Method and system for creating a place type to be used as a template for other places

• US 6,996,780 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Estrada, Julio
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D.
• Application Number:
  US09/752,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20040070609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 345/733, 345/744, 345/751, 345/760, 345/764, 345/765, 709/221, 709/223, 709/224, 715/733, 715/744, 715/751, 715/748, 715/749, 715/752, 715/764, 715/765, 715/760, 715/513
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Collaboration space object model provides for a place consisting of rooms created by users interacting with a client browser. A skin (i.e., theme) may be used as template for creating places. PlaceBots (i.e., agents) provide for accessing, processing and managing data in a place. HTML may be dragged and dropped into a place, where it is parsed and corresponding place fields created. A place type comprising a template of an entire place, or collaboration space, may be used to create new places. Changes made to a place may be reported, subject to security controls, by selecting what'"'"'s new.

Claims

1. A method for creating a place type from which new places are created in collaboration space, comprising the steps of:

creating a first place including a configuration specifying members and their respective roles, a data structure including at least one room form and included page form, and at least one skin group for a team project;

rendering said first place as an existing place;

responsive to user command, saving said existing place as a place type from which other places are to be created with said configuration in said collaboration space;

rendering a new place as a copy of said place type, said new place being a fully functioning collaborative space including members with specific roles, data structure including folders and rooms and created by said place type from said existing place;

responsive to place manager selection;

selectively preventing changes to look and feel of said new place by not presenting decorate options in said place type;

selectively displaying a description of said place type;

displaying source information for said place type, including name and address of collaboration space place on which said place type is based;

selectively hiding and redisplaying names and descriptions of place types in a list of available place types created by place type authors and transportable among plurality of servers;

selectively updating said new place created using said place type when said place type changes; and

selectively copying said place type from a server on which said place type was created to another server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

responsive to a user selecting an action from a browser user interface for creating a place in collaboration space, displaying a list of custom place types;

receiving from said user a name of a custom place type from said list, together with a name for a new place, user name and password; and

responsive to verification of said user as authorized by user name and password, creating a new place from said custom place type.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

organizing said collaboration space according to an object model selectively including place, room, folder, page, member, form, field, place type, room type, skin, and placebot objects.

4. The method of claim 3, said place type being implemented as a directory within said room type.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

manipulating functionality provided by said place type to customize said collaboration space by integrating external technology.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

granting authority to an authorized user to access said place type and create a new place from said place type; and

responsive to a request from said authorized user, modifying said new place.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

updating said new place created using said place type when said place type is modified.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

responsive to a “

what'"'"'s new”

request entered by a user, displaying at said browser changes made to said place type.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

responsive to creation of said place type from said first place, using said place type as a custom place type for creating said other places having the format, look and feel of said first place.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

including membership, forms, placebots and skins defining a collaboration space place within said place type.

11. A method for creating a plurality of place type place types from which new places are to be created in collaboration space, comprising the steps of:

creating a first place;

rendering said first place in collaboration space;

saving said first place as a place type;

creating a new place as a copy of said place type, said new place being a fully functioning collaborative space;

rendering said new place in collaboration space; and

responsive to place manager selection;

selectively preventing changes to look and feel of said new place by not presenting decorate options in said place type;

selectively displaying a description of said place type;

displaying source information for said place type, including name and address of collaboration space place on which said place type is based;

selectively hiding and redisplaying names and descriptions of place types in a list of available place types created by place type authors and transportable among plurality of servers;

selectively updating said new place created using said place type when said place type changes; and

selectively copying said place type from a server on which said place type was created to another server.

12. A system for creating a place type from which new places are to be created in collaboration space comprising:

a first place;

said first place including a configuration of membership, at least one room form and included page form, and at least one skin group for a team project;

said skin group defining a page read display mode, a page edit display mode, a folder list and response display mode, and a folder headline display mode;

said place type created responsive to user command from a preexisting first place;

each said new place created as a copy of said place type and having said configuration within said collaboration space as a fully functioning collaboration space including members with specific roles, data structure including folders and rooms, copied from said first place;

means responsive to place manager selection for;

selectively preventing changes to look and feel of said new place by not presenting decorate options in said place type;

selectively displaying a description of said place type;

displaying source information for said place type, including name and address of collaboration space place on which said place type is based;

selectively hiding and redisplaying names and descriptions of place types in a list of available place types created by place type authors and transportable among a plurality of servers;

selectively updating said new place created using said place type when said place type changes; and

selectively copying said place type from a server on which said place type was created to another server.

13. The system of claim 12, said collaboration space being organized according to an object model including place, room, folder, page, member, form, field, place type, room type, skin, and placebot objects.

14. The system of claim 13, said place type being a directory containing all rooms comprising said place type.

15. The system of claim 14, said place type including membership, forms, placebots and skins.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a browser for manipulating functionality provided by said place type to customize said collaboration space by integrating external technology.

17. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a browser for manipulating functionality provided by said place type.

18. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for creating a place type from which new places are created in collaboration space, said method steps comprising:

creating a first place including a configuration of members and their respective roles, and a data structure including at least one room form and included page form, and at least one skin group for a team project;

rendering said first place as an existing place;

responsive to user command, creating from said existing place a place type specifying collaborative space characteristics including a members list and roles, data structure, of said first place; and

creating as a copy of said place type a new place as a fully functioning collaboration place including said configuration of members and their respective roles and said data structures;

responsive to place manager selection;

selectively preventing changes to look and feel of said new place by not presenting decorate options in said place type;

selectively displaying a description of said place type;

displaying source information for said place type, including name and address of collaboration space place on which said place type is based;

selectively hiding and redisplaying names and descriptions of place types in a list of available place types created by place type authors and transportable among plurality of servers;

selectively update said new place created using said place type when said place type changes; and

selectively copying said place type from a server on which said place type was created to another server.

19. The program storage device of claim 18, said method steps further comprising:

responsive to a user selecting an action from a browser user interface for creating a place in collaboration space, displaying a list of custom place types;

receiving from said user a name of a custom place type from said list, together with a name for a new place, user name and password; and

responsive to verification of said user as authorized by user name and password, creating a new place from said custom place type as a fully functioning collaboration space.