Conducting activities in a collaborative work tool architecture

• US 7,171,448 B1
• Filed: 04/17/2000
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Ans (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Merok, Petter, Danielsen, Bjorn I., Fevang, Pal K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gerezgiher; Yemane M.
• Application Number:
  US09/551,037
• Time in Patent Office: 2,479 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-207, 709/223, 709/219, 345/751, 345/733, 345/759, 345/758, 345/753, 345/731, 705/9, 705/12, 707/10, 707/6, 707/3, 707/5, 707/7, 715/751, 715/753, 715/963
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/963 Calendar or scheduling

Abstract

The present disclosure provides for conducting activities between users in a collaborative work tool architecture. A client user interface including at least one activity data field is afforded. Then, a selection of a particular activity data field from a user is received. Additional information on the selected activity field is then presented using the client user interface. The user is then allowed to input meeting data concerning the selected activity data field. The received meeting data is stored on a server via a network. Finally, a plurality of participant users are allowed access to the stored meeting data via the network.

Claims

1. A method for conducting activities between users in a collaborative work tool architecture comprising the steps of:

(a) affording a client user interface including at least one activity data field wherein the interface is operably coupled to a collaborative work environment having collaborative applications integrated with agents at the client, wherein the agents are intermediaries between the users and the applications;

(b) automatically acquiring background information relevant to the at least one activity data field, wherein the at least one activity data field includes descriptive text and an activity start time, and wherein automatically acquiring background information includes automatically obtaining the descriptive text when the start time is within a predetermined period, parsing and pattern matching the descriptive text to identify searchable components of the descriptive text querying a plurality of sources across a network to obtain the background information, and storing the background information that is retrieved in response to querying the plurality of sources;

(c) receiving a selection of a particular activity data field from a user;

(d) presenting additional information on the selected activity field using the client user interface, wherein the additional information includes the background information;

(e) allowing the user to input meeting data concerning the selected activity data field;

(f) storing the meeting data on a server via the network; and

(g) allowing a plurality of participant users access to the stored meeting data via the network.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the meeting data is voting data on a predefined topic.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the meeting data is user readable sentences concerning a predefined topic.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the meeting data is accessed by the participant users asynchronously.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the meeting data is accessed by the participant users synchronously.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the collaborative work tool architecture is distributed.

7. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for conducting activities between users in a collaborative work tool architecture comprising:

(a) a code segment for affording a client user interface including at least one activity data field wherein the interface is operably coupled to a collaborative work environment having collaborative applications integrated with agents at the client, wherein the agents are intermediaries between the users and the applications;

(b) a code segment for automatically acquiring background information relevant to the at least one activity data field, wherein the at least one activity data field includes descriptive text and an activity start time, and wherein automatically acquiring background information includes automatically obtaining the descriptive text when the start time is within a predetermined period, parsing and pattern matching the descriptive text to identify searchable components of the descriptive text, querying a plurality of sources across a network to obtain the background information, and storing the background information that is retrieved in response to querying the plurality of sources;

(c) a code segment for receiving a selection of a particular activity data field from a user;

(d) a code segment for presenting additional information on the selected activity field using the client user interface, wherein the additional information includes the background information;

(e) a code segment for allowing the user to input meeting data concerning the selected activity data field;

(f) a code segment for storing the meeting data on a server via the network; and

(g) a code segment for allowing a plurality of participant users access to the stored meeting data via the network.

8. A computer program as recited in claim 7, wherein the meeting data is voting data on a predefined topic.

9. A computer program as recited in claim 7, wherein the meeting data is user readable sentences concerning a predefined topic.

10. A computer program as recited in claim 7, wherein the meeting data is accessed by the participant users asynchronously.

11. A computer program as recited in claim 7, wherein the meeting data is accessed by the participant users synchronously.

12. A computer program as recited in claim 7, wherein the collaborative work tool architecture is distributed.

13. A system for conducting activities between users in a collaborative work tool architecture comprising:

(a) logic for affording a client user interface including at least one activity data field wherein the interface is operably coupled to a collaborative work environment having collaborative applications integrated with agents at the client, wherein the agents are intermediaries between the users and the applications;

(b) logic for automatically acquiring background information relevant to the at least one activity data field, wherein the at least one activity data field includes descriptive text and an activity start time, and wherein automatically acquiring background information includes automatically obtaining the descriptive text when the start time is within a predetermined period, parsing and pattern matching the descriptive text to identify searchable components of the descriptive text, querying a plurality of sources across a network to obtain the background information, and storing the background information that is retrieved in response to querying the plurality of sources;

(c) logic for receiving a selection of a particular activity data field from a user;

(d) logic for presenting additional information on the selected activity field using the client user interface, wherein the additional information includes the background information;

(e) logic for allowing the user to input meeting data concerning the selected activity data field;

(f) logic for storing the meeting data on a server via the network; and

(g) logic for allowing a plurality of participant users access to the stored meeting data via the network.

14. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein the meeting data is voting data on a predefined topic.

15. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein the meeting data is user readable sentences concerning a predefined topic.

16. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein the meeting data is accessed by the participant users asynchronously.

17. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein the meeting data is accessed by the participant users synchronously.

18. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein the collaborative work tool architecture is distributed.