System and method for managing information and collaborating

• US 20050027802A1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Parlano, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Madsen, Mark, Gaylor, Ryan, Serr, Bob
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/565 relating to time schedule aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Disclosed is an information management and collaboration system and method for managing information flow in real time. A real time chat communication channel provides a link for users to interact in a customized setting. Users are provided with such customizable features as contextual transcripts, parameterized input and output panels, channel management, contact management and application interaction. The system and method disclosed allows information to be managed in a customized environment based on user preferences. Further, the system and method disclosed provide a highly configurable environment for interaction with other information and collaboration systems, as well as other utility application programs.

Claims

1. A network collaboration system comprising:

an end user computing system adapted to receive messages over a communication channel, said end user computing system including an interface for displaying information about message traffic over said communication channel as well as displaying the content of the messages themselves; and

an administration computing system adapted to store messages transmitted over said communication channel and information regarding the status of the end user computing system such that messages and historical information regarding message traffic over the communication channel may be displayed by the end user computer system;

the network collaboration system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of communication channels.

2. The network collaboration system of claim 1 wherein said administration computing system includes a channel database for storing information about said communication channel and the content of messages sent over the communication channel and a user database for storing status information about the end user computing system.

3. The collaboration system of claim 2 wherein said status information includes a time stamp associated with the communication channel identifying a time when the end user computing system logs out of said collaboration system.

4. The network collaboration system of claim 3 wherein said administration computing system is adapted to generate a new message count based on a count of the messages transmitted over the communication channel during the time between the time stamp recorded when the end user computing system was logged out of the network collaboration system, and a time when the end user computing system is logged back into the network collaboration system.

5. The network collaboration system of claim 4 wherein said end user computing system interface is adapted to display said new message count associated with said communication channel when the end user communication system is logged back into said network collaboration system.

6. The network collaboration system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of said communication channels.

7. The network collaboration system of claim 6 wherein said plurality of communication channels comprise real time chat channels.

8. A network collaboration system comprising:

a first user computer;

at least one communication channel for exchanging messages between the first user computer and at least one other user computer; and

a display interface associated with the first user computer configured to display a new message count corresponding to a number of messages transmitted over at least one communication channel during a period when the first user computer is not participating in the network collaboration system.

9. The network collaboration system of claim 8 wherein said at least one communication channel comprises a plurality of said communications channels and said display interface is adapted to display a new message count for each of said plurality of communication channels.

10. The network collaboration system of claim 9 wherein the display interface is adapted to not display the new message count associated with a particular communication channel after a user has reviewed the messages transmitted over the particular communication channel.

11. A method of displaying an offline message count to a user of a collaboration managing system, the method comprising:

monitoring the times at which a user logs into and out of the collaboration monitoring system;

monitoring messages on a communication channel;

counting a number of messages that are sent over the communication channel during an offline period extending between a time when the user logs out of the collaboration system and a time when the user logs back into the system; and

displaying the number messages sent during said offline period.

12. A network collaboration system comprising:

a user computer adapted to receive messages over a plurality of communication channels;

a display interface associated with said user computer for displaying said messages and information about said communication channels;

an administration computer for managing the network collaboration system;

a user data table associated with the administration computer for storing user data including user message filtering criteria;

a channel data table associated with said administration computer for storing data regarding said communication channels and messages transmitted over said communication channels;

wherein a time stamp is recorded in said user table when the user computer is logged out of the collaboration system; and

user filtering requirements stored in said user data table are loaded into the display interface when the user computer is logged back into the collaboration system; and

messages transmitted over the communications channels during a time period between the time the user computer was logged out of the collaboration system and the time the user computer was logged back into the collaboration system are filtered according to said user filtering criteria for display by said display interface.