Microsoft Follows Google, Files For Desktop Remoting Patent

Microsoft is following suit with a "Web-Browser Based Desktop And Application Remoting Solution", which shows a similar approach and could have some interesting implications for multiscreening environments.

The patent application submitted in June 2011 states that the technology would use a proxy server to establish "a HTTP session with the client and a remote presentation session with the client. The server generates graphics encoded with a remote presentation protocol and sends them to the proxy, which re-encodes them as video and sends them to the client for display in the web browser. The client captures user input at the web browser and sends it to the proxy, which encodes it with the remote presentation protocol and sends it to the server to be processed."

What makes Microsoft's solution different is that it does not require a specific application to support remoting on the client, a so called remote presentation session application. the patent, however, outlines "a client [with] a web browser application that is configured to both display video and receive user input that is directed to the web browser application. The client uses the web browser to establish an Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML--Extensible Markup Language) connection with the server to open a connection. The client and server then exchange information to authenticate the client to the server."

Desktop remoting can serve a variety of purposes, but it's most critical application today is the transfer of application to platforms that do not support them. We already know that Microsoft has a very capable web browser as far as graphics display is concerned, which would give the company a good reason to use desktop remoting between x86 Windows, Windows RT and Windows Phone. As long as a x86 Windows machine is available via an Internet connection, a full screen browser could almost eliminate all software concerns that are currently plaguing Windows RT.

For platform synergy, desktop remoting could end up being an important bridge technology for Microsoft.

_{Contact Us for News Tips, Corrections and Feedback}