State synchronized interactive software demonstration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017344386-A1
Application number	US-201715408455-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 18, 2017
Priority date	May 31, 2016
Publication date	Nov 30, 2017
Grant date	—

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; and wherein a software demonstration system allows one or more users of the second device to interact with the software demonstration system in parallel of a user of the first device and one or more users of the second device.

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, one or more virtual machines on the first device and the second device, wherein the one or more virtual machines comprises at least a master virtual machine; 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 , wherein connecting to the first device and the second device, further comprises:
communicating, by one or more processors, with a user interface utility which resides in the first device and the second device; and displaying, by one or more processors, a first button to pause the software demonstration and a 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 2 , wherein accessing the one or more spawned virtual machines, comprises:
determining, by one or more processors, whether the one or more users of the second device have access to a 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, the master virtual machine to generate at least one cloned virtual machine, wherein the one or more users of the second device, have access to the at least one cloned 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 interactive mode, accessing, by one or more processors, a client software application using the at least one cloned virtual machines; 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:
interfacing, by one or more processors, with the user of the first device and the one or more users of the second device, wherein the user of the first device controls the first button and the second button or the one or more users of the second device control the first button and the second button; 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 allowing one or more users of the second device to interact with the software demonstration system in parallel of 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

• G06F2009/45575

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

• H04L67/02

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

• G06F9/45558

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• H04L67/025

  for remote control or remote monitoring of applications · CPC title