Guest Agent Application for Legacy Tool Graphical Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing virtualization solutions for graphical display of applications face issues with airspace conflicts and resource sharing, particularly when integrating legacy tool applications into new applications, as they often require embedding the entire tool within the new application, leading to overlapping windows and inefficient resource utilization.

Innovation Solution

A guest agent application manages the graphical user interface of the legacy tool application on a shared virtual machine, interacting with a Hypervisor to mediate user input and render graphical objects separately, using Virtual Graphic Memory to handle bitmap images and compute position and size data for each object, allowing selective display and independent user interaction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the legacy tool application is embedded in the new application using traditional virtualization, then the tool can be integrated into the new application environment, but airspace conflicts occur as the tool window always appears on top of other windows

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveintegration capabilityVSAvoidwindow management

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the graphical user interface by identifying and separating individual graphical objects (windows, dialogs, controls) from the legacy application's screen. Instead of embedding the entire application window, the system captures and displays specific graphical objects independently in the new application environment, eliminating the always-on-top behavior and enabling proper window management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a graphical interface management system that acts as an intermediary between the legacy application and the new application. This intermediary captures the graphical output, processes it to identify individual graphical objects, and manages their display independently, thereby resolving the airspace conflict while maintaining integration capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the complete prior tool is incorporated in the new application through virtualization, then the tool can run in its original operating system environment, but resource utilization becomes inefficient and the application structure becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenvironment compatibilityVSAvoidapplication structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary graphical objects from the legacy application rather than incorporating the entire application environment. By capturing and displaying specific graphical objects (such as individual windows or controls) separately, the system eliminates the need for full virtualization and complex application structures while maintaining the ability to run the tool in its original environment when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by selectively capturing and displaying only the specific graphical objects that are needed in the new application, rather than embedding the complete legacy application. This partial integration reduces complexity and improves resource utilization while maintaining the functionality required for the specific use case.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If traditional virtualization is used to display the legacy tool, then the tool can interact with its original operating system, but the graphical interface cannot be selectively displayed or independently interacted with in the new application

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperating system compatibilityVSAvoidgraphical object independence

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the graphical interface into individual identifiable objects (windows, dialogs, controls) that can be independently managed. This segmentation allows the system to maintain operating system compatibility for the legacy application while simultaneously enabling selective display and independent interaction with specific graphical objects in the new application environment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The graphical interface management system serves as an intermediary that captures the graphical output from the legacy application running in its original operating system environment, processes it to identify individual graphical objects, and manages their independent display and interaction in the new application, thereby achieving both compatibility and adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS10732999B2Method for providing graphical control

Publication Date: 2020.08.04 SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC IND SAS

AI summary

A method provides graphical control using virtualization for remote control of industrial automated machines. A guest agent application running on the same virtual machine is introduced as a legacy tool application i.e. source application. Instead of displaying the graphical user interface of the source application in an embedded window, the interface is managed by the guest agent application. The virtual machine, on which both the guest agent application and the tool application run, is in turn managed by a Hypervisor. A new application i.e. a destination application is connected to the guest agent application and the Hypervisor through both of which the interaction of the destination application with the tool is mediated.