Automated set-up of a collaborative workspace

• US 8,341,532 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2008
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ryan, Patricia A., Raman, Suri, Anders, Ulrike A., Giles, Jason D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitaro, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARRETT, RYAN S
• Application Number:
  US12/136,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20090307605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 715/225, 715/741, 715/751, 715/752, 715/762, 719/320
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An approach to setting up a collabortive workspace involves receiving a user'"'"'s instructions to convert an object to a collaborative workspace. In response to this instruction, the approach creates the collaborative workspace in a substantially automated manner. The approach may thereby facilitate the provisioning of a collaborative workspace, eliminating or at least reducing the manual effort involved in setting up a collaborative workspace.

Claims

1. A method for setting up a collaborative workspace, the method being performed on electronic data processing equipment, the method comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s instruction to convert an email into a collaborative workspace;

in response to the instruction, automatically creating at least aspects of the collaborative workspace based at least in part on the email to be converted including;

based at least in part upon the email to be converted, identifying members to be associated with the collaborative workspace, to establish identified members and identifying an attachment to the email as an item to be associated with the collaborative workspace;

based at least in part upon the email to be converted, identifying permission levels of the identified members, to establish identified permission levels; and

associating the identified members and the identified permission levels with the collaborative workspace; and

providing the collaborative workspace thus created to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said creating of the collaborative workspace comprises:

based at least in part upon the object to be converted, identifying items to be associated with the collaborative workspace, to establish identified items; and

associating the identified items with the collaborative workspace.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the identified items comprise document items.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the identified items comprise data items.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the identified items comprise discussion items.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said creating of the collaborative workspace comprises:

identifying at least one notification to be associated with the collaborative workspace, to establish at least one identified notification; and

associating said at least one identified notification with the collaborative workspace.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the collaborative workspace that has been created to the user;

receiving a modification by the user of the collaborative workspace; and

saving the collaborative workspace as modified by the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying members to be associated with the collaborative workspace comprises including individuals identified in the email.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the collaborative workspace is further automatically created based upon examining prior actions taken by the user regarding creation of previous collaborative workspaces.

10. A device, comprising:

a processor comprising a set-up initiation module configured to receive a user'"'"'s instruction to convert an Email to a collaborative workspace,

wherein the set-up initiation module receives the user'"'"'s instruction via a user interface presentation associated with the Email,

wherein, in response to the instruction, a set-up management module is configured to automatically create at least aspects of the collaborative workspace based at least in part upon the Email to be converted including;

based at least in part upon the email to be converted, identify members to be associated with the collaborative workspace, to establish identified members and identify an attachment to the email as an item to be associated with the collaborative workspace;

based at least in part upon the email to be converted, identify permission levels of the identified members, to establish identified permission levels; and

associate the identified members and the identified permission levels with the collaborative workspace; and

provide the collaborative workspace thus created to the user.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the user interface presentation is an Email user interface presentation through which the user is viewing the Email, wherein the set-up initiation module receives the user'"'"'s instruction in response to the user activating a set-up command provided by the Email user interface presentation.

12. The device of claim 10, further comprising an items set-up module configured to identify additional items to be associated with the collaborative workspace, to establish identified additional items, and to associate the identified additional items with the collaborative workspace.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the items set-up module interacts with a plurality of sources to identify the additional items to be associated with the collaborative workspace.

14. The device of claim 10, further comprising an activity set-up module configured to identify at least one notification to be associated with the collaborative workspace, to establish at least one identified notification, and to associate said at least one identified notification with the collaborative workspace.

15. The set-up management module of claim 10, further comprising an editing module configured to allow the user to modify the collaborative workspace that is created by the set-up management module.

16. A computer-readable storage memory for storing computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable instructions providing a set-up management module when executed by one or more processing devices, the computer-readable instructions comprising:

set-up initiation logic configured to receive a user'"'"'s instruction to convert an object to a collaborative workspace, wherein, in response to the instruction, the set-up module is configured to create at least aspects of the collaborative workspace in an automated manner and wherein the object is an Email object;

permissions set-up logic configured to, based least in part upon the object to be converted, identify members to be associated with the collaborative workspace, to establish identified members, to identify permission levels of the identified members, to establish identified permission levels, and to associate the identified members and the identified permission levels with the collaborative workspace;

items set-up logic configured to, based least in part upon the object to be converted, identify items to be associated with the collaborative workspace, to establish identified items, and to associate the identified items with the collaborative workspace, the items set-up module interacting with a plurality of sources to identify the items to be associated with the collaborative workspace, the items set-up logic further configured to identify an attachment to the Email object as an item to be associated with the collaborative workspace;

activity set-up logic configured to identify at least one notification to be associated with the collaborative workspace, to establish at least one identified notification, and to associate said at least one identified notification with the collaborative workspace; and

editing logic configured to allow the user to modify the collaborative workspace that is created by the set-up management module.