Integrating participant profile information into real-time collaborations

• US 8,161,108 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2009
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Choi, Christopher Y., Hockings, Christopher J., Readshaw, Neil I.
• Primary Examiner(s): MACILWINEN, JOHN MOORE JAIN
• Application Number:
  US12/348,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An online collaboration system can access data in one or more skills repositories to search for participants with indicated skills and automatically display participants'"'"' skill information during online collaborations. Searching for participants by skill allows individuals most likely to add value to a discussion to be identified and invited to an online collaboration. Displaying skill information can facilitate focused interaction leading to a more productive online collaboration.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a request for potential participants for an online collaboration based on one or more indicated skills;

searching one or more skills repositories for potential participants that have the one or more indicated skills, wherein the searching yields a plurality of potential participants;

selecting one or more of the plurality of potential participants;

automatically inviting the selected one or more potential participants to participate in the online collaboration;

allowing a user who does not possess the one or more indicated skills to join the online collaboration;

detecting a request for a second user to join the online collaboration;

determining that the one or more skills repositories does not indicate that the second user possesses at least one of the one or more indicated skills;

prompting the second user to provide skill information;

determining that the skill information provided by the second user includes at least one of the one or more indicated skills;

allowing the second user to join the online collaboration; and

graphically depicting the at least one of the one or more indicated skills of the second user differently than the one or more indicated skills of those of the selected one or more potential participants who have joined the online collaboration, wherein the at least one skill of the second user is depicted differently based, at least in part, on the second user providing the skill information; and

restricting the user who does not possess the one or more indicated skills from actively participating in the online collaboration while allowing active participation in the online collaboration by those of the selected one or more potential participants who join the online collaboration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more skills repositories comprise at least one of a database and a directory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting the one or more potential participants from the plurality of potential participants is based, at least in part, on one or more of manual indication by a moderator of the online collaboration and automatic selection according to one or more preferences.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting the one or more potential participants from the plurality of potential participants further comprises displaying the plurality of potential participants.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying skills of the selected one or more potential participants in one or more of the online collaboration and invitations, wherein said inviting the selected one or more potential participants to participate in the online collaboration comprises electronically sending the invitations to the selected one or more potential participants.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising retrieving skills of the selected one or more potential participants from the one or more skills repositories.

7. A computer implemented method comprising:

detecting start of an online collaboration;

retrieving a skill of a first participant of the online collaboration from one or more skills repositories;

automatically displaying the retrieved skill of the first participant in response to indication of the first participant in a user interface of a collaboration application coordinating the online collaboration;

receiving skill information of a second participant responsive to prompting the second participant;

determining that the skill information of the second participant indicates a skill in a plurality of skills indicated for the online collaboration;

displaying, in the user interface of the collaboration application, the skill of the second participant differently than the skill of the first participant to indicate that the skill of the second participant was entered by the second participant instead of retrieved from the one or more skills repositories; and

restricting a third participant, who has joined the online collaboration, from actively participating in the online collaboration based on the third participant not possessing at least one of the plurality of skills indicated for the online collaboration.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said retrieving the skill of the first participant of the online collaboration from one or more skills repositories comprises storing the retrieved skill in a store local to the online collaboration application and storing the skill at one or more clients of the second and third participants.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the indication comprises one of a mouse over event that corresponds to a graphical representation of the first participant, a manual selection of a graphical representation of the first participant, and automatic selection of a graphical representation of the first participant.

10. A computer program product for integrating participant profile information into real-time collaborations, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable storage device having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code configured to;

detect a request for potential participants for an online collaboration based on one or more indicated skills;

search one or more skills repositories for potential participants that have the one or more indicated skills, wherein the searching yields a plurality of potential participants;

select one or more of the plurality of potential participants;

invite the selected one or more potential participants to participate in the online collaboration;

allow a user who does not possess the one or more indicated skills to join the online collaboration;

detect a request for a second user to join the online collaboration;

determine that the one or more skills repositories does not indicate that the second user possesses at least one of the one or more indicated skills;

prompt the second user to provide skill information;

determine that the skill information provided by the second user includes at least one of the one or more indicated skills;

allow the second user to join the online collaboration; and

graphically depict the at least one of the one or more indicated skills of the second user differently than the one or more indicated skills of those of the selected one or more potential participants who have joined the online collaboration, wherein the at least one skill of the second user is depicted differently based, at least in part, on the second user providing the skill information; and

restrict the user who does not possess the one or more indicated skills from actively participating in the online collaboration while active participation in the online collaboration by those of the selected one or more potential participants who join the online collaboration is allowed.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the one or more skills repositories comprise at least one of a database and a directory.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the said one or more skills repositories comprise one or more database structures stored on one or more storage devices.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said computer usable program code being configured to select the one or more potential participants from the plurality of potential participants is based, at least in part, on one or more of manual indication by a moderator of the online collaboration and automatic selection according to one or more preferences.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said computer usable program code being configured to select the one or more potential participants from the plurality of potential participants comprises the computer usable code being configured to display the plurality of potential participants.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said computer usable program code is further configured to display skills of the selected one or more potential participants in one or more of the online collaboration and invitations, wherein said computer usable program code is further configured to invite the selected one or more potential participants to participate in the online collaboration comprises the computer usable code being configured to electronically send the invitations to the selected one or more potential participants.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said computer usable program code is further configured to retrieve skills of the selected one or more potential participants from the one or more skills repositories.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a set of one or more processing units;

a network interface; and

one or more machine-readable media having stored therein program instructions that embody a skills based collaboration management unit,

the skills based collaboration management unit configured to,

detect a request for potential participants for an online collaboration based on one or more indicated skills;

search one or more skills repositories for potential participants that have the one or more indicated skills, wherein the searching yields a plurality of potential participants;

select one or more of the plurality of potential participants; and

invite the selected one or more potential participants to participate in the online collaboration;

allow a user who does not possess the one or more indicated skills to join the online collaboration;

detect a request for a second user to join the online collaboration;

determine that the one or more skills repositories does not indicate that the second user possesses at least one of the one or more indicated skills;

prompt the second user to provide skill information;

determine that the skill information provided by the second user includes at least one of the one or more indicated skills;

allow the second user to join the online collaboration; and

graphically depict the at least one of the one or more indicated skills of the second user differently than the one or more indicated skills of those of the selected one or more potential participants who have joined the online collaboration, wherein the at least one skill of the second user is depicted differently based, at least in part, on the second user providing the skill information; and

restrict the user who does not possess the one or more indicated skills from actively participating in the online collaboration while active participation in the online collaboration by those of the selected one or more potential participants who join the online collaboration is allowed.