State synchronized interactive software demonstration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10628183-B2
Application number	US-201715408455-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2017
Priority date	May 31, 2016
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for interactive software demonstrations. While a presenter demonstrates software to the participants, the demonstration may be “paused” and “resumed.” When paused, the participants are able to interact with the demonstrated software program. When “resumed,” the participants are not able to interact with the demonstrated software program. Spawned virtual machines, wherein the virtual machines control access to the software program being demonstrated, permit participant interaction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for interactive software demonstrations, the method comprising:
responsive to an initiation of a software demonstration, facilitating, by one or more processors, the software demonstration between a first device and a second device using at least one virtual machine;
communicating, by one or more processors, with a user interface utility which resides in the first device and the second device wherein the user interface utility resides within a software demonstration system;
creating, by one or more processors, a plurality of interfaces between a user of the first device and one or more users of the second device using the user interface utility, wherein the plurality of interfaces provide:
(i) a first button and a second button to the first user of the first device and each of the one or more users of the second device, and
(ii) respective displays for the user of the first device and each of the one or more users of the second device;
cloning, by one or more processors, a master virtual machine into one or more cloned virtual machines, wherein the cloned one or more virtual machines are accessible to the one or more users of the second device, and wherein the master virtual machine is accessible to the user of the first device; and
allowing, by one or more processors, each of the one or more users of the second device to interact with a plurality of states associated with the software demonstration system on the master virtual machine utilizing the cloned one or more virtual machines, wherein the plurality of states associated with the software demonstration system includes an interactive client software application.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
connecting by one or more processors, to the first device and the second device;
spawning, by one or more processors, the one or more virtual machines on the first device and the second device;
accessing, by one or more processors, the one or more spawned virtual machines which control the software demonstration by using a virtual client; and
determining, by one or more processors, a mode of the software demonstration, wherein the mode is an interactive mode or a non-interactive mode.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
displaying, by one or more processors, the first button to pause the software demonstration and the second button to resume the software demonstration, which are viewable to a user of the first device and one or more users of the second device.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
determining, by one or more processors, whether the one or more users of the second device have access to the first button which pauses the software demonstration;
responsive to determining one or more users of the second device have access to the first button, cloning, by one or more processors, a master virtual machine; and
responsive to determining the one or more users of the second device do not have access to the first button, operating, by one or more processors, the master virtual machine to control the demonstration, wherein a user of the first device has access to the master virtual machine.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
responsive to determining the mode of the software demonstration is in the non-interactive mode, presenting, by one or processors, the software demonstration using the master virtual machine; and
responsive to determining the mode of the software demonstration switches from the interactive mode to the non-interactive mode, destroying, by one or more processors, the at least one cloned virtual machine.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein displaying the first button to pause the software demonstration and the second button to resume the software demonstration, comprises:
responsive to activating the first button, pausing, by one or more processors, the software demonstration in order to initiate the interactive mode; and
responsive to activating the second button, resuming, by one or more processors, the paused software demonstration in order to initiate the non-interactive mode.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein creating the plurality interfaces between the user of the first device and the one or more users of the second device, comprises:
associating, by one or more processors, at least one cloned virtual machine with a user among the one or more users of the second device such that one user of the second device explores the software demonstration independently of the other one or more users of the second computing device.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Charters Graham C
• Dixon Bret W
• Horwood Benjamin T
• Poga Alexander H
• Shewell Mark A

Classifications

• H04L67/04

  specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• G06F2009/45575

  Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F9/45533

  Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors · CPC title

• G06F9/45558

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title