Patent ID: 8473577

Claim:
A server device comprising: one or more external device interfaces configured to receive indications of application states from two or more client devices and to provide the indications of the application states to the two or more client devices, wherein the indications of the application states comprise information for recreating at least portions of current visual representations of applications corresponding to the application states; and a control unit configured to: associate the two or more client devices as a group, to determine that a first client device of the group has a token, the token enabling one client device of the group of two or more associated client devices to send one or more indications of application states to the server device; receive an indication of an application state from the first client device; determine that a second, different client device of the group has begun executing the application corresponding to the received indication of the application state from the first client device; in response to the determination that the second client device has begun executing the application, remove the token from the first client device such that the first client device is prevented from sending subsequent indications of the application state to the server device and is enabled to continue execution of the application at the first client device; grant the token to the second client device; and provide the indication of the application state to the second client device in response to the determination that the second client device has begun executing the application.