Patent ID: 7711777
Filing Date: 2010-05-04
Classification: G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for managing a remote control session (RCS) during which control of input mechanisms of a plurality of authorized users for manipulating a shared computer screen is time-sliced among the authorized users such that no more than one authorized user of the plurality of authorized users has control of the input mechanisms at each time during the RCS, said method comprising: initiating the RCS during which the authorized users are coupled to the RCS via a communication network, wherein each authorized user has been assigned a priority, a control time slice (CTS), and an inactivity threshold, and wherein said initializing comprises enabling each authorized user to view a shared portion of the computer screen throughout the RCS; providing sole control of the input mechanisms to a first authorized user who requested control of the input mechanisms, wherein the sole control of the input mechanisms by the first authorized user is configured to be effective for no more than a first duration that is equal to the CTS assigned to the first authorized user; transferring sole control of the input mechanisms from the first authorized user to a second authorized user who requested control of the input mechanisms, wherein the sole control of the input mechanisms by the second authorized user is configured to be effective for no more than a second duration that is equal to the CTS assigned to the second authorized user, wherein said initiating the RCS, said transferring sole control of the input mechanisms to the first authorized user, and said transferring sole control of the input mechanisms to the second authorized user are performed by program code while executing on a processor of a computer system that is coupled to the communication network, wherein the plurality of authorized users are in a queue, wherein the queue consists of an ordered sequence of positions, wherein the ordered sequence of positions in the queue are denoted as a first position in the queue, a second position in the queue, . . . , a lowest position in the queue, wherein the first position in the queue is the highest position in the queue, wherein all authorized users who have requested control of the input mechanisms are in contiguous positions of the queue beginning with first position of the queue to define an active portion of the queue, wherein all authorized users who have not requested control of the input mechanisms are in contiguous positions of the queue ending with the lowest position of the queue, and wherein the program code is configured to provide control of the input mechanisms to only the authorized user in the first position in the queue; updating the queue at a first time, resulting in the first authorized user being in the highest position of the queue, wherein said transferring sole control of the input mechanisms to the first authorized user is performed in response to said updating the queue at the first time; and updating the queue at a second time, resulting in the second authorized user being in the first position of the queue, wherein said transferring sole control of the input mechanisms from the first authorized user to the second authorized user is performed in response to updating the queue at the second time, and wherein said updating the queue at the first time and said updating the queue at the second time are performed by the executing program code.