Third party menus for enabling collaboration

• US 8,555,176 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Elumalai, Arulkumar, Rollin, Kelly Elizabeth, Deshpande, Vinit Chandrakant, Shtiegman, Eran
• Primary Examiner(s): TILLERY, RASHAWN N
• Application Number:
  US11/684,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20080229239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,402 Days
• Field of Search: 715/733, 715/734, 715/735, 715/739, 715/741, 715/742, 715/743, 715/744, 715/746, 715/747, 715/751, 715/752, 715/753, 715/810, 715/811, 715/825, 715/826
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

The claimed subject matter can provide an architecture and various mechanism whereby a communication client can facilitate a more robust collaboration experience. The communication client can provide configurable menus for launching third-party resources locally and transmitting resource invites to remote entities along with appropriate information to enable the remote entities to launch the resource locally as well. The architecture can provide for peer-to-peer collaboration sessions as well as server directed collaboration sessions.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a processor for executing computer-executable instructions; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions for;

configuring registration data associated with a third party application that enables multiparty collaboration, the registration data including;

a globally unique identifier (GUID) identifying the third party application,

a uniform resource locator specifying a remote location for downloading the third party application,

a session type indicating whether the third party application is to be launched locally only, launched for peer-to-peer collaboration, or launched in a collaboration environment hosted by a communication server, and

a path specifying a local location of the third party application and a set of tokenized input parameters to be resolved when the third party application is launched by a communication client on the computing device, wherein the set of tokenized input parameters includes a tokenized user identification (user ID) parameter and a tokenized contact identification (contact ID) parameter;

receiving a selection of a contact from a contacts list maintained by the communication client;

displaying, by the communication client, a user interface menu in response to the selection of the contact, wherein the user interface menu displayed by the communication client includes a menu item associated with the third party application;

supplying, by the communication client, values for resolving the set of tokenized input parameters in response to selection of the menu item associated with the third party application from the user interface menu displayed by the communication client, the values including;

a user ID value associated with a user of the communication client, and

a contact ID value associated with the contact;

launching, by the communication client, the third party application in accordance with the session type, wherein;

the third party application is launched from the local location specified by the path with the tokenized user ID parameter resolved by the user ID value and the tokenized contact ID parameter resolved by the contact ID value, and

the third party application is launched in a context related to the contact if the third party application is launched locally only; and

transmitting, by the communication client, a resource invite if the third party application is launched for peer-to-peer collaboration or launched in the collaboration environment hosted by the communication server, wherein;

the communication client transmits the resource invite to a remote communication client associated with the contact if the third party application is launched for peer-to-peer collaboration,

the communication client transmits the resource invite to the communication server for forwarding the resource invite to the remote communication client associated with the contact if the third party application is launched in the collaboration environment hosted by the communication server,

the resource invite transmitted by the communication client includes at least the GUID identifying the third party application, the user ID value, and the contact ID value for enabling the remote communication client associated with the contact to launch the third party application and resolve the set of tokenized input parameters,

the resource invite forwarded by the communication server to the remote communication client associated with the contact further includes a conference Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) associated with a collaboration session hosted by the communication server, and

upon acceptance of the resource invite by the contact, the third party application is launched by the remote communication client associated with the contact to enable collaboration with the user of the communication client.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the registration data is stored as a configurable registration key.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the remote communication client associated with the contact is configured to launch the third party application locally using a local registration key that corresponds to the GUID identifying the third party application.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the resource invite is included in a body field and is configured to be propagated by Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the communication server is configured to allocate resources between the computing device and a remote entity associated with the contact.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the communication server is configured to schedule activities associated with the collaboration session.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein:

the set of tokenized input parameters further includes a tokenized conference URI parameter, and

the values supplied by the communication client for resolving the tokenized set of input parameters include the URI associated with the collaboration session hosted by the communication server.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the communication client is configured to receive resource invites from remote entities.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the remote communication client is configured to download or install the third party application in response to the resource invite.

10. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the values supplied by the communication client include a string of contact ID values if more than one contact is selected from the contacts list.

11. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the third party application is a custom in-house application for employees of an enterprise.

12. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the third party application is a product design application.

13. A computer-implemented method performed by a computing device, the computer-implemented method comprising:

configuring registration data associated with a third party application that enables multiparty collaboration, the registration data including;

a globally unique identifier (GUID) identifying the third party application,

a uniform resource locator specifying a remote location for downloading the third party application,

a session type indicating whether the third party application is to be launched locally only, launched for peer-to-peer collaboration, or launched in a collaboration environment hosted by a communication server, and

a path specifying a local location of the third party application and a set of tokenized input parameters to be resolved when the third party application is launched by a communication client on the computing device, wherein the set of tokenized input parameters includes a tokenized user identification (user ID) parameter and a tokenized contact identification (contact ID) parameter;

receiving a selection of a contact from a contacts list maintained by the communication client;

displaying, by the communication client, a user interface menu in response to the selection of the contact, wherein the user interface menu displayed by the communication client includes a menu item associated with the third party application;

supplying, by the communication client, values for resolving the set of tokenized input parameters in response to selection of the menu item associated with the third party application from the user interface menu displayed by the communication client, the values including;

a user ID value associated with a user of the communication client, and

a contact ID value associated with the contact;

launching, by the communication client, the third party application in accordance with the session type, wherein;

the third party application is launched from the local location specified by the path with the tokenized user ID parameter resolved by the user ID value and the tokenized contact ID parameter resolved by the contact ID value, and

the third party application is launched in a context related to the contact if the third party application is launched locally only; and

transmitting, by the communication client, a resource invite if the third party application is launched for peer-to-peer collaboration or launched in the collaboration environment hosted by the communication server, wherein;

the communication client transmits the resource invite including to a remote communication client associated with the contact if the third party application is launched for peer-to-peer collaboration,

the communication client transmits the resource invite to the communication server for forwarding the resource invite to the remote communication client associated with the contact if the third party application is launched in the collaboration environment hosted by the communication server,

the resource invite transmitted by the communication client includes at least the GUID identifying the third party application, the user ID value, and the contact ID value for enabling the remote communication client associated with the contact to launch the third party application and resolve the set of tokenized input parameters,

the resource invite forwarded by the communication server to the remote communication client associated with the contact further includes a conference Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) associated with a collaboration session hosted by the communication server, and

upon acceptance of the resource invite by the contact, the third party application is launched by the remote communication client associated with the contact to enable collaboration with the user of the communication client.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein:

multiple contacts are selected from the contacts list maintained by the communication client, and

if the third party application is launched for peer-to-peer collaboration, the communication client transmits only one resource invite to a first selected contact.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein:

the set of tokenized input parameters further includes a tokenized conference URI parameter, and

the values supplied by the communication client for resolving the tokenized set of input parameters include the URI associated with the collaboration session hosted by the communication server.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the values supplied by the communication client include a string of contact ID values if more than one contact is selected from the contacts list.

15. A computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

configuring registration data associated with a third party application that enables multiparty collaboration, the registration data including;

a globally unique identifier (GUID) identifying the third party application,

a uniform resource locator specifying a remote location for downloading the third party application,

a session type indicating whether the third party application is to be launched locally only, launched for peer-to-peer collaboration, or launched in a collaboration environment hosted by a communication server, and

a path specifying a local location of the third party application and a set of tokenized input parameters to be resolved when the third party application is launched by a communication client on the computing device, wherein the set of tokenized input parameters includes a tokenized user identification (user ID) parameter and a tokenized contact identification (contact ID) parameter;

receiving a selection of a contact from a contacts list maintained by the communication client;

displaying, by the communication client, a user interface menu in response to the selection of the contact, wherein the user interface menu displayed by the communication client includes a menu item associated with the third party application;

supplying, by the communication client, values for resolving the set of tokenized input parameters in response to selection of the menu item associated with the third party application from the user interface menu displayed by the communication client, the values including;

a user ID value associated with a user of the communication client, and

a contact ID value associated with the contact;

launching, by the communication client, the third party application in accordance with the session type, wherein;

the third party application is launched from the local location specified by the path with the tokenized user ID parameter resolved by the user ID value and the tokenized contact ID parameter resolved by the contact ID value, and

the third party application is launched in a context related to the contact if the third party application is launched locally only; and

transmitting, by the communication client, a resource invite if the third party application is launched for peer-to-peer collaboration or launched in the collaboration environment hosted by the communication server, wherein;

the communication client transmits the resource invite to a remote communication client associated with the contact if the third party application is launched for peer-to-peer collaboration,

the communication client transmits the resource invite to the communication server for forwarding the resource invite to the remote communication client associated with the contact if the third party application is launched in the collaboration environment hosted by the communication server,

the resource invite transmitted by the communication client includes at least the GUID identifying the third party application, the user ID value, and the contact ID value for enabling the remote communication client associated with the contact to launch the third party application and resolve the set of tokenized input parameters,

the resource invite forwarded by the communication server to the remote communication client associated with the contact further includes a conference Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) associated with a collaboration session hosted by the communication server, and

upon acceptance of the resource invite by the contact, the third party application is launched by the remote communication client associated with the contact to enable collaboration with the user of the communication client.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein:

multiple contacts are selected from the contacts list maintained by the communication client, and

if the third party application is launched for peer-to-peer collaboration, the communication client transmits only one resource invite to a first selected contact.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein:

the set of tokenized input parameters further includes a tokenized conference URI parameter, and

the values supplied by the communication client for resolving the tokenized set of input parameters include the URI associated with the collaboration session hosted by the communication server.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the values supplied by the communication client include a string of contact ID values if more than one contact is selected from the contacts list.