System and method to create a collaborative web-based multimedia contextual dialogue

• US 20120260195A1
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Published: 10/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Simulat, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Simulat, Inc.
• Inventors: Hon, Henry, Hon, Timothy Henry, Rorex, David Paul, Bantista, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,464,164 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing

Abstract

The present invention relates a method and system for collaborating in a shared network space comprising logging in from the one or more user machines to the shared space in a network from a user application to a host, wherein the shared space is created by interaction of executable codes in the host and the user application and the shared space is described by a session attribute list; loading a media application with tools into a one or more user machines; inputting graphical content; and displaying the content by other user machines in the shared space synchronously or asynchronously including anchoring a sidebar panel to a region of a browser; creating one or more user messages in the sidebar panel; displaying graphical content on a whiteboard; highlighting points of interest within the graphical content; and associating said user messages to the points of interest by one or more lines.

Claims

1. A method to collaborate, interact with and perform multimedia tasks in a shared space within a network comprising the steps of:

logging in from one or more user machines to a shared space in a network from a user application to a host, wherein the shared space is created by interaction of executable codes in the host and the user application and the shared space is described by a session attribute list;

loading a media application with a plurality of tools into one or more user machines;

inputting graphical content; and

displaying the graphical content by other user machines in the shared space in one of a synchronous or asynchronous mode including anchoring a sidebar panel to a region of a web browser;

creating one or more user messages in the sidebar panel;

displaying graphical content on a whiteboard within the browser;

highlighting points of interest within the graphical content; and

associating said user messages to the points of interest by one or more persistent lines.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

filtering one or more messages according to one of author of message, message content, date, time, media-layers, user comments, notes, and drawings.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

filtering to temporarily hide all media-layer content except for one of the selected user or selected date range.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

producing one of a write up on a log or a page illustrating a summary of all inputs into the space.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

tracking all user inputs for the purpose of producing the log of all logins, inputs and interactions by users within the shared space.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

moving highlighted points of interest within the graphical content in accordance with the intentions of a user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein highlighting points of interest within the graphical content includes placement of an icon on the point of interest that links to the message.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the icon designating a point of interest within the graphical content will open the message and the subsequent related messages that together form a thread.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of the host communicating to a database to retrieve a user'"'"'s session attribute list.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a stage manager tool manages the viewing or hiding of one or more media-layers in the user application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the media application is a plug-in for text, voice, video or graphic application.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the stage manager allows a user to sort information by content, spatial, temporal and inter relationships between media-layers.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the stage manager tool further comprising the step of filtering designated media-layers to restrict viewing by a user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the stage manager tool further comprises the step of grouping collections of media-layers into a book metaphor.

15. A system to collaborate, interact with and perform multimedia tasks in a shared space within a network comprising:

a host server for communicating with a database and a file storage through a network;

one or more user machines with associated user applications for logging onto the host server to join a shared space session with other user machines running user applications, wherein the shared space session is generated by interaction of executable codes in the host and the user applications and the shared space session is described by a session attribute list;

a media application with a plurality of tools loaded into the user machines;

at least one user provided graphical content installed into the media-layers; and

a stage manager to facilitate the display of media-layer updates to other users in the shared space in one of a synchronous or asynchronous mode that includes one or more user messages contained in a sidebar panel anchored to a region of a web browser of a user machine, whereby at least a portion of the message relates to graphical content displayed on a whiteboard within the browser, and whereby points of interest within the graphical content are highlighted and associated to said message by one or more persistent lines.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising a means for moving highlighted of points of interest within the graphical content in accordance with the intentions of a user of the system.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising message threads based upon a message existing in the anchored sidebar panel.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein one or more messages contained in a sidebar panel form threads.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the graphic depicts a form of digital content presented in the form of one of a document, waveform, or multidimensional graphic.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the one of the synchronous or asynchronous message exchange occurs in a chat room.

21. The system of claim 15 further comprising a web server with a file storage communicating a tool list to the web browser through the network.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein a stage manager tool manages the viewing or hiding of the media-layers in the web browser.

23. The system of claim 15 further comprising a filtering tool to restrict viewing of designated media-layers by other users.