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US 11,106,862 B2Granted
Combining modalities for collaborating while editing and annotating files
AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.
InventorsStewart Curry, Andrew Henderson, Keith Griffin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A communication system and related methods are described. The communication system includes a communication server computer and multiple user computers. The communication server computer maintains synchronization of multiple copies of a graphical user interface (“GUI”) presented by the multiple user computers. The GUI implements a multi-user, digital communication environment and includes a chat area where communications are organized by time and a document editing area where communications are organized by subject. The GUI enables integration of the chat area and the document editing area and allows users to communicate across multiple communication modalities seamlessly and in real time.
Claims25
A method comprising:
- causing, by a processor of a server, to be launched by a plurality of user computers a respective plurality of copies of a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein a first copy of the plurality of copies is presented by a first user computer of the plurality of user computers, and wherein the GUI comprises a plurality of areas corresponding to a plurality of communication modalities, the plurality of areas comprising a chat area where communications including back-and-forth chats are organized substantially chronologically and a document editing area associated with a document where communications are organized substantially by subject;
- receiving, by the processor, a first item provided by a first user through the document editing area of the first copy from the first user computer of the plurality of user computers over a first communication network;
- causing to be displayed in real time metadata related to the first item in the chat area of each of the plurality of copies of the GUI;
- causing a chat message to be generated for each edit or comment made to the first item and to be displayed in the chat area;
- and
- causing, upon selection of the chat message in the chat area, a corresponding edit or comment in the first item in the document editing area from a user instruction in the chat message for the corresponding edit or comment and displaying indicators in both the document editing area and the chat area indicating that the corresponding edit or comment has been incorporated in the first item, wherein causing the corresponding edit or comment in the first item in the document editing area further comprises:
- predicting further edit or comment related to the corresponding edit or comment in the first item in the document editing area,
- providing another chat message, in the chat area, for an approval from the first user to cause the predicted further edit or comment to be included in the first item in the document editing area, and
- displaying a status update of the approval in the chat area.
6 more elements
A method comprising:
- receiving, by a processor, a set of instructions from a remote server over a communication network for presenting a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising a plurality of areas corresponding to a plurality of digital communication modalities for communication among a plurality of user computers, including one chat area where communications including back-and-forth chats are organized substantially chronologically and one document editing area associated with a document where communications are organized substantially by subject;
- launching a first copy of the GUI in accordance with the set of instructions;
- receiving, by the processor, a first item through the document editing area;
- causing to be displayed in real time metadata related to the first item in the chat area of the first copy and other launched copies of the GUI;
- causing a chat message to be generated for each edit or comment made to the first item and to be displayed in the chat area;
- and
- causing, upon selection of the chat message in the chat area, a corresponding edit or comment in the first item in the document editing area from a user instruction in the chat message for the corresponding edit or comment and displaying indicators in both the document editing area and the chat area indicating that the corresponding edit or comment has been incorporated in the first item, wherein causing the corresponding edit or comment in the first item in the document editing area further comprises:
- predicting edit or comment related to the corresponding edit or comment in the first item in the document editing area,
- providing another chat message, in the chat area, for an approval from the first user to cause the predicted further edit or comment to be included in the first item in the document editing area, and
- displaying a status update of the approval in the chat area.
7 more elements
A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions which when executed perform a method comprising:
- causing to be launched by a plurality of user computers a respective plurality of copies of a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein a first copy of the plurality of copies is presented by a first user computer of the plurality of user computers, and wherein the GUI comprises a plurality of areas corresponding to a plurality of communication modalities, the plurality of areas comprising a chat area where communications including back-and-forth chats are organized substantially chronologically and a document editing area associated with a document where communications are organized substantially by subject;
- receiving a first item provided by a first user through the document editing area of the first copy from the first user computer of the plurality of user computers over a first communication network;
- causing to be displayed in real time metadata related to the first item in the chat area of each of the plurality of copies of the GUI;
- causing a chat message to be generated for each edit or comment made to the first item and to be displayed in the chat area;
- and
- causing, upon selection of the chat message in the chat area, a corresponding edit or comment in the first item in the document editing area from a user instruction in the chat message for the corresponding edit or comment and displaying indicators in both the document editing area and the chat area indicating that the corresponding edit or comment has been incorporated in the first item, wherein causing the corresponding edit or comment in the first item in the document editing area further comprises:
- predicting further edit or comment related to the corresponding edit or comment in the first item in the document editing area,
- providing another chat message, in the chat area, for an approval from the first user to cause the predicted further edit or comment to be included in the first item in the document editing area, and
- displaying a status update of the approval in the chat area.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.