Architecture, system and method for a real-time collaboration interface

• US 8,843,832 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2010
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: REH Hat Incorporated
• Inventors: Frields, Paul W., Macken, Luke J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bycer, Eric J
• Application Number:
  US12/842,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20120023418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/753, 715/756, 715/759
• US Class Current: 715/756
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a real-time interface for collaborating between users is described. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a request to initiate a collaboration on a particular subject. The method may also include selecting a collection of framework widgets based on the particular subject, each framework widget being a web-based component that is updated in real time. In one embodiment, the method may further include embedding the collection of framework widgets in a collaboration interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request at framework middleware to initiate a collaboration on a particular subject from a client computing system, wherein the framework middleware is to provide a web-based application framework;

analyzing data indicative of the particular subject in the request by the framework middleware;

selecting, by the framework middleware, a collection of framework widgets in view of the analyzing without requiring an action of the client computing system, wherein at least one of the collection of framework widgets is a web-based component that is updated as updates to data of the web-based component become available;

embedding, with a computing system, the collection of framework widgets in a collaboration interface;

presenting a web page comprising the collaboration interface to the client computing system; and

opening a framework socket in the client computing system by the framework middleware to enable the web-based application framework to send data messages to the collection of framework widgets without receiving additional requests from the client computing system, wherein the framework socket opens a persistent connection between the client computing system and the web-based application framework while the web page is being displayed by client computing system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the collaboration interface with the embedded collection of framework widgets to the client computing system that initiated the request; and

transmitting an alert message to one or more mentors associated with the particular subject.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving user input from one of the collection of framework widgets; and

distributing the user input, with the web-based application framework, to one or more users engaged in the collaboration.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the collaboration interface is a web-based interface to be run by a web browser of the client computing system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the collection of framework widgets is a pre-selected group of framework widgets associated with the particular subject.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising

consulting a database of framework widget collections to determine the pre-selected group of framework widgets, the database storing a plurality of different pre-selected groups of framework widgets, each of the different pre-selected groups associated with a different subject.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a framework widget is updated as data is obtained by the web-based application framework from a data feed associated with the framework widget.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the collection of framework widgets comprises two or more collaboration resource framework widgets, each collaboration resource framework widget to display data fed from one or more sources and relevant to the particular subject.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the collection of framework widgets comprises a communication framework widget that enables bi-directional communication between a user of the collaboration interface and one or more mentors.

10. A non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium that provides instructions, which when executed on a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request at a framework middleware to initiate a collaboration on a particular subject from a client computing system, wherein the framework middleware is to provide a web-based application framework;

analyzing data indicative of the particular subject in the request by the framework middleware;

selecting, by the framework middleware, a collection of framework widgets in view of the analyzing without requiring an action of the client computing system, wherein at least one of the collection of framework widgets is a web-based component that is updated as updates to data of the web-based component become available;

embedding, with a computing system, the collection of framework widgets in a collaboration interface;

presenting a web page comprising the collaboration interface to the client computing system; and

opening a framework socket in the client computing system by the framework middleware to enable the web-based application framework to send data messages to the collection of framework widgets without receiving additional requests from the client computing system, wherein the framework socket opens a persistent connection between the client computing system and the web-based application framework while the web page is being displayed by client computing system.

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

transmitting the collaboration interface with the embedded collection of framework widgets to a client computing system that initiated the request; and

transmitting an alert message to one or more mentors associated with the particular subject.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving user input from one of the collection of framework widgets; and

distributing the user input, with the web-based application framework, to one or more users engaged in the collaboration.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the collaboration interface is a web-based interface to be run by a web browser of the client computing system.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the collection of framework widgets is a pre-selected group of framework widgets associated with the particular subject.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising

consulting a database of framework widget collections to determine the pre-selected group of framework widgets, the database storing a plurality of different pre-selected groups of framework widgets, each of the different pre-selected groups associated with a different subject.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein a framework widget is updated as data is obtained by the web-based application framework from a data feed associated with the framework widget.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the collection of framework widgets comprises two or more collaboration resource framework widgets, each collaboration resource framework widget to display data fed from one or more sources and relevant to the particular subject.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the collection of framework widgets comprises a communication framework widget that enables bi-directional communication between a user of the collaboration interface and one or more mentors.

19. A system comprising:

a memory to store data indicating a plurality of collections of framework widgets; and

a processing device coupled with the memory to execute framework middleware to provide a web-based application framework, wherein the framework middleware is to;

receive a request to initiate a collaboration on a particular subject from a client computing system,

analyze data indicative of the particular subject in the request,

select a collection of framework widgets from the plurality of collections without requiring an action of the client computing system, wherein the selection is in view of the based on the analyzed data, and wherein at least one of the collection of framework widgets is a web-based component that is updated as updates to data of the web-based component become available,

embed the collection of framework widgets in a collaboration interface,

present a web page comprising the collaboration interface to the client computing system, and

open a framework socket in the client computing system to enable the web-based application framework to send data messages to the collection of framework widgets without receiving additional requests from the client computing system, wherein the framework socket is to open a persistent connection between the client computing system and the web-based application framework while the web page is being displayed by client computing system.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the collection of framework widgets comprises two or more collaboration resource framework widgets, each collaboration resource framework widget to display data fed from one or more sources and relevant to the particular subject.