Anchored conversations: adhesive, in-context, virtual discussion forums

• US 7,089,278 B1
• Filed: 09/07/1999
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Joseph, Trevor, Jonathan, Churchill, Elizabeth F., Marshall, Catherine C., Nelson, Lester D., Bly, Sara
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/391,069
• Time in Patent Office: 2,527 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709217-220, 709/223, 709/246, 709227-229, 707 9- 10
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status

Abstract

Anchored conversations are maintained by a conversation coordinator that retrieves an anchor position from an artifact and maintains a position of a conversation client relative to the retrieved anchor position. The conversations are synchronous and asynchronous communications. The anchors, and hence the conversations may be moved within the artifact or to other artifacts. The conversation clients include detach and re-attach buttons that allow a conversation to be detached and reattached from/to a corresponding anchor. The conversation coordinator manages conversations anchored in any number of different applications. Each conversation is accessible either by invoking an associated anchor within a corresponding artifact (embodied as an ActiveX control, for example), or via the conversation coordinator. A database is connected to each conversation and is a silent participant maintaining a record of the conversation and any metadata regarding the conversation. The database is available for query by a user and/or the conversation coordinator.

Claims

1. A system for placing and maintaining anchored conversations within an artifact comprising a file having a file type, the system comprising:

an application configured to access the artifact, wherein the application is associated with the file type;

a conversation client configured to access said anchored conversation and to receive communications regarding a portion of the artifact, while the artifact is viewed within the application;

an anchor configured to identify a location within said artifact with which said conversation client is associated;

a conversation coordinator configured to maintain a relationship between the anchor, the conversation client and the anchored conversation;

at least one conversation database accessible by the conversation coordinator, said conversation database including a conversation history and access control data, wherein said conversation history comprises;

conversation elements and meta data, including command invocations, anchor positions, anchor context, conversation state changes, and shared artifact version data; and

wherein said access control data comprises access control lists, user accounts, and user privileges.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said conversation coordinator and said conversation client are separate applications linked together by communications such that said conversation coordinator directs initiation and positioning of said conversation client.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the application is configured to allow access to sections of the artifact outside the anchor.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

said conversation coordinator comprises,

a request handler configured to receive conversation requests from a requesting conversation client, and

a client mechanism configured to initiate a recipient conversation client having an anchor position, application, and artifact equivalent to the application, artifact, and anchor position of the requesting conversation client.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said request handler includes an approval mechanism that identifies whether an intended recipient of the conversation request approves entering into an anchored conversation.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said approval mechanism includes an id device that identifies all participants of a conversation to the intended recipient.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein:

said client mechanism comprises,

a startup mechanism configured to initiate a target application associated with a conversation request received by the request handler;

a retrieval mechanism configured to retrieve an artifact associated with the conversation request and load the retrieval artifact into the target application;

a connection manager configured to establish a communications link with the requesting conversation client and the recipient conversation client; and

an anchor device configured to locate and attach the recipient conversation client to the equivalent anchor position in the retrieved artifact.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein said anchor device is further configured to track a location of said equivalent anchor position, and position a user interface of the conversation client to within a predetermined proximity of the anchor if a position of the anchor is moved.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein said anchor device comprises:

an attachment device configured to maintain a position of the conversation client relative to the corresponding anchor;

an unattach device configured to disassociate the position of the conversation client from a corresponding anchor; and

a reattachment device configured to re-attach a detached conversation client to the position of its corresponding anchor.

10. The system according to claim 4, wherein said conversation coordinator further comprises a synchronization device configured to notify a user of the recipient conversation client if the artifact associated with the recipient conversation client becomes out of sync with a master document.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said synchronization device includes an activatable input mechanism by which a user may activate a synchronization process to update the out of synch artifact.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein said conversation coordinator further comprises an update mechanism configured to update the artifact based on changes to the master document.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein said master document is the artifact of the requesting conversation client.

14. The system according to claim 4, wherein said conversation coordinator further comprises an anchor identification mechanism configured to identify other anchored conversations in the artifact of the recipient conversation client and one of highlight, grey, and make invisible each identified anchor based on a predetermined access/privacy setting.

15. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an API mechanism configured to initiate at least one target application and load an artifact into the target application; and

an anchor device configured to anchor a conversation client to one of the artifact and an anchor of the artifact.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said API mechanism includes at least one application control device configured to direct operations of at least one target application via a target application programming interface.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein said conversation coordinator comprises:

a client mechanism configured to initiate a conversation client; and

an anchor device configured to position the conversation client relative to one of said application and an anchor of said artifact.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein said conversation coordinator further comprises a messaging device configured to receive messages from said application.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said messages include at least one of an anchor position, invocation of an anchored conversation, and adding an anchor.

20. The system according to claim 1, wherein said conversation coordinator includes a communications device configured to route communications, from the conversation client to a communications network, and from the communications network to the conversation client.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein said communications device is an IRC client configured to pass and retrieve communication to an IRC network.

22. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

said conversation coordinator includes a database mechanism configured to connect a remote database as a silent participant to the conversation client.

23. A system for invoking anchored conversations having artifacts of applications as a context, comprising:

an application conversation interface (ACI) having an application access mechanism that allows access and manipulation of application operations of each of the said applications;

an anchor mechanism configured to identify and attach a conversation client to a selected anchor position in an artifact; and

a communications device configured to route communications, from the conversation client to a communications network, and from the communications network to the conversation client,

wherein said communications device is an IRC client configured to pass and retrieve communication to an IRC network; and

at least one conversation database accessible by the conversation coordinator, said conversation database including a conversation history and access control data, wherein said conversation history comprises;

conversation elements and metadata, including command invocations, anchor positions, anchor context, conversation state changes, and shared artifact version data; and

wherein said access control data comprises access control lists, user accounts, and user privileges.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein said conversation client comprises a communication client capable of any one of text, sound, graphic, tactile, video, and other communication mediums.

25. The system according to claim 23, further comprising:

a conversation coordinator configured to,

receive initiation requests from an application,

initiate a conversation client to be anchored at an anchor position associated with the initiation request, and

send anchored conversation request for initiating an anchored conversation client at a recipient host having a same application, artifact, and anchor position as the requesting conversation client.

26. A system for anchored conversations, comprising:

means for initiating and maintaining conversation clients at each of a requesting host and a recipient host, including,

means for receiving an anchored conversation request from an application at a requestor host, said application having an artifact with anchor identifying a location of an anchored conversation;

means for initiating a requestor conversation client associated with the application at a requester host;

means for anchoring said requester conversation client comprising a means for maintaining a position of said requestor conversation client relative to said anchor of said artifact of said application at said requestor host;

means for requesting startup of a recipient conversation client;

storage means for at least one of conversation history data and access control data;

means for starting said application at a recipient host;

means for retrieving a copy of said artifact into said application at said recipient host; and

means for anchoring said recipient conversation client, comprising a means for maintaining a position of said recipient conversation client relative to said anchor of said artifact of said application at said recipient host;

wherein said means for anchoring further comprise;

request means configured to receive conversation requests from a requesting conversation client; and

a client mechanism means configured to initiate a recipient conversation client having an anchor position, application, and artifact equivalent to the application, artifact, and anchor position of the requesting conversation client; and

an anchor identification means configured to identify other anchored conversations in the artifact of the recipient conversation client and to one of highlight, grey, and make invisible each identified anchor based on a predetermined access/privacy setting.

27. A system for placing and maintaining anchored conversations within an artifact comprising a file having a file type, the system comprising:

an application configured to access the artifact, wherein the application is associated with the file type;

a conversation client configured to access said anchored conversation and to receive communications regarding a portion of the artifact, while the artifact is viewed within the application, wherein the communications are received from a party having access to the file;

an anchor configured to identify a location within said artifact with which said conversation client is associated;

a conversation coordinator configured to maintain a relationship between the anchor, the conversation client and the anchored conversation

at least one conversation database accessible by the conversation coordinator, said conversation database including a conversation history and access control data,

wherein said conversation history comprises;

conversation elements and meta data, including command invocations, anchor positions, anchor context, conversation state changes, and shared artifact version data; and

wherein said access control data comprises access control lists, user accounts, and user privileges.