Method of computer conferencing by intercepting commands issued by application programs and redirecting to all stations for execution

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of: executing said redirected commands on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 4

The method of claim 2 wherein said step of intercepting, with said application interface redirection element of said execution computer includes the step of: intercepting, with said application procedure interface redirection element of said execution computer, an application procedure interface call issued by said application program.

Claim 5

The method of claim 3 wherein said step of redirecting, with said redirection unit of said execution computer, said intercepted command includes the step of: redirecting, with said redirection unit of said execution computer, said intercepted application procedure interface call to said execution computer and said non-execution computers.

Claim 6

The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of: receiving said redirected application procedure interface call in said application procedure interface redirection element of each one of said non-execution computers.

Claim 7

The method of claim 5 wherein said step of displaying identical graphical information includes the step of: displaying identical graphical information on each one of said display devices, said graphical information corresponding to the execution of said redirected application procedure interface call on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: intercepting, with said message redirection element of said execution computer, a message representing data provided from a user input device of said execution computer; and redirecting, with said redirection unit of said execution computer, said intercepted message to each one of said computers.

Claim 9

The method of claim 7 wherein said step of displaying identical graphical information includes the step of: displaying identical graphical information on each one of said display devices, said graphical information being generated from executing said redirected commands and said redirected messages on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 10

The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of: executing said redirected commands on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 11

The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of: receiving said redirected messages in said message redirection element of each one of said non-execution computers.

Claim 12

The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: intercepting, with one of said message redirection elements corresponding to one of said non-execution computers, a message representing data generated from a user input device of said one of said non-execution computers; and redirecting, with one of said redirection units corresponding to said one of said non-execution computers, said intercepted message to each one of said computers.

Claim 13

The method of claim 11 wherein said step of displaying identical graphical information includes the step of: displaying identical graphical information on each one of said display devices, said graphical information being generated from executing said redirected commands and said redirected messages on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 14

The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of: executing said redirected messages on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 15

The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of: receiving said redirected messages in said message redirection element of each one of said non-execution computers and said message redirection element of said execution computer.

Claim 18

The system of claim 15 further comprising: means for executing said redirected commands on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 19

The system of claim 16 wherein said means for intercepting, with said application interface redirection element of said execution computer includes: means for intercepting, with said application procedure interface redirection element of said execution computer, an application procedure interface call issued by said application program.

Claim 20

The system of claim 17 wherein said means for displaying identical graphical information includes: means for displaying identical graphical information on each one of said display devices, said graphical information corresponding to the execution of said redirected application procedure interface call on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 21

The system of claim 15 further comprising: means for intercepting, with said message redirection element of said execution computer, a message representing data provided from a user input device of said execution computer; and means for redirecting, with said redirection unit of said execution computer, said intercepted message to each one of said computers.

Claim 22

The system of claim 19 wherein said means for displaying identical graphical information includes: means for displaying identical graphical information on each one of said display devices, said graphical information being generated from executing said redirected commands and said redirected messages on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 23

The system of claim 15 further comprising: means for intercepting, with one of said message redirection elements corresponding to one of said non-execution computers, a message representing data generated from a user input device of said one of said non-execution computers; and means for redirecting, with one of said redirection units corresponding to said one of said non-execution computers, said intercepted message to each one of said computers.

Claim 24

The system of claim 21 wherein said means for displaying identical graphical information includes: means for displaying identical graphical information on each one of said display devices, said graphical information being generated from executing said redirected commands and said redirected messages on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 25

A computer program product for use with a data processing system having a plurality of interconnected computers, said computer program product comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for simulating the execution of an application program, designed to execute on a single computer, on said plurality of interconnected computers, said computer readable program code means including: computer readable program code means for creating, on each one of said computers said application program being designed to execute on a single computer, an event redirection unit including an application procedure interface redirection element, and a message redirection element; computer readable program code means for executing said application program on one of said computers; and computer readable program code means for intercepting, with said application procedure interface redirection element of said execution computer, a command issued from said application program; computer readable program code means for redirecting, with said redirection unit of said execution computer, said intercepted command to each one of said computers; and computer readable program code means for displaying identical graphical information on each one of said display devices, said graphical information being generated from executing said redirected commands on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 26

A computer program product for use with a data processing system having a plurality of interconnected computers, said computer program product comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for simulating the execution of an application program, designed to execute on a single computer, on said plurality of interconnected computers, said computer readable program code means including: computer readable program code means for creating, on each one of said computers said application program being designed to execute on a single computer, an event redirection unit including an application procedure interface redirection element, and a message redirection element; computer readable program code means for executing said application program on one of said computers; and computer readable program code means for intercepting, with said application procedure interface redirection element of said execution computer, a command issued from said application program; computer readable program code means for redirecting, with said redirection unit of said execution computer, said intercepted command to each one of said computers; and computer readable program code means for displaying identical graphical information on each one of said display devices, said graphical information being generated from executing said redirected commands on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 27

The computer program product of claim 23 wherein said computer readable program code means for intercepting, with said application interface redirection element of said execution computer includes: computer readable program code means for intercepting, with said application procedure interface redirection element of said execution computer, an application procedure interface call issued by said application program.

Claim 28

The computer program product of claim 23 wherein said computer readable program code means further comprises: computer readable program code means for intercepting, with said message redirection element of said execution computer, a message representing data provided from a user input device of said execution computer; and computer readable program code means for redirecting, with said redirection unit of said execution computer, said intercepted message to each one of said computers.

Claim 29

The computer program product of claim 25 wherein said computer readable program code means for displaying identical graphical information includes: computer readable program code means for displaying identical graphical information on each one of said display devices, said graphical information being generated from executing said redirected commands and said redirected messages on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.

Claim 30

The computer program product of claim 23 wherein said computer readable program code means further comprises: computer readable program code means for intercepting, with one of said message redirection elements corresponding to one of said non-execution computers, a message representing data generated from a user input device of said one of said non-execution computers; and computer readable program code means for redirecting, with one of said redirection units corresponding to said one of said non-execution computers, said intercepted message to each one of said computers.

Claim 31

The computer program product of claim 27 wherein said computer readable program code means for displaying identical graphical information includes: computer readable program code means for displaying identical graphical information on each one of said display devices, said graphical information being generated from executing said redirected commands and said redirected messages on said execution computer and said non-execution computers, respectively.