Integrated experience of vogue system and method for shared integrated online social interaction

• US 7,747,956 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ranganath, Rama, Mesgar, Eugene, Saretto, Cesare John, Zarahovsky, Eugene, Ferguson, Heather, Sanders, Erica, Murarka, Neel Ishwar, Vert, John, Zaner, Melora, Stone, Linda, Glatzer, Asta, Mulcahy, Kathleen, Savage, Tammy
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILU, TADESSE
• Application Number:
  US11/379,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 715751-759, 715/810, 709/203
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A novel application and user interface for facilitating group interactions over a network integrates messaging, file sharing, media playing, journaling, profiles, and gaming into a cohesive environment. The groups facilitated by the invention are persistent and mobile in that a user does not have to recollect and reconfigure the group each time he or she wants to interact with the group online and, while online, the group may be taken from one activity to another without having to disband and reconnect at the second activity. The application is modular so as to be extensible to include other activities and functionalities. In an embodiment, the group interaction application utilizes a peer-to-peer network environment to facilitate network communications between group members.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having thereon computer-executable instructions for providing an online group scrapbooking activity, the instructions comprising:

presenting to a first user at least one scrapbook tool icon and a representation of a scrapbook work area, the representation of the scrapbook work area displays at least one photograph and provides an equivalent representation of the scrapbook to at least one other user, the at least one scrapbook tool icon is selectable to create annotations in the scrapbook work area and includes at least one of;

a drawing control, a palette allowing users to select color used with the drawing control, a balloon control, a note tool, an audio insert tool, or a map control;

receiving a selection of the at least one scrapbook tool icon by the first user;

displaying an annotation facilitated by the selection of the scrapbook tool icon in the representation of the scrapbook work area; and

viewing the representation of the scrapbook and the equivalent representation of the scrapbook synchronously via a communication component, the communication component comprising at least one of a mobile phone device or a mobile computing device.

2. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, the mobile phone device or mobile computing device further comprising global positioning system (GPS) functionality, the GPS functional mobile device providing GPS information automatically linked to the scrapbook, the GPS information including one or more of a description or a map of the location of the information.

3. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, storing the scrapbook as an artifact in a file cache of a peer-to-peer network.

4. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, further comprising adding or removing photographs from the scrapbook.

5. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, further comprising annotating photographs displayed in the scrapbook work area.

6. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, displaying annotations to the at least one other user further comprising displaying a map based on the location where one or more photographs were taken.

7. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, further comprising changing the view of the scrapbook work area in response to input from the first user.

8. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, further comprising printing the scrapbook of the first user.

9. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, further comprising synchronously updating the view of the scrapbook presented to the first user and the at least one other user.