Interactive GUI Encapsulation for Cross-Application Collaboration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for sharing on-screen content from one computer application to another result in static screenshots, where graphical user interface elements lose their interactive functionality, reducing the usefulness of shared content for collaboration.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that captures and reproduces a selected portion of a graphical user interface, encapsulating it as an OS object that includes interactive elements, allowing it to be transferred and displayed on a remote computer system or within a different application program, maintaining functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a screenshot is captured and shared to another application program, then the on-screen content can be shared and viewed, but the graphical user interface elements become static and lose their interactive functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates an interactive copy of the GUI elements rather than a static image. The system captures the graphical user interface elements and reproduces them in the target application with their original interactive functionality intact, allowing users to click, select, and interact with the elements as if they were in the source application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer that translates GUI elements from the source application into a format that can be displayed and interacted with in the target application. This intermediary process preserves the functional properties of the original elements while enabling cross-application sharing.
2Productivity
If traditional screenshot methods are used to share content between applications, then the content can be transferred, but the shared content is limited to static images reducing collaboration effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static nature of traditional screenshots into a dynamic interactive experience. The shared GUI elements maintain their ability to respond to user actions, change state, and perform functions, making the shared content as versatile and adaptable as the original application interface.
3Loss of information
If the entire display window is captured, then all content is included, but the capture size and data volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the specific graphical user interface elements that are relevant to the sharing task, rather than capturing the entire display window. This selective extraction reduces the amount of data that needs to be processed, stored, and transmitted while preserving the essential interactive functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for capturing and reproducing an on-screen GUI displayed on a display device of a first computer system are described herein. According to one embodiment, a system call is invoked, and a capture area is selected to capture activity over a certain duration. Based on the content of the capture area, display information and software information is encapsulated in an OS object. The OS object may be packaged into a file and transferred to a remote computer system for reproduction thereon or for reproduction on a second application program of the first computer system. When the content of the OS object is recreated on the remote computer system, a remote user is able to interact with the components of the reproduced on-screen GUI.