Shared virtual desktop collaborative application system

Abstract

A computer system, including a processor, an input device and an output device and that executes an operating system to support the execution, is used to execute first and second sets of application programs. The operating system includes a graphical user interface coupleable through an output driver to the output device and an input interface including an input queue coupleable through an input driver to the input device. 1An environment manager program is also executed by the processor. This program includes a third list of a second set of application programs and a fourth list of application program windows corresponding to the second list of application programs. Execution of the environment manager program provides for the inclusion of the environment manager program in the first and second sets and for selectively swapping with the operating system the first and third lists and the second and fourth lists to switch between the execution of the first and second sets of application programs.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 753,983, filed on Mar. 5, 2001, and entitled “SHARED VIRTUAL DESKTOP COLLABORATIVE APPLICATION SYSTEM,” which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 503,453, filed Jul. 17, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,847, issued Mar. 20, 2001. Each of these applications is herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention is generally related to computer systems that provide for the inter-networked simultaneous sharing of information and, in particular, to a collaborative computer application system that provides for a virtual shared application space. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] With the recent expansion in the variety of information technologies and the distribution of information among network interconnected, or inter-netwo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0018] Thus, an advantage of the present invention is that a functional virtual application space is created.

[0019] Another advantage of the present invention is that a consistent, complete user environment is created.

[0020] A further advantage of the present invention is that the relationship between the shared virtual application space and the non-shared application spaces of inter-networked computer systems mutually inter-operate in well defined and consistent manner.

[0021] Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the shared virtual application space maintains an independence from the specific devices that provide input events, provide for display outputs and establish the inter-networking between collaboratively operated computer systems.

[0022] A still further advantage of the present invention is that a collaborative environment manager can be provided in the form of an application, device driver, system library or combination thereof to establish a collaborative shared virtual application space fully consistent with the normal operation of a native operating system executed by a given computer.

[0023] Still another advantage of the present invention is that the system architecture employed to establish the shared collaborative application space is consistent with the implementation of generic graphical user interfaces, thereby permitting collaborative operation on heterogeneous systems.

Problems solved by technology

Although these degrees of flexibility are conventionally available, collaborative use of an application program to interactively or simultaneously exchange and create information is not effectively supported.

Proprietary collaborative application programs, while generally functional for their intended purposes, are of limited collaborative value because the collaborative function supported is specifically limited to that of the particular application.

Furthermore, a high degree of administrative overhead, if not also computer processing overhead, is often required to support collaborative application programs.

These costs are additive to the processing and administration requirements of the underlying operating system and networking support required by the application.

Unfortunately, conventional screen sharing effectively precludes the private co-execution of other applications on both the host and all guest systems during the collaboration.

Thus, the entire function of the host and guest appears synchronized and limited to the collaboration.

If more than two systems are to participate share input data in a collaboration, a significantly more complex registration and input server system is generally required.

The window sharing technology is further constrained in general by the limitation that only a single application can be collaboratively shared within a single window.

However, the execution behavior of the shared applications may be unusual due to the potential of unexpected inputs.

Thus, all collaborative guests are suddenly and unexpectedly stopped in the midst of their collaboration.

Thus, users at the host and guest executing one or more shared applications may be sharply limited if not barred as a practical matter from co-execution of other applications, shared or private.

This characteristic of window sharing is, in general, poorly received by the users of such applications.

However, the combined window and screen sharing technology inherits most if not all of the disadvantages of the individual screen sharing and window sharing technologies.

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