Scheduling and reserving virtual meeting locations in a calendaring application

• US 7,765,478 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2007
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Reed, Michael, Scott, Linda J., WILLIAMSON, ROBERT V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US11/671,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 715763-765, 715853-855, 715740-743, 715/738, 715/706
• US Class Current: 715/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for scheduling and reserving virtual meeting locations in a calendaring application. Participants use a calendaring application to schedule meetings. If the meeting takes place in a location within the virtual persistent world, then the calendaring application sends the meeting information, including virtual user IDs of the invitees, meeting location, and other virtual world requirements or parameters for the meeting, to a software agent. The software agent receives the meeting information and generates a script for creating the meeting location and a script for destroying the meeting location.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling and reserving virtual meeting locations in a virtual world, the method comprising:

receiving meeting parameters for a meeting in a virtual meeting location from a calendar client application;

generating a creation script based on the meeting parameters; and

before a scheduled time for the meeting, executing the creation script on a virtual world server to create a virtual meeting location within the virtual world,

wherein generating the creation script is performed by a software agent, wherein the software agent sends the creation script to a virtual world client associated with a meeting owner, and wherein the meeting owner performs the step of executing the creation script on the virtual world server using the virtual world client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the meeting parameters comprise one or more virtual user identifications, the method further comprising:

adding the one or more virtual user identifications to a group to allow access to the virtual meeting location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the meeting parameters comprise at least one of color scheme, objects to be placed in the virtual meeting location, or tools to be used in the meeting.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a destruction script; and

after the conclusion of the meeting, executing the destruction script on the virtual world server to break down the virtual meeting location within the virtual world.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a creation script comprises:

receiving a set of user preferences; and

generating the creation script based on the meeting parameters and the set of user preferences.

6. An apparatus for virtual meeting location scheduling and reservation, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory contains instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive meeting parameters for a meeting in a virtual meeting location from a calendar client application; and

generate a creation script based on the meeting parameters that is configured to execute on a virtual world server to create a virtual meeting location within the virtual world,

wherein generating the creation script is performed by a software agent, wherein the software agent sends the creation script to a virtual world client associated with a meeting owner, and wherein the meeting owner performs the step of executing the creation script on the virtual world server using the virtual world client.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the meeting parameters comprise one or more virtual user identifications, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

add the one or more virtual user identifications to a group to allow access to the virtual meeting location.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the meeting parameters comprise at least one of color scheme, objects to be placed in the virtual meeting location, or tools to be used in the meeting.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

generate a destruction script that is configured to execute on the virtual world server to break down the virtual meeting location within the virtual world.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein generating a creation script comprises:

receiving a set of user preferences; and

generating the creation script based on the meeting parameters and the set of user preferences.

11. A virtual meeting location scheduling and reservation system, the system comprising:

a software agent;

a virtual world server; and

a virtual world client associated with a meeting owner,

wherein the software agent is configured to receive meeting parameters for a meeting in a virtual meeting location from a calendar client application, and generate a creation script that is configured to execute on the virtual world server to create a virtual meeting location within the virtual world,

wherein the software agent sends the creation script to the virtual world client associated with the meeting owner and wherein the meeting owner performs the step of executing the creation script on the virtual world server using the virtual world client.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the meeting parameters comprise one or more virtual user identifications, wherein the software agent is configured to add the one or more virtual user identifications to a group to allow access to the virtual meeting location.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the meeting parameters comprise at least one of color scheme, objects to be placed in the virtual meeting location, or tools to be used in the meeting.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the software agent is further configured to generate a destruction script that is configured to execute on the virtual world server to break down the virtual meeting location within the virtual world.

15. The system of claim 14,

wherein the software agent is configured to send the destruction script to the virtual world client associated with a meeting owner.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the software agent receives a set of user preferences and generates the creation script based on the meeting parameters and the set of user preferences.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the software agent is part of the calendar client application or the virtual world server.

18. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

receive meeting parameters for a meeting in a virtual meeting location from a calendar client application; and

generate a creation script based on the meeting parameters that is configured to execute on a virtual world server to create a virtual meeting location within the virtual world,

wherein generating the creation script is performed by a software agent, wherein the software agent sends the creation script to a virtual world client associated with a meeting owner, and wherein the meeting owner performs the step of executing the creation script on the virtual world server using the virtual world client.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the meeting parameters comprise one or more virtual user identifications, and wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computing device, further causes the computing device to:

add the one or more virtual user identifications to a group to allow access to the virtual meeting location.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the meeting parameters comprise at least one of color scheme, objects to be placed in the virtual meeting location, or tools to be used in the meeting.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computing device, further causes the computing device to:

generate a destruction script that is configured to execute on the virtual world server to break down the virtual meeting location within the virtual world.

22. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein generating a creation script comprises:

receiving a set of user preferences; and

generating the creation script based on the meeting parameters and the set of user preferences.