Asynchronous network audio/visual collaboration system

• US 20040221323A1
• Filed: 12/31/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Original Assignee: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Inventors: Watt, James H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/135
• 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: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A method and a system for synchronizing audio/video messages and message-related information stored in a workstation with audio/video messages and message-related information stored in a server. A copy of the message-related information stored in the workstation is transferred to the server. The workstation identifies workstation messages that have not been transferred from the workstation to the server. A copy of the identified messages are transferred to the server. The server identifies messages in the server that have not been transferred to the workstation. The server transfers to the workstation the messages identified by the server. The server merges the message-related information transferred to it by the workstation and transfers a copy of the merged message-related information to the workstation.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing audio/video messages and message-related information stored in a workstation with audio/video messages and message-related information stored in a server, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transferring from the workstation to the server a copy of the message-related information stored in the workstation;

(b) identifying workstation messages that have not been transferred from the workstation to the server;

(c) transferring to the server a copy of the messages identified in step (b);

(d) identifying server messages that have not been transferred from the server to the workstation;

(e) transferring to the workstation a copy of each of the messages identified in step (d);

(f) merging in the server the message-related information transferred in step (a) with the message-related information stored in the server; and

(g) transferring a copy of the merged message-related information to the workstation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of merging in the server the messages transferred in step (c) with the messages stored in the server.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of transferring a copy of the merged messages to the workstation.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of displaying the merged messages at the workstation.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the message-related information of each message of the merged messages contains a description field with text, the method further comprising the step of displaying the text of each description field.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of searching the server for message-related information corresponding to the message-related information transferred in step (a).

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of comparing the message-related information stored in the server with the message-related information stored in the workstation.

8. A method of organizing a first audio/video message stored in a workstation with other audio/video messages stored in a server, the other audio/video messages being stored in a first sequence of messages, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transferring a copy of the first message from the workstation to the server;

(b) determining if the first message is a reply to a second message of the other messages; and

(c) if the first message replies to the second message,

(i) serially posting the first message after the second message to create a second sequence of messages,

(ii) replacing the first sequence of messages with the second sequence of messages, and

(iii) storing the second sequence of messages in the server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a first text description is associated with the first message and respective other text descriptions are associated with the other messages, the method further comprising the step of displaying the first text description and the other text descriptions in the second sequence.

10. A method of modifying a chronological order of audio/video messages and messages-related information stored in a server with an audio/video message and information related to the audio/video message stored in a workstation, the message-related information stored in the workstation having information fields to implement chronological order organization, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transferring from the workstation to the server a copy of the message, the message-related information, and the fields stored in the workstation;

(b) storing in the server the message, the message-related information, and the fields transferred in step (a);

(c) identifying in the workstation a first value of a first field and a second value of a second field;

(d) setting a value of a field stored in step (b) responsive to the first value identified in step (c); and

(e) setting a value of another field stored in step (b) responsive to the second value identified in step (c).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the audio/video message and related information stored in the workstation includes a second message with second-message-related information and a third message with third-message-related information, the audio/video messages and related information stored in the server includes a copy of the second message, a copy of the second-message-related information, a copy of the third message, and a copy of the third-message-related information;

step (d) includes setting the first value as the second message with second-message-related information; and

step (e) includes setting the second value as the third message with third-message-related information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the messages-related information in the server contains a description field with text, and the message-related information stored in step (b) has a description field with text, the method further comprising the steps of displaying the text in the server description fields and the text in the description field stored in step (b).

13. A method of synchronizing messages and message-related information stored in a workstation with messages and message-related information stored in a server, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transferring from the workstation to the server a copy of the message-related information stored in the workstation;

(b) identifying workstation messages that have not been transferred from the workstation to the server;

(c) transferring to the server a copy of the messages identified in step (b);

(d) identifying server messages that have not been transferred from the server to the workstation;

(e) transferring to the workstation a copy of each of the messages identified in step (d);

(f) merging in the server the message-related information transferred in step (a) with the message-related information stored in the server; and

(g) transferring a copy of the merged message-related information to the workstation.

14. A method of organizing a plurality of audio/video messages for playing at a workstation, the messages comprising a first audio/video message stored in the workstation and other audio/video messages stored in a first sequence in a server, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transferring a copy of the first message from the workstation to the server;

(b) determining if the message transferred in step (a) is a reply to a second message of the other messages; and

(c) if the message transferred in step (a) replies to the second message,

(i) serially posting the message transferred in step (a) after the second message to create a second sequence of messages,

(ii) replacing the first sequence of messages with the second sequence of messages,

(iii) storing the second sequence of messages in the server, and

(d) transferring the second sequence of messages to the workstation.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a first text description is associated with the first message and respective other text descriptions are associated with the other messages, the method further comprising the step of displaying the first text description and the other text descriptions in the second sequence.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of playing the second sequence of messages.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of selecting a message from the messages transferred in step (d) for playback at the workstation.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of selecting a plurality of messages transferred in step (d) for playback at the workstation.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of storing in the workstation the messages transferred in step (d).

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of playing the messages stored in the workstation.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of selecting a message for playback at the workstation.

22. A method of modifying a sequence of audio/video messages stored in a workstation, the sequence including a first audio/video message having a first set of fields and a second audio/video message having a second set of fields, the second audio/video message and second set of fields being created later than the first audio/video message and the first set of fields, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) locating the first set of fields earlier than the second set of fields to place the first message earlier than the second message in the sequence;

(b) creating a third set of fields for a third audio/video message;

(c) locating the third set of fields between the first and second sets of fields to place the third audio/video message after the first audio/video message and earlier than the second audio/video message; and

(d) recording a third audio/video message at the workstation associated with the third set of fields.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of storing the third audio-video message at the workstation.

24. A method for synchronizing a plurality of messages at a workstation, the messages comprising a first audio/video message stored in a workstation and other audio/video messages stored in a server, the other audio/video messages being stored in a first sequence of messages, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transferring a copy of the first message from the workstation to the server;

(b) determining if the message transferred in step (a) is a reply to a second message of the other messages;

(c) if the message transferred in step (a) replies to the second message,

(i) serially posting the message transferred in step (a) after the second message to create a second sequence of messages,

(ii) replacing the first sequence of messages with the second sequence of messages, and

(iii) storing the second sequence of messages in the server; and

(d) transferring the second sequence of messages to the workstation.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of (e) sending a request to the workstation to initiate the method of synchronizing the plurality of messages at the workstation, wherein step (e) precedes steps (a) through (d).

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of (e) manually sending a request to the workstation to initiate the method of synchronizing the plurality of messages at the workstation, wherein step (e) precedes steps (a) through (d).

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of (e) sending a message to log off the workstation and (f) initiating steps (a) through (d) responsive to step (e);

wherein steps (e) and (f) precede steps (a) through (d).

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of (e) logging onto to the workstation and (f) initiating steps (a) through (d) responsive to step (e), wherein steps (e) and (f) precede steps (a) through (d).

29. A method of managing a collaboration of audio/video messages and message-related information between a plurality of workstations and a server, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) initiating communication between a workstation and the server;

(b) preventing communication between the server and the other workstations;

(c) transferring from the workstation to the server a copy of message-related information stored in the workstation;

(d) identifying workstation messages that have not been transferred from the workstation to the server;

(e) transferring to the server a copy of the messages identified in step (d);

(f) identifying server messages that have not been transferred from the server to the workstation;

(g) transferring to the workstation a copy of each of the messages identified in step (f);

(h) merging in the server the message-related information transferred in step (c) with message-related information stored in the server; and

(i) transferring a copy of the merged message-related information to the workstation.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of (j) allowing communication between the server and the other workstations.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the steps of:

(k) initiating communication between the server and one of the workstations of the plurality of workstations; and

(l) repeating steps (b) through (j).

32. A method of organizing a plurality of messages for playing at a workstation, the messages comprising a first audio/video message with first message-related information stored in the workstation and other audio/video messages with other messages-related information stored in a first sequence in a server, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transferring a copy of the first message and the first message-related information from the workstation to the server;

(b) determining if the first message transferred in step (a) is a reply to a second message of the other messages, the second message having second message-related information;

(c) if the first message transferred in step (a) replies to the second message,

(i) serially posting the first message transferred in step (a) after the second message in a second sequence of messages specified by the first message-related information and the second message-related information,

(ii) replacing the first sequence of messages with the second sequence of messages,

(iii) storing the second sequence of messages in the server, and

(d) transferring the second sequence of messages to the workstation.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of retrieving the messages transferred to the workstation in the second sequence.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of storing the second sequence of messages in the workstation.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of playing the second sequence of messages transferred to the workstation.

36. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for:

(a) transferring from a workstation to a server a copy of message-related information stored in the workstation;

(b) identifying workstation messages that have not been transferred from the workstation to the server;

(c) transferring to the server a copy of the messages identified in step (b);

(d) identifying server messages that have not been transferred from the server to the workstation;

(e) transferring to the workstation a copy of each of the messages identified in step (d);

(f) merging in the server the message-related information transferred in step (a) with the message-related information stored in the server; and

(g) transferring a copy of the merged message-related information to the workstation.

37. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for:

(a) transferring a copy of a first message from a workstation to a server;

(b) determining if the first message is a reply to a second message of other messages; and

(c) if the first message replies to the message,

(i) serially posting the first message after the second message to create a second sequence of messages,

(ii) replacing the first sequence of messages with the second sequence of messages, and

(iii) storing the second sequence of messages in the server.

38. A system for synchronizing audio/video messages and message-related information stored in a workstation with audio/video messages and related message-related information stored in a server, the system comprising:

(a) a first processor in the workstation configured to identify messages stored in the workstation that have not been transferred from the workstation to the server;

(b) a first transmitter in the workstation for transferring from the workstation to the server a copy of the message-related information stored in the workstation and a copy of the messages identified by the processor;

(c) a second processor in the server configured to identify messages in the server that have not been transferred from the server to the workstation; and

(d) a second transmitter in the server for transferring to the workstation a copy of the messages identified by the second processor;

wherein the second processor is configured as a synchronizer control in the server to merge the message-related information transferred by the first transmitter with the message-related information stored in the server, and the second transmitter is configured to transfer a copy of the merged message-related information to the workstation.

39. A system for organizing a first audio/video message stored in a workstation with other audio/video messages stored in a server, the other audio/video messages being stored in a first sequence of messages, the system comprising:

(a) a first processor in the workstation configured to determine if the first message is a reply to a second message of the other messages;

(b) a first transmitter in the workstation configured to transfer a copy of the first message from the workstation to the server and to transmit a signal to the server if the first message replies to the second message;

(c) a second processor in the server configured to serially post the first message after the second message to create a second sequence of messages and to replace the first sequence of messages with the second sequence of messages; and

(d) a storage device in the server configured to store the second sequence of messages.

40. A system organizing a plurality of audio/video messages for playing at a workstation, the messages comprising a first audio/video message stored in the workstation and other audio/video messages stored in a first sequence in a server, the system comprising:

(a) a first transmitter in the workstation configured to transfer a copy of the first message from the workstation to the server;

(b) a processor in the server configured to determine if the first message is a reply to a second message of the other messages, for serially posting the first message after the second message to create a second sequence of messages in the server;

(c) a storage device in the server configured to store the second sequence of messages; and

(d) a second transmitter in the server for transferring the second sequence of messages to the workstation.

41. A system for managing a collaboration of audio/video messages and message-related information between a plurality of workstations and a server, the system comprising:

(a) a device for initiating communication between a workstation and the server and for preventing communicating between the server and the other workstations;

(b) a first processor in the workstation configured to identify workstation messages that have not been transferred from the workstation to the server;

(c) a first transmitter in the workstation configured to transfer to the server a copy of message-related information stored in the workstation and a copy of the messages identified by the first processor;

(d) a second processor in the server configured to identify server messages that have not been transferred from the server to the workstation; and

(e) a second transmitter in the server configured to transfer to the workstation a copy of the messages identified by the second processor,

wherein the second processor is configured to merge the message-related information transferred to the server with the message-related information stored in the server and the second transmitter is configured to transfer a copy of the merged message-related information to the workstation.