Apparatus and method for collaborative network in an enterprise setting

• US 8,373,741 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2009
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roberts, Linda, Chang, E-Lee, Sung, Ja-Young, Barrett Schultz, Natasha, King, Robert Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US12/623,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20110122220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.04, 348 1408- 1409
• US Class Current: 348/14.04
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/155 involving storage of or access to video conference sessions tracking arrangements for later retrieval of a computer conference content or participants activities H04L12/1831

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a system having a controller to present an overlay combined with a presentation of media content at each of a plurality of computing devices on an electronic communications network to illustrate a collection of one or more commentaries temporally associated with portions of the presented media content where the portions of the presented media content comprises portions of a teleconference workflow meeting, to collect one or more commentaries from each of the plurality of computing devices, and to present the commentaries from the plurality of computing devices. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing, by a system including a processor, an overlay to be presented with a presentation of media content at each of a plurality of computing devices on an internet protocol television network to illustrate a collection of user-generated comments temporally associated with portions of the presented media content, wherein the portions of the presented media content comprise portions of a teleconference workflow meeting;

collecting, by the system, the user-generated comments from the plurality of computing devices during the presentation of the overlay with the media content; and

providing, by the system, the user-generated comments collected from the plurality of computing devices in the overlay utilizing a timeline corresponding to the presentation of the media content and utilizing icons positioned along the timeline, wherein the icons are representative of a type of comment, and wherein the icons are selectable to cause presentation of a corresponding comment of the user-generated comments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the teleconference workflow meeting includes a slide show presentation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the teleconference workflow meeting is live.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of comment includes a task assignment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of icon includes an agreed to term.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising providing the overlay with the timeline and the icons combined with the media content to at least some of the plurality of computing devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of comment includes a request for review.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a portion of the user-generated comments are collected from different computing devices of the plurality of computing devices during presentation at different times at the different computing devices of the overlay with the media content.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a portion of the user-generated comments are collected from different computing devices of the plurality of computing devices during a synchronized presentation at the different computing devices of the overlay with the media content.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising modifying the timeline with attention data, wherein the attention data is representative of a user'"'"'s attention to the media content and is based on an analysis of images captured at the plurality of computing devices during the presentation of the overlay with the media content.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-generated comments are generated by a group of employees of an enterprise participating in the teleconference workflow meeting, wherein the icons are associated with a pre-determined segment of the media content that is to be reviewed, and wherein a time period for the pre-determined segment is based on user input associated with each of the user-generated comments.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the timeline is automatically tagged using a webcam.

13. A system, comprising:

a memory storing computer instructions; and

a controller coupled with the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising;

providing an overlay to be presented with a presentation of media content at each of a plurality of computing devices on an electronic communications network to illustrate a collection of commentaries temporally associated with portions of the presented media content, wherein the portions of the presented media content comprises portions of a teleconference workflow meeting;

collecting the commentaries from the plurality of computing devices; and

providing the commentaries collected from the plurality of computing devices in the overlay utilizing a timeline corresponding to the presentation of the media content and utilizing icons positioned along the timeline, wherein the icons are representative of a type of comment, and wherein the icons are selectable to cause presentation of a corresponding commentary of the commentaries; and

providing the commentaries, the timeline and the icons to at least some of the plurality of computing devices.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein portions of the teleconference workflow meeting are previously recorded.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the electronic communications network is an Interactive television network.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the type of comment includes a reminder.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the type of comment includes a task assignment.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the type of comment includes an agreed to term.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

collecting remarks from a plurality of computing devices during presentation of media content, wherein the media content comprises a project workflow presentation; and

generating an overlay to be presented with the presentation of the media content, wherein the overlay includes a timeline corresponding to the presentation of the media content and icons positioned along the timeline, and wherein the icons are representative of a type of remark.

20. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein the type of remark includes at least one of a task assignment or a reminder.

21. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein the icons are selectable to cause presentation of a corresponding remark of the remarks, wherein the remarks are generated by a group of employees of an enterprise participating in the workflow presentation.

22. A system at a subscriber unit, comprising a memory storing computer instructions and a controller coupled with the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising:

presenting an overlay with a presentation of media content, wherein the subscriber unit is operatively coupled to a plurality of computing devices on an electronic communications network to illustrate a collection of one or more commentaries temporally associated with portions of the presented media content presented at the subscriber unit, wherein the portions of the presented media content comprises portions of a teleconference workflow meeting presentation; and

presenting the one or more commentaries from the plurality of computing devices at the subscriber unit in the overlay, wherein the overlay includes a timeline corresponding to the presentation of the media content and icons positioned along the timeline, wherein the icons are representative of a type of comment, and wherein the icons are selectable to cause presentation of a corresponding commentary of the one or more commentaries.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the commentaries are employee-generated commentaries and wherein if an employee in the midst of the workflow meeting presentation commits to a milestone, commentary is entered in a form including a responsible party, a task description, and a commitment date where the entered commentary feeds a scheduling program.

24. A method at a portable computing device, comprises:

presenting an overlay with a presentation of media content, wherein the portable computing device is operatively coupled to a plurality of computing devices on an interactive TV network to illustrate a collection of one or more commentaries temporally associated with portions of the presented media content presented at the portable computing device, wherein the portions of the presented media content comprises portions of a teleconference workflow meeting presentation in an enterprise; and

presenting the one or more commentaries from the plurality of computing devices at the portable computing device in the overlay, wherein the overlay includes a timeline corresponding to the presentation of the media content and icons positioned along the timeline, wherein the icons are representative of a type of comment, and wherein the icons are selectable to cause presentation of a corresponding commentary of the one or more commentaries.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the commentaries are employee-generated commentaries.