Distributed system for interactive collaboration
First Claim
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1. A method of using a computer network for interactive collaboration, comprising:
- creating a collaborative environment for members of a team in communication with the computer network;
soliciting input from the team members for a present state of a topic, an end state of the topic, and a process for proceeding from the present state to the end state;
in the collaborative environment, collecting information from the members of the team in an interactive forum offering varying degrees of structure; and
facilitating a collaboratively derived decision based on the collected information.
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Abstract
A distribution management system can facilitate synchronous and asynchronous communications, take advantage of electronic scheduling tools, support a facilitator paradigm, and store meeting communications for later retrieval. The system can create a collaborative environment for members of a team in communication with a computer network. An interactive forum can be provided in the collaborative environment in a manner offering varying degrees of structure for collecting information from the members of the team. The information can then be used to arrive at a collaboratively derived decision.
139 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method of using a computer network for interactive collaboration, comprising:
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creating a collaborative environment for members of a team in communication with the computer network;
soliciting input from the team members for a present state of a topic, an end state of the topic, and a process for proceeding from the present state to the end state;
in the collaborative environment, collecting information from the members of the team in an interactive forum offering varying degrees of structure; and
facilitating a collaboratively derived decision based on the collected information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for interactive collaboration over a computer network, comprising:
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a collaborative environment for members of a team in communication with the computer network;
a solicitation unit coupled to the collaborative environment that solicits input from the team members for a present state of a topic, an end state of the topic, and a process for proceeding from the present state to the end state; and
in the collaborative environment, an interactive forum offering varying degrees of structure to collect information from the members of the team that is used to arrive at a collaboratively derived decision. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for interactive collaboration over a computer network, comprising:
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means for creating a collaborative environment for members of a team in communication with the computer network;
means for soliciting input from the team members for a present state of a topic, an end state of the topic, and a process for proceeding from the present state to the end state; and
in the collaborative environment, means for providing an interactive forum offering varying degrees of structure for collecting information from the members of the team that is used to arrive at a collaboratively derived decision. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A system for providing interactive collaboration, comprising:
- an interface coupled to a computer network;
a processor coupled to the interface that creates a collaborative environment for members of a team in communication with the server over the computer network, the collaborative environment having an interactive forum offering varying degrees of structure to collect information from the members of the team that is used to arrive at a collaboratively derived decision;
a solicitation unit coupled to the processor that solicits input from the team members for a present state of the topic, an end state of the topic, and a process for proceeding from the present state to the end state; and
a data store coupled to the processor and storing the information from the members in the interactive forum for later retrieval. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
- an interface coupled to a computer network;
Specification