Patent ID: 8713474
Filing Date: 2014-04-29
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: receiving, by a client computing device and from a remote computing platform, data for an application executed by the remote computing platform, wherein the data for the application executed by the remote computing platform defines properties for a graphical window in which the application executed by the remote computing platform is presented by the client computing device; generating, by the client computing device, the graphical window in which the application executed by the remote computing platform is presented by the client computing device; receiving, by the client computing device and from the remote computing platform, data for one or more other applications executed by the remote computing platform, wherein the data for the one or more other applications executed by the remote computing platform defines properties for one or more graphical windows in which the one or more other applications executed by the remote computing platform are presented by the client computing device; generating, by the client computing device, the one or more graphical windows in which the one or more other applications executed by the remote computing platform are presented by the client computing device; determining that a preview for said graphical window in which the application executed by the remote computing platform is presented by the client computing device is needed; responsive to determining that the preview for said graphical window in which the application executed by the remote computing platform is presented by the client computing device is needed, communicating, to the remote computing platform, a request for a snapshot of the application executed by the remote computing platform; receiving, from the remote computing platform, the snapshot of the application executed by the remote computing platform, wherein the snapshot of the application executed by the remote computing platform includes an appearance of the application executed by the remote computing platform generated by the remote computing platform; and generating, by the client computing device and at a time when said graphical window in which the application executed by the remote computing platform is presented by the client computing device is overlapped by at least one of the one or more graphical windows in which the one or more other applications executed by the remote computing platform are presented by the client computing device, a window preview of said graphical window in which the application executed by the remote computing platform is presented by the client computing device and at least one of the one or more graphical windows in which the one or more other applications executed by the remote computing platform are presented by the client computing device, wherein generating the window preview of said graphical window in which the application executed by the remote computing platform is presented by the client computing device comprises utilizing the snapshot of the application executed by the remote computing platform to generate the window preview of said graphical window in which the application executed by the remote computing platform is presented by the client computing device, and wherein the window preview of said graphical window in which the application executed by the remote computing platform is presented by the client computing device reflects an appearance of said graphical window in which the application executed by the remote computing platform is presented by the client computing device without the one or more graphical windows in which the one or more other applications executed by the remote computing platform are presented by the client computing device overlapping said graphical window in which the application executed by the remote computing platform is presented by the client computing device.