System for supporting collaborative activity

• US 8,966,445 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2014
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Virtualagility Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Virtualagility Incorporated
• Inventors: Ahlgren, Janet, Chang, Andy, Kelley, Kevin, Moran, Gideon, Palmer, Gorham, Phan, Hung, Phan, Nhat, Rudolph, Stuart, Torchon, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): DENG, ANNA CHEN
• Application Number:
  US14/473,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20140372536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 179 Days
• Field of Search: 717/120, 717/116
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/468 Specific access rights for resources, e.g. using capability register
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A system includes a processor which has access to a representation of model of activity, which includes workspaces. Each workspace includes domain hierarchies for representing an organizational structure of the collaborating users using the system, and initiatives hierarchies representing process structures for accomplishing goals. An interface permits users to view and modify the workspaces for which the user has access. Each user can have different access permissions in different workspaces. The domain and initiative hierarchies provide two views of the workspace objects without duplicating resources. A resource is a collection of shared elements defined by the users that give users associated with the workspace access to information sources. Users can define knowledge boards for creating reports based on information fields of the resources. The knowledge board is associated with a resource template from which the resource is created.

Claims

1. A collaborator network system accessed by client devices through a plurality of workspace portals, the collaborator network system comprising at least one hardware memory to store:

a plurality of workspace objects, each workspace object accessed through a workspace portal;

a tool set that provides a plurality of tool objects for system functionality within the collaborator network system;

a role set defining a plurality of role objects, each role object being defined by a permission set, each permission set specifying a level of access to the tool set and the workspace portals within the collaborator network system, the permission set, comprising;

a first permission list selectively designating first tool objects and first role objects for a first workspace object accessible through a first workspace portal, and

a second permission list selectively designating second tool objects and second role objects for a second workspace object accessible through a second workspace portal;

wherein the first tool objects include at least one application providing functionality specified for the first workspace portal, the first permission list designating the at least one application as being accessible through the first workspace portal, and the second permission list designating the at least one application as being inaccessible through the second workspace portal; and

wherein the role set includes at least one role object having a level of access to the tool set, the first permission list designating the at least one role object as being available through the first workspace portal, and the second permission list designating the at least one role object as being unavailable through the second workspace portal; and

a system server that accesses the first and the second tool objects and the first and the second role objects through the first workspace portal and the second workspace portal according to the first and the second permission lists.

2. The collaborator network system of claim 1, wherein the first tool objects include at least one application providing functionality specified for the first workspace portal.

3. The collaborator network system of claim 1, wherein the role set includes at least one role object having a level of access to the tool set.

4. The collaborator network system of claim 1, wherein:

the role set includes a system administrator object with system administration access to the tool set and to the role set within the collaborator network system; and

the workspaces are defined by use of the system administrator object.

5. The collaborator network system of claim 4, wherein:

the role set includes a workspace administrator object;

the tool set includes a workspace tool set; and

the workspace administrator object provides a workspace administrator with complete access to the workspace tool set and the role objects defined by the permission set.

6. The collaborator network system of claim 5, wherein:

the role set includes role objects with limited access to applications of the first workspace object and role objects defined by the first permission list; and

the role objects comprise one or more of manager, user, and viewer role objects, wherein;

a manager role object comprises manager access objects providing full access to objects in the workspace,

a user role object comprises;

a user profile for each of a plurality of individuals assigned to a workspace object;

a user identification (ID) for each of the plurality of individuals;

a workspace object ID;

roles and permissions assigned to each of the plurality of individuals in the workspace object; and

a workspace group profile for two or more of the plurality of individuals; and

a viewer role object comprises read access objects limiting object access to viewing only.

7. The collaborator network system of claim 6, wherein:

the first permission list comprises individual permissions and group permissions, the individual and group permissions comprising;

no permission,

read,

read-create,

read-create-update, and

read-create-update-delete; and

access by the individual to an object in a workspace is limited by an individual or group permission designated for the individual in the workspace.

8. The collaborator network system of claim 7, wherein a group permission assigned to the individual as a member of a group overrides an individual permission assigned to the individual.

9. The collaborator network system of claim 6, comprising:

a user side comprising the plurality of workspaces and workspace portals; and

a system administration side, comprising system administration tool objects of the tool set to;

create workspaces for an individual user role object or a group role object,

assign workspace administration responsibility to a workspace individual, and

assign resource objects to the workspace object.

10. The collaborator network system of claim 9, wherein individuals may belong to one or more workspaces simultaneously and may have different permissions in the one or more workspaces.

11. The collaborator network system of claim 10, wherein the tool objects include workspace objects and global objects, the global objects applicable to all workspaces and the workspace objects applicable to specific workspaces, the global objects comprising:

global navigation objects;

resource creation objects; and

the role objects.

12. The collaborator network system of claim 11, wherein the resource creation objects comprise:

resource templates defined through the system administrator object, the resource templates defining classes of resources, the classes of resources specifying information types associated with the resources belonging to the classes of resources defined by the resource templates, wherein the resource objects are created by starting with the resource template; and

the resource objects providing information sources, wherein a resource object is accessible simultaneously, without duplicating the resource object, from a first hierarchy and a second hierarchy, the first hierarchy neither containing nor contained in the second hierarchy.

13. The collaborator network system of claim 12, wherein the tool set comprises workspace tool objects comprising a text editor object to create text objects, chat board objects to relate discussions to the resource objects, link RSS feed objects to provide quick access to the resource objects, an archive/lock object to prevent deletion of the resource objects.

14. The collaborator network system of claim 13, wherein the workspace tool objects further comprise:

an alerts object that signals individuals when contents of knowledge boards change; and

an immediate update share object that makes changed contents of knowledge boards available to the individuals.

15. The collaborator network system of claim 14, further comprising a report generator object, comprising:

a search engine object that receives query terms from user role objects and generates search results including one or more resource object links;

a knowledge board report object that includes resource object links from the search report; and

a knowledge board update object that retrieves updated resource objects based on the resource object links and populates the knowledge board object to generate an updated knowledge board report object.

16. The collaborator network system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first workspace storage partition storing individual and group data associated with individuals accessing the collaborator network system through the first workspace portal.

17. The collaborator network system of claim 1, further comprising:

shared storage accessible through the first workspace portal and storing individual and

group data associated with individuals accessing the collaborator network system through the first workspace portal.

18. The collaborator network system of claim 1, wherein the workspace objects comprise:

operation objects;

knowledge board objects to locate resources belonging to the class that the resource template defines;

domains;

initiatives; and

information sources.

19. A processor-implemented method for providing access from client devices to a tool set of tool objects and a role set of role objects through a first workspace portal and a second workspace portal in a collaborator network system, the method comprising:

designating, by a processor, first tool objects of the tool set and first role objects of the role set based on a first permission list;

designating, by the processor, second tool objects of the tool set and second role objects of the role set based on a second permission list;

wherein the first tool objects include at least one application providing functionality specified for the first workspace portal, the first permission list designating the at least one application as being accessible through the first workspace portal, and the second permission list designating the at least one application as being inaccessible through the second workspace portal; and

wherein the role set includes at least one role object having a level of access to the tool set, the first permission list designating the at least one role object as being available through the first workspace portal, and the second permission list designating the at least one role object as being unavailable through the second workspace portal;

accessing, by the processor, through the first workspace portal the first tool objects and the first role objects designated by the first permission list; and

accessing, by the processor, through the second workspace portal the second tool objects and the second role objects designated by the second permission list, wherein the second tool objects and the second role objects accessed through the second workspace portal differ from the first tool objects and the first role objects accessed through the first workspace portal.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a user profile through the first workspace portal; and

storing the user profile within a first workspace storage partition.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a user profile through the first workspace portal; and

storing the user profile within a shared storage accessible through the first workspace portal.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a user profile defining a user through the first workspace portal; and

editing the user profile using information provided through the first workspace portal regarding the user.

23. A collaboration system accessed by client devices through a plurality of workspace portals, the collaboration system comprising at least one hardware memory to store:

system objects, comprising;

administration objects designating individuals with administrative access to a workspace object, and

database objects designating storage locations for the workspace object; and

workspace objects, comprising;

a workspace portal, and

a workspace tool set accessible to client machines through the workspace portal, comprising;

a workspace permission object set defining access level objects that allow individuals to access resource objects in a workspace;

application objects useable by individuals having access to the resource objects in the workspace, wherein an application object comprise a resource creation object, the resource creation object comprising;

 

resource templates defined through an administration object, the resource templates defining classes of resources, the classes of resources specifying information types associated with the resources belonging to the classes of resources defined by the resource templates, and wherein the resources are created by starting with the resource template, and

 

resource objects providing information sources, wherein a resource object is accessible simultaneously, without duplicating the resource object, from a first hierarchy and a second hierarchy, the first hierarchy neither containing nor contained in the second hierarchy;

a workspace resource object set defining the resource objects accessible through the workspace; and

a workspace navigation object set defining navigation objects useable by the individuals to navigate the workspace and to access the workspace through the workspace portal.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the database objects comprise:

a first workspace storage partition storing individual and group data associated with individuals accessing the collaboration system through a first workspace portal; and

a shared storage accessible through the first workspace portal and storing individual and

group data associated with individuals accessing the collaboration system through the first workspace portal.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein:

the permission object comprises individual permissions and group permissions, the individual and group permissions comprising one or more of read, create, update and delete;

access by the individual to an object in a workspace is limited by an individual or group permission designated for the individual in the workspace; and

a group permission assigned to the individual as a member of a group overrides an individual permission assigned to the individual.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for implementing a collaboration network system, wherein a processor executes the instructions to:

designate first tool objects of the tool set and first role objects of the role set based on a first permission list;

designate second tool objects of the tool set and second role objects of the role set based on a second permission list,

wherein the first tool objects include at least one application providing functionality specified for the first workspace portal, the first permission list designating the at least one application as being accessible through the first workspace portal, and the second permission list designating the at least one application as being inaccessible through the second workspace portal, and

wherein the role set includes at least one role object having a level of access to the tool set, the first permission list designating the at least one role object as being available through the first workspace portal, and the second permission list designating the at least one role object as being unavailable through the second workspace portal;

access through the first workspace portal the first tool objects and the first role objects designated by the first permission list; and

access through the second workspace portal the second tool objects and the second role objects designated by the second permission list, wherein the second tool objects and the second role objects accessed through the second workspace portal differ from the first tool objects and the first role objects accessed through the first workspace portal.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the processor reads the first and second permission lists to determine an access type for an individual to access workspaces through one of the first and second workspace portals.