Predictive Collaboration

• US 20100325214A1
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gupta, Amit
• Application Number:
  US12/486,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325214A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

Architecture for enabling the definition of candidates of a collaboration session, and the manner or modality of communication that identifies collaboration opportunities, including meeting time, place, and modalities, for example. The modality of communication can include an online meeting, a telephone conference call, or a face-to-face meeting. Meta information of the candidates is aggregated from multiple sources to identify collaboration opportunities and compute an opportunity window for the collaboration session. The meta information can include online presence, availability information, a calendar schedule, geographic location, time zone, expertise, and profile related information. Candidates for the collaboration session can be tagged based on common interest, team membership, or project information. In this way, a predictive model for availability is built for the collaboration session candidates. The candidates are notified of the opportunity window for scheduling of the collaboration session.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented collaboration system, comprising:

a definition component for defining preferences for participation in a collaboration session; and

a prediction component for predicting opportunities to establish the collaboration session in which candidates can participate.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the preferences for participation include number of candidates, identity of candidates, candidate availability times, modality of the collaboration session, and resources needed for the collaboration.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an aggregation component for aggregating meta information of the candidates to the prediction component to predict the opportunities for the collaboration session based on the meta information.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a tagging component for tagging candidates defined by the definition component.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a messaging component for providing at least one of calendar information, availability information, contact information, relationship information, or task information of the candidates to the prediction component to predict the opportunities for the collaboration session.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a realtime communications component for providing at least one of instant messaging information, presence information, geographic location, time zone, or conference information of the candidates to the prediction component to predict the opportunities for the collaboration session.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a document management component for providing at least one of interest information, team information, project information, or shared document information of the candidates to the prediction component to predict the opportunities for the collaboration session.

8. A computer-implemented collaboration system, comprising:

a collaboration component for defining candidates of a collaboration session;

a modality component for defining a modality of communication between the candidates;

an aggregation component for aggregating meta information of the candidates from multiple sources to compute an opportunity window for the collaboration session; and

a notification component for notifying the candidates of the opportunity window.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the modality of communication comprises at least one of an online meeting, a telephone conference call, a face-to-face meeting, instant messaging, email, or a persistent group chat room discussion.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the meta information comprises at least one of calendar information, availability information, contact information, relationship information, task information, instant messaging information, presence information, geographic location, time zone, conference information, interest information, team information, project information, shared document information, expertise, or profile related information.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising a preferences component for defining user preferences of the collaboration session.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising a tagging component for recommending the candidates for the collaboration session based on at least one of common interest, team membership, or project information.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising a communications component for conducting the collaboration session based on the opportunity window.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising a scheduling component for scheduling the collaboration session based on the opportunity window.

15. A computer-implemented method of collaboration, comprising:

defining candidates of a collaboration session;

defining a modality of communication between the candidates;

aggregating meta information of the candidates from one or more sources;

computing an opportunity window for the collaboration session based on the aggregated meta information; and

sending notification of the opportunity window.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising recommending the candidates based on at least one of common interest, team membership, or project information.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising designating the modality of communication as at least one of an online meeting, a telephone conference call, a video conference session, or a face-to-face meeting.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising aggregating the meta information where the meta information is at least one of online presence, availability information, a calendar schedule, geographic location, time zone, expertise, or profile related information.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising conducting the collaboration session based on the opportunity window.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising scheduling the collaboration session based on the opportunity window.