Document viewing mechanism for document sharing environment

Abstract

An improved application sharing system and method are described wherein a display of shared information is constructed such that application artifacts that are of no use to the viewer are not displayed to the viewer. In this way, a greatest possible portion of a viewing area can be used to display document content rather than such artifacts. In an embodiment, the functionality of reducing the display in this manner is engageable and disengageble by a viewing user. In a further embodiment of the invention, the functionality of reducing the display is automatically engaged and disengaged based on actions of a sharing user with respect to the shared information.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for displaying a representation of a shared window on a viewing display of a viewing computing device, the method comprising:
 receiving an entirety of the shared window wherein the shared window is a window of an application, the shared window having both a document content area and an application artifact area;   identifying, by a sharing process executing at the viewing computing device, the document content area of the shared window and the application artifact area of the shared window; and   displaying, on the viewing display, the document content area of the shared window while omitting from the display the application artifact area of the shared window,   
       wherein:
 the application artifact area comprises at least one graphical object actuatable to affect the operation of the application 
 the shared window is associated with an application running on a sharing computing device, 
 the sharing computing device comprises a sharer display upon which is displayed the shared window, and 
 the sharing computing device is communicably linked to the viewing computing device. 
 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the application is user alterable to enter a mode of operation wherein the application artifact area of the shared window is represented on the viewing display. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein identifying the document content area of the shared window further comprises associating a parent window class of the shared window with a sub-window class associated with a sub-window within the shared window containing the document content area. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the viewing computing device is communicably linked to the sharing computing device via a network comprising a local area network. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the viewing computing device is communicably linked to the sharing computing device via a network comprising a wide area network. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the viewing computing device is communicably linked to the sharing computing device using the Internet. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 receiving an indication that control of the application running on the sharing computing device has been relinquished by a user of the sharing computing device and is ceded to a user of the viewing computing device; and   automatically switching a mode of the viewing display whereby the application artifact area of the shared window is represented on the viewing display.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 identifying a menu that intersects both the artifacts area and the document area; and   in response to identifying the menu, modifying the viewing display to show the artifacts area.   
     
     
         29 . A computer readable memory storing instructions configured to, in response to being executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for displaying a representation of a shared window on a viewing display of a viewing computing device, the operations comprising:
 receiving an entirety of the shared window wherein the shared window is a window of an application, the shared window having both a document content area and an application artifact area;   identifying, by a sharing process executing at the viewing computing device, the document content area of the shared window and the application artifact area of the shared window; and   displaying, on the viewing display, the document content area of the shared window while omitting from the display the application artifact area of the shared window,   
       wherein:
 the application artifact area comprises at least one graphical object actuatable to affect the operation of the application 
 the shared window is associated with an application running on a sharing computing device, 
 the sharing computing device comprises a sharer display upon which is displayed the shared window, and 
 the sharing computing device is communicably linked to the viewing computing device. 
 
     
     
         30 . The computer readable memory of  claim 29 , wherein the application is user alterable to enter a mode of operation wherein the application artifact area of the shared window is represented on the viewing display. 
     
     
         31 . The computer readable memory of  claim 29 , wherein identifying the document content area of the shared window further comprises associating a parent window class of the shared window with a sub-window class associated with a sub-window within the shared window containing the document content area. 
     
     
         32 . The computer readable memory of  claim 29 , wherein the viewing computing device is communicably linked to the sharing computing device via a network comprising a local area network. 
     
     
         33 . The computer readable memory of  claim 29 , wherein the viewing computing device is communicably linked to the sharing computing device using the Internet. 
     
     
         34 . The computer readable memory of  claim 29 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving an indication that control of the application running on the sharing computing device has been relinquished by a user of the sharing computing device and is ceded to a user of the viewing computing device; and   automatically switching a mode of the viewing display whereby the application artifact area of the shared window is represented on the viewing display.   
     
     
         35 . The computer readable memory of  claim 29 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 identifying a menu that intersects both the artifacts area and the document area; and   in response to identifying the menu, modifying the viewing display to show the artifacts area.   
     
     
         36 . A system for displaying a representation of a shared window on a viewing computing device, the system comprising:
 a transceiver configured to receive an entirety of the shared window wherein the shared window is a window of an application, the shared window having both a document content area and an application artifact area;   a window analyzer configured to identify, by a sharing process executing at the viewing computing device, the document content area of the shared window and the application artifact area of the shared window; and   a viewing display configured to display the document content area of the shared window while omitting from the display the application artifact area of the shared window,   
       wherein:
 the application artifact area comprises at least one graphical object actuatable to affect the operation of the application 
 the shared window is associated with an application running on a sharing computing device, 
 the sharing computing device comprises a sharer display upon which is displayed the shared window, and 
 the sharing computing device is communicably linked to the viewing computing device. 
 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein the application is user alterable to enter a mode of operation wherein the application artifact area of the shared window is represented on the viewing display. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein identifying the document content area of the shared window further comprises associating a parent window class of the shared window with a sub-window class associated with a sub-window within the shared window containing the document content area. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein
 the transceiver is further configured to receive an indication that control of the application running on the sharing computing device has been relinquished by a user of the sharing computing device and is ceded to a user of the viewing computing device; and   the viewing display is configured to automatically switch to a mode of operation of whereby the application artifact area of the shared window is represented on the viewing display.   
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein:
 the window analyzer is further configured to identify a menu that intersects both the artifacts area and the document area; and   a viewing display is further configured to, in response to the window analyzer identifying the menu, modify the viewing display to show the artifacts area.