Systems and methods for providing online collaborative support

• US 20080091829A1
• Filed: 10/17/2006
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GOTO Group Incorporated (LogMeIn, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Mittal, Vishal, Muklashy, Shadi, Spataro, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,738,703 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/562 Brokering proxy services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A first support node and a third node provide online collaborative support to a customer node over a computer network. An online support session facilitating, at least in part, bi-directional communication between the customer node and the first support node is established. The third node is also connected to the online support session and receives support session information from the customer node. In addition, information is communicated bi-directionally between the first support node and the third node.

Claims

1. A method of providing online collaborative support to a customer node over a computer network, the method comprising:

establishing an online support session facilitating, at least in part, bi-directional communication between a customer node and a first support node;

connecting a third node to the online support session;

receiving, at the third node, support session information from the customer node; and

communicating information bi-directionally between the first support node and the third node.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing, by the first support node to the third node, session co-ordinates for the online support session, the third node being connected to the online support session using the session co-ordinates.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising notifying the customer node of the connection from the third node to the online support session.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting information from the third node to the customer node.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the information transmitted from the third node to the customer node appears to the customer node to have been transmitted from the first support node.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising distinguishing, by the customer node, between the information transmitted thereto from the first support node and the information transmitted thereto from the third node.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising processing, by the customer node, information transmitted thereto.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the third node is assigned a control privilege over the first support node.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the customer node gives priority to processing the information transmitted thereto from the third node over the information transmitted thereto from the first support node.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the customer node gives priority to processing the information that is first transmitted thereto from either the first support node or the third node.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the third node is connected to the online support session without notice thereof to the customer node.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the support session information received from the customer node is received at the third node from a node intermediate to the customer node and the third node.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the customer node transmits the support session information to the intermediate node without knowledge that the support session information is being transmitted to the third node.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the information communicated between the first support node and the third node is exchanged without notice thereof to the customer node.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising connecting a fourth node to the online support session.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising providing session co-ordinates for the online support session to the fourth node, the fourth node being connected to the online support session using the session co-ordinates.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising receiving, at the fourth node, support session information from the customer node.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising transmitting information from the fourth node to the customer node.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising communicating information among the first support node, the third node, and the fourth node.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the fourth node monitors information communicated between the customer node and the first support node without notice of said monitoring being provided to the customer node or to the first support node.

21. The method of claim 15 further comprising selecting, by the fourth node, the online support session to which the fourth node desires to connect.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the fourth node is connected to the online support session without notice of said connection being provided to the customer node or to the first support node.

23. The method of claim 15 further comprising monitoring, by the fourth node, information communicated between the first support node and one or more additional support nodes without notice thereof to the first support node or to the one or more additional support nodes.

24. A system for providing online collaborative support to a customer node over a computer network, the system comprising:

a first support node configured to connect to an online support session with a customer node and to bi-directionally communicate with the customer node; and

a third node configured to connect to the online support session, to receive support session information from the customer node, and to bi-directionally communicate with the first support node.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the first support node is further configured to provide session co-ordinates for the online support session to the third node to facilitate connection of the third node to the online support session using the session co-ordinates.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the third node is further configured to transmit information to the customer node.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the information transmitted from the third node to the customer node appears to the customer node to have been transmitted from the first support node.

28. The system of claim 26 further comprising the customer node, the customer node configured to distinguish between the information transmitted thereto from the first support node and the information transmitted thereto from the third node.

29. The system of claim 26 further comprising the customer node, the customer node configured to process the information transmitted thereto.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the third node is assigned a control privilege over the first support node.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the customer node is further configured to give priority to processing the information transmitted thereto from the third node over the information transmitted thereto from the first support node.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the customer node is further configured to give priority to processing the information that is first transmitted thereto from either the first support node or the third node.

33. The system of claim 24, wherein the third node is configured to connect to the online support session without notice thereof to the customer node.

37. The system of claim 24, wherein the first support node and the third node are each configured to communicate information bi-directionally between themselves without notice thereof to the customer node.

38. The system of claim 24 further comprising a fourth node configured to receive session co-ordinates for the online support session.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the fourth node is further configured to use the session co-ordinates to connect to the online support session.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the fourth node is further configured to receive support session information from the customer node.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the fourth node is further configured to transmit information to the customer node.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein the first support node, the third node, and the fourth node are each further configured to communicate information among themselves.

43. The system of claim 39 wherein the fourth node is further configured to monitor information communicated between the customer node and the first support node without notice of said monitoring being provided to the customer node or to the first support node.

44. The system of claim 39, wherein the fourth node is further configured to select the online support session to which the third node desires to connect.

45. The system of claim 39, wherein the fourth node is further configured to connect to the online support session without notice of said connection being provided to the customer node or to the first support node.

46. The system of claim 39, wherein the fourth node is further configured to monitor information communicated between the first support node and one or more additional support nodes without notice thereof to the first support node or to the one or more additional support nodes.

34. The system of 24 further comprising an intermediate node configured to receive the support session information from the customer node and to transmit the support session information received from the customer node to the third node.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the intermediate node is further configured to notify the customer node of a connection from the third node to the online support session.

36. The system of claim 34 further comprising the customer node, the customer node configured to transmit the support session information to the intermediate node without knowledge that the intermediate node is configured to transmit the support session information to the third node.