System and process for providing an interactive, computer network-based, virtual team worksite

• US 20060101022A1
• Filed: 10/25/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rui, Yong, Yu, Bin
• Application Number:
  US10/973,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20060101022A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system and process for providing an interactive computer network-based virtual team worksite that combines data storage, team members'"'"' presence information, interaction tools and a past history log into one virtual complex is presented. Generally, this is accomplished by integrating a shared data module, a unique presence module and various conferencing tools such as a collaborative presentation module and chat module into a single worksite assessable over a distributed computer network. Thus, everything a team would need related to a project is available in this integrated place. A team member who logs onto the worksite can input data and commands using the worksite window sectors to interface with other team members also logged on to the worksite and to interact with the displayed data in the collaborative presentation sector.

Claims

1. An interactive virtual team worksite system, comprising:

a plurality of general purpose computing devices, each of which is in communication with the same distributed computer network, and each of which comprises,

a display device displaying a worksite window, and

a computer program having program modules executable by the computing device, comprising,

a presence module for providing presence information about other team members via the worksite window,

a shared data module for providing the team member access to shared data files via the worksite window, and

conferencing tool modules comprising a collaborative presentation module for displaying data obtained from a shared data file in the worksite window and allowing the team member to interact with the displayed data if authorized to do so.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising audio equipment for capturing audio of a team member working with said computing device and for playing audio transmitted to the computing device via the network from another team member, and wherein the computer program further comprises an audio module for transmitting audio of the team member working with said computing device over the network to other team members, and receiving audio from each other team member transmitting audio over the network.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the presence module further comprises a session listings sub-module which provides to the team member a list of audio sessions currently occurring between team members, and which allows the team member to select a listed audio session and join in the audio session, wherein an audio session is a conversation between two or more team members conducted via the participating team members computing devices'"'"' audio equipment, and wherein joining in the audio session results in the audio captured from the joining team member being transmitted to the other participating team members, and playing the audio received from each of the other participating team members.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the session listings sub-module further provides the names of each participant in a listed audio session.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the session listings sub-module further provides an indication as to whether a participant in a listed audio session is currently speaking or not.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein whenever the team member selects a name of a participant in the listed audio session, the audio module plays the audio received from the selected participating team member, without the team member joining the audio session.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein whenever the team member selects a name of a participant in the listed audio session, the selected participant is given the option to let the team member monitor the participants audio or not, and whenever permission to monitor is given, the audio module plays the audio received from the selected participating team member, without the selecting team member joining the audio session.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein whenever the team member selects a name of a participant in the listed audio session, the audio module plays the audio received from the selected participating team member without the selecting team member joining the audio session, and the selected participant is notified that the team member is monitoring the participant'"'"'s audio transmission.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein team members must first log onto the interactive virtual team worksite system before the computer program modules are executable by the computing device, and wherein the presence module further comprises a session listings sub-module which provides to the team member a list of team members who are currently logged onto the interactive virtual team worksite system.

10. The system of claim 9, whenever the team member selects a name of a member in the list of team members who are currently logged onto the interactive virtual team worksite system, the audio module plays the audio received from the selected team member, and the selected team member'"'"'s audio module plays the audio transmitted by the team member, thereby initiating an audio session between the two team members.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer program further comprises a recording module for recording audio sessions so as to allow a team member to review the recorded audio session at a later time.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a video camera for transmitting video of the team member working with said computing device over the network to other team members, and wherein the computer program further comprises a video module for transmitting video of the team member working with said computing device over the network to other team members, receiving video from each other team member transmitting video over the network and displaying the video received from each other member in the worksite window.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the presence module further comprises a session listings sub-module which provides to the team member a list of collaborative presentation sessions currently occurring between team members via their collaborative presentation modules, and which allows the team member to select a listed presentation session and join in if authorized to do so, wherein once the team member is joined in, the data associated with a current portion of the session is displayed to the team member in said worksite window and the team member can interact with the displayed data.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the session listings sub-module further provides the names of each participant in a listed collaborative presentation session.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the session listings sub-module further provides an indication as to what interaction each participant in a listed collaborative presentation session is currently having with said displaying data.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein team members must first log onto the interactive virtual team worksite system before the computer program modules are executable by the computing device, and wherein the presence module further comprises a session listings sub-module which provides to the team member a list of other team members who are not currently logged onto the interactive virtual team worksite system.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the conferencing tool modules further comprise a chat module for allowing team members to conduct real-time written correspondences with each other in a chat session, wherein a team member enters text into a designated area of the worksite window and when finished transmits the text to the other team members, and wherein transmitted text from a team member is displayed in another designated area of the worksite window.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the presence module further comprises a session listings sub-module which provides to the team member a list of team members involved in a chat session.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer program further comprises a recording module for recording chat sessions so as to allow a team member to review the recorded chat session at a later time.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactions the collaborative presentation module allows the team member to perform on the displayed data comprises highlighting portions of the displayed data, using a pointer to call attention to a portion of the data, and/or modifying the data.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer program further comprises a recording module for recording the actions of team members logged onto the worksite so as to allow any team member to review the recorded actions at a later time.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the recording module employs a event-based recording technique to record said data displayed by the collaborative presentation module including the team members interactions with the displayed data, wherein said event-based recording technique comprises capturing and storing the interactions between each team member and the displayed presentation data, wherein each interaction event is timestamped and linked to a data file comprising the displayed data.

23. In a computer system comprising a display, user interface selection device and user interface data entry device, a process for providing an interactive virtual team worksite over a distributed computer network to a team member who logs onto the worksite, comprising process actions for:

displaying a worksite window on the display, wherein the worksite window comprises a plurality of sectors including,

a presence sector which displays presence information about other team members via the worksite window,

a shared data sector which displays a list of shared data files that are accessible by the team member, and

a collaborative presentation sector which displays data obtained from a shared data file; and

inputting data and implementing commands entered by the team member using the worksite window sectors via said selection and data entry devices to interface with other team members also logged on to the worksite and to interact with the displayed data in the collaborative presentation sector.

24. The process of claim 23, wherein the process action of displaying the presence sector in the worksite window comprises displaying a session listings sub-sector which displays lists of events currently occurring on the worksite, said events comprising interfaces between team members and interactions between team members and the displayed data in the collaborative presentation sector.

25. The process of claim 24, wherein the process action of displaying an session listings sub-module further comprises displaying a list of team members who are currently logged onto the interactive virtual team worksite.

26. The process of claim 25, wherein whenever the team member selects a name of another member in the list of team members who are currently logged onto the interactive virtual team worksite, an audio feed of the team member is transmitted to the selected team member and the an audio feed received from the selected team member is played, thereby initiating an audio session and allowing the team member to have an audio conversation with the selected member.

27. The process of claim 25, wherein the process action of displaying a session listings sub-sector further comprises displaying a list of team members who are not currently logged onto the interactive virtual team worksite, thereby indicating to the team member that the logged off member do not wish to interface with other members at the present time.

28. The process of claim 27, wherein the process action of displaying a session listings sub-sector comprises the actions of:

displaying the lists of sessions currently occurring on the worksite by listing participating team members under a heading identifying the session they are jointly engaged in;

displaying the list of team members who are currently logged onto the worksite under a heading identifying them as such; and

displaying the list of team members who are currently not logged onto the worksite under a heading identifying them as such.

29. The process of claim 27, wherein the process action of displaying a session listings sub-sector comprises an action of displaying the lists of sessions currently occurring on the worksite by listing each participating team member separately and identifying the session or sessions they are currently engaged in.

30. The process of claim 24, wherein the process action of displaying the session listings sub-sector comprises displaying a list of audio sessions currently occurring between team members, and wherein the process action of inputting data and implementing commands entered by the team member using the worksite window sectors comprises, whenever the team member selects a listed audio session, joining the team member into the audio session, wherein an audio session is a conversation between two or more team members, and wherein joining into the audio session results in audio captured from the joining team member being played to the other participating team members, and playing audio received from each of the other participating team members.

31. The process of claim 30, wherein the process action of inputting data and implementing commands entered by the team member using the worksite window sectors comprises, whenever the team member in joined in a listed audio session and enters a command to leave the session, cease playing the audio captured from the team member to the other participating team members, and cease playing the audio received from each of the other participating team members to the team member.

32. The process of claim 23, wherein a team member is an individual.

33. The process of claim 23, wherein a team member is an entity representing a group of co-located people.

34. The process of claim 23, wherein a team member is an entity representing a single general purpose computing device, and wherein an individual can be logged onto the interactive virtual team worksite as more than one team member by using more than one computing device.

35. The process of claim 23, wherein the interactive virtual team worksite is a technical support site, the team member is a customer seeking technical support, and the other team members represent experts available to provide technical advice to the customer, and wherein the other team members are identified by their role or expertise rather than by their name.

36. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for providing an interactive virtual team worksite over a distributed computer network to a team member who logs onto the worksite, said computer-executable instructions comprising:

displaying a worksite window on a display, wherein the worksite window comprises a plurality of sectors including,

a presence sector which displays presence information about other team members via the worksite window,

a shared data sector which displays a list of shared data files that are accessible by the team member, and

a collaborative presentation sector which displays data obtained from a shared data file; and

inputting data and implementing commands entered by the team member using the worksite window sectors to interface with other team members also logged on to the worksite and to interact with the displayed data in the collaborative presentation sector.