Techniques for information collaboration

• US 8,843,831 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2008
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Brookhart, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, HIEN LUONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US12/272,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20100125798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,135 Days
• Field of Search: 715/752
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Techniques for information collaboration are presented. Information topics are defined by users within a virtual community. Comments, links to other topics, search terms used in connection with the information topic, and bookmarks are recorded in connection with each of the information topics. Security access is custom designated for: the information topic as a whole, the comments, the links, the search terms, and/or the bookmarks. The security access defines whether other second users of the virtual community are to be given access to each of the information topics and/or to each comment, link, search term and/or bookmark associated with each of those information topics.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method for information collaboration, comprising:

establishing an information topic within a website of a virtual community, the information topic and website established by and assigned to a first user within the virtual community;

associating with the information topic;

comments, links to other topics within the virtual community, search terms used in connection with the information topic, and bookmarks, recorded in connection with the information topic, and evaluating a web browser of the first user to yield the bookmarks, the bookmarks assigned to the information topic by the first user, the search terms noted and tracked when used to retrieve the information topic and the search terms are recorded with or assigned to the bookmarks, and the comments represent feedback or thoughts on the information topic posted by the first user or other second users of the virtual community, some comments restricted based on security enforcement, wherein the first user can see particular comments of some of the second users but the first user is unable to see other comments of other second users based on the security enforcement;

designating, by direction of the first user, a security access level to one or more of;

the information topic as a whole, the comments, the links, the search terms, and the bookmarks, wherein the security access level defines whether the other second users of the virtual community are to be given access to;

the information topic as a whole, the comments, the links, the search terms, and the bookmarks; and

controlling by the first user all aspects of how the source information topic evolves and is enriched by the other second users within the virtual community.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, graphically presenting the information topic, the comments, the links, the search terms, and the bookmarks in a hierarchical presentation within the website, wherein the hierarchical presentation is navigable within a World-Wide Web (WWW) browser.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

periodically receiving, from the first user, documents related to the information topic, additional links related to the information topic and files related to the information topic; and

making the documents, additional links, and files viewable from the website in connection with the information topic to the first user and the other second users subject to any additional first user defined security access levels.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, periodically and dynamically monitoring the virtual community and actions of the first user and the other second users in connection with the information topic in response to a direction from the first user to monitor the information topic within the virtual community.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, communicating messages to the first user that are sent from the second users in connection with the information topic in response to a direction from the first user that messages are permissible to the first user in connection with the information topic.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein associating further includes maintaining with each bookmark search terms used by the first user to establish that particular bookmark.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein designating further includes identifying the security access level as one or more of the following:

permission for global access by the other second users of the virtual community, permission for access by just the first user, and permission for access by a select grouping of the other second users of the virtual community.

8. A machine-implemented method for managing information collaboration, comprising:

periodically and dynamically mining information topics of a first user and other users within a virtual community for relationships to related information associated with a source information topic of the first user;

prioritizing the related information by using weights assigned to the related information and weighting first user assigned flags more heavily than pieces of related information not flagged by the first user and other related information having just one matching search term for one bookmarked piece of content, the search terms captured when searches are conducted on the information topics, the weights assigned via a customized prioritization algorithm that is modified over time to enhance relevancy computations, and the related information including a credibility ranking that identifies the frequency with which a particular piece of information has been adopted and incorporated by other users into information topics, the credibility ranking managed by the virtual community and the related information including reputation ratings for the other users of the virtual community assisting the first user in deciding whether to adopt selective information to enrich the source topic;

creating links to the related information; and

graphically presenting the prioritized and related information along with the links to the first user associated with the source information topic.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein periodically and dynamically mining further includes defining the relationships as specific search terms and bookmarks used in connection with the source information topic of the first user that are found in one or more of the following:

other topic nodes of the first user and other topic nodes of the other users of the virtual community.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein periodically and dynamically mining further includes identifying one or more of the specific search terms as being associated with and assigned to a particular bookmark of one of the information topics for one of the other users.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying further includes previously monitoring search activity and bookmark activity of the first user and the other users to associate particular search terms with particular bookmarks.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein prioritizing further includes establishing a usefulness or credibility for portions of the related information by identifying how frequently a particular one of the information topics was adopted by the first user and the other users of the virtual community and using the usefulness and credibility when prioritizing the related information.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising, importing a particular one of the information topics into the source information topic upon direction of the first user when the first user interacts with the prioritized related information and the links.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising, sending a message composed by the first user to one of the other users upon the direction of the user when the first user interacts with a portion of the prioritized related information and the links that is owned by that other user.