Systems and methods for collaboration shared state management

• US 20050262075A1
• Filed: 02/10/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Frender, Kevin Blair, Beartusk, Brodi, Jolley, Christopher, Smith, Gregory, Devgan, Manish, Pearson, Shane, Olander, Daryl B., Cook, Thomas A., O'Neil, Edward K., Feit, Richard, Stamm, Thomas Carl, McCauley, Rodney, Breeden, Timothy J.
• Application Number:
  US11/055,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20050262075A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system and method comprising, sharing information between a plurality of participants in a collaboration; and exposing a set of functions that enable a participant in the plurality of participants to share the information, the set of functions comprising: first functions to facilitate establishing a context in which to interact with the plurality of participants; and second functions to facilitate storing and retrieving values from a shared state, wherein the shared state is accessible within the context.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sharing information between a plurality of participants in a collaboration; and

exposing a set of functions that enable a participant in the plurality of participants to share the information, the set of functions comprising;

first functions to facilitate establishing a context in which to interact with the plurality of participants; and

second functions to facilitate storing and retrieving values from a shared state, wherein the shared state is accessible within the context.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of functions further comprises:

third functions for attaching to, and detaching from, the shared state.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

invoking at least one of the first and second functions.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second functions include functions for:

storing and retrieving a value based on a key.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the first and second functions are implemented by one or more communication providers that conform to a Service Provider Interface (SPI).

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the collaboration is coordinated by a business process.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the set of functions is part of an extensible messaging layer that can be extended by one or more communication providers.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

at least one of the plurality of participants was chosen based on evaluation of a role wherein the role is based at least in part on presence information of the plurality of participants.

9. A software architecture comprising:

an application configured to share information in a collaboration; and

an application programming interface (API) coupled to the application, wherein the API is capable of exposing functions used by the application to share information, wherein the functions include;

first functions to facilitate establishing a context in which to interact with the plurality of participants; and

second functions to facilitate storing and retrieving values from a shared state, wherein the shared state is accessible within the context.

10. The software architecture of claim 9 wherein the set of functions further comprises:

third functions for attaching to, and detaching from, the shared state.

11. The software architecture of claim 9 wherein:

the application can invoke at least one of the first and second functions.

12. The software architecture of claim 9 wherein the second functions include functions for:

storing and retrieving a value based on a key.

13. The software architecture of claim 9, further comprising:

one or more communication modules that are compatible with the API and that implement the first and second functions.

14. The software architecture of claim 9 wherein:

the application is capable of interacting with a business process.

15. The software architecture of claim 9 wherein:

the set of functions is part of an extensible messaging layer that can be extended by one or more communication providers.

16. The software architecture of claim 9 wherein:

the application is identified by evaluation of a role wherein the role is based at least in part on presence information of the plurality of participants.

17. A system comprising:

a plurality of processes configured to share information in a collaboration; and

wherein each process includes a set of functions that enable each process to share the information, the set of functions comprising;

first functions to facilitate establishing a context in which to interact with the plurality of participants; and

second functions to facilitate storing and retrieving values from a shared state, wherein the shared state is accessible within the context.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the set of functions further comprises:

third functions for attaching to, and detaching from, the shared state.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein:

one of the plurality of processes can invoke at least one of the first and second functions.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the second functions include functions for:

storing and retrieving a value based on a key.

21. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more communication modules that are compatible with the API and that implement the first and second functions.

22. The system of claim 17 wherein:

one of the plurality of processes is capable of interacting with a business process.

23. The system of claim 17 wherein:

the set of functions is part of an extensible messaging layer that can be extended by one or more communication providers.

24. The system of claim 17 wherein:

one of the plurality of processes is identified by evaluation of a role wherein the role is based at least in part on presence information of the plurality of participants.

25. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by one or more processors cause a system to:

share information between a plurality of participants in a collaboration; and

expose a set of functions that enable a participant in the plurality of participants to share the information, the set of functions comprising;

first functions to facilitate establishing a context in which to interact with the plurality of participants; and

second functions to facilitate storing and retrieving values from a shared state, wherein the shared state is accessible within the context.

26. The machine readable medium of claim 25 wherein the set of functions further comprises:

third functions for attaching to, and detaching from, the shared state.

27. The machine readable medium of claim 25, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

invoking at least one of the first and second functions.

28. The machine readable medium of claim 25 wherein the second functions include functions for:

storing and retrieving a value based on a key.

29. The machine readable medium of claim 25 wherein:

the first and second functions are implemented by one or more communication providers that conform to a Service Provider Interface (SPI).

30. The machine readable medium of claim 25 wherein:

the collaboration is coordinated by a business process.

31. The machine readable medium of claim 25 wherein:

the set of functions is part of an extensible messaging layer that can be extended by one or more communication providers.

32. The machine readable medium of claim 25 wherein:

at least one of the plurality of participants was chosen based on evaluation of a role wherein the role is based at least in part on presence information of the plurality of participants.

33. A computer data signal embodied in a transmission medium, comprising:

a code segment including instructions to share information between a plurality of participants in a collaboration; and

a code segment including instructions to expose a set of functions that enable a participant in the plurality of participants to share the information, the set of functions comprising;

first functions to facilitate establishing a context in which to interact with the plurality of participants; and

second functions to facilitate storing and retrieving values from a shared state, wherein the shared state is accessible within the context.