Collaboration Meeting Management in a Web-Based Interactive Meeting Facility

• US 20120179981A1
• Filed: 01/05/2012
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Meetup Incorporated (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Meetup Incorporated (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Whalin, Gregory P., Meeker, Matthew, Kamali, Peter, Heiferman, Scott
• Application Number:
  US13/343,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20120179981A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for a computer system for organizing in-person gatherings of users of topic-related interest, comprising a web-based meeting management facility having a user interface accessible to a plurality of users, wherein each of the plurality of users may use the user interface to join at least one of a plurality of meeting groups managed by an organizer and based on at least one of topic-related interest and geographic locale, where a user becomes a member when they join the meeting group, and where the meeting management facility includes collaborative meeting management resources to allow the organizer to set the meeting group into a collaborative mode where the collaboration mode allows for members of the meeting group to at least one of create and collaboratively edit meetings associated with the meeting group.

Claims

1. A computer system for organizing in-person gatherings of users of topic-related interest, comprising:

a web-based meeting management facility having a user interface accessible to a plurality of users, wherein each of the plurality of users may use the user interface to join at least one of a plurality of meeting groups managed by an organizer and based on at least one of topic-related interest and geographic locale, where a user becomes a member when they join the meeting group, and wherein the meeting management facility includes collaborative meeting management resources to allow the organizer to set the meeting group into a collaborative mode where the collaboration mode allows for members of the meeting group to at least one of create and collaboratively edit meetings associated with the meeting group.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the collaborative mode is a moderated collaborated mode where members of the group may propose the creation of a meeting but where the organizer retains approval rights for the meeting.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein a members of the group are notified of the proposed meeting.

4. The computer system of claim 2, wherein members have the ability to vote for the meeting to be approved.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein after a certain number of members vote to have the meeting the organizer is notified.

6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein only a subset of members are able to vote.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the collaboration mode is an open collaborated mode where a member of the meeting group is able to add or edit any meeting.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the collaboration mode is a closed collaboration mode where members are disabled from any features available through collaborative meeting management resources.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the organizer chooses to make a meeting editable by a subset of members of the group regardless of the collaboration mode.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the editable features that members are able to edit include at least one of the time, date, and location of the meeting.