Method and apparatus for providing a collaborative workspace

• US 8,427,521 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2009
• 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: Aaron, Jeffrey A., Woodring, Larry
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US12/603,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20110090301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.08, 348/14.09, 370/260, 370/261
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 method and apparatus for providing collaborative workspace are disclosed. The method receives a request to establish a video conference for two or more participants, and obtains information from historical information on the two or more participants to be used with the collaborative workspace. The method determines preferences for each of the two or more participants as to a presentation of the collaborative workspace. The method receives one or more live images of the two or more participants and presents the collaborative workspace to each of the two or more participants in accordance with the preferences for each of the two or more participants.

Claims

1. A method for providing a collaborative workspace, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a request to establish a video conference for a plurality of participants;

obtaining, by the processor, information from historical information on the plurality of participants to be used with the collaborative workspace;

determining, by the processor, a preference for each of the plurality of participants as to a presentation of the collaborative workspace;

receiving, by the processor, live images of the plurality of participants;

presenting, by the processor, the collaborative workspace to each of the plurality of participants in accordance with the preference for each of the plurality of participants;

identifying, by the processor, a conflict due to the preference for each of the plurality of participants; and

resolving, by the processor, the conflict, wherein the resolving the conflict comprises;

sending a notice of the conflict to the plurality of participants; and

receiving a request from one of the participants to change a respective preference.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a synthetic imagery for the collaborative workspace associated with one of the plurality of participants.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the synthetic imagery is used in conjunction with the live images of the plurality of participants.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the synthetic imagery is used in place of one of the live images of one of the plurality of participants.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

gathering dynamic information from the video conference;

determining if a modification to the collaborative workspace is necessary from the dynamic information; and

updating the collaborative workspace if it is determined that the modification to the collaborative workspace is necessary.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to end the video conference; and

saving a copy of the video conference.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a conference summary for the video conference.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the conference summary contains a clip taken from the video conference.

9. A method for providing a collaborative workspace, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a request to establish a video conference for a plurality of participants;

obtaining, by the processor, information from historical information on the plurality of participants to be used with the collaborative workspace;

determining, by the processor, a preference for each of the plurality of participants as to a presentation of the collaborative workspace;

receiving, by the processor, live images of the plurality of participants;

presenting, by the processor, the collaborative workspace to each of the plurality of participants in accordance with the preference for each of the plurality of participants;

identifying, by the processor, a conflict due to the preference for each of the plurality of participants; and

resolving, by the processor, the conflict, wherein the resolving the conflict comprises;

sending a notice of the conflict to the plurality of participants informing each of the plurality of participants that compliance with a preference of a host participant is required; and

wherein the collaborative workspace is presented to participants of the plurality of participants having preferences that are not in conflict with the preference of the host participant.

10. A tangible computer-readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for providing a collaborative workspace, the operations comprising:

receiving a request to establish a video conference for a plurality of participants;

obtaining information from historical information on the plurality of participants to be used with the collaborative workspace;

determining a preference for each of the plurality of participants as to a presentation of the collaborative workspace;

receiving live images of the plurality of participants;

presenting the collaborative workspace to each of the plurality of participants in accordance with the preference for each of the plurality of participants;

identifying a conflict due to the preference for each of the plurality of participants; and

resolving the conflict, wherein the resolvinq the conflict comprises;

sending a notice of the conflict to the plurality of participants; and

receiving a request from one of the plurality of participants to change a respective preference.

11. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

generating a synthetic imagery for the collaborative workspace associated with one of the plurality of participants.

12. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the synthetic imagery is used in conjunction with one of the live images of one of the plurality of participants.

13. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the synthetic imagery is used in place of one of the live images of one of the plurality of participants.

14. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

gathering dynamic information from the video conference;

determining if a modification to the collaborative workspace is necessary from the dynamic information; and

updating the collaborative workspace if it is determined that the modification to the collaborative workspace is necessary.