Automatic virtual input device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10956034-B2
Application number	US-201616091055-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2016
Priority date	Jul 25, 2016
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

In one example, a method for a first computing environment (FCE) to automatically display a virtual input device on a display of a second computing environment (SCE) communicatively coupled to the FCE via a main channel. An auxiliary channel is established between the FCE and the SCE. A virtual input device preference is negotiated with the SCE over the auxiliary channel. A selection by the SCE, over the main channel, of an input element of an active FCE application associated with the SCE is detected. In response to the selection, a virtual input device in accordance with the device preference, operable by the SCE to input data to the input element, is automatically caused to be launched.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A first computing environment (FCE), comprising:
a processor; and
a memory communicatively coupled to the processor and including instructions executable by the processor for
an auxiliary channel module to establish an auxiliary channel between the FCE and a second computing environment (SCE), the auxiliary channel different from a main channel connection between the FCE and the SCE, and to negotiate virtual input device display preferences with the SCE by:
if a SCE-side physical input device is a highest priority input device that is present, not assigning a virtual input device;
if the SCE-side physical input device is not the highest priority input device that is present, assigning the virtual input device as a FCE-side virtual input device or a SCE-side virtual input device that is the highest priority input device that is present, and

a monitor module to, if the virtual input device has been assigned, detect a selection, by the SCE over the main channel, of an input element of an application executing on the FCE and displayed in an interactive window of the SCE, and in response automatically cause the virtual input device, in accordance with the display preferences, to be displayed at the SCE.

2. The first computing environment of claim 1 , wherein an operating system of the FCE does not include the FCE-side virtual input device.

3. The first computing environment of claim 1 , wherein the application executing on the FCE does not support the virtual input device.

4. The first computing environment of claim 1 , wherein an operating system of the FCE has a different platform from an operating system of the SCE.

5. A method for a first computing environment (FCE) to automatically display the virtual input device on a display of a second computing environment (SCE) communicatively coupled to the FCE via a main channel, comprising:
establishing an auxiliary channel between the FCE and the SCE;
negotiating a virtual input device preference with the SCE over the auxiliary channel by:
if a SCE-side physical input device is a highest priority input device that is present, not assigning the virtual input device;
if the SCE-side physical input device is not the highest priority input device that is present, assigning the virtual input device as a FCE-side virtual input device or a SCE-side virtual input device that is the highest priority input device that is present;

if the virtual input device has been assigned:
detecting a selection by the SCE, over the main channel, of an input element of an active FCE application associated with the SCE; and
in response to the selection, automatically causing the launching, in accordance with the device preference, of the virtual input device operable by the SCE to input data to the input element.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein
the input element is an alphanumeric entry control of a graphical user interface presented by the active FCE application, and
the selection is a click event or touch event for the alphanumeric entry control.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the automatically launching comprises:
if the device preference is the FCE-side virtual input device, instructing an operating system of the FCE to launch the FCE-side virtual input device; and
if the device preference is the SCE-side virtual input device, issuing an instruction to the SCE over the auxiliary channel to launch the SCE-side virtual input device.

8. The method of claim 5 , comprising:
after the launching, detecting a selection by the SCE of an additional element of the active FCE application, or an activation of a different FCE application; and
in response to the selection or the activation, automatically closing the virtual input device.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a processor of a first computing environment (FCE) to:
establish an auxiliary channel with a second computing environment (SCE), the auxiliary channel different from a main channel with the second computing environment;
negotiate virtual input device preferences with the SCE over the auxiliary channel by:
if a SCE-side physical input device is a highest priority input device that is present, not assigning a virtual input device;
if the SCE-side physical input device is not the highest priority input device that is present, assigning the virtual input device as a FCE-side virtual input device or a SCE-side virtual input device that is the highest priority input device that is present;

if the virtual input device has been assigned:
monitor interactions by the SCE, over the main channel, with an application executing on the FCE to detect a selection of an input element of the application; and
automatically cause the virtual input device, in accordance with the device preferences, to be displayed at the SCE in response to the selection.

10. The medium of claim 9 , wherein the display preferences specify use of the SCE-side virtual input device and wherein, to automatically display the SCE-side virtual input device, the program further instructs the processor to:
automatically issue a request to the SCE over the auxiliary channel to launch the SCE-side virtual input device, the SCE displaying the SCE-side virtual input device locally on the SCE in response.

11. The medium of claim 9 , wherein the display preferences specify use of the FCE-side virtual input device and wherein, to automatically display the FCE-side virtual input device, the program further instructs the processor to:
automatically launch the FCE-side virtual input device on the FCE, the FCE-side virtual input device displayed at the SCE via the main channel.

12. The medium of claim 9 , wherein, to establish the auxiliary channel, the program further instructs the processor to:
establish a virtual channel as the auxiliary channel if the SCE supports virtual channels; and
establish a socket connection as the auxiliary channel if the SCE supports network sockets but does not support virtual channels.

13. The medium of claim 9 , wherein the FCE is a server, the SCE is a client, and the main channel uses a remote desktop communications protocol (RDCP).

14. The medium of claim 9 , wherein the FCE is a guest virtual machine, the SCE is a host machine, and the main channel implements virtualization of the FCE on the SCE.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Halim Irwan

Classifications

• G06F9/45533 Primary

  Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors · CPC title

• G06F3/0236

  using selection techniques to select from displayed items · CPC title

• G06F2009/45595

  Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F2009/45579

  I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage · CPC title

• G06F9/455

  Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines · CPC title