Conversation persistence in real-time collaboration system

US8001126B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Richard Edmond Berry · Georgetown, US
• Yen-Fu Chen · Austin, US
• John Hans Handy-Bosma · Cedar Park, US
• Peter Hsu · Zürich, CH
• Mei Yang Selvage · Austin, US
• Alan Richard Tannenbaum · Austin, US
• Anthony Christopher Courtney Temple · Hellidon, GB
• Keith R. Walker · Austin, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 16, 2008
• Grant date: Aug 16, 2011
• Expiry date: Oct 2, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S707/99945
• WIPO field: Digital communication
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Previously conducted conversations in real-time collaboration messages are persistently stored, either by client or a server, and then are associated with conversational items presented to a user (e.g. contact names, topics, etc.). An icon is provided near each listed item, which when selected, displays to the user summaries or titles of all transcripts to which the selected item pertains or relates. The user may select one or more summaries or titles for which the conversation is to be resumed, causing the system to retrieve the stored transcript and resume appending new conversational entries to it, so that the user recovers conversational context effortlessly and accurately. Enhanced versions of the invention include sharing of transcripts so that all participants receive the context of the conversation, and server-side or client-side implementations.