US 6,275,224 B1Granted

Group situation board system and method of operation

AssigneeElectronic Data Systems Corporation

InventorJerry K. Carter

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Abstract

A network (10) is provided that has a network server (12) and a plurality of client systems (14). The network server (12) executes a server application (16), and the plurality of client systems (14) each execute a client application (20). The client applications (20) create and display situation board windows (22) on each client system (14) and allow users of each client system (14) to view information and submit information for the situation board windows (22). The server application (16) receives submitted information from the client applications (20) and maintains a current state of group information to be displayed in the situation board windows (22). The server application (16) also updates the situation board windows (22) such that the users are displayed the group information in the respective situation board windows (22).

Claims17

Dependent claims

A group situation board window system, comprising:

a network server executing a server application;
a plurality of client systems each executing a client application;
each client application creating, displaying and monitoring at least one situation board window on each client system and allowing a user of each client system to view information, edit the information to create new information, and submit the new information for the at least one situation board window to the client application;
and
the server application receiving a notification from the client application that it has the new information to submit to the server application, the server application further receiving submitted information from the client applications, using the submitted information from the client applications to maintain a current state of common group information to be displayed in the at least one situation board window, and updating at a defined interval of time the situation board windows such that separate users are concurrently displayed the current state of common group information in the respective at least one situation board window;
wherein each said client application is responsive to initiation of editing by a user of information in the situation board window of that client application for sending a notice to the server application;
and
wherein the server application is responsive to receipt of the notice for preventing other client applications from altering the common group information until the user who triggered the notice has finished editing information, the edited information has been incorporated into the common group information, and the situation board windows of the client applications have thereafter been updated from the common group information.

5 more elements

A group situation board client system, comprising:

a client application executed by the client system, the client application operable to communicate with a server application executed by a network server;
a situation board window created, displayed and monitored by the client application, the situation board window allowing a user of the client system to view common group information, edit the information to create new information, and submit the new information for the situation board window to the client application;
and
the client application notifying the server application that it has the new information to submit to the server application, the server application receiving submitted information from the client application, using the submitted information from the client application to maintain a current state of common group information to be displayed in the situation board window by the client application, and updating at a defined interval of time the situation board window such that other users are concurrently displayed the current state of common group information in respective situation board windows;
wherein the client application is responsive to initiation of editing by a user of information in the situation board window of that client application for sending a notice to the server application;
and
wherein the server application is responsive to receipt of the notice for preventing alteration of the common group information by other users until the user who triggered the notice has finished editing information, the edited information has been incorporated into the common group information, and then the common group information has been displayed to other users.

4 more elements

A method for providing a group situation board to users of a plurality of client systems, comprising:

creating, displaying and monitoring at least one situation board window containing common group information on each client system;
allowing users of each client system to view the common group information, edit the information to create new information, and submit the new information for the at least one situation board window;
identifying the new information submitted by users;
using the new information submitted by users to maintain a current state of common group information;
and
updating at a defined interval of time the at least one situation board window with the new information such that separate users are concurrently displayed the current state of common group information in the at least one situation board window;
causing each said client system to respond to initiation of editing by a user of information in the situation board window of that client system by issuing a notice;
and
responding to issuance of the notice by preventing other client systems from altering the common group information until the user who triggered the notice has finished editing information, the edited information has been incorporated into the common group information, and then the common group information has been displayed to other users.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.