Encapsulating virtual area based communicant assemblies

• US 9,514,444 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sococo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sococo, Inc.
• Inventors: Moyers, Josh, Van Wie, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weber, Joy M
• Application Number:
  US13/432,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20130263017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 715/753, 715/751, 707/723
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Realtime communications between communicants in a virtual area are administered. Assemblies of copresent communicants in the virtual area are detected. For each of respective ones of the detected assemblies, a respective meeting object linked to information relating to communicant interactions in the assembly is generated. Respective meeting summary data is determined based on the information linked to selected ones of the meeting objects. The determined meeting summary data is transmitted to a network node for display. A visualization of summaries of respective assemblies of copresent communicants in the virtual area is presented on a display.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

administering realtime communications between network nodes respectively associated with communicants in a virtual area;

detecting assemblies of copresent ones of the communicants in the virtual area;

for each of respective ones of the detected assemblies, receiving information regarding subject matter of the detected assembly from at least one of the communicants associated with the detected assembly;

for each of respective ones of the detected assemblies, generating a respective meeting object linked to interaction information derived from communicant interactions in the assembly and linked to the received information regarding subject matter of the detected assembly;

selecting ones of the meeting objects based on a query on the generated meeting objects;

determining respective meeting summary data for the assemblies corresponding to the selected meeting objects based on the interaction information and the received information regarding subject matter of the assemblies; and

transmitting the determined meeting summary data in a format suitable for concurrent display on a respective one of the network nodes of a communicant who is associated with the query on the meeting objects.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining a time-based ordering of the meeting summary data according to a time-based ordering of the corresponding selected assemblies, and the transmitting comprises transmitting to the network node a specification of a view for displaying the meeting summary data in accordance with the time-based ordering.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining comprises selecting meeting objects for all concurrent and consecutive assemblies of copresent communicants in the virtual area from a starting assembly of copresent communicants in the virtual area to an ending assembly of copresent communicants in the virtual area.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising ranking assemblies of copresent communicants in the virtual area, wherein the determining comprises selecting highest ranked ones of the ranked assemblies as the selected assemblies.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein for each of the ranked assemblies, the ranking is based on at least one of:

a count of communicants participating in the respective assembly;

a count of follow-up tasks associated with the respective assembly; and

an approval rating associated with the respective assembly.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises determining assemblies of copresent communicants in the virtual area having a threshold number of at least three copresent communicants as the detected assemblies.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises selecting assemblies of copresent communicants in the virtual area lasting at least a threshold amount of time as the detected assemblies.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the detecting, the generating, the selecting, the determining, and the transmitting to reflect new assemblies of copresent communicants in the virtual area.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording text chat data streams transmitted between communicants participating in a particular one of the assemblies, wherein the generating comprises associating the recorded text chat data with the meeting object for the particular assembly.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording one or more data streams transmitted between communicants participating in a particular one of the assemblies, wherein the generating comprises associating the one or more recorded data streams with the meeting object for the particular assembly.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the recording comprises recording at least one application sharing data stream transmitted between communicants participating in the particular assembly.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating comprises associating a file shared by a communicant participating in a particular one of the assembles with the meeting object for the particular assembly.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating comprises associating with a respective one of the meeting objects a respective assembly label submitted by a communicant in association with the respective assembly, and the determining comprises including the assembly label with the respective meeting summary data.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating comprises associating with the given meeting object a respective link to a note submitted in association with the respective assembly, and the determining comprises including the linked note with the respective meeting summary data.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating comprises associating with the given meeting object a respective link to a description of follow-up tasks submitted in association with the respective assembly, and the determining comprises including the description of follow-up tasks with the respective meeting summary data.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating comprises associating respective assembly status indicators with respective ones of the meeting objects, and the determining comprises including the assembly status indicators with the respective meeting summary data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each assembly status indicator comprises an indication of whether the respective assembly is in-progress or has ended.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in association with one of the determined meeting summary data for one of the detected assemblies, receiving one or more communicant submissions on merits of the respective assembly;

determining a score based on the one or more received communicant submissions; and

associating the score with the meeting object for the respective assembly.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in association with one of the determined meeting summary data for one of the detected assemblies, receiving one or more feedback submissions regarding the respective assembly; and

associating the one or more feedback submissions with the meeting object for the respective assembly.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual area comprises zones each of which supports establishment of respective presences of communicants operating respective client network nodes, and the assemblies of copresent communicants occur in respective ones of the zones.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the generating comprises associating with each of respective ones of the meeting objects a respective zone identifier value identifying the zone in which the respective assembly occurred, communicant identifier values identifying respective ones of the communicants who participated in the respective assembly, and a time parameter value associated with the respective assembly.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the determining comprises querying the meeting objects based on a query comprising at least one zone identifier value, and selecting the respective ones of the meeting objects based on results of the querying.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the determining comprises querying the meeting objects based on a query comprising at least one communicant identifier value, and selecting the respective ones of meeting objects based on results of the querying.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the determining comprises querying the meeting objects based on a query comprising at least one time value, and selecting the respective ones of the meeting objects based on results of the querying.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting an activity view of the respective meeting objects to the network node, and the activity view shows a time-based listing of respective summaries of meeting objects for all concurrent and consecutive ones of the detected assemblies from a starting one of the detected assemblies to an ending one of the detected assemblies.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising ranking respective ones of the assemblies, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting a timeline view of the respective meeting objects to the network node, and the timeline view shows a time-based listing of respective summaries of meetings objects for highest ranked ones of the assemblies of copresent communicants.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising, to each of one or more of the communicants who participated in a particular one of the detected assemblies that has ended, sending a respective follow-up message comprising information relating to the particular assembly.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the respective message comprises one or more of:

a summary of the particular assembly;

a note associated with the particular assembly;

a follow-up task associated with the particular assembly; and

an indication of submitted evaluations of the particular assembly.

29. Apparatus, comprising:

a memory storing processor-readable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising

administering realtime communications between network nodes respectively associated with communicants in a virtual area;

detecting assemblies of copresent ones of the communicants in the virtual area;

for each of respective ones of the detected assemblies, receiving information regarding subject matter of the detected assembly from at least one of the communicants associated with the detected assembly;

for each of respective ones of the detected assemblies, generating a respective meeting object linked to interaction information derived from communicant interactions in the assembly and linked to the received information regarding subject matter of the detected assembly;

selecting ones of the meeting objects based on a query on the generated meeting objects;

determining respective meeting summary data for the assemblies corresponding to the selected meeting objects based on the interaction information and the received information regarding subject matter of the assemblies; and

transmitting the determined meeting summary data in a format suitable for concurrent display on a respective one of the network nodes of a communicant who is associated with the query on the meeting objects.

30. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-readable instructions which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

administering realtime communications between network nodes respectively associated with communicants in a virtual area;

detecting assemblies of copresent ones of the communicants in the virtual area;

for each of respective ones of the detected assemblies, receiving information regarding subject matter of the detected assembly from at least one of the communicants associated with the detected assembly;

for each of respective ones of the detected assemblies, generating a respective meeting object linked to interaction information derived from communicant interactions in the assembly and linked to the received information regarding subject matter of the detected assembly;

selecting ones of the meeting objects based on a query on the generated meeting objects;

determining respective meeting summary data for the assemblies corresponding to the selected meeting objects based on the interaction information and the received information regarding subject matter of the assemblies; and

transmitting the determined meeting summary data in a format suitable for concurrent display on a respective one of the network nodes of a communicant who is associated with the query on the meeting objects.

31. A method, comprising

by a network node:

establishing a session with a virtual area platform administering realtime communications between network nodes respectively associated with communicants in a virtual area;

transmitting to the virtual area platform a request for a visualization of assembly activity in the virtual area, the request comprising a query on attributes associated with assemblies of copresent communicants in the virtual area;

in connection with the request, receiving summaries of respective ones of the assemblies of copresent communicants in the virtual area having attributes matching the query, the received summaries comprising interaction information derived from communicant interactions in the respective assemblies and information regarding subject matter of the respective assemblies of copresent communicants;

presenting a concurrent visualization of the summaries on a display.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the presenting comprises presenting an activity view of the respective summaries, and the activity view shows a time-based listing of respective summaries of all concurrent and consecutive ones of the received assemblies from a starting one of the identified assemblies to an ending one of the identified assemblies.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the presenting comprises presenting a timeline view of the respective summaries to the network node, and the timeline view shows a time-based listing of respective summaries of highest ranked ones of the assemblies of copresent communicants.

34. The method of claim 31, further comprising

for each of respective ones of the summaries, providing a respective control for submitting an opinion on merits of the respective assembly;

receiving input activating a respective one of the controls associated with a given one of the assemblies; and

submitting to a remote network node a message comprising an indication of the activation of the control in connection with the given assembly.

35. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

for each of respective ones of the summaries providing a respective control for submitting feedback regarding the respective assembly; and

receiving feedback in connection with a respective one of the controls associated with a given one of the assemblies; and

submitting to a remote network node a message comprising the feedback received in connection with the given assembly.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein each of respective ones of the summaries comprises a respective link to notes associated with the respective assembly.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein each of respective ones of the summaries comprises a respective link to follow-up tasks associated with the respective assembly.

38. The method of claim 31, further comprising providing an interface for specifying a search for ones of the summaries of respective ones of the assemblies of copresent communicants in the virtual area in terms of one or more of:

one or more communicants present during the respective assemblies;

one or more zones of the virtual area containing the respective assemblies; and

a time overlapping with occurrence of the respective assemblies.

39. The method of claim 31, wherein each of respective ones of the summaries comprises at least one of:

a respective assembly label;

a respective assembly status indication; and

a respective link to data associated with the respective summary.

40. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

displaying a visualization of the virtual area;

depicting graphical representations of respective communicants who are present in the virtual area; and

providing interaction controls for managing realtime communications with one or more of the communicants.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the virtual area comprises zones each of which supports establishment of respective presences of communicants operating respective client network nodes, the visualization comprises a spatial arrangement of graphical depictions of the zones, and the assemblies of copresent communicants occur in respective ones of the zones.