User collaboration system

• US 8,875,028 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2006
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC), Conopco, Inc. (Unilever PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Samele, Antonio, Schneider, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paula, Cesar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Faber, David
• Application Number:
  US11/525,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20080072158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,959 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/758, 709/204, 709/202, 709/205, 709/219, 709/216, 709/224, 709/245
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A user collaboration system providing for the efficient utilization of an organization'"'"'s resources, such as the bandwidth associated with call center activity. At the same time, the user collaboration system enables users to quickly and easily receive help in a particular subject matter area, without requiring the user to know who within the organization may be able to provide that assistance. The user collaboration system also maintains an organization'"'"'s user profile information that tracks employee subject matter expertise and allows users to request assistance from an anonymous expert. The assistance may be provided via a collaboration session which may be optimized based on available network resources.

Claims

1. A user collaboration system comprising:

a user profile database comprising community membership information, the community membership information including information about community members for a plurality of communities, where each community includes a plurality of the community members;

a non-transitory memory connected to at least one computer processor, the memory comprising;

a presentation layer operative to cause the at least one computer processor to receive a request for a collaborative session with an anonymous member of a specific community among the plurality of communities, the request associated with a first user, the request specifying a first subject matter and the specific community; and

a logic layer including;

a presence component operative to cause the at least one computer processor to determine available community members matching the first subject matter of the specific community from among the plurality of community members of the specific community; and

a filter component operative to cause the at least one computer processor to;

where there is at least one available community member matching the first subject matter, identifying as a second user a member from among the at least one available community members having a type of network connection compatible with the request of the first user and matching the first subject matter;

where there are no available community members matching the first subject matter;

 

determine when a member of the specific community becomes newly-available;

 

determine whether the newly-available member of the specific community matches the first subject matter and whether a type of network connection of the newly-available member is compatible with the request of the first user; and

 

where the newly-available member matches the first subject matter and the type of network connection of the newly-available member is compatible with the request, identify the newly-available member as the second user; and

select collaboration session information based on the type of network connection and send the selected collaboration session information to the first user and the second user to facilitate initiating a collaborative session between the first user and the second user.

2. The system of claim 1, where the presence component includes a network presence component operative to determine a network presence of any of the community members and to determine the available members based on the network presence.

3. The system of claim 2, where the network presence component is further operative to store network characteristics of any of the available members, and where the filter component is further operative to determine the second user based on the network characteristics of the available members.

4. The system of claim 1, where the logic layer further comprises a booking component operative to facilitate the first user to make a request for a future collaborative session with a requested community member of the specific community if there are no available members.

5. The system of claim 4, where the booking component is further operative to cause the first user to be notified when the requested community member becomes available.

6. The system of claim 1, where the filter component is further operative to mask an identity of the second user from the first user.

7. The system of claim 1, where the filter component is further operative to determine the second user to maintain an even distribution of requests for collaborative sessions serviced by the available members.

8. The system of claim 1, where the filter component is further operative to establish the collaborative session between the first user and the second user.

9. The system of claim 1, where the filter component is further operative to determine the second user from among the available community members based on a bandwidth rating associated with the second user.

10. The system of claim 1, where the filter component is further operative to identify, based on a bandwidth rating associated with the first user, at least one collaboration feature from among a set of available collaboration features to include with the collaboration session.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the type of network connection comprises a connection by mobile phone to the specific community.

12. A method for establishing a collaborative session over a network, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first user, a request for a collaborative session with an anonymous member of a community, the community having a plurality of members, and the request specifying a first subject matter;

determining whether there are available members of the community matching the first subject matter;

in response to the receiving;

where there is at least one available community member matching the first subject matter, automatically determining a second user from among the determined available members based on a type of network connection of the second user to the community;

where there are no available community members matching the first subject matter;

determining when a member of the specific community becomes newly-available;

determining whether the newly-available member of the specific community matches the first subject matter and whether a type of network connection of the newly-available member is compatible with the request of the first user; and

where the newly-available member matches the first subject matter and the type of network connection of the newly-available member is compatible with the request, identifying the newly-available member as the second user; and

automatically establishing the collaborative session between the first user and the second user.

13. The method of claim 12, where available members are determined based on network presence of the members of the community.

14. The method of claim 12, where each available member has at least one associated network characteristic, and where the second user is determined based on the associated network characteristics of the available members.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving from the first user a request for a future collaborative session with a requested member of the community if there are no available members.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

notifying the first user when the requested member of the community becomes available.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the members have an associated identity, the method further comprising:

masking the identity of the second user from the first user.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein automatically determining the second user comprises automatically determining the second user based on a distribution of prior requests for collaborative sessions serviced by the available members.

19. The method of claim 12, where automatically determining the second user comprises determining the second user from among the available members based on a bandwidth rating associated with the second user.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising identifying, based on a bandwidth rating associated with the first user, at least one collaboration feature from among a set of available collaboration features to include with the collaboration session.

21. The method of claim 18, where automatically determining the second user based on a distribution of prior requests comprises selecting the second user to maintain an even distribution of requests for collaborative sessions serviced by the available members.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the type of network connection comprises a connection by mobile phone to the specific community.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein automatically establishing the collaborative session comprises:

selecting collaboration session information based on the type of connection; and

sending the selected collaboration session information to the first user and the second user.