Shared online experience history capture and provision system and method

• US 8,196,051 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2004
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zaner, Melora, Chung, Eun-Kyung, Elliott, Geoffrey, Ferguson, Heather, Savage, Tammy, Sposato, Jonathan, Vert, John, Walkush, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Keaton, Sherrod
• Application Number:
  US10/770,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20040221309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,045 Days
• Field of Search: 715/758, 715/751, 715/759, 715/753, 715/856, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 715/758
• 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 novel technique automatically stores synchronized group history related to an online group interaction and enables individual group members to later view and access the group history. In an embodiment of the invention, the group history is accessible by group members independently of group interactions at any later time. According to various embodiments of the invention, the group history may be presented in an overview form or a detailed form. With respect to the detailed form, the group history may be presented graphically, such as in an icon timeline or collage, textually, such as in list form, or in any combination of presentation formats. In a further embodiment of the invention, the synchronized group history is writable by group members in addition to being automatically maintained.

Claims

1. A method of providing a shared history of transactions occurring between two or more members of an interaction group, each member of the interaction group being associated with a respective member machine for interacting with one or more other members through their respective member machines over a network, the method comprising:

observing a plurality of different types of transactions between two or more members of the interaction group;

automatically storing references to the plurality of different types of transactions in a group history file;

synchronizing the group history file for the respective member machines;

presenting user-selectable options for displaying a summary of the group history file, the user-selectable options comprising;

a group history timeline view that displays, via a temporal configuration, the summary of the group history file as distinct visual icons for the different types of transactions observed; and

a group history collage view that displays, via a collage configuration, the summary of the group history file as distinct visual icons for the different types of transactions observed; and

in response to a user-selected option, displaying the summary of the group history file to a member via a display device of a member machine, the summary of the group history file being configured to;

serve as a group space for the members of the interaction group that is writeable by the members, enabling the members to place items on the summary of the group history file for viewing by other members; and

visually distinguish between the different types of transactions the members missed during an offline period.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the user-selected option is the group history timeline view; and

displaying the summary of the group history file visually conveys a respective occurrence time of each transaction.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein each distinct visual icon is active such that user-selection of the distinct visual icon causes more information regarding a respective transaction to be displayed.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the user-selected option is the group history collage view; and

displaying the summary of the group history file visually resembles a collage of physical items.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein each distinct visual icon is active such that user-selection of the distinct visual icon causes further information regarding a respective transaction to be displayed.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein each transaction is selected from a group of different transactions types comprising:

a shared video experience;

a voice comment;

a graphical comment;

a photo sharing experience;

a shared listening activity;

chatting;

browsing;

planning; and

scheduling.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one transaction represented in the summary of the group history file comprises an activity having multiple events.

8. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the method according to claim 1.

9. A method comprising:

under control of one or more processors configured with executable instructions;

detecting a plurality of transactions for an interaction group, the plurality of transactions originating from one or more members with online network access to an interaction group;

automatically storing a reference for each of the plurality of transactions in a group history file, the group history file serving as a writeable group space for members of the interaction group thereby enabling the members to share information and place items associated with the plurality of transactions and to distinguish between transactions missed during an offline period;

in response to observing that a previously offline member currently has online access to the interaction group, synchronizing the group history file on a machine of the previously offline member;

providing options to the previously offline member for displaying a summary of the group history file, the options including;

a group history timeline view that displays, via a temporal configuration, the summary of the group history file as distinct visual icons for different types of transactions detected; and

a group history collage view that displays, via a collage configuration, the summary of the group history file as distinct visual icons for the different types of transactions detected;

receiving an indication of a user selected option; and

configuring one of the group history timeline view or the group history collage view for display based at least in part on the user selected option.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the distinct visual icons are distinguishable by color.

11. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the method according to claim 9.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the different types of transactions detected are selected from a group comprising:

a shared video experience;

a voice comment;

a graphical comment;

a photo sharing experience;

a shared listening activity;

chatting;

browsing;

planning; and

scheduling.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one transaction in the group history file comprises an activity having multiple events.

14. A method comprising:

under control of one or more processors configured with executable instructions;

detecting that a previously offline member currently has online access to an interaction group;

accessing a server to synchronize a group history file on a machine of the previously offline member, the group history file being configured to;

serve as a writeable group space for members of the interaction group thereby enabling individual members to place items in the group history file for viewing by other members in the interaction group;

store references to a plurality of transactions respectively associated with the placed items; and

distinguish between different types of transactions the previously offline member missed during an offline period;

providing options to the previously offline member for displaying a summary of the group history file, the options including;

a group history timeline view that displays, via a temporal configuration, the summary of the group history file as distinct visual icons for different types of transactions detected; and

a group history collage view that displays, via a collage configuration, the summary of the group history file as distinct visual icons for the different types of transactions detected; and

displaying the group history timeline view or the group history collage view based at least in part on a user selected option.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of transactions are selected from a group comprising:

a shared video experience;

a voice comment;

a graphical comment;

a photo sharing experience;

a shared listening activity;

chatting;

browsing;

planning; and

scheduling.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein at least one transaction in the group history file comprises an activity having multiple events.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the method according to claim 14.