Method and system for group content collaboration

• US 6,507,865 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2000
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MetricStream, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zaplet, Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Axe, Brian, Hanson, Michael, Miller, Graham, Evans, Steven Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Application Number:
  US09/483,221
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/231, 709/329, 705/36, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/36.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

A method and system are described that can be used to support content collaboration among a group of participants connected to a network. A participant creates an electronic form specifying the content and a list of network addresses corresponding to other participants in the content collaboration. A server receives the form and includes resources for delivering an electronic mail message associated with an electronic medium associated with the content collaboration. When the participant opens the message, the electronic medium is produced by the server that includes static and dynamic regions. The participant can modify or change the content. The dynamic regions are asynchronously updated in the server and indicate the current content of the electronic medium that can be accessed by other participants. The content may be binary or textual.

Claims

1. A network system for content collaboration among a group of participants, comprising:

a server having an associated database and adapted to be used in the network;

an electronic medium stored in the database;

at least one dynamic content region in the electronic medium having binary dynamic content;

an interface region in the electronic medium to accept input from one of any of the participants and an external source in data communication with the server; and

logic in communication with the database for performing the steps of;

generating and sending a first e-mail message to one or more selected participants among the group, wherein the first e-mail message is associated with the electronic medium, wherein the first e-mail message is configured to cause a first e-mail client of one of the selected participants to parse the first e-mail message in response to that selected participant opening the e-mail message to result in displaying, in the first e-mail client, dynamic content associated with the dynamic content region of the electronic medium;

receiving, at the server, from one or more of the selected participants, one or more updates to the dynamic content;

updating one or more of the dynamic content regions of the electronic medium based on the one or more updates;

receiving information specifying opening the first e-mail message from any other second participant among the selected participants; and

providing the dynamic content of the electronic medium, including all then-current updates, to a second e-mail client associated with the second participant for display therein in association with the first electronic message.

2. The network system of claim 1, wherein the binary content comprises one of images, streaming media, a virtual white board, group greeting cards, and text.

3. The network system of claim 1, wherein the electronic medium is adapted for use with both an electronic mail and Internet protocol.

4. The network system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to send the first electronic message after receiving an electronic form from one of the participants in the group, wherein the electronic form defines the dynamic content in the electronic medium.

5. The network system of claim 4, wherein the electronic form comprises one of a list of network addresses corresponding to any of the participants and a region for supplying details about the binary content.

6. The network system of claim 1, wherein the binary content comprises one of a table, list, document, spread sheet, outline, form, calendar, and slide presentation.

7. The network system of claim 1, wherein the external source is operable to supply one of news feeds, sports scores, and stock quotes to the server.

8. The network system of claim 1, wherein the external source is one of an agent and a server.

9. The network system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises logic to resolve conflicts between selected ones of the inputs by any of the participants.

10. The network system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises logic to track the input by any of the participants.

11. A method of content collaboration among a group of participants, comprising:

generating an electric form having a plurality of network addresses associated with the participants and a region for specifying details about a plurality of binary content;

sending the electronic form to a server;

receiving, at an e-mail client associated with one of the participants, a first e-mail message for the group;

parsing the first e-mail message received by at least one of the participants from the server in response to that participant opening the first e-mail message;

receiving, at the e-mail client, dynamic content associated with an electronic medium having at least one dynamic content region that was served to the e-mail client in response to opening the e-mail message, wherein the electronic medium is stored in the server and wherein the at least one dynamic content region includes at least a portion of the binary content;

providing one or more updates to the dynamic content by interacting with the first electronic message using the e-mail client;

opening the first e-mail message; and

receiving the dynamic content of the electronic medium, including all then-current updates, for display in association with the first electronic message.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one dynamic content region further comprises textual content and the updating step further comprises updating the textual content in response to one of input from any of the participants and an external source in data communication with the server.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the generating step further comprises importing the binary content into the electronic form.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the generating step further comprises referencing the binary content using a link identifier.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the link identifier is a Universal Resource Locator.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the updating step further comprises receiving the input from any of the participants from an interaction region, a portion of the interaction region being embedded in the electronic medium.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the dynamic content region and the interaction region are merged.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising configuring the server to support one of an Internet and electronic mail protocol.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising resolving conflicts between the inputs from any of the participants.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the updating step further comprises updating the binary content to reflect a current state of the binary content.

21. A method of content collaboration among a group of participants, comprising:

generating an electronic form having a plurality of network addresses associated with the participants and a region for specifying details about a plurality of textual content;

sending the electronic form to a server;

receiving, at an e-mail client associated with one of the participants, a first e-mail message for the group;

parsing the first e-mail message received by at least one of the participants from the server in response to that participant opening the fit email message;

receiving, at the e-mail client, dynamic content associated with an electronic medium having at least one dynamic content region tat was served to the e-mail client in response to opening the first e-mail message, wherein the electronic medium is stored in the server and wherein the at least one dynamic content region includes at least a portion of the textual content;

providing one or mote textual content updates to the dynamic content by interacting with the first electronic message using the e-mail client;

opening the first e-mail message; and

receiving the dynamic content of the electronic medium, including all then-current textual content updates for display in association with the first electronic message.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one dynamic content region further comprises binary content and the updating step further comprises updating the binary content in response to one of input from any of the participants and an external source in data communication with the server.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the updating steps further comprises concatenating the input from any of the participants.

24. A method for managing task among a group of participants, comprising:

generating an electronic form having a plurality of network addresses associated with the participants and a region for specifying details about the tasks to be allocated;

sending the electronic form to a server,

receiving, at an e-mail client associated with one of the participants, a first e-mail message for the group;

parsing the first e-mail message received by at least one of the participants from the server in response to that participant opening the first e-mail message;

receiving, at the e-mail client, dynamic content associated with an electronic medium having at least one dynamic content region that was served to the e-mail client in response to opening the first e-mail message, wherein the electronic medium is stored in the server and wherein the at least one dynamic content region includes dynamic content having allocated tasks;

providing one or more allocated task updates to the dynamic content by interacting with the first electric message using the e-mail client;

opening the first e-mail message; and

receiving the dynamic content of the electronic medium, including all then-current allocated task updates, for display in association with the first electronic message.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein dynamic content further comprises a table.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the information is updated in response to input into the table by any of the participants.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the electronic medium further comprises an interaction region and wherein the dynamic content region and the interaction region are merged.

28. A network system including a plurality of content terminals, comprising:

at least one data processing machine located at each of the client terminals; and

computer software, residing on a computer readable medium at each machine to cause the machine to perform the following operations;

generating an electronic form having a plurality of network addresses associated with the participants and details about binary content to be distributed to the plurality of network addresses;

sending the electronic form to a server;

receiving, at an e-mail client associated with one of the participants, a first e-mail message for the group;

parsing the first e-mail message received by at least one of the participants from the server in response to that participant opening the first e-mail message;

receiving, at the e-mail client, dynamic content associated with an electronic medium having at least one dynamic content region that was served to the e-mail client in response to opening the e-mail message, wherein the electronic medium is stored in the server and wherein the dynamic content regions include a then current dynamic content representative of the binary content;

providing one or more updates to the dynamic content by interacting with the first electronic message using the e-mail client;

opening the first e-mail message; and

receiving the dynamic content of the electronic medium, including all then-current updates, for display in association with the first electronic message.

29. Computer software, residing on a computer readable medium at a device connected to a network, comprising instructions to cause the device to perform the following operations:

at least one data processing machine located at each of the client terminals; and

computer software, residing on a computer readable medium at each machine to cause the machine to perform the following operations;

generating an electronic form having a plurality of network addresses associated with the participants and details about binary content to be distributed to the plurality of network addresses;

sending the electronic form to a server;

receiving, at an e-mail client associated with one of the participants, a first e-mail message for the group;

parsing the first e-mail message received by at lent one of the participants from the server in response to that participant opening the first e-mail message;

receiving, at the e-mail client, dynamic content associated with an electronic medium having at lest one dynamic content region that was served to the e-mail client in response to opening the e-mail message, wherein the electronic medium is stored in the server and wherein the dynamic content regions include a then current dynamic content representative of the binary content;

providing one or more updates to the dynamic content by interacting with the first electronic message using the e-mail client;

opening the first e-mail message; and

receiving the dynamic content of the electronic medium, including all then-current updates, for display in association with the first electronic message.

30. A network system for content collaboration among a group of participants, comprising:

a server having an associated database and adapted to be used in the network;

an electronic medium that is stored in the database of the server;

at least one dynamic content region in the electronic medium having binary dynamic content;

an interface region in the electronic medium to accept input representing one or more updates to the dynamic content from any of the participants or an external source in data communication with the server; and

logic in communication with the database for performing the steps of;

generating and sending a first e-mail message to one or more selected participants among the group, wherein the first e-mail message is associated with the electronic medium, wherein the first e-mail message is configured to cause a first e-mail client of one of the selected participants to parse the first e-mail message in response to that selected participant opening the e-mail message to result in displaying, in the first e-mail client, dynamic content associated with the dynamic content region of the electronic medium;

receiving, at the server, from one or more of the selected participants, one or more updates to the dynamic content provided by interacting with the interface region using e-mail clients;

updating one or more of the dynamic content regions of the electronic medium based on the one or more updates;

receiving information specifying opening the first e-mail message from any other second participant among the selected participants; and

automatically sending the dynamic content of the electronic medium, including all then-current updates, to a second e-mail client associated with the second participant for display therein in association with the first electronic message.