Adaptive Meeting Management

• US 20100318399A1
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Florencio, Dinei Afonso Ferreira, Oker, James E., Li, Jin, Zhang, Zhengyou, Chou, Philip A., Pahud, Michel, Hegde, Rajesh K., Cunnington, Sharon K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,111,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups

Abstract

A template and/or knowledge associated with a synchronous meeting are obtained by a computing device. The computing device then adaptively manages the synchronous meeting based at least in part on the template and/or knowledge.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

a software agent operated by the processor and configured to;

obtain one or more templates and knowledge associated with a synchronous meeting,

adapt the one or more templates based on the knowledge to create one or more adapted templates,

adaptively manage the synchronous meeting based at least in part on the one or more adapted templates, and

while adaptively managing the synchronous meeting, gathering additional knowledge associated with the synchronous meeting,

wherein the adaptively managing further includes adaptively managing the synchronous meeting based on the additional knowledge; and

memory coupled to the processor and storing the software agent, the one or more templates, and/or the knowledge.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is integrated as part of a smart meeting room.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the software agent acts as a virtual participant in the synchronous meeting.

4. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a computing device, one or more templates and/or knowledge associated with a synchronous meeting; and

adaptively managing, by the computing device, the synchronous meeting based at least in part on the templates and/or knowledge.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the knowledge associated with the synchronous meeting includes one or more of calendars of meeting participants, templates and/or results of previous meetings, recorded messages from declined meeting participants, indications of topics in which declined meeting participants are interested in participating, indications of topics which meeting participants are interested in covering, relevance to upcoming meetings, and traits of meeting participants.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising adapting the one or more templates based on the knowledge to create one or more adapted templates, and wherein the adaptively managing comprises adaptively managing the synchronous meeting based on adapted templates.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising, while adaptively managing the synchronous meeting, gathering additional knowledge associated with the synchronous meeting.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the adaptively managing comprises adaptively managing the synchronous meeting based on the additional knowledge.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the additional knowledge includes one or more of behavioral metrics of meeting participation, behavior metrics of meeting success, occurrence of topics related to recorded messages from declined meeting participants, occurrence of topics in which declined meeting participants are interested in participating, completion of a meeting task, a time associated with performance of a meeting task, and an estimated time of arrival of a missing meeting participant.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the computing device obtains the additional knowledge at least in part by communicating with devices of meeting participants.

11. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

while adaptively managing the synchronous meeting, collecting or determining meeting metrics; and

after the meeting, updating the templates and/or knowledge based on the meeting metrics.

12. The method of claim 4, further comprising facilitating retrieval, modification, and/or specification of the one or more templates, the templates each being associated with one or more modules for managing meeting tasks.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

automatically selecting the templates based on a chosen meeting type for the synchronous meeting;

retrieving the templates from a service which provides a plurality of meeting templates; and

/or

automatically generating the templates based on data associated with one or more previous meetings.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the templates specify one or more of a meeting agenda, a meeting location, meeting start and/or end times, meeting participants, speakers, introductions, goals, preferences, and/or meeting equipment.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein the templates contain elements to facilitate asynchronous input into the synchronous meeting.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein the adaptively managing includes performing one or more of determining a revised speaking order, reducing the topics covered, suggesting new topics to cover, alerting a speaker that time is up or soon to be up, alerting speakers that a topic has been covered before, alerting participants as to when it is important that they participate, providing a recap of a prior meeting, suggesting a new location, playing recorded messages of declined participants, and/or alerting declined participants if a topic in which they wish to participate comes up during the meeting and/or if a presenter they wish to listen to is presenting.

17. One or more computer-readable media encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, perform acts comprising:

facilitating retrieval, modification, and/or specification of one or more templates associated with a synchronous meeting;

obtaining the one or more templates and knowledge associated with the synchronous meeting; and

adaptively managing the synchronous meeting based at least in part on the templates and knowledge.

18. The computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the templates define one or more of participant roles, meeting rules, allowable actions, secretarial duties, data communications, or user preferences.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein each of the one or more templates is associated with a meeting type, and the meeting types include one or more of a feedback meeting, a brainstorming meeting, a classroom scenario, an ice breaking meeting, an introduction meeting, a review meeting, a client meeting, a decision meeting, or a social meeting.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the adaptively managing includes performing one or more of determining a revised speaking order, reducing the topics covered, suggesting new topics to cover, alerting a speaker that time is up or soon to be up, alerting speakers that a topic has been covered before, alerting participants as to when it is important that they participate, providing a recap of a prior meeting, suggesting a new location, playing recorded messages of declined participants, and/or alerting declined participants if a topic in which they wish to participate comes up during the meeting or if a presenter they wish to listen to is presenting.