Virtual desktop in a computer network

#The present invention relates generally to computer systems, and more particularly to techniques for providing a virtual desktop in a computer network.

#Many individuals extensively or periodically interface with a computer system for work or leisure. These individuals maintain desktop or portable computer systems and are typically able to customize the systems according the their specific needs and preferences. The customization can range from the set of application software installed on the system, the arrangement of the desktop icons, the organization of the file management system, the settings of the CRT display and mouse control, and so on.

#For those who regularly interface with computers, many have access to multiple computer systems. For example, a user may be assigned a desktop computer system at work and may also maintain a personal computer system at home. The user may also have access to additional computer systems, such as a portable computer system assigned for business trips or other miscellaneous systems when on travel. These numerous systems are usually not maintained to be replicas of each other and have different customizations. As such, they are typically installed with different applications, contained different files that are organized in different arrangements, and have different desktop “feels.”

#FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates the enormous interconnectivity provided by an Internet-based computer network of the invention;

#FIG. 2 shows a diagram of an embodiment of a computer network 200 that implements a virtual computing environment and supports the virtual desktop of the invention;

#FIG. 3 shows a diagram of a browser display of a representative virtual desktop for a particular user that has been retrieved from the URL web site;

#System Description

#FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates the enormous interconnectivity provided by an Internet-based computer network of the invention. As shown in FIG. 1, numerous systems can gain access to the Internet 110 through a wide range of communications channels. For example, access to the Internet 110 can be gained by a portable notebook personal computer (PC) 112 though a wireless link 114, a notebook PC 116 through a wireline link 118, an office desktop PC 122 through a high speed modem link 124 (e.g., T1, ISDN, or others), a home desktop PC 126 through a telephone link 128, a mobile cellular phone 132 through a cellular link 134, and a television set top box 136 through a cable link 138. In FIG. 1, modems 150 facilitate communications between the respective systems and the Internet. Although all modems are similarly designated in FIG. 1, in actuality, they are specifically designed to support the particular link to which they are coupled. The connections are typically TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) connections, but other connections and protocols are possible. For example, the connection may be a SLIP/PPP (Serial Link IP/Point-to-Point Protocol) connection.

#Other communications links that may be used to connect to the Internet include, for example, a terrestrial link, a microwave link, a satellite link, and others. The communications link can be symmetric (i.e., having the same data bandwidth in both directions). Alternatively, the communications link can be unsymmetrical such that, for example, the downstream bandwidth from the Internet to the system is greater than the upstream bandwidth from the system to the Internet.