Per-window digital watermark for desktop applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11847718-B2
Application number	US-202117412064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2021
Priority date	Jul 15, 2021
Publication date	Dec 19, 2023
Grant date	Dec 19, 2023

Abstract

Embodiments are described for placing a watermark over application windows in a desktop. For each application window that is opened in the desktop, the system can determine whether the application requires a watermark, for example, based on a predefined list that specifies which applications require watermarks. For each application window that requires a watermark, a uncovered watermark region can be calculated where the watermark will appear. An overlay can be placed over the application windows, for example in a top-level window that does not receive mouse and keyboard inputs, and the watermark can be drawn in the overlay over the location of the uncovered watermark region of each application. As a result, watermarks can be placed over a plurality of specified application windows in an efficient and convenient manner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for placing an overlay containing a watermark over a virtual desktop graphical user interface (GUI) containing a plurality of application windows corresponding to one or more applications running in the virtual desktop on a remote server, the overlay placing the watermark over two or more application windows in the plurality of application windows that are designated to receive the watermark, comprising:
establishing a virtual desktop session on the virtual desktop by a virtual desktop client running on a client device that communicates with a virtual desktop agent running in the virtual desktop, wherein the virtual desktop is presented by a guest operating system running in a virtual machine on the remote server and the one or more applications are executing on the guest operating system, the virtual desktop client being configured to receive user inputs into the virtual desktop on the client device and to convey the received user inputs to the virtual desktop agent to be effectuated in the virtual desktop, and wherein the virtual desktop client is further configured to present the GUI of the virtual desktop that is streamed to the virtual desktop client to the user on the client device;
by the virtual desktop agent running in the virtual desktop, obtaining window information comprising a position in the GUI and a Z-order of each of the plurality of application windows in the virtual desktop and conveying the window information to the virtual desktop client on the client device;
by the virtual desktop agent running in the virtual desktop, sending to the virtual desktop client on the client device information identifying the two or more application windows in the plurality of application windows that are designated to receive the watermark;
by the virtual desktop client on the client device:
receiving the window information for the plurality of application windows and the information identifying the two or more application windows in the plurality of application windows that are designated to receive the watermark conveyed from the virtual desktop agent;
for each of the two or more application windows designated to receive the watermark, determining by the virtual desktop client an uncovered watermark region in the application window based on the received window information comprising the position in the GUI and the Z-order of each of the plurality of application windows by:
determining a designated watermark region corresponding to a region of the application window designated to receive the watermark; and
defining the uncovered watermark region to be a region of the designated watermark region that is not occluded by other windows in the GUI;

receiving the GUI from the virtual desktop agent;
retrieving the watermark; and
drawing by the virtual desktop client the watermark in the determined uncovered watermark region of each of the two or more application windows designated to receive the watermark in the overlay and placing the overlay on the received GUI.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the uncovered watermark region in the application window for each of the application windows designated to receive the watermark further comprises:
determining an above region for the application window by:
identifying one or more application windows located above the application window in the GUI;
for each of the one or more above application windows, determining a corresponding window region corresponding to a region covered by the above application window;
combining the determined window regions of the above application windows to produce the above region; and

defining the uncovered watermark region to be a region of the designated watermark region that does not intersect the above region.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
by the virtual desktop client:
receiving updated window information from the virtual desktop agent; and
recalculating the uncovered watermark regions for the two or more application windows designated to receive the watermark based on the updated window information.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the virtual desktop agent conveys the updated window information to the virtual desktop client in response to detecting an application window move, resize, close or open operation in the virtual desktop.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining to place the watermark over the two or more application windows designated to receive the watermark in response to determining that a corresponding application for each of the application windows is indicated in a predefined list, the predefined list specifying applications that require a watermark.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the overlay is a window that does not receive mouse and keyboard inputs, which is placed over the received GUI by the virtual desktop client, wherein the overlay covers the entire GUI and is transparent in regions other than the regions containing the watermark.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the uncovered watermark region in the two or more application windows designated to receive the watermark by the virtual desktop client for at least one of the application windows designated to receive the watermark further comprises:
determining an above region for the application window by:
identifying a plurality of application windows located above the application window in the GUI;
for each of the plurality of above application windows, determining a corresponding window region corresponding to a region covered by the above application window;
combining the determined window regions of the above application windows to produce the above region; and

defining the uncovered watermark region to be a region of the designated watermark region that does not intersect the above region.

8. A computing system comprising a client device and a remote server for placing an overlay containing a watermark over a virtual desktop graphical user interface (GUI) containing a plurality of application windows corresponding to one or more applications running in the virtual desktop on the remote server, the overlay placing the watermark over two or more application windows in the plurality of application windows that are designated to receive the watermark, comprising:
at least one processor in the computing system; and
memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing system to perform the steps of:
establishing a virtual desktop session on the virtual desktop by a virtual desktop client running on the client device that communicates with a virtual desktop agent running in the virtual desktop, wherein the virtual desktop is presented by a guest operating system running in a virtual machine on the remote server and the one or more applications are executing on the guest operating system, the virtual desktop client being configured to receive user inputs into the virtual desktop on the client device and to convey the received user inputs to the virtual desktop agent to be effectuated in the virtual desktop, and wherein the virtual desktop client is further configured to present the GUI of the virtual desktop that is streamed to the virtual desktop client to the user on the client device;
by the virtual desktop agent running in the virtual desktop, obtaining window information comprising a position in the GUI and a Z-order of each of the plurality of application windows in the virtual desktop and conveying the window information to the virtual desktop client on the client device;
by the virtual desktop agent running in the virtual desktop, sending to the virtual desktop client on the client device information identifying the two or more

Assignees

• Vmware Inc

Inventors

• Wei Yuping
• Yun Yiqun
• Ma Yuan
• Bai Hao

Classifications

• G06T1/0071 Primary

  using multiple or alternating watermarks · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance · CPC title

• G06F9/452

  Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation (protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131) · CPC title

• G06F9/45558

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• G06F21/16

  Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking · CPC title