Providing a virtual desktop within a computing environment

Display equipment, comprising:

• a communications interface constructed and arranged to connect to a computer network;
• memory;
• and
• control circuitry coupled to the communications interface and the memory, the control circuitry configured to:
• receive device identification information via a browser operating on the display equipment, the device identification information identifying a mobile computing device;
• based on the device identification information, creating a communications pathway between the display equipment and the mobile computing device through the communications interface;
• and
• while the mobile computing device runs a virtual desktop session that conveys virtual desktop input from the mobile computing device to a virtual desktop server and virtual desktop output from the virtual desktop server to the mobile computing device to provide a virtual desktop on the mobile computing device, communicating over the communications pathway created between the display equipment and the mobile computing device to cast the virtual desktop from the mobile computing device to the browser operating on the display equipment;
• wherein the control circuitry when receiving the device identification information via the browser operating on the display equipment, is constructed and arranged to:
• load a first web page that includes a discovery script, and
• run the discovery script to obtain the device identification information identifying the mobile computing device;
• wherein the device identification information includes a network address that uniquely identifies the mobile computing device on a computer network;
• and
• wherein the control circuitry, when running the discovery script to obtain the device identification information identifying the mobile computing device, is constructed and arranged to:
• capture an image displayed on a touchscreen of the mobile computing device using a camera of the display equipment, and
• derive the network address from the captured image displayed on the touchscreen of the mobile computing device.

A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium that stores a set of instructions to provide a virtual desktop;

• the set of instructions, when carried out by display equipment, causing the display equipment to perform a method of:
• receiving device identification information via a browser operating on display equipment, the device identification information identifying a mobile computing device;
• based on the device identification information, creating a communications pathway between the display equipment and the mobile computing device;
• and
• while the mobile computing device runs a virtual desktop session that conveys virtual desktop input from the mobile computing device to a virtual desktop server and virtual desktop output from the virtual desktop server to the mobile computing device to provide a virtual desktop on the mobile computing device, communicating over the communications pathway created between the display equipment and the mobile computing device to cast the virtual desktop from the mobile computing device to the browser operating on the display equipment;
• wherein receiving the device identification information via the browser operating on the display equipment includes:
• loading a first web page that includes a discovery script, and
• running the discovery script to obtain the device identification information identifying the mobile computing device;
• wherein the device identification information includes a network address that uniquely identifies the mobile computing device on a computer network;
• and
• wherein running the discovery script to obtain the device identification information identifying the mobile computing device includes:
• capturing an image displayed on a touchscreen of the mobile computing device using a camera of the display equipment, and
• deriving the network address from the captured image displayed on the touchscreen of the mobile computing device.