Method and system for planning a meeting in a cloud computing environment

• US 9,195,971 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2012
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: McConnell, Jager, Peter, Ciara
• Primary Examiner(s): NANO, SARGON N
• Application Number:
  US13/345,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20130018952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-206, 709/217, 709/223, 709/227, 715/752, 715/757
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups

Abstract

A method for planning a meeting in a cloud computing environment is disclosed. The method embodiment includes receiving by a server a meeting configuration file including information identifying a meeting, a plurality of meeting collaborators, and/or a plurality of meeting participants. When the meeting configuration file is received, the server is configured to generate a virtual planning space associated with the meeting and located in a cloud computing environment, to transmit a message to the plurality of meeting collaborators that includes an invitation to collaborate in the meeting via the virtual planning space, and to receive an indication to load planning content that includes at least one data object. In response to receiving the indication, the server associates the planning content with the virtual planning space so that the planning content is accessible by the meeting collaborators via the virtual planning space in the cloud computing environment.

Claims

1. A method for planning a meeting in a cloud computing environment, the method comprising:

receiving by a server a meeting configuration file including information identifying at least one of a meeting, a plurality of meeting collaborators and a plurality of meeting participants;

in response to receiving the meeting configuration file, generating by the server a virtual planning space associated with the meeting and located in a cloud computing environment;

transmitting by the server a message to the plurality of meeting collaborators, the message including an invitation to collaborate in the meeting via the virtual planning space;

receiving by the server an indication to load planning content, the indication including at least one data object; and

in response to receiving the indication, associating the planning content with the virtual planning space associated with the meeting, wherein the planning content is accessible by the plurality of meeting collaborators who are involved in planning the meeting during a planning phase of the meeting, via the virtual planning space in the cloud computing environment, wherein the planning content differs from meeting content accessible by the plurality of meeting participants during a presentation phase of the meeting, and wherein the plurality of meeting collaborators differs from the plurality of meeting participants and wherein at least one of the plurality of meeting collaborators is automatically assigned by the server at least one of a plurality of tasks based on at least one of a role and skill of the at least one meeting collaborator.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the virtual planning space is a webpage and is accessed by the plurality of meeting collaborators via a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the virtual planning space.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one data object includes a text document, an image file, an audio file, a link to a webpage, and a video file.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving by the server a request to access the virtual planning space from a meeting collaborator of the plurality of meeting collaborators;

authenticating by the server the meeting collaborator; and

providing by the server access to the virtual planning space by the meeting collaborator.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating by the server a list comprising the plurality of tasks, and associating the list with the virtual planning space, wherein the list is accessible by the plurality of meeting collaborators via the virtual planning space.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a data storage block is associated with the meeting and located in a multi-tenant on-demand database system.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising storing the at least one data object included in the indication in the data storage block associated with the meeting.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising receiving by the server real-time comments from the plurality of meeting collaborators, posting the comments in the virtual planning space, and storing the comments in the data storage block associated with the meeting.

9. A non-transitory machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for planning a meeting in a cloud computing environment, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving a meeting configuration file including information identifying at least one of a meeting, a plurality of meeting collaborators, and a plurality of meeting participants;

in response to receiving the meeting configuration file, generating a virtual planning space associated with the meeting and located in a cloud computing environment;

transmitting a message to the plurality of meeting collaborators, the message including an invitation to collaborate in the meeting via the virtual planning space;

receiving an indication to load planning content, the indication including at least one data object; and

in response to receiving the indication, associating the planning content with the virtual planning space associated with the meeting, wherein the planning content is accessible by the plurality of meeting collaborators who are involved in planning the meeting during a planning phase of the meeting, via the virtual planning space in the cloud computing environment, wherein the planning content differs from meeting content accessible by the plurality of meeting participants during a presentation phase of the meeting, and wherein the plurality of meeting collaborators differs from the plurality of meeting participants and wherein at least one of the plurality of meeting collaborators is automatically assigned at least one of a plurality of tasks based on at least one of a role and skill of the at least one meeting collaborator.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the virtual planning space is a webpage and is accessed by the plurality of meeting collaborators via a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the virtual planning space.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving by the server a request to access the virtual planning space from a meeting collaborator of the plurality of meeting collaborators;

authenticating by the server the meeting collaborator; and

providing by the server access to the virtual planning space by the meeting collaborator.

12. An apparatus for planning a meeting in a cloud computing environment, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

receiving a meeting configuration file including information identifying at least one of a meeting, a plurality of meeting collaborators, and a plurality of meeting participants;

in response to receiving the meeting configuration file, generating a virtual planning space associated with the meeting and located in a cloud computing environment;

transmitting a message to the plurality of meeting collaborators, the message including an invitation to collaborate in the meeting via the virtual planning space;

receiving an indication to load planning content, the indication including at least one data object; and

in response to receiving the indication, associating the planning content with the virtual planning space associated with the meeting, wherein the planning content is accessible by the plurality of meeting collaborators who are involved in planning the meeting during a planning phase of the meeting, via the virtual planning space in the cloud computing environment, wherein the planning content differs from meeting content accessible by the plurality of meeting participants during a presentation phase of the meeting, and wherein the plurality of meeting collaborators differs from the plurality of meeting participants and wherein at least one of the plurality of meeting collaborators is automatically assigned at least one of a plurality of tasks based on at least one of a role and skill of the at least one meeting collaborator.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the virtual planning space is a webpage and is accessed by the plurality of meeting collaborators via a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the virtual planning space.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the at least one data object includes a text document, an image file, an audio file, a link to a webpage, and a video file.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of:

receiving a request to access the virtual planning space from a meeting collaborator of the plurality of meeting collaborators;

authenticating the meeting collaborator; and

providing access to the virtual planning space by the meeting collaborator.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the step of generating a list comprising the plurality of tasks and associating the list with the virtual planning space, wherein the list is accessible by the plurality of meeting collaborators via the virtual planning space.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein a data storage block is associated with the meeting and located in a multi-tenant on-demand database system.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the step of storing the at least one data object included in the indication in the data storage block associated with the meeting.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the step of receiving real-time comments from the plurality of meeting collaborators, posting the comments in the virtual planning space, and storing the comments in the data storage block associated with the meeting.

20. A method for transmitting code for planning a meeting in a cloud computing environment, the method comprising:

transmitting code to receive by a server a meeting configuration file including information identifying at least one of a meeting, a plurality of meeting collaborators, and a plurality of meeting participants;

transmitting code to generate by the server a virtual planning space associated with the meeting and located in a cloud computing environment in response to receiving the meeting configuration file;

transmitting code to transmit by the server a message to the plurality of meeting collaborators, the message including an invitation to collaborate in the meeting via the virtual planning space;

transmitting code to receive by the server an indication to load planning content, the indication including at least one data object; and

transmitting code to associate the planning content with the virtual planning space associated with the meeting, wherein the planning content is accessible by the plurality of meeting collaborators who are involved in planning the meeting during a planning phase of the meeting, via the virtual planning space in the cloud computing environment, wherein the planning content differs from meeting content accessible by the plurality of meeting participants during a presentation phase of the meeting, and wherein the plurality of meeting collaborators differs from the plurality of meeting participants and wherein at least one of the plurality of meeting collaborators is automatically assigned at least one of a plurality of tasks based on at least one of a role and skill of the at least one meeting collaborator.