Heterogeneous content channel manager for ubiquitous computer software systems

• US 20060242584A1
• Filed: 03/24/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tidebreak, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tidebreak, Inc.
• Inventors: Eggers, Michael, Milne, Andrew J., Johanson, Bradley E., Fox, Armando
• Granted Patent: US 7,814,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A heterogeneous content channel manager is provided for content management and collaboration within and across interactive workspaces. A content channel bar, available on each of the displays in the workspace(s), contains two or more unique representations of respectively two or more different channels available in the interactive workspace(s). Within the set of available channels on each channel bar two or more different channel types are represented. Furthermore, each one of the unique representations in the content channel bar represents different and unique content supported by their respective channels and their types. Channel selection on the channel bar initiates display, on the display where the channel selection was made, of the content represented by the selected representation and channel in a manner appropriate for the channel'"'"'s type.

Claims

1. In an interactive workspace characterized by multiple users, multiple independent visual displays, a plurality of different channels each having one of a plurality of different channel types, a network connecting said multiple independent visual displays and said plurality of different channels, and wherein each channel represents some static or dynamic content in the interactive workspace which corresponds with said channel'"'"'s type, comprising the method steps of:

(a) displaying on each one of said multiple independent visual displays in said interactive workspace a content channel bar, wherein said content channel bar contains two or more unique representations of respectively two or more of said plurality of different channels available in said interactive workspace, wherein within the set of available channels two or more different channel types are represented, wherein further each one of said two or more unique representations in said content channel bar represents different and unique content supported by its respective channel and its type, and wherein each one of said unique representations is networked or linked to the respective content available on said respective channel;

(b) selecting a desired channel from said plurality of different channels in said channel bar by selecting one of said unique representations from said channel bar that represents said desired channel; and

(c) displaying on the visual display where said channel selection was made the content represented by said selected unique representation and channel in a manner appropriate for the channel'"'"'s type.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising, in case said selected unique representation is of a visual display which itself has a channel bar representing a plurality of different channels with a plurality of different channel types, changing said displayed content on the visual display to be the same as the displayed content on the represented visual display when the displayed selection changes on the represented visual display.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising, in case said selected unique representation is of a visual display which itself has a channel bar representing a plurality of different channels with a plurality of different channel types, and said selected unique representation is itself also currently displaying a channel representing yet another visual display with its'"'"' own channel bar, dereferencing the selected channel in a recursive fashion to determine the final channel of non-visual display channel type for display on the visual display where the selection was made and displaying the content of said identified and intended channel.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising discovering a newly available channel in said interactive workspace and adding a unique representation for said newly available channel automatically to said channel bar if said newly available channel has a known channel type.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising adding to one or more of the existing channel bars a viewer module or library supporting a formerly unknown channel type, thereby providing the display of unique representations for channels of said formerly unknown channel type in the channel bar, and allowing the selection and viewing of said channels.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of said unique representations in said content channel bar is updated with real-time views of the respective content corresponding to the channel in said interactive workspace with the respective unique representation.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein one or more of said plurality of unique representations is a thumbnail.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein one or more of said plurality of unique representations comprises menu options.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising indicating channel status information for one or more of the content channels in said content channel bar.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising indicating meta-information for one or more of the content channels in said content channel bar.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising dragging and dropping an object or file onto one of the unique representations, after which said dropped object or file is handled by the content source of the respective content channel in a manner appropriate to that channel type.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising adding security policies to said interactive workspace controlling access and interaction between one or more of said available channels, one or more of the users, or one or more files or objects available in said interactive workspace.

13. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising adding information to one of said unique representations without affecting the respective content of the channel corresponding to that unique representation.

14. A computer-readable medium storing a computer program implementing the method as set forth in claim 1.

15. A computer system programmed to perform the method steps as set forth in claim 1.

16. In an environment having two or more interactive workspaces, wherein each one of said interactive workspaces is characterized by multiple users, multiple independent visual displays, a plurality of different channels each having one of a plurality of different channel types, a network connecting said interactive workspaces, said multiple independent visual displays and said plurality of different channels, and wherein each channel represents some static or dynamic content in the interactive workspace which corresponds with said channel'"'"'s type, comprising the method steps of:

(a) displaying on each one of said multiple independent visual displays in said interactive workspaces a content channel bar, wherein said content channel bar contains two or more unique representations of respectively two or more of said plurality of different channels available in said interactive workspaces, wherein within the set of available channels two or more different channel types are represented, wherein further each one of said two or more unique representations in said content channel bar represents different and unique content supported by its respective channel and its type, and wherein each one of said unique representations is networked or linked to the respective content available on said respective channel;

(b) selecting a desired channel from said plurality of different channels in said channel bar by selecting one of said unique representations from said channel bar that represents said desired channel; and

(c) displaying on the visual display where said channel selection was made the content represented by said selected unique representation and channel in a manner appropriate for the channel'"'"'s type, wherein said selected display originates from within the same interactive workspace or from one of the other interactive workspaces.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising, in case said selected unique representation is of a visual display which itself has a channel bar representing a plurality of different channels with a plurality of different channel types, changing said displayed content on the visual display to be the same as the displayed content on the represented visual display when the displayed selection changes on the represented visual display.

18. The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising, in case said selected unique representation is of a visual display which itself has a channel bar representing a plurality of different channels with a plurality of different channel types, and said selected unique representation is itself also currently displaying a channel representing yet another visual display with its'"'"' own channel bar, dereferencing the selected channel in a recursive fashion to determine the final channel of non-visual display channel type for display on the visual display where the selection was made and displaying the content of said identified and intended channel.

19. The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising discovering a newly available channel in said interactive workspaces and adding a unique representation for said newly available channel automatically to said channel bar if said newly available channel has a known channel type.

20. The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising adding to one or more of the existing channel bars a viewer module or library supporting a formerly unknown channel type, thereby providing the display of unique representations for channels of said formerly unknown channel type in the channel bar, and allowing the selection and viewing of said channels.

21. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein at least one of said unique representations in said content channel bar is updated with real-time views of the respective content corresponding to the channel in one of said interactive workspaces with the respective unique representation.

22. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein one or more of said plurality of unique representations is a thumbnail.

23. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein one or more of said plurality of unique representations comprises menu options.

24. The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising indicating channel status information for one or more of the content channels in said content channel bar.

25. The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising indicating meta-information for one or more of the content channels in said content channel bar.

26. The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising dragging and dropping an object or file onto one of the unique representations, after which said dropped object or file is handled by the content source of the respective content channel in a manner appropriate to that channel type.

27. The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising adding security policies to said interactive workspace controlling access and interaction between one or more of said available channels, one or more of the users, one or more files or objects available in said interactive workspaces, or one or more of said interactive workspaces themselves.

28. The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising adding information to one of said unique representations without affecting the respective content of the channel corresponding to that unique representation.

29. A computer-readable medium storing a computer program implementing the method as set forth in claim 16.

30. A computer system programmed to perform the method steps as set forth in claim 16.