Patent Application
20100169791
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to remote displays and, more particularly, to allowing multiple users simultaneous remote control of a larger display screen.
The proliferation of computing technologies has increased consumer and business reliance on electronic manipulation and processing of a variety of data, including textual, graphic, and image information, on personal computers (PCs) and other mobile computers or web appliances such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile internet devices (MIDs), ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs), to name a few.
However, while these modern mobile devices possess great computation capabilities, their screen displays are relatively small compared with large-screen desktop displays and projector systems. Thus, it is often desirable for users of such devices to link to a larger remote display screen for ease of viewing or to share information with others. In a conference room situation, for example, a larger display may be present which is viewable by everyone in the room. Typically in this situation one of the participants may link their mobile device or PC to the large screen to share with the group.
Currently, remote display sharing from a server (i.e. the mobile device or PC) to a client (the larger service display mechanism) is typically done using a hard-wired cable, which only allows the client to display a full-screen version of the service display. So, if four people are sitting around a conference table and wish to share a remote large-screen display, then they would physically need to move the cable around between devices. This is obviously a very cumbersome proposition. Using the wireless features of the client changes this, but none of the current wireless remote display protocols (RDP) provides a mechanism to allow multiple people to coordinate the control of each wireless display onto a common large-screen display/projection system.
Furthermore, the basic usage model where four people are simultaneous sharing different parts of a remote display are not easily obtainable. The users would need access to the remote display (e.g., with a mouse), to position the client windows. Although this is certainly technically feasible, it would be very difficult and cumbersome to use and likely result in the users not using a RDP to share information among themselves.
Alternatively, the control of a RDP client requires access to the client machine itself. That is, either by another person sitting at the client, or a single user having access to the remote client. Of course, if the remote client is always run in full-screen mode this may not be an issue, but this restriction would severely limit the usefulness of remote display projection.
The foregoing and a better understanding of the present invention may become apparent from the following detailed description of arrangements and example embodiments and the claims when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, all forming a part of the disclosure of this invention. While the foregoing and following written and illustrated disclosure focuses on disclosing arrangements and example embodiments of the invention, it should be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and the invention is not limited thereto.
Described is system that addresses the aforementioned problems by giving each server (i.e. PC or Mobile Device) wanting space on a client (i.e. larger display screen) separate remote control.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
A remote display protocol (RDP) is a presentation protocol that enables a client device to exchange information with a server device over a network. The server device drives an application program in response to a command remotely input by the client device, and the client device displays the driven state of the application program provided from the server device.
Embodiments of the invention provide a mechanism for a Remote Display Protocol (RDP) server to control various aspects of the RDP client. For example, if a user wishes to use a RDP system to project the display from their laptop computer onto a large-screen display mounted in a conference room, this invention would allow the user to control aspects of the remote client such as location, size, and full-screen treatment.
Typically, RDP sessions are initiated from the client, allowing the user easy access and/or control over client operation. However, with the advent of highly-capability wireless MID platforms that are still nonetheless limited in their screen size, the ability to control a RDP client from the server (i.e. the MID) becomes more necessary, as users will more and more wish to use RDP protocols to project their mobile display onto a larger remote display using a wireless interface.
Embodiments of the invention comprise augmentations to the remote display protocol on the client and server to allow users to control the remote client. Referring to
The user interface or control window 104, may for instance be composed of a plurality of widgets, wherein a widget is understood as an element of a user interface that displays information or provides a specific way for a user to interact with an application. Widgets may for instance comprise icons, pull-down menus, buttons, selection boxes, progress indicators, on-off checkmarks, scroll bars, windows, window edges (that allow a user to resize a window), toggle buttons, forms, and any other elements for displaying information and for inviting, accepting, and responding to user actions.
Referring to
Simple social conventions could be used to mediate access to the shared resource or display 200. For example, one wouldn't full-screen their particular presentation when somebody else is talking. Similar to many server-side mechanisms, the system may comprise client-side control options that allow/deny remote access to the client control. That is, it may not always be appropriate for a user at a server to control the accessing client. So, just as current servers often require a password in order to connect to the server, the client 200 may optionally request a password in order for the remote server to connect back to the accessing client.
The above description of illustrated embodiments of the invention, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.
These modifications can be made to the invention in light of the above detailed description. The terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined entirely by the following claims, which are to be construed in accordance with established doctrines of claim interpretation.
