Application Sharing via Composite Window Image Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional application sharing methods require each viewer node to render its own version of shared application data, leading to potential obscuration by other windows and privacy concerns due to the need for sharers to interrupt presentations to remove obscuring content, which hampers immersive collaboration and data integrity.
Innovation Solution
A method where the sharer node identifies and generates a composite image of windows without obscuration, transmitting this image to viewer nodes, allowing for real-time command processing and sharing while maintaining privacy by preventing unintended data exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If each viewer node renders its own version of shared application data, then the system maintains simplicity in transmission, but window obscuration occurs and privacy is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the screen content by identifying and separating windows belonging to the shared application from other windows. The sharer node captures individual window images and transmits them separately to viewer nodes, ensuring that only relevant content is shared without obscuration from other applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the shared application windows from the complete screen capture. By taking out only the relevant windows and excluding other obscuring windows, the system maintains data integrity and privacy while reducing unnecessary transmission of unrelated content.
2Reliability
If the sharer interrupts presentations to remove obscuring content, then privacy is protected, but collaboration immersion is hampered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-identifying and isolating the shared application windows before transmission. The sharer node proactively captures and segments the relevant windows, removing obscuring content in advance, so that the transmitted image is already optimized for privacy and clarity without requiring interruptions.
3Reliability
If composite images of shared windows are transmitted without obscuration, then viewer immersion and privacy are improved, but processing complexity on the sharer node increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by capturing images of the shared windows and transmitting these copies to viewer nodes. Instead of complex real-time rendering coordination, the system creates image copies of the relevant windows and transmits them, simplifying the overall architecture while maintaining high fidelity and viewer immersion.
Data Source
AI summary
Ones of the windows associated with a software process are identified in a screen layout on a local display of a sharer network node. On the sharer network node, an image of the identified windows as they are arranged in the screen layout and free of obscuration by any other windows in the screen layout is generated. The image is transmitted from the sharer network node to a viewer network node. Also, commands derived from input device events on sharer and viewer network nodes are received. The received commands are processed into a command sequence, which is passed to a shared process executing on the sharer network node. Windows associated with the shared process are presented on the sharer network node in accordance with the received command sequence. An image of the presented windows is generated and transmitted from the sharer network node to the viewer network node.