METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MULTI-USER AWARENESS AND COLLABORATION

• US 20020016788A1
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Published: 02/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: BURRIDGE, RICHARD N.
• Granted Patent: US 6,430,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/966 Distributed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention incorporate a facility to make a user, or client, aware of other users that are currently viewing the same Web, or display page. Functionality is provided in a browser to allow a user to initiate a collaboration operation with other users on the same Web page. A user provides user information to a registry via a registration process. The registry is further updated to include an entry identifying the page that is currently being viewed by a user. The user can access a collaboration interface to view a list of users that are currently viewing the same page as the user. The collaboration interface further allows the user to select a collaboration operation to collaborate with one or more users that are currently viewing the same page. In embodiments of the invention, the collaboration interface is generated by a Java applet and is contained within a portion of any general-purpose or special-purpose browser. The collaboration interface accepts input entered within an input field of the interface and processes it accordingly. A request to change Web pages updates the registry to reflect the new page. If the input is a request to initiate a collaborative operation, the collaboration interface initiates the operation.

Claims

1. A method of user awareness and collaboration in a computer network environment, said method comprising the steps of:

retaining user information for a user of said network environment, said user information including a user identification;

executing within a computer system of said computer network a computer program configured to capture any address specification by said user;

storing said any address specification in at least one repository of user information, said at least one repository of user information identifying users that are currently viewing said any address specification;

generating for said user a list of users that are currently viewing said any address specification.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

generating, by said computer program, a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to allow said user to select a collaboration operation and display said list of users currently accessing said any address specification.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said user information is retrieved from an HTML page generated by an Internet browser executing in said computer system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said information for said user includes the user'"'"'s name and electronic mail address.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said computer program executes within a browser program executing in said computer system, step of storing said any address specification further comprises the steps of:

said computer program generating a GUI in a display area of said browser program, said GUI including an input field configured to accept said any address specification;

transmitting said address selection to a server upon input of said any address specification in said input field;

said server storing said any address specification in a repository in an entry associated with said user.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said computer program is an applet written in a platform-independent programming language.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said platform-independent programming language is the Java programming language.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said any address specification specifies a Web page.

9. A multi-user awareness and collaboration system comprising:

a server coupled to a computer system, said server configured to maintain a repository of user information, said repository of user information including a user'"'"'s identification and an address of a page currently being viewed by said user;

a computer program executing in a client computer system, said computer program configured to capture and transmit page requests to said server and display a list of users currently viewing the same page as said user.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said computer program is a Java applet executing within a browser running in said client computer system, said Java applet is configured to generate a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to display said list of users.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said GUI further includes an input field for capturing address input of said user.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said GUI further includes a GUI elements representing selectable collaboration operations.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to cause said client computer to generate a graphic user interface (GUI) configured to allow said user to select a collaboration operation and display said list of users currently accessing said any address specification.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein said user information is retrieved from an HTML page generated by an Internet browser executing in said client computer.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein said information for said user includes the user'"'"'s name and electronic mail address.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein said computer program code executes within a browser program executing in said client computer, said computer program code configured to cause said server computer to store said any address specification further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to cause said client to generate a GUI in a display area of said browser program, said GUI including an input field configured to accept said any address specification;

computer readable program code configured to cause said client computer to transmit said any address specification to said server computer upon input of said any address specification in said input field;

computer readable program code configured to cause said server computer to store said any address specification in a repository in an entry associated with said user.

18. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein said computer program code is an applet written in a platform-independent programming language.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein said platform-independent programming language is Java.

20. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein said any address specification specifies a Web page.

13. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for user awareness and collaboration in a computer network environment comprising;

computer readable program code configured to cause a server computer to retain user information for a user of said network environment, said user information including a user identification;

computer readable program code configured to cause a client computer to capture any address specification by said user;

computer readable program code configured to cause said server computer to store said any address specification in at least one repository of user information, said at least one repository of user information identifying users that are currently viewing said page;

computer readable program code configured to cause a server computer to generate for said user a list of users that are currently viewing said any address specification.

21. In a computer system, a method of user collaboration comprising:

registering with a collaboration server;

entering a request for a page of information in a collaboration interface displayed in said computer system as a result of said registering;

viewing in said collaboration interface a list of users currently viewing said page.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising selecting in said collaboration interface a collaboration operation to initiate a collaboration operation with said users currently viewing said page.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said collaboration operation comprises identifying one of said users as a master user, said method further comprising displaying in said computer system each page displayed in said master user'"'"'s computer system.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein said collaboration interface is generated by at least one applet running in a browser.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein said registering with a collaboration server further comprises entering user information in a registration page.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein said registering with a collaboration server further comprises:

storing registration information in said computer system;

transmitting said stored registration information to said collaboration server.