METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PRESENTING A MEETING IN A CLOUD COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20130018953A1
• Filed: 01/06/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: McConnell, Jager, Peter, Ciara
• Granted Patent: US 9,071,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• 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: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication

Abstract

A method for presenting a meeting in a cloud computing environment is disclosed. The method embodiment includes providing by a server a virtual planning space in a cloud computing environment, wherein the virtual planning space is associated with a meeting and is associated with planning content comprising data objects loaded by a plurality of meeting collaborators. The method also includes receiving by the server an indication to launch the meeting, and in response, generating a virtual meeting room associated with the meeting and an identifier for the virtual meeting room. Thereafter, the server is configured to transmit a message to a plurality of meeting participants that includes an invitation to attend the meeting and the identifier for the virtual meeting room, and to present meeting content comprising at least one data object of the planning content to the meeting participants via the virtual meeting room.

Claims

1. A method for presenting a meeting in a cloud computing environment, the method comprising:

providing by a server a virtual planning space in a cloud computing environment, wherein the virtual planning space is associated with a meeting and is associated with planning content uploaded by a plurality of meeting collaborators, the planning content comprising at least one data object;

receiving by the server an indication to launch the meeting;

generating by the server, in response to receiving the indication to launch, a virtual meeting room associated with the meeting and an identifier for the virtual meeting room;

transmitting by the server a message to a plurality of meeting participants, the message including an invitation to attend the meeting and the identifier for the virtual meeting room; and

presenting by the server meeting content comprising at least one data object of the planning content to the plurality of meeting participants via the virtual meeting room.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the virtual meeting room is a webpage and the identifier is a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the virtual meeting room, wherein the webpage is accessed by the plurality of meeting participants via the URL.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving by the server an indication to present meeting content, wherein the indication includes information identifying the meeting and an identifier associated with a data object selected for presentation; and

providing the selected data object in a presentation window in the virtual meeting room such that the meeting participants have visual access to the meeting content comprising at least one data object of the planning content.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the indication to present the meeting content is received from a meeting coordinator, and wherein the meeting coordinator is one of the plurality of meeting collaborators.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein a data storage block is associated with the meeting and located in a multi-tenant on-demand database system, and the method further comprises storing the data object selected for presentation in the data storage block associated with the meeting.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a data storage block is associated with the meeting and is located in a multi-tenant on-demand database system, and the method further comprises:

receiving by the server real-time text comments from the plurality of meeting participants, and posting the text comments in the virtual meeting room; and

storing the text comments in the data storage block associated with the meeting.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

receiving by the server at least one of video data and audio data corresponding to activities of the plurality of meeting participants during the meeting;

recording in real-time the at least one video data and audio data; and

storing the recorded data in the data storage block associated with the meeting.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating by the server a follow-up task list comprising a plurality of follow-up tasks; and

associating the follow-up task list with at least one of the virtual planning space and the virtual meeting room, wherein the follow-up task list is accessible by at least one of the plurality of meeting collaborators via the virtual planning space and the plurality of meeting participants via the virtual meeting room.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising assigning at least one of a meeting participant and a meeting collaborator to perform at least one follow-up task.

10. A machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for presenting a meeting in a cloud computing environment, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

providing a virtual planning space in a cloud computing environment, wherein the virtual planning space is associated with a meeting and is associated with planning content uploaded by a plurality of meeting collaborators, the planning content comprising at least one data object;

receiving an indication to launch the meeting;

generating, in response to receiving the indication to launch, a virtual meeting room associated with the meeting and an identifier for the virtual meeting room;

transmitting a message to a plurality of meeting participants, the message including an invitation to attend the meeting and the identifier for the virtual meeting room; and

presenting meeting content comprising at least one data object of the planning content to the plurality of meeting participants via the virtual meeting room.

11. An apparatus for presenting a meeting in a cloud computing environment, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

providing a virtual planning space in a cloud computing environment, wherein the virtual planning space is associated with a meeting and is associated with planning content uploaded by a plurality of meeting collaborators, the planning content comprising at least one data object;

receiving an indication to launch the meeting;

generating, in response to receiving the indication to launch, a virtual meeting room associated with the meeting and an identifier for the virtual meeting room;

transmitting a message to a plurality of meeting participants, the message including an invitation to attend the meeting and the identifier for the virtual meeting room; and

presenting meeting content comprising at least one data object of the planning content to the plurality of meeting participants via the virtual meeting room.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the virtual meeting room is a webpage and the identifier is a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the virtual meeting room, wherein the webpage is accessed by the plurality of meeting participants via the URL.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of:

receiving an indication to present meeting content, wherein the indication includes information identifying the meeting and an identifier associated with a data object selected for presentation; and

providing the selected data object in a presentation window in the virtual meeting room such that the meeting participants have visual access to the meeting content comprising at least one data object of the planning content.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the indication to present the meeting content is received from a meeting coordinator, and wherein the meeting coordinator is one of the plurality of meeting collaborators.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein a data storage block is associated with the meeting and is located in a multi-tenant on-demand database system, and the apparatus further comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of:

receiving real-time text comments from the plurality of meeting participants, and posting the text comments in the virtual meeting room; and

storing the text comments in the data storage block associated with the meeting.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of:

receiving at least one of video data and audio data corresponding to activities of the plurality of meeting participants during the meeting;

recording in real-time the at least one video data and audio data; and

storing the recorded data in the data storage block associated with the meeting.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of:

generating a follow-up task list comprising a plurality of follow-up tasks; and

associating the follow-up task list with at least one of the virtual planning space and the virtual meeting room, wherein the follow-up task list is accessible by at least one of the plurality of meeting collaborators via the virtual planning space and the plurality of meeting participants via the virtual meeting room.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of assigning at least one of a meeting participant and a meeting collaborator to perform at least one follow-up task.

15. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein a data storage block is associated with the meeting and located in a multi-tenant on-demand database system, and the method further comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of storing the data object selected for presentation in the data storage block associated with the meeting.

20. A method for transmitting code for presenting a meeting in a cloud computing environment, the method comprising:

transmitting code to provide by a server a virtual planning space in a cloud computing environment, wherein the virtual planning space is associated with a meeting and is associated with planning content uploaded by a plurality of meeting collaborators, the planning content comprising at least one data object;

transmitting code to receive by the server an indication to launch the meeting;

transmitting code to generate by the server a virtual meeting room associated with the meeting and an identifier for the virtual meeting room in response to receiving the indication to launch the meeting;

transmitting code to transmit by the server a message to a plurality of meeting participants, the message including an invitation to attend the meeting and the identifier for the virtual meeting room; and

transmitting code to present by the server meeting content comprising at least one data object of the planning content to the plurality of meeting participants via the virtual meeting room.