Method and apparatus for asynchronous multimedia collaboration
First Claim
1. A system for asynchronous multimedia collaboration comprising:
- a delayed conference manager for providing centralized management of asynchronous conferences, the delayed conference manager comprising means for generating index data representing the structure and correspondence of dynamic annotation data associated with user contributions to a given asynchronous conference;
an email server connected to said delayed conference manager for receiving email messages having the dynamic annotation data of user contributions, wherein the delayed conference manager further comprises means for downloading the email messages from the email server and extracting the dynamic annotation data;
a conference base connected to said delayed conference manager for storing the index data and the extracted dynamic annotation data;
a web server connected to said conference base for accessing the dynamic annotation data;
a message base connected to said delayed conference manager for storing user contribution data associated with the given asynchronous conference; and
a newsgroup server connected to said message base for posting titles of user contributions to the given asynchronous conference.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multimedia collaboration system combines unique multimedia communications and media processing mechanisms with off-the-shelf components that support information sharing and distribution. More specifically, the system provides an asynchronous multimedia collaboration whiteboard that enables the creation of messages containing synchronized voice, graphics and mouse gestures to describe conditions associated with an underlying multimedia object. On the server side, the system includes a delayed conference manager connected to a conference database, an email server, a newsgroup server and a web server. On the client side, the system includes a dynamic annotation editor which enables the use of synchronized voice, graphics and mouse gestures in the discussion. The client side also includes a newsgroup and email reader and a web browser.
289 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A system for asynchronous multimedia collaboration comprising:
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a delayed conference manager for providing centralized management of asynchronous conferences, the delayed conference manager comprising means for generating index data representing the structure and correspondence of dynamic annotation data associated with user contributions to a given asynchronous conference; an email server connected to said delayed conference manager for receiving email messages having the dynamic annotation data of user contributions, wherein the delayed conference manager further comprises means for downloading the email messages from the email server and extracting the dynamic annotation data; a conference base connected to said delayed conference manager for storing the index data and the extracted dynamic annotation data; a web server connected to said conference base for accessing the dynamic annotation data; a message base connected to said delayed conference manager for storing user contribution data associated with the given asynchronous conference; and a newsgroup server connected to said message base for posting titles of user contributions to the given asynchronous conference. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for providing asynchronous multimedia collaboration comprising the steps of:
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setting up a delayed conference with a centralized delayed conference manager; posting a new user contribution, wherein the step of posting comprises the steps of generating a new dynamic annotation, submitting the new dynamic annotation to an e-mail server via an e-mail message, posting a title of the dynamic annotation to a newsgroup server, and processing said dynamic annotation by said delayed conference manager; accessing existing user contributions; and posting replies. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification