Virtual area communications
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method in a network communications environment comprising a network service implemented by at least one server network node, the method comprising by the network service:
- administering one or more real-time data stream connections between client network nodes of respective communicants who are co-present in zones of a virtual area that define respective communication contexts in the network communications environment and are associated with a directed graph defining an ordered arrangement of tasks in a workflow for a process to be performed by communicants in the virtual area, wherein each of the zones is associated with a respective set of one or more of the tasks corresponding to a respective stage of the process, a respective set of one or more communicants assigned to perform the one or more tasks respectively associated with the zone, and a respective set of one or more resources linked to the zone;
to the client network nodes of communicants who are present in the virtual area, transmitting a visualization of the virtual area comprising a spatial layout of the zones arranged in an order that tracks the ordered arrangement of the associated tasks defined in the directed graph;
for each of respective ones of the zones, controlling establishment of communicant presence in the zone based on the respective set of one or more communicants assigned to perform one or more of the respective set of tasks associated with the zone;
wherein the communicants are represented by respective objects in the virtual area, each of the objects is associated with at least one of a source and a sink of one or more data stream types, and the administering is based on the respective sources and sinks associated with the objects and the respective zones in which the objects are located; and
wherein at least one of the one or more resources linked to a given one of the zones is a network service, and the administering comprises administering a respective network connection between the network service and each of one or more of the network nodes of respective communicants who are present in the given zone.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A virtual area has a spatial visualization and includes zones that are associated with respective geometric boundaries located in relation to the spatial visualization. Realtime data stream connections between sources and sinks of network nodes in the zones of the virtual area are administered to provide a wide variety of virtual area applications, including virtual area applications that implement spatial rules for one or more synchronous conferencing services (e.g., instant messaging, such as text chat, audio conferencing, video conferencing, application sharing, and file sharing).
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method in a network communications environment comprising a network service implemented by at least one server network node, the method comprising by the network service:
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administering one or more real-time data stream connections between client network nodes of respective communicants who are co-present in zones of a virtual area that define respective communication contexts in the network communications environment and are associated with a directed graph defining an ordered arrangement of tasks in a workflow for a process to be performed by communicants in the virtual area, wherein each of the zones is associated with a respective set of one or more of the tasks corresponding to a respective stage of the process, a respective set of one or more communicants assigned to perform the one or more tasks respectively associated with the zone, and a respective set of one or more resources linked to the zone; to the client network nodes of communicants who are present in the virtual area, transmitting a visualization of the virtual area comprising a spatial layout of the zones arranged in an order that tracks the ordered arrangement of the associated tasks defined in the directed graph; for each of respective ones of the zones, controlling establishment of communicant presence in the zone based on the respective set of one or more communicants assigned to perform one or more of the respective set of tasks associated with the zone; wherein the communicants are represented by respective objects in the virtual area, each of the objects is associated with at least one of a source and a sink of one or more data stream types, and the administering is based on the respective sources and sinks associated with the objects and the respective zones in which the objects are located; and wherein at least one of the one or more resources linked to a given one of the zones is a network service, and the administering comprises administering a respective network connection between the network service and each of one or more of the network nodes of respective communicants who are present in the given zone. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. Apparatus, comprising:
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a non-transitory 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 one or more real-time data stream connections between client network nodes of respective communicants who are co-present in zones of a virtual area that define respective communication contexts in the network communications environment and are associated with a directed graph defining an ordered arrangement of tasks in a workflow for a process to be performed by communicants in the virtual area, wherein each of the zones is associated with a respective set of one or more of the tasks corresponding to a respective stage of the process, a respective set of one or more communicants assigned to perform the one or more tasks respectively associated with the zone, and a respective set of one or more resources linked to the zone; to the client network nodes of communicants who are present in the virtual area, transmitting a visualization of the virtual area comprising a spatial layout of the zones arranged in an order that tracks the ordered arrangement of the associated tasks defined in the directed graph; for each of respective ones of the zones, controlling establishment of communicant presence in the zone based on the respective set of one or more communicants assigned to perform one or more of the respective set of tasks associated with the zone; wherein the communicants are represented by respective objects in the virtual area, each of the objects is associated with at least one of a source and a sink of one or more data stream types, and the administering is based on the respective sources and sinks associated with the objects and the respective zones in which the objects are located; and wherein at least one of the one or more resources linked to a given one of the zones is a network service, and the administering comprises administering a respective network connection between the network service and each of one or more of the network nodes of respective communicants who are present in the given zone.
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19. At one least non-transitory computer-readable medium having processor-readable program code embodied therein, the processor-readable program code adapted to be executed by a processor to implement a method comprising:
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administering one or more real-time data stream connections between client network nodes of respective communicants who are co-present in zones of a virtual area that define respective communication contexts in the network communications environment and are associated with a directed graph defining an ordered arrangement of tasks in a workflow for a process to be performed by communicants in the virtual area, wherein each of the zones is associated with a respective set of one or more of the tasks corresponding to a respective stage of the process, a respective set of one or more communicants assigned to perform the one or more tasks respectively associated with the zone, and a respective set of one or more resources linked to the zone; to the client network nodes of communicants who are present in the virtual area, transmitting a visualization of the virtual area comprising a spatial layout of the zones arranged in an order that tracks the ordered arrangement of the associated tasks defined in the directed graph; for each of respective ones of the zones, controlling establishment of communicant presence in the zone based on the respective set of one or more communicants assigned to perform one or more of the respective set of tasks associated with the zone; wherein the communicants are represented by respective objects in the virtual area, each of the objects is associated with at least one of a source and a sink of one or more data stream types, and the administering is based on the respective sources and sinks associated with the objects and the respective zones in which the objects are located; and wherein at least one of the one or more resources linked to a given one of the zones is a network service, and the administering comprises administering a respective network connection between the network service and each of one or more of the network nodes of respective communicants who are present in the given zone.
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Specification