Group situation board system and method of operation

• US 6,275,224 B1
• Filed: 02/18/1997
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carter, Jerry K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US08/801,877
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: 345/329, 345/331, 345/333, 345/334, 345/335, 345/339, 345/340, 345/332, 345/346, 345/356, 345/326, 345/330, 395/200.01, 395/800, 395/200.11, 395/200.03, 709/200, 709/210, 709/215
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A network (10) is provided that has a network server (12) and a plurality of client systems (14). The network server (12) executes a server application (16), and the plurality of client systems (14) each execute a client application (20). The client applications (20) create and display situation board windows (22) on each client system (14) and allow users of each client system (14) to view information and submit information for the situation board windows (22). The server application (16) receives submitted information from the client applications (20) and maintains a current state of group information to be displayed in the situation board windows (22). The server application (16) also updates the situation board windows (22) such that the users are displayed the group information in the respective situation board windows (22).

Claims

1. A group situation board window system, comprising:

a network server executing a server application;

a plurality of client systems each executing a client application;

each client application creating, displaying and monitoring at least one situation board window on each client system and allowing a user of each client system to view information, edit the information to create new information, and submit the new information for the at least one situation board window to the client application; and

the server application receiving a notification from the client application that it has the new information to submit to the server application, the server application further receiving submitted information from the client applications, using the submitted information from the client applications to maintain a current state of common group information to be displayed in the at least one situation board window, and updating at a defined interval of time the situation board windows such that separate users are concurrently displayed the current state of common group information in the respective at least one situation board window;

wherein each said client application is responsive to initiation of editing by a user of information in the situation board window of that client application for sending a notice to the server application; and

wherein the server application is responsive to receipt of the notice for preventing other client applications from altering the common group information until the user who triggered the notice has finished editing information, the edited information has been incorporated into the common group information, and the situation board windows of the client applications have thereafter been updated from the common group information.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a central database for storing the current state of common group information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the client applications further create, display and monitor additional situation board windows on each client system associated with a different business group; and

the server further maintains a current state of common group information to be displayed in the additional situation board windows associated with each business group, and updates at a defined interval of time the situation board windows such that users are displayed the current state of common group information in those additional situation board windows associated with a given business group.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the network server is a server for a local area network, and the client systems are connected across the local area network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the network server is a server for an intranet, and the client systems are connected across the intranet.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the client applications are implemented using applet code downloaded across the intranet.

7. A group situation board client system, comprising:

a client application executed by the client system, the client application operable to communicate with a server application executed by a network server;

a situation board window created, displayed and monitored by the client application, the situation board window allowing a user of the client system to view common group information, edit the information to create new information, and submit the new information for the situation board window to the client application; and

the client application notifying the server application that it has the new information to submit to the server application, the server application receiving submitted information from the client application, using the submitted information from the client application to maintain a current state of common group information to be displayed in the situation board window by the client application, and updating at a defined interval of time the situation board window such that other users are concurrently displayed the current state of common group information in respective situation board windows;

wherein the client application is responsive to initiation of editing by a user of information in the situation board window of that client application for sending a notice to the server application; and

wherein the server application is responsive to receipt of the notice for preventing alteration of the common group information by other users until the user who triggered the notice has finished editing information, the edited information has been incorporated into the common group information, and then the common group information has been displayed to other users.

8. The client system of claim 7, wherein:

the client application further creates, displays and monitors additional situation board windows, each of the additional situation board windows associated with a different business group; and

the server application further maintains a current state of common group information in the additional situation board windows associated with each business group, and updates at a defined interval of time the situation board windows such that users are displayed the current state of common group information in those additional situation board windows associated with a given business group.

9. The client system of claim 7, wherein the client system communicates with the server application across a local area network.

10. The client system of claim 7, wherein the client system communicates with the server application across an intranet.

11. The client system of claim 10, wherein the client application is implemented using applet code downloaded across the intranet.

12. A method for providing a group situation board to users of a plurality of client systems, comprising:

creating, displaying and monitoring at least one situation board window containing common group information on each client system;

allowing users of each client system to view the common group information, edit the information to create new information, and submit the new information for the at least one situation board window;

identifying the new information submitted by users;

using the new information submitted by users to maintain a current state of common group information; and

updating at a defined interval of time the at least one situation board window with the new information such that separate users are concurrently displayed the current state of common group information in the at least one situation board window;

causing each said client system to respond to initiation of editing by a user of information in the situation board window of that client system by issuing a notice; and

responding to issuance of the notice by preventing other client systems from altering the common group information until the user who triggered the notice has finished editing information, the edited information has been incorporated into the common group information, and then the common group information has been displayed to other users.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising maintaining the current state of common group information in a central database coupled to the client systems.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

creating, displaying and monitoring additional situation board windows on each client system, each of the additional situation board windows on a client system associated with a different business group;

maintaining a current state of common group information in the additional situation board windows associated with each business group; and

updating the additional situation board windows such that users are displayed the current state of common group information in those additional situation board windows associated with a given business group.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of client systems are connected across a local area network.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of client systems are connected across an intranet.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the situation board windows are created and displayed using applet code downloaded across the intranet.