System and method for cooperative application control

Abstract

One aspect provides a system for cooperative application control. In one embodiment, the system includes a cloud application engine and a cloud interaction engine embodied in at least one server of the system. The cloud application engine is configured to execute the application and generate a video stream of the application. The cooperative interaction engine is configured to: receive the video stream of the application from the cloud application engine; multicast a view of the video stream to multiple clients connected to the cooperative interaction engine, the multiple clients corresponding to multiple users cooperatively interacting with the application on a shared workpiece; receive multiple separate response streams from the multiple clients; combine the multiple separate response streams into a joint response stream; and transmit the joint response stream to the cloud application engine which handles the joint response stream as a single response stream from a single user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for cooperative application control, comprising:
 executing the application in a cloud application engine of a cloud of computing resources;   receiving, by a cooperative interaction engine of the cloud of computing resources, a video stream of the application from the cloud application engine;   multicasting, by the cooperative interaction engine, a view of the video stream to multiple clients connected to the cooperative interaction engine, the multiple clients corresponding to multiple users cooperatively interacting with the application on a shared workpiece;   receiving, from the multiple clients, multiple separate response streams by the cooperative interaction engine;   combining, by the cooperative interaction engine, the multiple separate response streams from the multiple clients into a joint response stream; and   transmitting, by the cooperative interaction engine, the joint response stream to the cloud application engine which handles the joint response stream as a single response stream from a single user.   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein at least one other client corresponding to at least one other user receives the video stream of the application from the cloud application engine and the at least one other client transmits at least one other response stream to the cloud application engine to allow the at least one other client to collaborate simultaneously via the application on the workpiece. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the workpiece is located on a memory of the cloud of computing resources. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the cooperative interaction engine further comprises a video stream multicaster and a response stream combiner, wherein:
 the video stream multicaster is configured to receive the video stream of the application from the cloud application engine and multicast the view of the video stream to the multiple clients; and   the response stream combiner is coupled to the video stream multicaster and is configured to combine the multiple separate response streams from the multiple clients into the joint response stream and to provide the joint response stream to the cloud application engine.   
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the combining, by the cooperative interaction engine, comprises interleaving the multiple separate response streams. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the combining, by the cooperative interaction engine, is based on a number of times responses in the multiple separate response streams are invoked. 
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the combining, by the cooperative interaction engine, comprises assigning windows of time to the multiple clients and combining the multiple separate response streams based on the window of time. 
     
     
         8 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the combining, by the cooperative interaction engine, comprises combining the multiple separate response streams based on previously received responses in the multiple separate response streams. 
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the combining, by the cooperative interaction engine, comprises combining the multiple separate response streams based on rankings of the multiple clients. 
     
     
         10 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the application and the workpiece comprise at least one of the following:
 the application is a word processor and the workpiece is a document;   the application is a spreadsheet application and the workpiece is a spreadsheet;   the application is a presentation application and the workpiece is a presentation;   the application is a video editor and the workpiece is a video production;   the application is a database manager and the workpiece is a database;   the application is a computer-aided design application and the workpiece is a mechanical design; or   the application is a circuit design application and the workpiece is an electrical design.   
     
     
         11 . A system for cooperative application control, comprising:
 a cloud application engine, embodied in at least one server of the system, configured to execute the application and generate a video stream of the application; and   a cooperative interaction engine associated with the cloud application engine, embodied in the at least one server of the system, configured to:
 receive the video stream of the application from the cloud application engine; 
 multicast a view of the video stream to multiple clients connected to the cooperative interaction engine, the multiple clients corresponding to multiple users cooperatively interacting with the application on a shared workpiece; 
 receive multiple separate response streams from the multiple clients; 
 combine the multiple separate response streams from the multiple clients into a joint response stream; and 
 transmit the joint response stream to the cloud application engine which handles the joint response stream as a single response stream from a single user. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein at least one other client corresponding to at least one other user receives the video stream of the application from the cloud application engine and the at least one other client transmits at least one other response stream to the cloud application to allow the at least one other client to collaborate simultaneously via the application on the workpiece. 
     
     
         13 . The system as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the workpiece is located on a memory of the at least one server of the system. 
     
     
         14 . The system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the cooperative interaction engine further comprises a video stream multicaster and a response stream combiner, wherein:
 the video stream multicaster is configured to receive the video stream of the application from the cloud application engine and multicast the view of the video stream to the multiple clients; and   the response stream combiner is coupled to the video stream multicaster and is configured to combine the multiple separate response streams from the multiple clients into the joint response stream and to provide the joint response stream to the cloud application engine.   
     
     
         15 . The system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the combining by the cooperative interaction engine comprises interleaving the multiple separate response streams. 
     
     
         16 . The system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the combining by the cooperative interaction engine is based on a number of times responses in the multiple separate response streams are invoked. 
     
     
         17 . The system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the combining by the cooperative interaction engine comprises assigning windows of time to the multiple clients and combining the multiple separate response streams based on the window of time. 
     
     
         18 . The system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the combining by the cooperative interaction engine comprises combining the multiple separate response streams based on previously received responses in the multiple separate response streams. 
     
     
         19 . The system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the combining by the cooperative interaction engine comprises combining the multiple separate response streams based on rankings of the multiple clients. 
     
     
         20 . The system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the application and the workpiece comprise at least one of the following:
 the application is a word processor and the workpiece is a document;   the application is a spreadsheet application and the workpiece is a spreadsheet;   the application is a presentation application and the workpiece is a presentation;   the application is a video editor and the workpiece is a video production;   the application is a database manager and the workpiece is a database;   the application is a computer-aided design application and the workpiece is a mechanical design; or   the application is a circuit design application and the workpiece is an electrical design.