Methods and systems for establishing, hosting and managing a screen sharing session involving a virtual environment

1. A web conferencing system comprising:

one or more processors of a web conferencing server; and

one or more computer storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, implement a method comprising:

receiving, from a web conferencing application executing at a host computing device, a request to establish a web conferencing session, the web conferencing session including the host computing device and a participant computing device,

based on the request to establish the web conferencing session, establishing the web conferencing session,

receiving, from the web conferencing application executing at the host computing device, a request to establish a remote desktop connection with a remote computing device, wherein the remote desktop connection enables the host computing device to control the remote computing device and provides for sharing a graphical user interface that is generated by the remote computing device for presentation at a display of the remote computing device, and wherein the request to establish the web conferencing session and the request to establish the remote desktop connection are received in a single communication session between the host computing device and the web conferencing server,

receiving, from the web conferencing application executing at the host computing device, an indication of an identity of the remote computing device, wherein the indication of the identity of the remote computing device is received based on a prompt for information identifying the remote computing device,

based on the request to establish the remote desktop connection with the remote computing device and on the indication of the identity of the remote computing device, establishing the remote desktop connection with the remote computing device, and

based on the remote desktop connection, sharing the graphical user interface that is generated by the remote computing device with the host computing device and the participant computing device.

2. The web conferencing system of claim 1 , wherein the remote computing device comprises a desktop computer, and wherein the graphical user interface is generated based on a software application executing at the desktop computer.

3. The web conferencing system of claim 2 , wherein the host computing device comprises a mobile computing device.

4. The web conferencing system of claim 3 , wherein the mobile computing device comprises at least one of a mobile phone or a tablet.

5. The web conferencing system of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

at the web conferencing server, receiving, from the host computing device, an indication of an input intended for a software application executing at the remote computing device, and

based on the indication of the input, communicating a command to the remote computing device.

6. The web conferencing system of claim 5 , wherein the software application executing at the remote computing device is controlled based on the input provided at the host computing device.

7. The web conferencing system of claim 6 , wherein the input provided at the host computing device is provided via a graphical user interface associated with the web conferencing application executing at the host computing device.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising, at a server computer:

receiving a request from a host computing device to establish a web conferencing session, the web conferencing session including the host computing device and a participant computing device;

based on the request to establish the web conferencing session, establishing the web conferencing session;

receiving, from the host computing device, a request to establish a remote desktop connection with a remote computing device, the request comprising an indication of an identity of the remote computing device, wherein the indication of the identity of the remote computing device is received from the host computing device based on a prompt for information identifying the remote computing device, and wherein the request to establish the web conferencing session and the request to establish the remote desktop connection are received in a single communication session between the host computing device and the server computer;

based on the request to establish the remote desktop connection with the remote computing device and on the indication of the identity of the remote computing device, establishing the remote desktop connection with the remote computing device, wherein the remote desktop connection enables the host computing device to control the remote computing device; and

based on the remote desktop connection, sharing a graphical user interface of the remote computing device with the host computing device and the participant computing device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein sharing the graphical user interface of the remote computing device comprises communicating, from the server computer to the host computing device and the participant computing device, data corresponding to the graphical user interface that is generated by the remote computing device for presentation at a display of the remote computing device.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the data is used by the host computing device and the participant computing device to present the graphical user interface that is generated by the remote computing device at a display of the host computing device and a display of the participant computing device, respectively.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the information identifying the remote computing device comprises at least one of a hostname or an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the remote computing device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the remote computing device comprises a desktop computer, and wherein the host computing device comprises a mobile computing device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising:

at the server computer, receiving, from the host computing device, an indication of an input intended for a software application executing at the remote computing device; and

based on the indication of the input, communicating a command to the remote computing device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein the software application executing at the remote computing device is controlled based on the input provided at the host computing device.

15. Computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computing device having a processor and a memory, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

establishing, via a web conferencing application, a web conferencing session including a host computing device and a participant computing device;

receiving, from the host computing device via the web conferencing application, a request to establish a remote desktop connection with a remote computing device, the request comprising an indication of an identity of the remote computing device, wherein the indication of the identity of the remote computing device is received from the host computing device based on a prompt for information identifying the remote computing device;

based on the request to establish the remote desktop connection with the remote computing device and on the indication of the identity of the remote computing device, establishing the remote desktop connection with the remote computing device, wherein the remote desktop connection enables the host computing device to control the remote computing device; and

based on the remote desktop connection, sharing a graphical user interface of the remote computing device with the host computing device and the participant computing device.

16. The computer storage media of claim 15 , wherein sharing the graphical user interface of the remote computing device comprises communicating to the host computing device and the participant computing device data corresponding to the graphical user interface that is generated by the remote computing device for presentation at a display of the remote computing device.

17. The computer storage media of claim 16 , wherein the graphical user interface that is generated by the remote computing device is generated based on the remote computing device executing a software application that resides at the remote computing device.

18. The computer storage media of claim 17 , wherein the software application that resides at the remote computing device is responsive to an input provided at the host computing device.

19. The computer storage media of claim 18 , wherein the input provided at the host computing device is provided at a touch screen display of the host computing device and via a graphical user interface associated with the web conferencing application executing at the host computing device.

20. The computer storage media of claim 15 , wherein sharing the graphical user interface of the remote computing device comprises converting information representing the graphical user interface of the remote computing device from a format consistent with a protocol associated with the remote desktop connection into a format consistent with a protocol associated with the web conferencing session.