System and method for collaborative communications and information sharing

• US 9,202,202 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2011
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Virtualagility Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Virtualagility Incorporated
• Inventors: Beaven, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K
• Application Number:
  US13/313,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20120311451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 709/203, 709/206, 709/204, 709/217, 709/219, 709/230, 709/235, 715/700, 715/733, 715/734, 715/735, 715/736, 715/738, 715/739, 715/740, 715/741, 715/742, 715/743, 715/744, 715/745, 715/747, 715/36, 715/753, 715/234, 715/760, 715/769, 715/783, 705/7.38, 705/7.29, 705/7.36, 705/7.27, 705/26.1, 705/37, 370/392, 370/216, 370/235, 370/242, 370/252, 370/254, 370/338, 370/351, 370/395.53, 370/410, 707/E17.108, 707/E17.044, 707/E17.005, 707/E17.014, 707/769, 707/709, 707/770, 707/999.003, 707/E17.017, 707/E17.032, 707/E17.045, 707/E17.055, 707/E17.107, 707/E17.116, 707/610, 707/617, 707/661, 707/707, 707/781, 707/783, 707/784, 707/794, 707/812, 707/827, 707/999.005, 707/999.01, 707/999.1, 707/999.103, 707/999.104, 455/436, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/9994 Distributed or remote access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99941 Database schema or data structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 : Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 : File allocation

Abstract

A system facilitates collaborative communications and information sharing in a network defined by a model. The model and a portion of the system are stored on a storage component coupled to a terminal. The system captures context information and user-defined data, the user-defined data provided during user interaction of the user in a first domain of the network, and dynamically stores the context information as metadata associated with the user-defined data, the user-defined data and the metadata stored on the storage component; a tracking component for tracking a change of the user from the first domain to a second domain of the network and dynamically updating the stored metadata based on the change, where the user accesses the user-defined data from the second domain; and an interface to the system that permits the user to create and view the user-defined data according to the model of the network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system that facilitates collaborative communications and information sharing in a network defined by a model, the model of the network accessible by a user through at least one terminal, the terminal having a processor that executes the system, at least a portion of the system and the model stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage device coupled to the terminal, wherein the system executed by the processor causing the processor to:

capture context information and user-defined data, the context information different and distinct from the user-defined data, the user-defined data provided by the user during interaction of the user in a first domain of the network, and the context information dynamically derived and captured by the processor using first, information specific to the user, and second, information specific to the provision of the user-defined data by the user;

dynamically store the context information as metadata, associate the metadata with the user-defined data, and store the user-defined data and the associated metadata on the storage device;

track a change of the user from the first domain to a second domain of the network;

dynamically update the stored metadata based on the change from the first domain to the second domain, wherein the user accesses the user-defined data from the second domain; and

provide an interface to the system accessible by the user at the terminal, the interface permitting the user to create and view the user-defined data according to the model of the network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the context information is associated with a workspace comprising a collection of data and application functionality related to the user-defined data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the context information is associated with a group, wherein the group relates to a collection of interrelated workspaces, and wherein the group maintains a location of data of the respective interrelated workspaces when data of one or more of the interrelated workspaces are moved into a different workspace interrelationship.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the context information includes a relationship between the user and one or more of an application, application data, and a user environment.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor captures context information of the first domain and context information related to at least one other domain.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the context information of the at least one other domain is at least one of stipulated by the user and determined by the processor based upon criteria set by the user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein data created in the first domain is associated with data created in the second domain.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the context information is tagged to the user-defined data using the metadata when the user-defined data is generated.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the model of the network is a hierarchical model, and the network comprises a hierarchy of domains.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the user-defined data comprises one or more of text, files, documents, and electronic messaging.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the text comprises alpha-numeric characters and icons, and wherein the system comprises text entry mechanisms including a free-form text entry window, a select list, a pull-down menu, and a template.