computer are referred to as “client” or “user” computers. Having the host computer posted on a web page creates a “virtual computer” that can be view and/or controlled by the client computers. Once the connection has been made between the host computer and one or more client computers, the web page is bypassed, i.e. the two or more computer systems communicate through the Internet without necessarily going through the web site supporting the “advertising” web page.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a client computer, host computer, and server system coupled to a network;

the client computer configured to;

initially access the host computer through a web page accessible over the network, and

receive a client program from the server system, the client program, in response to being executed, causes the client computer to perform operations including;

creating event information, the event information comprising at least one user input created in an application window,

encrypting the event information,

transmitting the encrypted event information to the host computer over the network, and

initiating communication with the host computer via a network based communication;

the host computer configured to;

receive the encrypted event information,

in response to receiving the encrypted event information, execute a host program to cause the host computer to perform operations including;

decrypting the encrypted event information,

extracting events from the decrypted event information,

posting the extracted events into an event queue of the host computer to allow the client computer to control operations of the host computer, and in response to not receiving the encrypted event information, sending image information to the client computer.

2. A method comprising:

communicating data packets, by a server system coupled to a network, the data packets including image information associated with a host computer coupled to the network and a client computer coupled to the network;

sending, by the server system, a client program to the client computer, the client program, in response to being executed, causes the client computer to perform operations including;

initially accessing the host computer through a web page accessible over the network

creating event information, the event information comprising at least one user input created in an application window,

encrypting the event information,

transmitting the encrypted event information over the network to allow the client computer to control operations of the host computer, and

initiating communication with the host computer via a network based communication,

wherein the host computer is configured to;

receive the encrypted event information,

in response to receiving the encrypted event information, execute a host program to cause the host computer to perform operations including;

decrypting the encrypted event information,

extracting events from the decrypted event information,

posting the extracted events into an event queue of the host computer to allow the client computer to control operations of the host computer, and

in response to not receiving the encrypted event information, sending image information to the client computer; and

communicating, by the server system, with the host computer and the client computer to facilitate at least one of a remote viewing and a remote control of the host computer over the network by at least one of direct and indirect communication between the host computer and the client computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the client program, in response to being executed, cause the client computer to perform further operations including facilitating the at least one of the remote viewing and the remote control of the host computer.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a web page accessible by the client computer to facilitate a communication with the server system.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a network-based communication to the client computer to facilitate a communication with the server system.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the client computer is one of a plurality of client computers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of client computers are configured to collaborate with the host computer.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one of the direct and indirect communication between the host computer and the client computer is established in response to an initial access of the host computer by the client computer through a web page.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions that, in response to being executed, causes a server system to perform operations comprising:

inputting code segments for inputting input data packets including image information;

processing code segments to process the input data packets;

outputting code segments for outputting output data packets; and

sending a client program to a client computer, the client program, in response to being executed, causes the client computer to perform operations including;

initially accessing the host computer through a web page accessible over the network,

creating event information, the event information comprising at least one user input created in an application window,

encrypting the event information,

transmitting the encrypted event information over the network to allow the client computer to control operations of a host computer, and

initiating communication with the host computer via a network based communication,

wherein the host computer is configured to;

receive the encrypted event information,

in response to receiving the encrypted event information, execute a host program to cause the host computer to perform operations including;

decrypting the encrypted event information,

extracting events from the decrypted event information,

posting the extracted events into an event queue of the host computer to allow the client computer to control operations of the host computer, and

in response to not receiving the encrypted event information, sending image information to the client computer.

9. A server apparatus, comprising:

a processor processing received data packets; and

an input/output device receiving data packets via a network, the data packets including image information, sending the processed data packets via the network, and sending a client program to a client computer;

wherein the client computer, in response to executing the client program, performs operations including;

initially access a host computer through a web page accessible over the network, creating event information, the event information comprising at least one user input created in an application window,

encrypting the event information,

transmitting the encrypted event information over the network to allow the client computer to control operations of the host computer, and

initiating communication with the host computer via a network based communication; and

wherein the host computer receives the encrypted event information, and in response to receiving the encrypted event information, execute a host program to cause the host computer to perform operations including;

decrypting the encrypted event information,

extracting events from the decrypted event information, and

posting the extracted events into an event queue of the host computer to allow the client computer to control operations of the host computer, and

in response to not receiving the encrypted event information, sending image information to the client computer.

10. The server system of claim 9, wherein the received data packets are associated with image information of the host computer.

11. The server system of claim 10, wherein the sent data packets are received by one or more client computers.