HYBRID SYNCHRONOUS/ASYNCHRONOUS MEANS FOR SHARING USER INTERACTIONS ACROSS MULTIPLE DEVICES

• US 20100185951A1
• Filed: 01/16/2009
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: NICHOLS, JEFFREY WILLIAM, WILTSE, HEATHER RACHELLE
• Granted Patent: US 10,320,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

In an aspect of the invention, a method of communication comprises: establishing an asynchronous communication stream between a first user and a second user; and sending clipped dynamic content from the second user to the first user via the asynchronous communication stream, the clipped dynamic content selected and extracted from a web page by the second user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing an asynchronous communication stream between a first user and a second user; and

sending clipped dynamic content from said second user to said first user via said asynchronous communication stream, said clipped dynamic content selected and extracted from a web page by said second user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising adding said clipped dynamic content to an instant messaging chat stream, said instant messaging chat stream linking said first user with a plurality of instant messaging clients.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising opening said clipped dynamic content in said web page on a computer accessed by said first user.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising interacting with said clipped dynamic content in said web page on said computer.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising sending to said second user a textual description of said interaction with said clipped dynamic content.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein action performed on said web page by said first user is replicated on said web page accessed by said second user.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising interacting with said clipped dynamic content prior to said step of sending said clipped dynamic content to said first user.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said interacting with said clipped dynamic content comprises changing text in a text box, said changed text not appearing graphically for said first user until said second user has completed changes to said text.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein sending said clipped dynamic content comprises:

queuing second user events; and

sending said second user events to said first user via said asynchronous communication stream.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said first user interacts with said web page via a mobile communication device.

11. A computer-implemented method for asynchronous communication between a first user and a second user, comprising:

establishing an asynchronous chat stream between the first user and the second user;

providing a web page to a first user computer and to a second user computer;

providing computer code to enable the first user to clip dynamic content from said web site and to send said clipped dynamic content to the second user;

sending a textual representation of said web page interaction from the first user to the second user; and

storing said textual representation

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

segmenting events and graphical changes made in the first user computer by higher-level actions; and

adding said segmented events and said segmented graphical changes to said asynchronous chat stream.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing an icon in a second user computer display, wherein clicking on said icon initiates said sending said clipped dynamic content to the second user.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein an action performed on said clipped dynamic content by said second user is replicated on said web page accessed by said first user.

15. A computer system for providing collaborative communication between a first user and a second user, said computer system comprising:

a server in asynchronous communication with a computer having an instant messaging module, said computer further having a macro recorder for recording a script of commands providing a return to a desired web page accessed by the first user, said computer further having means to clip dynamic content from said web page;

a communication device in communication with said server, said communication device capable of instant messaging communication with said computer via said server such that said computer can send said recorded script of commands to said communication device.

16. The computer system of claim 15 wherein said clipped dynamic content comprises HyperText Markup Language code.

17. The computer system of claim 15 wherein said communication device comprises means to open and display said clipped dynamic content.

18. The computer system of claim 15 wherein said clipped dynamic content is selected and extracted using a software application having a capability to record, automate, and share among users processes performed in a web browser.

19. A method comprising:

providing a web page to a first communication device accessed by a first user;

providing said web page to a second communication device accessed by a second user;

providing to said first and said second communication devices a software application having a capability to record, automate, and share with said users processes performed in a web browser;

establishing an asynchronous communication stream between said first communication device and said second communication device; and

replicating a web page interaction executed in said first communication device as a web page interaction displayed in said second communication device.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising sending to said second user a textual description of said web page interaction on said first user display device.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said textual description comprises one or more of a mouse event, a keyboard event, a dynamic clip extraction, and a graphical change to a computer system accessed by said first user.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising sending dynamic content clipped from said web page displayed on said local user display device to said second user display device via said asynchronous communication stream.