Subsystem-scoping architecture for breakout rooms in a virtual space

• US 7,716,284 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Andersen, Hans C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thieu; Benjamin M
• Application Number:
  US11/364,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20070203980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-205, 709/229, 709/231, 709/248, 709/238, 709/217, 709/219, 709/200, 370/260, 370/236, 370/261, 370/252, 370/229, 370/235, 370/62
• US Class Current: 709/204
• 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

Abstract

A method, system, and architecture for providing a web conference system that efficiently provides a breakout room or multiple breakout rooms within a single web conference (also referred to herein interchangeably as a “meeting” or “virtual meeting”) is provided. In some embodiments, the web conference system architecture provides a web conference system that allows for the creation of breakout rooms within a single web conference, where each breakout room provides a named view onto each feature subsystem of the web conference, with or without separate permission levels on each view. Each breakout room may also provide a named view of the contents of the web conference, with or without separate permission levels on each view.

Claims

1. A method in a web conference system having a processor and memory for providing a breakout room, comprising:

providing by the web conference system a web conference comprising multiple feature subsystems, each feature subsystem providing a set of one or more features in the web conference, wherein the multiple feature subsystems denote a main room of the web conference, the main room having a global scope;

when the web conference system receives a request to create a first breakout room having a first name within the web conference,

creating a first scoped proxy to each of the multiple feature subsystems in the main room of the web conference, each of the first scoped proxies providing a view onto its corresponding feature subsystem wherein at least one of the first scoped proxies provides a first subset of the set of one or more features that is different from a second subset of the set of one or more features; and

associating the first name to each of the first scoped proxies, wherein the collection of the first scoped proxies associated with the first name denote the first breakout room within the web conference, and further wherein meeting participants assigned to the first breakout room participate in the first breakout room by interacting with the multiple feature subsystems via each feature subsystem'"'"'s first scoped proxy;

when the web conference system receives a request to create a second breakout room having a second name within the web conference,

creating a second scoped proxy to each of the multiple feature subsystems, each of the second scoped proxies providing a view onto its corresponding feature subsystem; and

associating the second name to each of the second scoped proxies, wherein the collection of the second scoped proxies associated with the second name comprise the second breakout room within the web conference, and further wherein meeting participants assigned to the second breakout room participate in the second breakout room by interacting with the multiple feature subsystems via each feature subsystem'"'"'s second scoped proxy,

wherein the first scoped provides the first subset of features provided in the global scope, the second scoped proxy provides the second subset of the features provided in the global scope, and the first scooped proxy provides at least one feature that is not provided the second scoped proxy;

wherein when the web conference system receives a request to destroy the first breakout room within the web conference,

moving all meeting participants assigned to the first breakout room back into the main room of the web conference; and

moving all content associated with the first breakout room into the main room of the web conference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first scoped proxies is a thin scoped proxy.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning at least one web conference participant to the first breakout room; and

creating an ACL for each of the first scoped proxies, wherein the ACL specifies, for each meeting participant assigned to the first breakout room, the meeting participant'"'"'s permissions while participating in the first breakout room.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the meeting participant'"'"'s permissions specify the actions the meeting participant can perform while participating in the first breakout room.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the meeting participant'"'"'s permissions specify the contents the meeting participant can act on while participating in the first breakout room.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, specifying for each of the first scoped proxies, content that is to be exposed through the first scoped proxy.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the specified content is a subset of the corresponding feature subsystem'"'"'s contents.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, upon successfully creating the first breakout room within the web conference, informing each privileged participant in the web conference of the creation of the first breakout room.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising informing all meeting participants moved from the first breakout room of their removal from the first breakout room.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for each meeting participant moved from the first breakout room back into the main room of the web conference, restoring the meeting participant'"'"'s privileges in the main room.

11. A subsystem-scoping web conference system comprising:

a processor and memory storing one or more components implemented in software;

a component that provides at least one virtual meeting, the virtual meeting having a global scope and comprising;

a scope manager component that manages the creation and destruction of breakout rooms within the virtual meeting; and

at least one feature subsystem that, upon receiving an instruction to create a first breakout room, creates a first scoped proxy to itself, the first scoped proxy providing a manifestation of the feature subsystem in the first breakout room, the first scoped proxy representing a named view of the feature subsystem'"'"'s contents, and upon receiving an instruction to create a second breakout room, creates a second scoped proxy to itself, the second scoped proxy providing a manifestation of the feature subsystem in the second breakout room, the second scoped proxy presenting a named view of the feature subsystem'"'"'s contents;

wherein a client interacting in the first breakout room interacts with the feature subsystem via the first scoped proxy created for the first breakout room by the feature subsystem, a client interacting in the second breakout room interacts with the feature subsystem via the second scoped proxy created for the second breakout room by the feature subsystem, wherein the first scoped proxy provides a first subset of features provided in the global scope, the second scoped proxy provides a second subset of the features provided in the global scope, and the first scoped proxy provides at least one feature that is not provided by the second scoped proxy;

wherein when the web conference system receives a request to destroy the first breakout room within the web conference,

moving all meeting participants assigned to the first breakout room back into the main room of the web conference; and

moving all content associated with the first breakout room into the main room of the web conference.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the feature subsystem further exposes an item of content in the feature subsystem through the scoped proxy.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the exposing the item of content through the scoped proxy includes annotating the item of content without physically moving the item of content.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the feature subsystem further creates an ACL for the scoped proxy, wherein the ACL specifies permissions for meeting participants who are interacting via the scoped proxy.

15. A computer-readable storage medium containing instructions for a web conference system to provide a breakout room within a virtual meeting, by a method comprising:

providing a virtual meeting having a global scope comprising a plurality of feature subsystems, each feature subsystem providing a feature or multiple features in the web conference;

when the web conference system receives a request to create a first breakout room having a first name within the virtual meeting,

generating a first scope ID;

associating the first scope ID with the first name;

creating a first scoped proxy to each of the plurality of feature subsystems, each of the scoped proxies providing a view onto its corresponding feature subsystem; and

assigning the first scope ID to each of the scoped proxies, when the web conference system receives a request to create a second breakout room having a second name within the virtual meeting,

generating a second scope ID;

associating the second scope ID with the second name;

creating a second scoped proxy to each of the plurality of feature subsystem, each of the scoped proxies providing a view onto its corresponding feature subsystem; and

assigning the second scope ID to each of the scoped proxies,

wherein the collection of the scoped proxies having a same scope ID denote the breakout room having the name within the virtual meeting, and the first scoped proxy provides a first subset of features provided in the global scope, the second scoped proxy provides a second subset of the features provided in the global scope, and the first scoped proxy provides at least one feature that is not provided by the second scoped proxy;

wherein when the web conference system receives a request to destroy the first breakout room within the web conference,

moving all meeting participants assigned to the first breakout room back into the main room of the web conference; and

moving all content associated with the first breakout room into the main room of the web conference.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, including exposing contents through the breakout room by annotating the contents to associate the contents with the scoped proxy without physically moving the contents.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, including creating an ACL for each of the scoped proxies, wherein the ACL specifies permissions for meeting participants who are interacting via its corresponding scoped proxy.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein each of the scoped proxies is a thin scoped proxy that filters actions that are requested through the thin scoped proxy to determine whether the actions are authorized.