Scheduling presentation broadcasts in an integrated network environment

• US 6,636,888 B1
• Filed: 06/15/1999
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bookspan, Matthew, Poon, Paul C., Warrin, Paul O., Parasnis, Shashank Mohan, Patel, Paresh
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/333,754
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200-206, 709/217-219, 709/226-227, 709/231-232, 725/86-87, 725/104, 725/110-112, 725/118-119
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An integrated environment for scheduling a presentation broadcast that allows a user to seamlessly schedule, make changes, replace, and reschedule a presentation broadcast from within a presentation design application program. The system leverages many of the features of Microsoft'"'"'s OUTLOOK™ program to schedule a network presentation broadcast of a presentation broadcast from within the presentation design application program that is used to create or open the presentation. The user enters information concerning the presentation broadcast while within the presentation design application program, which is then automatically inserted into a meeting request message automatically sent to a list of prospective attendees of the presentation broadcast that the user has identified. The meeting request message also contains user-entered scheduling information, which is employed to automatically schedule a presentation broadcast meeting in the electronic calendars of those message recipients who choose to attend the presentation broadcast. The system also automatically schedules the presentation broadcast in the user'"'"'s electronic calendar, which provides a reminder to the user to start the presentation broadcast a predefined interval before the scheduled time. Additionally, the automated scheduling is implemented for a presentation broadcast that is to originate from an Internet web server.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling a presentation broadcast originating from a presentation broadcast source connected to a plurality of receiving computers across a computer network, comprising the steps of:

(a) enabling a user to select a presentation to be broadcast within a presentation design application program;

(b) entering presentation broadcast information for the presentation selected from within the presentation design application program;

(c) selecting a time and date for the presentation broadcast;

(d) providing a list of prospective attendees for the presentation broadcast; and

(e) transmitting the presentation broadcast information and time and date to the prospective attendees on the list, over the computer network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically entering the time and date of the presentation broadcast into an attendee'"'"'s calendar.

3. The method of claim 2, further including the step of automatically reminding attendees of the presentation broadcast a predetermined interval prior to the time of the presentation broadcast.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of reminding the attendees includes the step of displaying a reminder notice dialog that includes an option to attend the presentation broadcast, whereby selection of the option automatically launches a browser that displays a location at which the presentation broadcast can be viewed on the browser.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation broadcast information includes a network address from where the receiving computers can receive the presentation broadcast.

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

(a) rescheduling the time and date of the presentation broadcast; and

(b) transmitting a notification of a rescheduled time and date of the presentation broadcast to the prospective attendees.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting comprises the step of passing the presentation broadcast information from the presentation design application program to an e-mail application program for transmission in e-mail messages addressed to the prospective attendees in the list.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the e-mail application program prepares and transmits the e-mail messages without interacting with the user, so that the user remains in the presentation design application program while the e-mail messages are prepared and transmitted.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of saving the presentation broadcast information in a presentation document.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically scheduling the time and date of the presentation broadcast into an electronic calendar of the user to provide a reminder of the presentation broadcast to the user a predefined interval of time before the time it is scheduled to occur.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the reminder includes a dialog that contains an option to automatically start the presentation broadcast at the time and date it is scheduled to occur.

12. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

(a) enabling a user to select a presentation to be broadcast within a presentation design application program;

(b) enabling entry of presentation broadcast information for the presentation selected from within the presentation design application program;

(c) enabling a time and date to be selected for the presentation broadcast;

(d) enabling a list of prospective attendees for the presentation broadcast to be provided; and

(e) transmitting the presentation broadcast information and time and date to the prospective attendees on the list, over the computer network.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

(a) enabling a user to select a presentation to be broadcast within a presentation design application program;

(b) enabling entry of presentation broadcast information for the presentation selected from within the presentation design application program;

(c) enabling a time and date to be selected for the presentation broadcast;

(d) enabling a list of prospective attendees to be provided for the presentation broadcast; and

(e) transmitting the presentation broadcast information and time and date to the prospective attendees on the list, over the computer network, by passing the presentation broadcast information from the presentation design application program to an e-mail application program for transmission in e-mail messages addressed to the prospective attendees in the list, wherein the e-mail application program prepares and transmits the e-mail messages without interacting with the user, so that the user remains in the presentation design application program while the e-mail messages are prepared and transmitted.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

(a) enabling a user to select a presentation to be broadcast within a presentation design application program;

(b) enabling entry of presentation broadcast information for the presentation selected from within the presentation design application program;

(c) enabling a time and date to be selected for the presentation broadcast;

(d) enabling a list of prospective attendees to be provided for the presentation broadcast;

(e) transmitting the presentation broadcast information and time and date to the prospective attendees on the list, over the computer network; and

(f) automatically scheduling the time and date of the presentation broadcast into an electronic calendar of the user to provide a reminder of the presentation broadcast to the user a predefined interval of time before the presentation broadcast is scheduled to occur.

15. A system for scheduling a network broadcast of a presentation stored as a presentation broadcast document, comprising:

(a) a local computer having a memory in which a plurality of machine instructions are stored, a display, and a processor coupled to the memory for executing the machine instructions, the local computer being connected to a plurality of remote computers via a network;

(b) a presentation design application program comprising a portion of the plurality of machine instructions stored in the memory of the local computer, the presentation design application program enabling a user to design a presentation document, enter presentation broadcast information pertaining to a network broadcast of the presentation document, and specify prospective attendees of the presentation broadcast, when executed by processor of the local computer; and

(c) an information management application program comprising another portion of the plurality of the machine instructions stored in the memory of the local computer and executed by the processor of the local computer, said information management application program being in communication with the presentation design application program so that the presentation broadcast information is automatically received from the presentation design application program, the information management program automatically transmitting the presentation broadcast information to the remote computers of the prospective attendees specified by the user via the computer network, said presentation information being transmitted to the prospective attendees without interaction with the user to schedule the presentation broadcast.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the presentation broadcast information includes a location on the network from which presentation broadcast will be accessible by the remote computers during the presentation broadcast.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the user of the presentation design application program is enabled to replace the scheduled presentation with a replacement presentation, the replacement presentation having a new network location that is different than the network location of the scheduled presentation, and wherein the information management application program automatically transmits notifications comprising the new network location to the prospective attendees over the network.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of computer instructions enable a user to generate updated presentation broadcast information that is automatically transmitted to the prospective attendees over the network.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the presentation broadcast information includes a time and date of the presentation broadcast.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the memory of at least one of the remote computers stores machine instructions that implement an information management application program when executed by the processor of said at least one remote computer, said information management application program implemented thereby reminding an attendee of a pending presentation broadcast a predetermined time before the scheduled presentation broadcast is to occur.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the information management application program implemented by said at least remote computer enables an attendee to receive a broadcast of the presentation by selecting a control prompt that is provided to the attendee in conjunction with reminding the attendee of the scheduled presentation broadcast.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the information management application program creates an entry into an electronic calendar of the user, specifying the time and date of the presentation broadcast.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the information management application program reminds the user when to initiate the presentation broadcast.

24. A method for scheduling a presentation broadcast originating from an Internet web server, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a presentation document that is open in a presentation design application program;

(b) entering presentation broadcast information concerning a future network broadcast of the presentation from within the presentation design application program;

(c) passing the presentation broadcast information to the Internet web server;

(d) launching a web page from the Internet web server, said web page including an event submission form;

(e) entering scheduling information into the event submission form, said scheduling information including a start time and an end time for the presentation broadcast; and

(f) saving the scheduling information and the presentation broadcast information on the Internet web server.

25. The method of claim 24, further including the steps of providing a list of presentation broadcast service providers;

and enabling a user to select a presentation broadcast service provider for broadcasting the presentation, the selected presentation broadcast service provider operating the Internet web server.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the event submission form comprises a plurality of fields that are automatically completed with at least a portion of the presentation broadcast information.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the presentation broadcast information includes an e-mail address of a presenter of the presentation broadcast, further comprising the step of sending an e-mail message including the scheduling information and at least a portion of the presentation broadcast information from the Internet web server to the e-mail address of the presenter.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of forwarding the e-mail message to prospective presentation broadcast attendees.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting a previously scheduled presentation broadcast; and

(b) entering and saving an updated start time and/or an updated end time on a form included in a web page provided by the Internet Web server, to reschedule the presentation broadcast.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein a portion of the presentation broadcast information is passed to the Internet Web server via a URL that is used to launch the web page from the Internet Web server.