System and method for shared integrated online social interaction

• US 20040041836A1
• Filed: 08/28/2002
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ranganath, Rama, Mesgar, Eugene, Saretto, Cesare John, Ferguson, Heather, Sanders, Erica, Murarka, Neel Ishwar, Vert, John, Zaner, Melora, Stone, Linda, Glatzer, Asta, Mulcahy, Kathleen, Savage, Tammy, Zarakhovsky, Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 7,234,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/751
• 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 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A novel application and user interface for facilitating group interactions over a network integrates messaging, file sharing, media playing, journaling, profiles, and gaming into a cohesive environment. The groups facilitated by the invention are persistent and mobile in that a user does not have to recollect and reconfigure the group each time he or she wants to interact with the group online and, while online, the group may be taken from one activity to another without having to disband and reconnect at the second activity. The application is modular so as to be extensible to include other activities and functionalities. In an embodiment, the group interaction application utilizes a peer-to-peer network environment to facilitate network communications between group members.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface associated with a group interaction application for facilitating an online group interaction among a first online member of a group and at least one other online member of the group over a network, wherein the identity of the group members is saved as a group when the group is offline, comprising:

a group space comprising a first display area for displaying material associated with a first group activity in which each of the at least one other online group members may participate; and

at least one control selectable by the first user for selecting at least one other activity and for thereby automatically causing to be displayed in the group space a second display area for displaying material associated with at least a second group activity in which each of the at least one other online group members may participate, whereby each of the at least one other online group members is automatically shown and can interact with display areas corresponding to both the first and the second display areas.

2. The graphical user interface according to claim 1, wherein the at least one control comprises a first graphical item usable to access at least one other control.

3. The graphical user interface according to claim 1, wherein the group space is comprised of a single contiguous display area.

4. The graphical user interface according to claim 1, wherein the group space is comprised of a plurality of noncontiguous display areas.

5. The graphical user interface according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of noncontiguous display areas are visually formed so that they may be visually juxtaposed into one apparently contiguous display area.

6. The graphical user interface according to claim 1, further comprising a visual personal space accessible to the first user, whereby the personal space is not automatically displayed to each of the at least one other online group members.

7. The graphical user interface according to claim 6, wherein the personal space may be shared with a select member of the at least one other online members pursuant to selection of the select member by the first user.

8. The graphical user interface according to claim 1, further comprising a skin drop target for receiving an indication of a visual effect dropped by the first user and for thereby causing the appearance of the group space to be altered consistent with the dropped indication of a visual effect.

9. The graphical user interface according to claim 8, wherein causing the appearance of the group space to be altered further comprises causing the appearance of a corresponding group space displayed to the at least one other online group member to also be altered consistent with the dropped indication of a visual effect.

10. The graphical user interface according to claim 1, further comprising a file drop target for receiving an indication of a file dropped by the first user whereby a file corresponding to the indication is automatically transmitted to the at least one other online group member.

11. The graphical user interface according to claim 1, further comprising a group bar for visually representing to the first user a plurality of icons, each icon representing a group to which the first user belongs.

12. The graphical user interface according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of icons comprise at least one icon associated with a group having more than two members including the first user, and at least one icon associated with a group having only two members including the first user.

13. The graphical user interface according to claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of icons is selectable by the first user to automatically initiate communications between the first user and other online members of the group associated with the respective icon.

14. A computer-readable medium having thereon computer-readable instructions corresponding to an online group interaction application resource set comprising:

a plurality of activity modules, each adapted to provide an activity function to a first user of the group interaction application program;

a module manager for managing the plurality of activity modules; and

a group framework for interfacing to the plurality of modules and the module manager, and for interfacing to networking facilities for providing networking capability to the first user of the group interaction application program, whereby the first user can engage in a first activity via the networking capability with a group of at least one other user remotely located and whereby the first user can engage in a second activity with the group upon selection of the second activity by the first user.

15. The computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the networking facilities comprise a peer-to-peer network.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the module manager is further configured to provide install and uninstall facilities for adding and subtracting modules respectively from the group interaction application resource set.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the group interaction application resource set further comprises a group space component to provide module-specific user interface visual elements for viewing by the first user.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the group framework further comprises a collection of group objects.

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein each group object in the collection of group objects further comprises a set of user information corresponding to a plurality of group members associated with the respective group represented by the group object, and a data store for storing data selected from the group consisting of group files and group records.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the group space component provides a graphical user interface having a first display area for displaying material associated with the first group activity and at least one control selectable by the first user for selecting the second activity and for automatically causing to be displayed via the graphical user interface a second display area for displaying material associated with the second activity, whereby each member of the group of at least one other user is automatically shown and can interact with display areas corresponding to both the first and the second display areas.

21. The computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein one of the plurality of activity modules comprises a corkboard activity module for causing to be presented a graphical user interface comprised of an area within which the first user may place one or more indications selected from the group consisting of audio file icons, video file icons, text file icons, image file icons, notes, annotations, drawings, and photographs.

22. A graphical user interface generated by a group interaction application program for facilitating an online group interaction among a first online member of a group and at least one other online member of the group over a network comprising:

a first field that acts as a drop target for at least one file icon, which upon dropping also becomes visible to the at least one other online member of the group, wherein the first field also displays annotations entered by the first user, entry of which causes the annotations to also be displayed to the at least one other online member of the group, and wherein a file associated with the at least one dropped file icon may be retrieved by selecting the associated icon; and

at least one visible tool icon selectable by the first user to place an annotation in the first field.

23. The graphical user interface according to claim 22, further comprising a visible control selectable by the first user for selecting at least one other activity and for automatically causing to be displayed within a second field material associated with at least a second group activity, whereby the at least one other online group member is shown and may interact with a field corresponding to the second field.

24. The graphical user interface according to claim 22, wherein the file associated with the at least one icon is of a type selected from the group consisting audio, video, graphical, animated, and textual.

25. A method of enabling a group interaction between a first user and at least one other user over a network comprising:

displaying to the first user via a first user display a group bar having thereon a first selectable group icon associated with a first group comprising the first user and at least one other user;

receiving from the first user a selection of the first group icon; and

in response to receipt of the selection of the first group icon, sending a communication over the network to a computing device used by the at least one other user to initiate a communication session between the first user and the at least one other user.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising presenting a group space to the first user in response to receipt of the selection of the group icon, wherein the group space is uniquely associated with the first group.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the group bar has thereon a second selectable group icon associated with a second group comprising the first user and at least one other user who is not a member of the first group.

28. A computer-readable medium having thereon computer-readable instructions for providing an online group scrap booking activity among members of a group, each associated with a respective computing device interfaced to a common network, comprising:

presenting to a first member of the group via a display of their respective computing device a first representation of a scrapbook comprising a scrap booking work area and at least one scrap booking tool icon, wherein the scrap booking work area is adapted to display a representation of at least one photograph and the at least one scrap booking tool icon is selectable to create annotations in the scrap booking work area, wherein the first representation of a scrapbook corresponds to a second representation of the scrapbook displayed to a second member of the group via a display of their respective computing device; and

receiving a selection of the at least one scrap booking tool icon by the first user and in response causing an annotation to be displayed in the scrap booking work area, wherein the annotation displayed in the scrap booking work area corresponds to an annotation displayed in a corresponding scrap booking work area in the second representation of the scrapbook.

29. The computer-readable medium according to claim 28, wherein the common network comprises a peer-to-peer network.