Collaboration integration

• US 20040107256A1
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Published: 06/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Slava Mikerin, Thomas Odenwald
• Original Assignee: Slava Mikerin, Thomas Odenwald
• Inventors: Mikerin, Slava, Odenwald, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US10/308,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20040107256A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Integrating collaboration products or processes includes receiving a first collaboration request from a user application, selecting from among multiple available collaboration services offered by multiple service providers a first collaboration service from a first service provider that corresponds to the received first collaboration request, and providing the user application with session launch information that enables the user application to start a collaboration session using the first collaboration service from the first service provider.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing access to one or more collaboration services, the method comprising:

receiving a collaboration request from an application;

selecting, from among a plurality of available collaboration services offered by a plurality of service providers, a first collaboration service from a first service provider, the selected collaboration service corresponding to the received collaboration request; and

providing the application with session launch information that enables the application to start a collaboration session using the first collaboration service from the first service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first collaboration service comprises a member of a group of collaboration services for which the application is approved.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the group of collaborations services comprises a subset of the plurality of available collaboration services.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the group of collaboration services is determined by a user role associated with the user application.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the collaboration request comprises a list of proposed collaboration session participants, and the group of collaboration services is a subset of the available services for which all of the participants are approved.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the session launch information comprises providing a URL address that is not directed to the service provider.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the session launch information is stored in a calendar associated with the application.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second collaboration request from the application;

selecting, from among the plurality of available collaboration service offered by the plurality of service providers, a second collaboration service from a second service provider that corresponds to the received second collaboration request; and

providing the application with session launch information that enables the application to start a collaboration session using the second collaboration service from the second service provider.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a session launch request from the user application;

and

directing the user application to the first service provider to start the collaboration session.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the session launch request corresponds to the session launch information.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the session launch request comprises a URL address that is distinct from the first service provider.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the user application comprises a portal view, and the portal view is directed to the first service provider.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the user application comprises an instance of a web browser, and the instance is directed to the first service provider.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving information related to the collaboration session.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the information related to the collaboration session is received from the service provider.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the information related to the collaboration session is received at the conclusion of the collaboration session.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the information comprises the start time of the session, the stop time of the session, and a list of participants in the session.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising assigning a cost of the collaboration session to a group associated with the user application.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the information comprises a transcript from the collaboration session.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising generating a report on the collaboration session using historical data relating to the collaboration session.

9. The method of 8, wherein the first collaboration session occurs concurrently with the second collaboration session.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first collaboration session is presented in a first view of a portal system, and the second collaboration session is presented in a second view of the portal system.

23. A collaboration integration system comprising:

a plurality of service provider connectors, each connector adapted to communicate information regarding collaboration sessions with a collaboration service provider;

a client interface that receives messages from and transmits messages to a user application at a client remote from the system; and

an integration system operative to receive collaboration session requests from the client through the client interface, and to direct the client to one of a plurality of collaboration service providers to establish a collaboration session.

24. The collaboration integration system of claim 23, wherein the client interface delivers messages according to the HTTP protocol.

25. The collaboration integration system of claim 24, wherein the integration system is further operative to receive a URL and send information stored at the URL location to the client through the client interface.

26. The collaboration system of claim 23, further comprising a data repository that stores information relating to a collaboration session.

27. The collaboration system of claim 26, wherein the data repository stores data representing the start and end times of a collaboration session.

28. The collaboration system of claim 27, wherein the repository is in communication with an enterprise resource planning system.