Systems and methods for a collaboration server

• US 20050262006A1
• Filed: 02/10/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Frender, Kevin Blair, Beartusk, Brodi, Jolley, Christopher, Smith, Gregory, Devgan, Manish, Pearson, Shane, Olander, Daryl B., Cook, Thomas A., O'Neil, Edward K., Feit, Richard, Breeden, Timothy, Stamm, Thomas Carl, McCauley, Rodney
• Application Number:
  US11/055,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20050262006A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A system and method for establishing a collaboration, comprising evaluating a role to dynamically determine a set of potential participants; selecting a first participant from the set of potential participants; inviting the first participant to join the collaboration; receiving an answer to the inviting; and including the first participant in the collaboration if the answer indicates a desire to join the collaboration.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a collaboration, comprising:

evaluating a role to dynamically determine a set of potential participants;

selecting a first participant from the set of potential participants;

inviting the first participant to join the collaboration;

receiving an answer to the inviting; and

including the first participant in the collaboration if the answer indicates a desire to join the collaboration.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the role is based on presence and status information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the selecting selects a least busy participant from the set of potential participants.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the first participant has a state that indicates whether or not the first participant is unavailable.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the first participant can access a shared state through which information can be shared with other participants.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the role is based on one or more attributes of the potential participants.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the collaboration allows a plurality of participants to interact and/or share information

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating a collaboration process.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first participant is integrated with a process capable of web browsing.

10. A system establishing a collaboration, comprising:

a messaging layer capable of sending and receiving messages, wherein the messaging layer is extensible through one or more plug-in communication provider modules;

a role capable of being used to dynamically determine a set of potential participants, wherein the role is based on presence information for the potential participants; and

a business process capable of using the messaging layer to send a message to a first participant of the set of potential participants, wherein the message is an invitation to join the collaboration.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the role is based status information for the potential participants.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the first participant is less busy the other potential participants.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the first participant has a state that indicates whether or not the participant is unavailable.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the first participant can access a shared state through which information can be shared with other participants.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the role is based on one or more attributes of the potential participants.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the collaboration allows a plurality of participants to interact and/or share information

17. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the first participant is integrated into a process capable of web browsing.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a shared state through which the business process and the first participant can share information.

19. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

means for determining the set of applications available on the first participant.

20. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by one or more processors cause a system to:

evaluate a role to dynamically determine a set of potential participants;

select a first participant from the set of potential participants;

invite the first participant to join the collaboration;

receive an answer to the inviting; and

include the first participant in a collaboration if the answer indicates a desire to join the collaboration.

21. The machine readable medium of claim 20 wherein:

the role is based on presence and status information.

22. The machine readable medium of claim 20 wherein:

the selecting selects a least busy participant from the set of potential participants.

23. The machine readable medium of claim 20 wherein:

the first participant has a state that indicates whether or not the first participant is unavailable.

24. The machine readable medium of claim 20 wherein:

the first participant can access a shared state through which information can be shared with other participants.

25. The machine readable medium of claim 20 wherein:

the role is based on one or more attributes of the potential participants.

26. The machine readable medium of claim 20 wherein:

the collaboration allows a plurality of participants to interact and/or share information

27. The machine readable medium of claim 20, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

initiate a collaboration process.

28. The machine readable medium of claim 20, wherein:

the first participant is integrated with a process capable of web browsing.

29. A computer data signal embodied in a transmission medium, comprising:

a code segment including instructions to evaluate a role to dynamically determine a set of potential participants;

a code segment including instructions to select a first participant from the set of potential participants;

a code segment including instructions to invite the first participant to join the collaboration;

a code segment including instructions to receive an answer to the inviting; and

a code segment including instructions to include the first participant in a collaboration if the answer indicates a desire to join the collaboration.