Systems and methods for collaboration between computers

• US 7,865,913 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2005
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kou, Yu Xin, Hu, Xiao Wei, Ma, Yue
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough; H. S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VERDI, KIMBLEANN C
• Application Number:
  US11/289,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20060117042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,862 Days
• Field of Search: 719/330, 707/608
• US Class Current: 719/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A collaboration system and method via computer is provided. The collaboration system comprises a computing platform for storing an identifier, address and other information associated with at least one object; at least one service connector for communicating with a service using the identifier, address of the at least one object to interact with the service for the information associated with the object and transfer the information to the computing platform; and at least one tool for communicating with the computing platform to exchange the information associated with the object. According to the present invention, a tool may display the current information of a remote object. The tool does not necessarily have the capability to communicate with different remote services. Therefore, user might concentrate on the collaboration object and tools.

Claims

1. A collaboration system implemented in a computer, comprising:

a computing platform, for storing information associated with an object including an identifier and an address of the object and other information associated with the object, wherein the other information associated with the object comprises metadata, status or at least part of the content;

a storage area of said computing platform, wherein content containing the object is a document stored in the storage area of the computing platform;

at least one service connector, for communicating with a service using the identifier and address of the object, to interact with the service for the metadata, the status or the at least part of the content associated with the object and transfer the metadata, the status or the at least part of the content associated with the object to the computing platform;

a display associated with the computing platform configured to display said information associated with the object, said display further being configured to display a status of said information associated with the object; and

at least one tool, for communicating with the computing platform to exchange the information associated with the object, the at least one tool configured to identify and extract the object from text or process being handled by the at least one tool, and register the identifier and address of the object to the computing platform, wherein the at least one tool is selected from the group consisting of text editor, email tool, and calendar tool;

wherein the computing platform is configured to set the object registered with the computing platform as an active object, and the at least one service connector updates the metadata, the status or the at least part of the content of the active object in response to the object registered with the computing platform being set as the active object.

2. The collaboration system of claim 1, wherein the service comprises remote or local service.

3. The collaboration system of claim 1, wherein the at least one tool registers object kinds it could identify or process to the computing platform, the at least one tool being configured to process the object by invoking another tool via the computing platform.

4. The collaboration system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of service connectors corresponding to a plurality of object types.

5. The collaboration system of claim 1, wherein the at least one service connector communicates with the service according to predefined configuration to update the metadata, the status or the at least part of the content associated with the object;

and displays the updated metadata, status or at least part of the content associated with the object with specific format after the metadata, the status or the at least part of the content associated with the object is updated.

6. The collaboration system of claim 1, wherein the computing platform, the at least one service connector, and the at least one tool communicate with each other via predefined standard interfaces.

7. The collaboration system of claim 1 further comprises an object specifying means, for specifying the information associated with the object required by the collaboration system;

and the at least one service connector only interacts with the service for the specified information.

8. The collaboration system of claim 1, wherein the at least one tool adds a new type of object to the computing platform via a predefined standard interface.

13. The collaboration method of claim 8, wherein the service connector periodically communicates with the service to update the metadata, the status or the at least part of the content associated with the object;

and displays the updated metadata, the status or the at least part of the content associated with the object with specific format in the tool after the metadata the status or the at least part of the content associated with the object is updated.

9. A collaboration method, comprising:

storing content containing an object on a computing platform, wherein said content is a document;

a tool identifying information associated with the object including an identifier and address of the object, and transferring the information associated with the object to the computing platform, identifying and extracting the object from the text or process being handled by the tool, and registering the identifier and address of the object to the computing platform, wherein the tool is selected from the group consisting of text editor, email tool and calendar tool, wherein the computing platform sets the object registered with the computing platform as an active object;

the computing platform checking whether other information associated with the object is already in its storage and, if yes, obtaining the other information associated with the object from its storage, the other information associated with the object comprises metadata, status or at least part of the content;

if the metadata, the status or the at least part of the content associated with the object is not in the storage of the computing platform, the computing platform communicating with a corresponding service using the identifier and address of the object via a service connector to obtain the information metadata, the status or the at least part of the content associated with the object, wherein the service connector updates the metadata, the status or the at least part of the content of the active object in response to the object registered with the computing platform being set as the active object;

the computing platform transferring the obtained metadata, the status or the at least part of the content associated with the object to the tool; and

displaying said information associated with the object and a status of said information associated with the object.

10. The collaboration method of claim 9, wherein the collaboration method is implemented in a personal computer, and the service comprises remote or local service.

11. The collaboration method of claim 9, wherein the tool registers an object type it could identify or process to the computing platform;

said tool being configured to process an object by invoking another tool via the computing platform.

12. The collaboration method of claim 9, wherein the computing platform obtains information associated with a plurality of objects including the other information associated with the object via a plurality of service connectors corresponding to a plural kinds of objects.

14. The collaboration method of claim 9, wherein the computing platform, the service connector and the tool communicate with each other via predefined standard interfaces.

15. The collaboration method of claim 9 further comprises specifying the information associated with the object required for collaboration, and the service connector only interacts with the service for the specified information.

16. The collaboration method of claim 9, wherein the tool adds a new type of object to the computing platform via a predefined standard interface.

17. The collaboration method of claim 9 further comprising of transferring the information associated with the object stored in the computing platform to the service via the service connector.