Centrifugal communication and collaboration method

• US 20030149806A1
• Filed: 02/28/2003
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sampo IP LLC (Marathon Patent Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Groupserve, Inc.
• Inventors: Silby, D. Wayne, Achacoso, Theodore B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,015,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method of facilitating communications and collaboration of a group of plural remote participants comprises steps of receiving information over an information communications network from a first group participant; pushing, over the network to at least one other group participant, an access via an access channel; and allowing the other group participant to access at least some of the received information via said access channel in response to selective activation of the access channel by the other group participant.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating communications and collaboration of a group of plural participants comprising the steps of:

receiving information over an information communications network from a first group participant;

pushing, over said network to at least one other group participant, an access via an access channel; and

allowing said other group participant to access at least some of said received information via said access channel in response to selective activation of said access channel by-said other group participant.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step of storing said received information in a central database, and wherein said allowing step includes the step of opening said access channel to said central database.

3. The method of claim 2, further including the step of periodically purging at least some information stored in said central database.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the step of storing said received information in an information repository, and wherein said allowing comprises the step of providing access to said information stored in said information repository over the information communications network in response to activation of said access channel.

5. The method of claim 4, further including the step of periodically purging at least a portion of information stored in said information repository.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said first group participant identifies said at least one other group participant to whom said access is pushed.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said first group participant selects an individualized and personalized group to whom said access is pushed.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein said access comprises allowing said first group participant and said at least one other group participant to converse in real time.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein said access comprises allowing said first group participant and said at least one other group participant to conference in real time.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing is performed in response to said at least one other group participant not responding to said received information.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing includes a step of reminding said at least one other group participant to respond to said received information.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing does not push said access to said first group participant.

13. The method of claim 4, wherein said access channel is at least in part encrypted.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein said network comprises a wireless network, and wherein said pushing is at least in part performed wirelessly.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing includes the step of pushing a hyperlink to said other group participant, and wherein said allowing includes the step of delivering a scrollable web page including said received information in response to activation of said hyperlink by said other group participant.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein said access-providing includes the step of conditioning said access on authenticating said other group participant.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said authenticating comprises the step of authenticating a password.

18. The method of claim 4, wherein said access channel presents a threaded, scrollable web page presentation.

19. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing is performed in response to receipt of said information.

20. The method of claim 4, wherein said access channel is defined at least in part by a hyperlink.

21. The method of claim 4, wherein said access channel is defined at least in part by a universal resource locator.

22. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing comprises the step of communicating indicia of said access channel by e-mail over the information communications network.

23. The method of claim 4, wherein said group has at least three participants.

24. The method of claim 4, wherein said allowing step includes the step of allowing said group participants to access text.

25. The method of claim 4, wherein said allowing step includes the step of allowing said group participants to access audio.

26. The method of claim 4, wherein said allowing step includes the step of allowing said group participants to access video.

27. The method of claim 4, wherein said allowing step includes the step of allowing said group participants to access graphics.

28. The method of claim 4, wherein said allowing step includes the step of allowing said group participants to participate in a live real-time conference.

29. The method of claim 4, wherein said allowing step includes the step of allowing said group participants to participate in real-time chat.

30. The method of claim 4, wherein said allowing step includes the step of allowing said group participants to participate in a wireboard.

31. The method of claim 4, wherein said allowing step includes the step of allowing said group participants to collaborate by screen sharing.

32. The method of claim 4, wherein said allowing step includes the step of allowing said group participants to participate in a bulletin board-style Web discussion.

33. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing step includes the step of using predetermined criteria to select which participants of the group to push the access to.

34. The method of claim 4, wherein said allowing step includes the step of allowing said group participants to access a real-time discussion.

35. The method of claim 4, wherein said allowing step includes the step of filtering information based on group participant identity.

36. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing step comprises the step of pushing access to said access channel to a list of group participants identified by said first participant.

37. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing step comprises the step of pushing access to said access channel to group participants who have not yet joined the group with an invitation to join.

38. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing step comprises the step of pushing said access channel to a selected subset of group participants to whom the received information is relevant.

39. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing is performed at a predetermined frequency.

40. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing is performed periodically.

41. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing includes pushing a message along with said access.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said message comprises a summary of at least some of said received information.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein said message is created at least in part by said first group participant.

44. The method of claim 4, wherein said access comprises allowing access to a schedule.

45. The method of claim 4, wherein said access comprises allowing access to an address book.

46. The method of claim 4, wherein said pushing comprises pushing group scheduling information.

47. A method of facilitating continued group communications and collaboration over a wireless information communications network comprising:

depositing, in a database, a message received from a first participant of a group having plural participants;

pushing at least one universal resource locator and less than all of said received message to a subset of the group selected by said first participant; and

providing access to said deposited message over said wireless information communication network in response to activation of said universal resource locator.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein said pushing step does not send said at least one universal resource locator and said less than all of said received message to said first participant.

49. A method of facilitating continued group communications and collaboration over an information communications network comprising:

posting information from a first participant of a group having plural participants;

pushing at least one universal resource locator and some, but less than all, of said posted information to at least one other participant of the group over the network but not to said first participant; and

providing World Wide Web access to said posted information over said information communication network in response to activation of said universal resource locator by said other group participant.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising the step of periodically purging at least some posted information.

51. A system for facilitating continued group communications and collaboration over an information communications network comprising:

a database that supplies information received from a group having plural participants;

a notice generator that pushes at least one universal resource locator to at least some group participants over the network; and

an access channel server that provides access to said supplied information over said information communication network in response to activation of said universal resource locator by group participants.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein said notice generator pushes said universal resource locator to a selected subset of said group participants.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein said notice generator selects said subset based at least in part on information provided by a further remote group participant.

54. The system of claim 51, wherein said access channel server authenticates group participants before allowing access.

55. The system of claim 51, wherein said notice generator includes a mail server.

56. The system of claim 51, wherein said access channel server includes a narrowcasting server providing streaming content.