Location enhanced meetings and collaboration

• US 9,146,115 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Geffner, Steven Paul, Caldwell, Gary, Coplen, C. Joe, Pratley, Christopher Hugh, Ammerlaan, Michael, Zaske, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Kiswanto, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US13/275,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20130096813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

A location enhanced meeting service (“LEM Service”) may provide a geographical based map indicating meeting locations for a selected day. The user can view locations of meetings for a scheduled day, along with travel times. Conditions impacting travel time may be provided to the user along with updated estimated travel times and suggested alternative routes. The scale of the map may be based on the geographical diversity of the attendees. A user can view a location enhanced meeting map for particular meeting, and obtain directions to the meeting. The user can also request to view attendee'"'"'s locations to the meeting on the map prior to the meeting. If an attendee is expected to be late, the user may establish a voice conference with that attendee. If a user is expected to be late to a meeting, the user may provide a notification to the other attendees of the meeting.

Claims

1. A system for providing location enhanced meeting information, comprising:

a memory storing meeting location information for a user; and

a processor configured to receive a request for a location enhanced meeting map for a meeting, wherein the processor is configured to

determine a time period between a current time and a starting time of the meeting,

determine the time period is below a threshold,

query a location server for a location of an attendee,

query an estimated time of arrival server for an estimated time of arrival for the attendee,

determine a late arrival time of the attendee to the meeting location by determining the attendee has not left an earlier scheduled meeting by an estimated departure time, and

provide the user with the location enhanced meeting map, the location enhanced meeting map indicating a location of the meeting, the location of the attendee and the late arrival time of the attendee.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

provide the user with a prompt for establishing a communications link with the attendee;

receive confirmation from the user to establish the communications link;

establish the communications link with the attendee; and

provide an updated location enhanced meeting map indicating the establishment of the communications link between the user and the attendee.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication link is a teleconference bridge between the attendee and the user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

query a traffic conditions server for traffic conditions associated with a location of another attendee and the location of the meeting; and

use the traffic conditions for determining the estimated time of arrival for the other attendee.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to display the traffic conditions on the location enhanced meeting map including an image from a traffic camera.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the location enhanced meeting map further comprises, weather conditions associated with another attendee location on the location enhanced meeting map.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a late arrival time of the user comprising a difference between an estimated arrival time of the user and the starting time of meeting;

provide a late arrival notification prompt to the user if the late arrival time exceeds the threshold level; and

in response to the user selecting the late arrival notification prompt, notify the attendee that the user will arrive late.

8. A method for providing location enhanced meeting information, comprising:

receiving a request for a location enhanced meeting map for a meeting;

determining a time period between a current time and a starting time of the meeting;

determining the time period is below a threshold;

querying a location server for a location of an attendee;

querying an estimated time of arrival server for an estimated time of arrival for the attendee;

determining a late arrival time of the attendee to a meeting location by determining the attendee has not left an earlier scheduled meeting by an estimated departure time; and

providing the user with the location enhanced meeting map, the location enhanced meeting map indicating a location of the meeting, the location of the attendee and the late arrival time of the attendee.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing to the user of a mobile computing device a prompt to establish a communications link with the attendee;

receiving in response to the prompt a request from the user to establish the communication link; and

using the meeting location information to establish the communication link between a mobile computing device of the attendee and the mobile computing device of the user.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the location enhanced meeting map is updated to reflect the establishment of the communication link with the attendee.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining a late arrival time of the user comprising the difference between an estimated arrival time of the user and the starting time of meeting;

providing a late arrival notification prompt to the user if the late arrival time exceeds the threshold level; and

in response to the user selecting the late arrival notification prompt, notifying the attendee that the user will arrive late.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication link is a teleconference bridge between the attendee and the user.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining the time period exceeds the threshold; and

providing the user the meeting location map indicating the user location and the attendee location in response to the request if the time period exceeds the threshold.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the location enhanced meeting map further comprises, displaying an image from a traffic camera on the location enhanced meeting map.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the location enhanced meeting map further comprises, weather conditions associated with another attendee location on the location enhanced meeting map.

16. A computer readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereupon, that when executed by a computer cause the computer to:

receive a request for a location enhanced meeting map for a meeting;

determine a time period between a current time and a starting time of the meeting;

determine the time period is below a threshold;

query a location server for a location of an attendee;

query an estimated time of arrival server for an estimated time of arrival for the attendee;

determine a late arrival time of the attendee to a meeting location by determining the attendee has not left an earlier scheduled meeting by an estimated departure time; and

provide the user with the location enhanced meeting map, the location enhanced meeting map indicating a location of the meeting, the location of the attendee and the late arrival time of the attendee.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the location enhanced meeting map further comprises displaying an image from a traffic camera.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the location enhanced meeting map further comprises displaying airport delays.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising computer-readable instructions thereupon that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

provide to the user a prompt to establish a teleconference bridge with a plurality of meeting attendees;

receive in response to the prompt, a request from the user to establish the teleconference bridge;

use the meeting location information to establish the teleconference bridge between the plurality of meeting attendees; and

update the location enhanced meeting map to indicate the establishment of the teleconference bridge between the plurality of meeting attendees.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the meeting location is a virtual meeting location and wherein the presence of the plurality of meeting attendees to the virtual meeting location is determined by establishing the teleconference bridge.