SHARING OF INFORMATION ASSOCIATED WITH EVENTS

• US 20110138289A1
• Filed: 02/17/2011
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dov Koren
• Original Assignee: Dov Koren
• Inventors: Koren, Dov
• Granted Patent: US 8,762,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

Techniques are provided that allow users to collaborate in relationship to data views, application displays, applications or events. A user can type in a text view related to a specific view in an application display, and the information is shared with other users that take part in sharing that view. A user that expresses an interest in an event is notified about the event and has the capability to interact, in relation to the event, with other users (e.g. by text). The particular form of interaction (and sharing) can be selectively specified. This interaction is comparable to a dynamic bulletin board where the subject is event driven, and where a user can specify who are allowed to participate. In the case of an event interest(s), users specify their interest (e.g. in other user application events or system events) and the system automatically alerts them to the occurrence of the event.

Claims

1. A method of sharing information associated with events, comprising:

providing a computer-based service over a network to a set of users;

wherein each user in the set of users interacts with at least one application from one or more applications that are associated with the computer-based service through at least one application display from a plurality of application displays;

wherein the plurality of application displays are associated with the computer-based service;

wherein the plurality of application displays include a plurality of views;

enabling each user in the set of users to display at least one application display, from the plurality of application displays, on a computing device, of a set of computing devices;

monitoring, by the computer-based service, a plurality of application events associated with use of at least one of the one or more applications, by users from the set of users;

in response, at least in part, to occurrence of a first application event, from the plurality of application events, associated with use of an application, of the one or more applications, by a first user of the set of users, causing display of a first alert to each user of a plurality of second users, from the set of users, about the first application event;

wherein causing display of the first alert to each of the plurality of second users includes causing the first alert to be displayed, on a respective application display from the plurality of application displays, of each of the plurality of second users;

wherein the respective application display of each of the plurality of second users includes at least one other alert about a different application event from the plurality of application events;

wherein the first alert includes one or more links for accessing one or more views that are associated with the first application event;

receiving by the computer-based service, a comment from a particular second user, of the plurality of second users;

wherein the comment was entered in a text view that is related to the first alert; and

causing display of the comment to each user from the plurality of second users;

the computer-based service receiving from a second user a request to share a shareable view with a plurality of third users from the set of users;

wherein the shareable view includes at least a portion of the first alert;

wherein the second user is one of the plurality of second users;

in response, at least in part, to the request, causing sharing the shareable view with the plurality of third users;

based, at least in part, on the shareable view being shared with the plurality of third users, causing display of the shareable view to the plurality of third users;

wherein said computer-based service is executing on one or more servers that are remote relative to each computing device in the set of computing devices; and

wherein the method is performed by two or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request from the second user is sent in response, at least in part, to one or more actions, wherein the one or more actions include activation, by the second user, of a shortcut associated with the shareable view.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a link to a particular third user from the plurality of third users to enable sharing of the shareable view;

wherein sending the link to the particular third user is performed in response, at least in part, to the request; and

causing sharing the shareable view with the particular third user in response, at least in part, to activation of the link by the particular third user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein sharing the shareable view is performed automatically in response to the request.

5. The method of claim 2, where the activation is performed by selecting a link.

6. The method of claim 2, where the activation is performed by voice command.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the activation of the shortcut allows the second user to provide input that selects the plurality of third users.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the plurality of third users includes one or more users with whom the second user is sharing at least a portion of the one or more applications displays, from the plurality of application displays, that are associated with the second user.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein at least one of user from the plurality of third users is a customer support person for the second user.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the computer-based service receiving input, from the second user, that controls which users belong to the plurality of third users.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the shareable view includes the first alert.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the shareable view includes the first alert and the at least one other alert.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one user from the plurality of second users is not in the plurality of third users.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the second user is different from the first user.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein causing display of the shareable view to the plurality of third users is performed automatically in response to receiving the request to share from the second user.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein sharing the shareable view is performed in a view sharing mode.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein sharing the shareable view is performed in a data sharing mode.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the first application event corresponds to the first user sharing a link with the plurality of second users.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the shareable view includes the comment.

20. The method of claim 19 enabling the plurality of third users to provide further comments in relation to the first alert and to share the further comments among the plurality of third users.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising enabling the plurality of third users to share the further comments among the plurality of second users.

22. The method of claim 1 enabling the plurality of third users to provide comments in relation to the first alert and to share the comments among the plurality of third users.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising receiving, by the computer-based service, in a text view that is related to the first alert, a second comment from a particular third user from the plurality of third users;

and

causing display of the second comment to each user from the plurality of third users.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein:

causing display of the second comment includes causing display of the second comment to each user from the plurality of second users.

25. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

enabling the second user to send a sharing message to at least one other user in the set of users to share a shareable component;

wherein the shareable component includes at least a portion of at least one shareable application display, from the plurality of application displays, that is associated with the second user;

receiving input, from the second user, to send the sharing message to the at least one other user;

wherein the request is sent after the sharing message was sent;

wherein said shortcut is a parameterized shortcut that contains a preset parameter that indicates the shareable view;

wherein said parameterized shortcut indicates one or more parameters that need to be provided by a user;

wherein said one or more parameters include a particular parameter that indicates with whom to share the shareable view;

wherein the one or more actions include receiving input from the second user that selects a choice for the particular parameter; and

the choice includes said at least one other user.

26. The method of claim 5 wherein the link includes information that identifies the shareable view.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein at least a portion of the information that identifies the shareable view is encrypted.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the first application event corresponds to an update of a globally presented view, of the plurality of views, that is accessible to all users in the set of users.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein the first application event corresponds to the first user loading a file to the computer-based service.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein the following steps are performed in real-time:

the computer-based service receiving from a second user a request to share a shareable view with a plurality of third users from the set of users;

in response, at least in part, to the request, causing sharing the shareable view with the plurality of third users; and

based, at least in part, on the shareable view being shared with the plurality of third users, causing display of the shareable view to the plurality of third users.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-based service enables users from the set of users to subscribe to at least a portion of information of other users, from the set of users, that is maintained by the computer-based service.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the computer-based service enables each user from the set of users to selectively share access to at least a portion of information associated with the each user with at least one other user from the set of users; and

said shared information is maintained by the computer-based service.

33. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of application events are specified by one or more conditions, and the one or more conditions are specified by one or more users of the set of users.

34. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the first alert is performed automatically in response to occurrence of the first application event.

35. The method of claim 1 wherein the following steps are performed in real-time:

receiving by the computer-based service, a comment from a particular second user, of the plurality of second users; and

wherein the comment was entered in a text view that is related to the first alert.

36. The method of claim 1 wherein the following step is performed in real-time:

in response, at least in part, to occurrence of a first application event, from the plurality of application events, associated with use of an application, of the one or more applications, by a first user of the set of users, causing display of a first alert to each user of a plurality of second users.

37. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more links is a URL.

38. The method of claim 1 wherein:

causing display of the comment includes causing display of the comment, in relation to the first alert, to each user from the plurality of second users.

39. The method of claim 1 wherein the application is a financial application.

40. A computer-readable non-transitory storage that stores instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 1.

41. A system, comprising one or more processors, configured to execute instructions that cause the system to perform the method recited in claim 1.