Meeting-specific state indicators

• US 9,118,612 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Fish, Nathan James, Ferguson, Leslie Rae, Berg, Jeffrey, Shih, Nina F., Lee, Joo Young, Hans, Derek Matthias, Karnawat, Kuldeep, Steinbok, Nicole Danielle, Zuo, Xiping
• Primary Examiner(s): TANK, ANDREW L
• Application Number:
  US12/968,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20120159347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 715/705, 715/708, 715/730, 715/733, 715751-759, 715/963, 715716-726, 715/766, 715/768, 715790-797, 715/808, 715/811, 715/813, 715/864, 705/7.13, 705/7.15, 705/7.19
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A state client is configured to allow a user to specify a meeting-specific state, such as that the user is running late for a meeting, checked in to the meeting, or unable to attend the meeting. A state service stores data identifying the user'"'"'s meeting-specific state. The state service also responds to requests for the state of the user. In one implementation, when such a request is received, the state service determines whether the user is an invitee to the same meeting as the user requesting the state. If not, the state service returns a general-purpose state indicator for the user. If both users are invitees to the same meeting, the state service returns the meeting-specific state indicator, which may then be displayed by a state client.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving requests from a first user and a second user for a state of a third user;

determining whether the first user, the second user, and the third user are invitees to a meeting;

returning, to the first user, a meeting-specific state indicator for the third user in response to determining that the first user and the third user are invitees to the meeting, the meeting-specific state indicator identifying a specific state for the third user with respect to the meeting, the meeting-specific state indicator selected by the third user from a menu comprising a plurality of meeting specific state indicator options, the plurality of meeting specific state indicator options including at least an indicator of an attendance of the third user with respect to the meeting and an indicator of an activity that the third user is performing at the meeting; and

returning, to the second user, a general-purpose state indicator for the third user in response to determining that the second user is not an invitee to the meeting, the general-purpose state indicator indicating that the third user is in the meeting but not providing the specific state for the third user with respect to the meeting.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator is shared only with other invitees to the meeting.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator indicates that the third user is late for the meeting.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator indicates that the third user cannot attend the meeting.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator indicates that the third user has checked in for the meeting.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator identifies the activity that the third user is performing at the meeting.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator indicates that the third user is presenting in the meeting.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator indicates that the third user is a next presenter at the meeting.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator indicates that the third user is sharing a computer desktop.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator identifies a request made by the third user.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator indicates that the third user has a question.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator indicates that the third user would like a presenter to speed up or slow down a presentation.

13. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, perform operations comprising;

receiving a request to update a state for a user;

determining whether the user is an invitee to an in-progress meeting;

providing a first user interface for specifying a general-purpose state indicator in response to determining that the user is not an invitee to the in-progress meeting; and

providing a second user interface for specifying a meeting-specific state indicator in response to determining that the user is an invitee to the in-progress meeting, the second user interface comprising a menu that includes a plurality of meeting specific state indicator options and enables selection of one of a plurality of meeting-specific state indicator options from the menu, the plurality of meeting specific state indicator options including at least an indicator of an attendance of the third user with respect to the meeting and an indicator of an activity that the third user is performing at the meeting, and the meeting-specific state indicator configured to be provided to one or more other invitees of the in-progress meeting based on a selection of the meeting-specific state indicator option from the menu.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, perform operations further comprising receiving the meeting-specific state indicator that indicates that the user is running late to the meeting.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, perform operations further comprising receiving the meeting-specific state indicator that indicates that the user cannot attend the meeting.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, perform operations further comprising receiving the meeting-specific state indicator that indicates that the user has checked in for the meeting.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving requests from a first user and a second user for a state of a third user;

determining whether the first user, the second user, and the third user are invitees to a meeting;

returning, to the first user, a meeting-specific state indicator for the third user in response to determining that the first user and the third user are invitees to the meeting, the meeting-specific state indicator identifying a specific state for the third user with respect to the meeting, the meeting-specific state indicator selected by the third user from a menu comprising a plurality of meeting specific state indicator options, the plurality of meeting specific state indicator options including at least an indicator of an attendance of the third user with respect to the meeting and an indicator of an activity that the third user is performing at the meeting; and

returning, to the second user, a general-purpose state indicator for the third user in response to determining that the second user is not an invitee to the meeting, the general-purpose state indicator indicating that the third user is in the meeting but not providing the specific state for the third user with respect to the meeting.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator comprises an indication that:

the third user is a next presenter at the meeting, the third user is sharing a computer desktop, or identifies a request made by the third user.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator comprises an indication that:

a request has been made by the third user, the third user would like a presenter to speed up a presentation, or the third user would like the presenter to slow down the presentation.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the meeting-specific state indicator comprises an indication that the third user is late for the meeting, the third user has checked in for the meeting, or the third user cannot attend the meeting.