Computerized communication system for managing multi-disciplinary engineering virtual community

• US 6,058,395 A
• Filed: 01/29/1998
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Venline Limited
• Original Assignee: Venline Limited
• Inventors: Buzaglo, Jacques, Polonsky, Ehud, Gavrielovitch, Avraham
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/015,309
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

This invention discloses a computerized communication system for managing a multidisciplinary engineering virtual community engaged in a plurality of projects, the system including a directory display operative to display a directory of participants in a project to a user who has entered a project in which he is participating, and a communication manager operative to transmit a communication between the user and at least an individual one of the participants in the directory, in response to selection of at least one of the participants in the directory by the user.

Claims

1. A computerized communication system for managing a multidisciplinary engineering virtual community engaged in a plurality of projects, the system comprising:

a directory display operative to display a directory of participants in a project to a user who has entered a project in which he is participating; and

a communication manager operative to transmit a communication between the user and at least an individual one of the participants in said directory, in response to selection of at least one of the participants in the directory by said user,

wherein one of the participants is a plotting bureau and wherein different participants have different levels of authorization regarding communications with the plotting bureau and wherein the communication manager is operative to transmit a particular communication from a particular participant to the plotting bureau only if the particular participant is authorized to transmit said particular communication.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the communicator is operative to transmit a communication from the user to a selected one of the participants.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein said communication comprises an electronic mail communication.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the communicator is operative to transmit a communication from a selected one of the participants to the user.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein the communication is transmitted by providing the user with access to a drawer of the selected one of the participants.

8. A system according to claim 1 wherein said directory comprises an indication of functions fulfilled by each participant in the project.

9. A system according to claim 1 and also comprising an authorization facility authorizing only users participating in a project to enter that project.

10. A system according to claim 1 wherein the communication manager is also operative to transmit a communication from the user to all of the participants in said directory, in response to a mass-mailing command by the user.

11. A system according to claim 1 wherein the communication manager is operative to transmit technical drawings of substantially any commonly used size, by electronic mail.

12. A system according to claim 3 wherein said communication manager comprises a receipt confirmation generator operative to provide an indication to the user that the selected participant has received the electronic mail communication.

13. A system according to claim 1 wherein said communication manager is implemented in software and said participant uses participant software and wherein said communication manager is operative to push updates of at least some software elements toward each individual one of the participants such that, upon termination of contact between the communication manager and any participant, said participant'"'"'s software elements are as updated as the communication manager'"'"'s software elements.

15. A system according to claim 1 wherein said communication manager comprises a teleconferencing manager.

16. A system according to claim 15 wherein said teleconferencing manager is operative to provide a drawing board for an individual teleconference and wherein the participants in the individual teleconference all draw on said drawing board during the teleconference and wherein a drawing made on said drawing board by any one participant during the teleconference is seen on-line by the other participants during the teleconference.

17. A system according to claim 1 wherein the communication manager operates in accordance with a user-selected one of the following communication modes:

direct dial-up;

dial-up via a local telephone service provider'"'"'s gateway; and

Internet.

18. A system according to claim 1 wherein the display is also operative to display an indication of at least a portion of the members of the virtual community who are currently on-line and wherein the communication manager is operative to set up a chat session between the use and an individual member of the virtual community who is currently on-line, in response to selection of the individual member by said user.

19. A system according to claim 1 which is formed of a platform having at least two cooperating modules.

20. A system according to claim 4 wherein said communication comprises an electronic mail communication.

21. A system according to claim 9 wherein said authorization facility comprises a flexible authorization facility which is modifiable by a system operator to implement different authorization schemes for different projects.

22. A system according to claim 1 wherein said communication manager is operative to provide electronic mail service allowing a user of the system who is not an Internet subscriber to communicate back and forth with an individual who is an Internet subscriber but is not a user of the system.

23. A system according to claim 1 and also comprising a library of computerized resources accessible by all members of the virtual community.

29. A system according to claim 1 which is based on client server architecture.

31. A system according to claim 1 and also comprising an authorization facility operative to control access to the system.

35. A system according to claim 9 wherein said authorization facility is operative to display a menu of projects to users including, for each user, only projects in which the user is participating.

38. A system according to claim 1 and also comprising at least one forum in which participants raise discussion topics and receive responses from one another and wherein said forum includes a search engine enabling an individual participant to search the discussion topics and responses according to a participant-defined search key.

6. A computerized communication system for managing a multidisciplinary engineering virtual community engaged in a plurality of projects, the system comprising:

an archive including a plurality of drawers associated with each of a plurality of users;

an uploader operative to upload a file generated by an individual user only to the drawer associated with the individual user; and

a downloader operative to download a file from any individual one of the plurality of drawers,

wherein said uploader includes a file identifier operative to associate a descriptive text generated by a user with an individual file to be uploaded, thereby to allow a user to generate a descriptive text including a description characterizing the individual file to be uploaded.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein the archive includes project archives for each of at least two projects, each project archive including a plurality of drawers for each of a corresponding plurality of participants in the project, and wherein the downloader is operative to download a file from a drawer within a project archive of a particular project only upon request of a participant in said particular project.

14. A system according to claim 6 and also comprising at least one forum in which participants raise discussion topics and receive responses from one another and wherein said forum includes a search engine enabling an individual participant to search the discussion topics and responses according to a participant-defined search key.

24. A system according to claim 6 which is based on client server architecture.

25. A system according to claim 6 wherein the downloader is operative, in the event of disconnection while downloading a file and subsequent reconnection, to download, following the reconnection, only portions of the file which were not downloaded before the disconnection.

30. A system according to claim 6 which is formed of a platform having at least two cooperating modules.

32. A system according to claim 6 and also comprising an authorization facility operative to control access to the system.

33. A system according to claim 6 wherein said directory comprises an indication of functions fulfilled by each participant in the project.

34. A system according to claim 6 and also comprising an authorization facility authorizing only users participating in a project to enter that project.

36. A system according to claim 34 wherein said authorization facility is operative to display a menu of projects to users including, for each user, only projects in which the user is participating.

37. A system according to claim 6 wherein said communication manager is implemented in software and said participant uses participant software and wherein said communication manager is operative to push updates of at least some software elements toward each individual one of the participants such that, upon termination of contact between the communication manager and any participant, said participant'"'"'s software elements are as updated as the communication manager'"'"'s software elements.

39. A system according to claim 6 wherein the communication manager operates in accordance with a user-selected one of the following communication modes:

direct dial-up;

dial-up via a local telephone service provider'"'"'s gateway; and

Internet.

40. A system according to claim 6 wherein the display is also operative to display an indication of at least a portion of the members of the virtual community who are currently on-line and wherein the communication manager is operative to set up a chat session between the use and an individual member of the virtual community who is currently on-line, in response to selection of the individual member by said user.

41. A system according to claim 6 wherein said communication manager is operative to provide electronic mail service allowing a user of the system who is not an Internet subscriber to communicate back and forth with an individual who is an Internet subscriber but is not a user of the system.

42. A system according to claim 6 and also comprising a library of computerized resources accessible by all members of the virtual community.

26. A computerized communication system for managing a multidisciplinary engineering virtual community engaged in a plurality of projects, the system comprising:

an archive including a plurality of drawers for each of a plurality of users; and

a data flow controller operative to govern traffic of files to the drawers in accordance with a data flow scheme.

27. A system according to claim 26 wherein the data flow scheme is system-defined.

28. A system according to claim 26 wherein the data flow scheme for each individual project is custom-defined.

43. A computerized communication system for managing a multidisciplinary engineering virtual community engaged in a plurality of projects, said community comprising a plurality of participants, the system comprising:

an archive including a plurality of drawers associated with each of a plurality of users;

an uploader operative to upload a file generated by an individual user only to the drawer associated with the individual user; and

a downloader operative to download a file from any individual one of the plurality of drawers,

wherein one of the participants is a plotting bureau and wherein different participants have different levels of authorization regarding communications with the plotting bureau and wherein the communication manager is operative to transmit a particular communication from a particular participant to the plotting bureau only if the particular participant is authorized to transmit said particular communication.

44. A system according to claim 43 wherein the archive includes project archives for each of at least two projects, each project archive including a plurality of drawers for each of a corresponding plurality of participants in the project, and wherein the downloader is operative to download a file from a drawer within a project archive of a particular project only upon request of a participant in said particular project.

45. A system according to claim 43 and also comprising at least one forum in which participants raise discussion topics and receive responses from one another and wherein said forum includes a search engine enabling an individual participant to search the discussion topics and responses according to a participant-defined search key.

46. A system according to claim 43 wherein the uploader includes a file identifier operative to associate a descriptive text generated by a user with an individual file to be uploaded, thereby to allow a user to generate a descriptive text including a description characterizing the individual file to be uploaded.

47. A system according to claim 43 which is based on client server architecture.

48. A system according to claim 43 wherein the downloader is operative, in the event of disconnection while downloading a file and subsequent reconnection, to download, following the reconnection, only portions of the file which were not downloaded before the disconnection.

49. A system according to claim 43 which is formed of a platform having at least two cooperating modules.

50. A system according to claim 43 and also comprising an authorization facility operative to control access to the system.

51. A system according to claim 43 wherein said directory comprises an indication of functions fulfilled by each participant in the project.

52. A system according to claim 43 and also comprising an authorization facility authorizing only users participating in a project to enter that project.

53. A system according to claim 52 wherein said authorization facility is operative to display a menu of projects to users including, for each user, only projects in which the user is participating.

54. A system according to claim 43 wherein said communication manager is implemented in software and said participant uses participant software and where in said communication manager is operative to push updates of at least some software elements toward each individual one of the participants such that, upon termination of contact between the communication manager and any participant, said participant'"'"'s software elements are as updated as the communication manager'"'"'s software elements.

55. A system according to claim 43 wherein the communication manager operates in accordance with a user-selected one of the following communication modes:

direct dial-up;

dial-up via a local telephone service provider'"'"'s gateway; and

Internet.

56. A system according to claim 43 wherein the display is also operative to display an indication of at least a portion of the members of the virtual community who are currently on-line and wherein the communication manager is operative to set up a chat session between the use and an individual member of the virtual community who is currently on-line, in response to selection of the individual member by said user.

57. A system according to claim 43 wherein said communication manager is operative to provide electronic mail service allowing a user of the system who is not an Internet subscriber to communicate back and forth with an individual who is an Internet subscriber but is not a user of the system.

58. A system according to claim 43 and also comprising a library of computerized resources accessible by all members of the virtual community.