CN111052160A

CN111052160A - Virtual office

Info

Publication number: CN111052160A
Application number: CN201880055473.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马里亚·弗朗西斯卡·琼斯; 亚历山大·琼斯
Original assignee: Ma LiyaFulangxisikaQiongsi
Current assignee: Ma LiyaFulangxisikaQiongsi
Priority date: 2017-07-05
Filing date: 2018-06-13
Publication date: 2020-04-21
Also published as: JP2020525954A; WO2019008321A1; CA3068922A1; AU2018298475A1; SG11202000031RA; ZA202000726B; GB201710832D0; JP2023134545A; EP3649589A1; KR20200037240A

Abstract

A method of providing a virtual office, the method comprising: generating an output for displaying the virtual office, the output comprising a plurality of images of items of office equipment arranged in the virtual office, each item of office equipment having stored image data for generating an image in the virtual office and code for performing a relevant office function; receiving a user input to select an image of an item of office equipment and identify an operation to be performed by the office equipment; performing the identified operation; modifying the generated output for display to display an image of the selected item of the office equipment that performs the selected function.

Description

Virtual office

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method and system for providing a virtual office.

Background

Office workers are required to perform their office functions using many different programs and items of office equipment on computers. Office workers often require significant training regarding how to use the various items of office equipment and the large number of procedures that need to be used.

Therefore, there is a need to simplify the way office workers perform their office functions.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect, a method of providing a virtual office is provided, the method comprising: generating an output for displaying a virtual office, the output comprising a plurality of images of items of office equipment arranged in the virtual office, each item of office equipment having stored image data for generating images in the virtual office and code for performing a relevant office function; receiving a user input to select an image of an item of office equipment and identify an operation to be performed by the office equipment; performing the identified operation; and modifying the generated output for display to display an image of the selected item of office equipment that performs the selected function.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for providing a virtual office, including: at least one processor; and a memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to: generating an output for displaying a virtual office, the output comprising a plurality of images of items of office equipment arranged in the virtual office, each item of office equipment having stored image data for generating an image in the virtual office and code for performing a relevant office function; receiving a user input to select an image of an item of office equipment and identify an operation to be performed by the office equipment; performing the identified operation; and modifying the generated output for display to display an image of the selected item of office equipment that performs the selected function.

Another aspect of the invention provides a carrier medium or storage medium carrying code executable by a processor to implement a delayed search method.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a general system according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for providing a virtual office using the system of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an office system according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a networked system according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system, according to one embodiment;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during folder selection, according to one embodiment;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during document selection according to one embodiment;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during a page turn of a document according to one embodiment;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during writing of a document, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display sequence output from the system during document mailing according to one embodiment;

11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during writing of a document, according to one embodiment;

12A and 12B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during mail reading according to one embodiment;

13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during social network entry, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a display in a portion of a virtual office output from the system during document archiving and searching, according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a base computing device used in one embodiment.

Detailed Description

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the inventive subject matter may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and that structural, logical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present subject matter. Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term "invention" merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed.

The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present subject matter is defined by the appended claims.

In the following embodiments, like parts are denoted by like reference numerals.

In the following embodiments, data is described as being stored in at least one database. The term "database" is intended to include any data structure (and/or combination of data structures) for storing and/or organizing data, including, but not limited to, relational databases (e.g., Oracle databases, mySQL databases, etc.), non-relational databases (e.g., NoSQL databases, etc.), in-memory databases, spreadsheets, as comma-separated value (CSV) files, extensible markup language (XML) files, text (TXT) files, flat files, spreadsheet files, and/or any other widely used or proprietary data storage format. The database is typically stored in one or more data stores. Accordingly, each database referenced herein (e.g., in the description herein and/or the figures of the present application) should be understood to be stored in one or more data stores. The "file system" may control how data is stored and/or retrieved (e.g., a disk file system (e.g., FAT, NTFS, optical disk, etc.), a flash file system, a tape file system, a database file system, a transactional file system, a network file system, etc.). For simplicity, the present disclosure is described herein with respect to a database. However, the systems and techniques disclosed herein may be implemented with a file system or a combination of a database and a file system.

In the following embodiments, the term "data store" is intended to encompass any computer-readable storage medium and/or device (or collection of data storage media and/or devices). Examples of data storage include, but are not limited to, optical disks (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.), magnetic disks (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, etc.), memory circuits (e.g., solid state drive, Random Access Memory (RAM), etc.), and so forth. Another example of a data store is a managed storage environment, which includes a collection of physical data storage devices that can be accessed remotely and provisioned quickly as needed (often referred to as "cloud" storage).

In one embodiment, the functions or algorithms described herein are implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware. The software comprises computer executable instructions stored on a computer readable carrier medium such as a memory or other type of storage device. Further, the described functions may correspond to modules, which may be software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. Multiple functions are performed in one or more modules as needed, and the described embodiments are merely examples. The software is executed on a digital signal processor, ASIC, microprocessor, or other type of processor operating on a system, such as a personal computer, server, router, or other device capable of processing data, including network interconnection devices.

Some embodiments implement functions in two or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and data signals communicated between and through the modules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, the exemplary process flow is applicable to software, firmware, and hardware implementations.

General embodiments include a method and system for providing a virtual office, wherein an output for displaying the virtual office is generated, the output including a plurality of images of items of office equipment disposed in the virtual office. Each item of office equipment has stored image data for generating images in a virtual office and code for performing the relevant office function. An image of an item of the office equipment is received from a user input to select the office equipment, and an operation to be performed by the office equipment is identified, and the identified operation is performed. Modifying the generated output for display to display an image of the selected item of office equipment performing the selected function.

The office function may include operations on electronic documents.

Thus, the displayed virtual office provides a simple, intuitive user interface for office workers to perform office functions. Items of office equipment may include any of the following: paper, writing instruments (e.g., pens, pencils, erasers, highlighters, etc.), printers, scanners, fax machines, shredders, filing cabinets, folders, scanners, filing trays, whiteboards, pegboards, calculators, and even computers used to implement applications such as e-mail, spreadsheet, or budget/accounting software. This list is exemplary only and not exhaustive.

Office functions that may be performed in the virtual office may include the following operations on the document: archiving, searching, shredding, email, faxing, printing, scanning, creating, saving, opening, closing, editing/modifying, mailing, displaying (e.g., on a shared whiteboard or pegboard), and the like. The office function may also be, for example, initiating a telephone call or a video call/conference.

In this patent, the term "document" is intended to cover any form of data held in the office environment in units of electronic publications or communications, and includes photographs and images, text, e-mail, and the like.

To provide feedback to the user and to provide an intuitive user interface, the generated output can be modified to display an animation of the image of the selected item performing the selected function. Thus, for example, a shredding function may be illustrated by an image of a shredder shredding a document, and a printing function may be represented as an image being printed by a printer.

The office device may include paper with electronic document content and the identified operation may include turning pages. The generated output is modified in response to displaying an image that pages the paper and the electronic document content.

Office equipment may include paper with electronic document content and a writing implement such as a pen or pencil. The identified operation may include writing on a sheet of paper, then modifying the generated output to display an image of the writing presented on the sheet of paper, and modifying the electronic document according to the writing.

The office equipment may include an envelope and the identified operation may include writing on the envelope, inserting paper into the envelope, and mailing the envelope. This may be referred to as virtual mailing. The generated output is modified in response to displaying the image of the paper inserted into the envelope, the image of the writing presented on the envelope, and the image of the envelope inserted into the mailbox. In this case, the identified operation includes electronically transmitting the electronic document according to writing on the envelope. The writing on the envelope may be manually entered by the user or retrieved from a source stored locally or remotely, such as a contact address stored in an address book. The writing may also be entered by cutting and pasting from other displayed text, for example, in another application or window.

The office equipment may include folders that contain documents. The electronic document may be stored in an electronic folder associated with the image of the folder. This may be referred to as virtual archiving. The identified operation may include selecting a folder, and the generated output may be modified to display an image of the selected folder. The identified operation may include opening a folder, and the generated output may be modified to display an image of the folder being opened. The identified operation may include selecting a document in a folder, and the generated output may be modified to display an image of the document being opened.

The office equipment may comprise a telephone or a video telephone and the associated operation stored for the office function of the telephone may be to make a voice telephone call or a video telephone call.

In an embodiment, the virtual office process interfaces with office application programs that provide standard office functionality, such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentation applications, email applications, communication applications, messaging applications, image processing applications, drawing applications, document management applications, and the like, to provide a more intuitive interface to perform office functions. A user is able to interact with items of office equipment in a more natural manner in a virtual office environment. The user may also interact with their avatar to control their operation in the virtual office to interact with the images of the office equipment.

In one embodiment, the code for execution by the processor includes a virtual office application for generating output for displaying a virtual office, wherein the virtual office application interfaces with at least one office application to perform office functions. Thus, standard available office applications, such as word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, and the like, may be used behind the virtual office interface to avoid the need to replace known office applications and to provide an easy-to-use interface without the need to replace the standard document processing applications of the office.

In one embodiment, a user may interface with the displayed output and use a pointing device and keyboard for user input. In alternative embodiments, the user interface may be any form of visual output and any form of input (such as a keyboard, touch screen, pointer device (such as a mouse, trackball, trackpad, or pen device), audio recognition hardware and/or software for recognizing sound or speech from a user, gesture recognition input hardware and/or software, and so forth).

Specific embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a general system according to one embodiment.

FIG. 1 illustrates modules implemented in a computing device. These modules include logical units of code. However, the functionality of the logic unit may be performed by any suitable separation or division of the code into modules.

The user interface 11 is connected to the virtual office processing module 12 to execute processing of generating a virtual office output for display using the user interface 11. The virtual office processing module 12 accesses a virtual office data store 13, which stores all the data required to generate and present the virtual office environment. For example, the virtual office data storage 13 may store image data for items of office equipment, background office images, and the like. A document data storage 14 is connected to the virtual office processing module 12 to store document data for the virtual office environment.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for providing a virtual office using the system of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment.

In step S10, an output for displaying the virtual office is generated, the output including a plurality of images of items of office equipment arranged in the virtual office. Each item of office equipment has stored image data for generating images in a virtual office and code for performing the relevant office function. The office function may include the manipulation of electronic documents as broadly defined above. In step S11, a user input is received to select an image of an item of office equipment, and an operation to be performed on the electronic document by the office equipment is identified. In step S12, the identified operation is performed on the electronic document, and in step S13, the generated output for display is modified to display an image of the selected item of office equipment that performs the selected function.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an office system according to one embodiment.

In this embodiment, the virtual office processing module 22 is connected to the user interface 21 to provide virtual office output for display using data stored in the virtual office data store 25. The virtual office processing module interfaces with a plurality of office applications including

office processing modules

23A, 23B and 23C. An office file storage module 24 is provided which is connected to each of the

office processing modules

23A, 23B and 23C to store data A, B and C associated with the respective

office processing modules

23A, 23B and 23C, respectively.

Office processing modules

23A, 23B, and 23C may include any conventional application for providing office functionality, including high-level applications for performing office functions (e.g., word processing, presentation processing, spreadsheet processing, image processing, social networking, email, etc.); and lower level applications such as printer drivers, paper shredders, or secure delete applications. Thus, in this embodiment, the virtual office environment provides a top level interface that allows users to more intuitively perform office functions and access applications that are familiar or standard and need to be used in the office, for example for policy reasons or for compatibility reasons.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a networked system providing a virtual office according to one embodiment.

Fig. 4 shows two

client devices

100A and 100B, both for use by a user. Any number of client devices may be used.

Client devices

100A and 100B may include any type of computing or processing machine, such as a personal computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, personal organizer, mobile device, smartphone, mobile phone, video player, television, audio player, multimedia device, personal digital assistant, and so forth.

The

client devices

100A and 100B are connected to a communication network, such as the internet 50. The server system 1000 is connected to the internet 50 to provide a virtual office through the internet 50. The server system 1000 includes a network interface 110 and a virtual office application 120. The virtual office application is connected to a virtual office data store 130 that stores all the required data to generate and present the virtual office environment for display at the

client devices

100A and 100B. For example, the virtual office data storage 130 may store image data of items of office equipment, background office images, and the like. The document data storage 140 is connected to the virtual office application 120 to store document data used in the virtual office environment provided to the

client devices

100A and 100B.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system, according to one embodiment. The virtual office may be a representation of a 3D environment displayed on a 2D display.

The display 200 displays a virtual office including a desk, a chair, and a plurality of items of office equipment with which a user can interact with using input instructions for processing a document. In this embodiment, on a desk are a laptop computer 202 and a printer 201. Beside the table are a trash can 203 and shredder 204, and in the corner is a filing cabinet 205. One wall is provided with a shelf for books 206 and the other wall is provided with a shelf for folders 207 and a shared whiteboard and pegboard 208. A bookcase 209 is also shown alongside the table. The user can select all the displayed images of the items of the office equipment to select execution of the processing corresponding to the expected normal function of the shown items of the office equipment. For example, if a user opens a document on the desktop, they may drop it in, for example, trash can 203 through a drag operation to delete it. If the user wants to delete the document safely, it can be placed in, for example, shredder 204 through a drag operation. To print a document, a user may drag and drop the document onto the printer 201 to perform a printing operation. Although the drag operation is described as an example, the user may interface in any manner (e.g., touch and voice).

The shared whiteboard and peg board 208 enables users to write messages and add documents so that other users who can use the shared office environment can view.

Bookshelf 209 enables a user to select a bookshelf to access the reference library. An image of the phone 214 is provided to enable the user to select the image to initiate an office function for a phone call (or video call if the phone has video capabilities).

Performing other office functions using the virtual office environment will now be described with reference to fig. 6-14.

Fig. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during folder selection according to one embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6A, a user may select a folder 207 on a shelf to search for and open documents in one folder. Fig. 6B shows the sequence of images presented in the virtual office, showing the animated state of the folder 207 on the shelf in the process. When the user selects a folder, the folder is shown removed from the shelf, leaving free space on the shelf.

Fig. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during document selection according to one embodiment.

When a folder is selected in fig. 6B, the folder is placed on a table, and the user can select a document from the folder. The selected document is displayed open on a table next to the selected folder. To read a document, the user may select it and it will be displayed in a larger form. If the user wishes to manipulate the document, the user may choose to manipulate the document, e.g., edit it, and may open a word processing application to enable word processing of the document. The word processing interface may overlay the virtual office display, or in a separate display area or separate display screen. The same applies to accessing any other document processing application, such as a spreadsheet application, a presentation application, or an account application, among others.

The display of the document in the display area may be manipulated in a similar manner as the user interacts with the paper. Fig. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during page turning of a document according to one embodiment. Accordingly, the user can flip the page of the document by performing a simple selection operation (e.g., a drag operation) to select to display the next page, and the image of the paper (item of the office device) is modified to show the page flip operation.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during writing of a document, according to one embodiment.

In this embodiment, the user's interaction with the document may be displayed on a table, and the user input may be displayed as an action of a pen writing on paper.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display sequence output from the system during virtual mailing of documents, according to one embodiment.

In this embodiment, the document may be displayed on a desk and the user may choose to write the document and send it as an electronic communication (e.g., email). The sequence of fig. 10 illustrates the following operations: selecting a document, writing on the document, inserting the document into a virtual envelope, writing an address on the envelope, and mailing the envelope. The stamp may be attached to an envelope and payment or approval may be required from the user in order to obtain the stamp. The stamp may contain any desired image, such as a company logo.

Virtual offices represent different types of office environments, and thus processing virtual mail is an important operation in offices. A virtual mailing and delivery (delivery) system allows for the sending and receiving (i.e., mailing and delivery) of virtual mail that includes a virtual counterpart (correspondance), where the virtual counterpart includes virtual letters, leaflets, card leaflets, packages, and the like.

This embodiment provides a visual and intuitive way for a user to send an electronic communication such as an email.

11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during writing of a document, according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, the user may write notes on the notepad, and these notes may be stored as documents. The writing operation may be shown as a virtual writing instrument, such as a pen or pencil writing on virtual paper.

Fig. 12A and 12B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during mail reading according to one embodiment. Thus, embodiments may be used in conjunction with the embodiment of fig. 10 describing the creation and transmission of electronic communications.

The user may be notified of their presence by a simple notification (or any form of electronic communication). In one embodiment, the notification may be a stack of virtual envelopes on a desk or in a receipt bar. The user may choose to view the envelopes, as shown in the first portion of FIG. 12B, and the user may choose to open one of the envelopes and read the documents contained therein. The user may also choose to reply to the message in the envelope, and the envelope may be automatically re-populated with the address to be sent back to the sender.

Fig. 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from the system during social network entry, according to one embodiment.

The document in this embodiment includes text entered into the social networking interface. The user can open a social network page as a document and interact with it as if it were a document.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a display in a portion of a virtual office output from the system during document archiving and searching, according to one embodiment. This embodiment illustrates user interaction with the file cabinet 205 of fig. 5.

When the user selects the file cabinet 205, a search input box 300 may be displayed to enable the user to input a search string as a query for documents stored in the file cabinet. When the user enters the query "folder A" and finds that folder, the file cabinet image is modified to show that the drawer is open and the folder is being removed.

The virtual office may also be a home office. The virtual office interface may also serve as an interface to a virtual office that may be "occupied" or shared with multiple users and is a shared office environment, so that the administrator user may be, for example, an employer. There may be many offices in the main virtual office area, or they may be linked to each other. In this environment, folders may be accessed, transferred, and shared. Also, users may share books using the bookshelf, view each other's books, add books to the bookshelf, and download new books from a source (such as through the internet).

Although the virtual office is described above without reference to the description of any office worker, in one embodiment, the office worker may be depicted with an avatar. The avatars may interact and the displayed virtual office may contain a virtual meeting or conference to enable participants to interact with images of items of office equipment. Avatars may interact with each other and they may interact with virtual office devices to move images of office devices in the virtual office to reconfigure the layout of the office.

In one embodiment, the method and system may be used with the method and apparatus disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application No. … …, filed on even date herewith and entitled "virtual participant response indication method and system", the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety.

In one embodiment, a user may interface with the displayed output and may use a pointing device and keyboard for user input. In alternative embodiments, the user interface may be any form of visual output and any form of input (such as a keyboard, touch screen, pointer device (such as a mouse, trackball, trackpad, or pen device), audio recognition hardware and/or software for recognizing sound or speech from a user, gesture recognition input hardware and/or software, and so forth).

Basic computing device

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a base computing device 600 in which example embodiment(s) of the present invention may be embodied. The computing device 600 and its components (including its connections, relationships, and functionality) are intended to be exemplary only, and are not intended to limit implementation of the example embodiment(s). Other computing devices suitable for implementing the example embodiment(s) may have different components, including components with different connections, relationships, and functionality.

For example, computing device 600 may comprise any of the servers or client devices shown in fig. 3 or computer devices on which the modules of fig. 1 are implemented.

Computing device 600 may include a bus 602 or other communication mechanism for addressing a main memory 606 and for transferring data between various components of device 600.

Computing device 600 may also include one or more hardware processors 604 coupled with bus 602 for processing information. Hardware processor 604 may be a general purpose microprocessor, system on a chip (SoC), or other processor.

Main memory 606, such as a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, may also be coupled to bus 602 for storing information and software instructions to be executed by processor(s) 604. Main memory 606 also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of software instructions to be executed by processor(s) 604.

The software instructions, when stored in a storage medium accessible by the processor(s) 604, render the computing device 600 a special-purpose computing device customized to perform the operations specified in the software instructions. The terms "software," "software instructions," "computer program," "computer-executable instructions," and "processor-executable instructions" should be broadly interpreted to encompass any machine-readable information, whether human-readable or not, that is used to instruct a computing device to perform a particular operation, and include, but are not limited to, application software, desktop applications, scripts, binary code, operating systems, device drivers, boot loaders, shells, utilities, system software, JAVASCRIPT, web pages, web applications, plug-ins, embedded software, microcode, compilers, debuggers, interpreters, virtual machines, linkers, and text editors.

Computing device 600 may also include a Read Only Memory (ROM)608 or other static storage device coupled to bus 602 for storing static information and software instructions for processor(s) 604.

One or more mass storage devices 610 may be coupled to the bus 602 for persistently storing information and software instructions on fixed or removable media such as magnetic memory, optical memory, solid state memory, magneto-optical memory, flash memory, or any other available mass storage technology. The mass storage may be shared over a network, or it may be dedicated mass storage. Generally, at least one of the mass storage devices 610 (e.g., the device's main hard disk) stores a body of program and data used to carry out the operation of the computing device, including the operating system, user applications, drivers and other supporting files, as well as other data files of all kinds.

Computing device 600 may be coupled via bus 602 to a display 612, such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or other electronic visual display, for displaying information to a computer user. In some configurations, a touch-sensitive surface incorporating touch detection technology (e.g., resistive, capacitive, etc.) may be overlaid on display 612 to form a touch-sensitive display for communicating touch gesture (e.g., finger or stylus) input to processor(s) 604.

An input device 614, including alphanumeric and other keys, may be coupled to bus 602 for communicating information and command selections to processor 604. The input device 614 may include one or more physical buttons or switches, such as, for example, a power (on/off) button, a "home" button, a volume control button, etc., in addition to or in place of alphanumeric and other keys.

Another type of user input device may be cursor control 616, such as a mouse, a trackball, a cursor, a touch screen, or direction keys for communicating direction information and command selections to processor 604 and for controlling cursor movement on display 612. The input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis (e.g., y), which allows the device to specify positions in a plane. Other input device embodiments include an audio or speech recognition input module that recognizes audio input such as speech, a visual input device capable of recognizing a gesture of a user, and a keyboard.

While in some configurations, such as the configuration depicted in fig. 15, one or more of the display 612, input device 614, and cursor control 616 are external components (i.e., peripheral devices) to the computing device 600, in other configurations, some or all of the display 612, input device 614, and cursor control 616 are integrated as part of the form factor of the computing device 600.

Any other form of user output device, such as an audio output device or a tactile (vibration) output device, may be used in addition to or in place of the display 612.

The functions of the disclosed systems, methods, and modules may be performed by computing device 600 in response to processor(s) 604 executing one or more programs of software instructions contained in main memory 606. Such software instructions may be read into main memory 606 from another storage medium, such as storage device(s) 610 or a transmission medium. Execution of the software instructions contained in main memory 606 causes processor(s) 604 to perform the functions of the example embodiment(s).

While the functions and operations of the example embodiment(s) may be implemented entirely in software instructions, in other embodiments, hardwired or programmable circuitry (e.g., ASICs, FPGAs, etc.) of the computing device 600 may be used in place of, or in combination with, software instructions to perform the functions, depending on the requirements of the particular implementation at hand.

The term "storage medium" as used herein refers to any non-transitory medium that stores data and/or software instructions that cause a computing device to operate in a particular manner. Such storage media may include non-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), flash memory, optical disks, magnetic disks, or solid-state drives, such as storage device 610. Volatile media include dynamic memory, such as main memory 606. Common forms of storage media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, solid state drive, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic data storage medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical data storage medium, any physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, NVRAM, FLASH memory, any other memory chip or cartridge.

Storage media is distinct from, but can be used in conjunction with, transmission media. Transmission media participate in the transfer of information between storage media. For example, transmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus 602. Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications. Machine-readable media carrying instructions in the form of code may include non-transitory storage media and transmission media.

Various forms of media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more software instructions to processor(s) 604 for execution. For example, the software instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk or solid state drive of a remote computer. The remote computer can load the software instructions into its dynamic memory and send the software instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modem local to computing device 600 can receive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitter to convert the data to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector can receive the data carried in the infra-red signal and appropriate circuitry can place the data on bus 602. Bus 602 carries the data to main memory 606, from which processor(s) 604 retrieves and executes the software instructions. The software instructions received by main memory 606 may optionally be stored on storage device(s) 610 either before or after execution by processor(s) 604.

Computing device 600 may also include one or more communication interfaces 618 coupled to bus 602. Communication interface 618 provides a two-way data communication coupling to a wired or wireless network link 620 that is connected to a local area network 622 (e.g., an ethernet network, a wireless local area network, a cellular telephone network, a bluetooth wireless network, etc.). Communication interface 618 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information. For example, communication interface 618 may be a wired network interface card, a wireless network interface card with an integrated radio antenna, or a modem (e.g., ISDN, DSL, or cable modem).

Network link(s) 620 typically provide data communication through one or more networks to other data devices. For example, network link 620 may provide a connection through local network 622 to a host computer or to data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP). ISPs in turn provide data communication services through the global packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the "internet". Local network(s) 622 and the internet use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through the various networks and the signals on network link(s) 620 and through communication interface(s) 618, which carry the digital data to and from computing device 600, are example forms of transmission media.

Computing device 600 can send messages and receive data, including program code, through the network(s), network link(s) 620 and communication interface(s) 618. In the Internet example, a server might transmit a requested code for an application program through the Internet, an ISP, local network(s) 622 and communication interface(s) 618.

The received code may be executed by processor 604 as it is received, and/or stored in storage device 610, or other non-volatile storage for later execution.

One aspect provides a carrier medium, such as a non-transitory storage medium storing code for execution by a processor of a machine to implement the method, or a transitory medium carrying processor-executable code for execution by a processor of a machine to implement the method. Embodiments may be implemented in programmable digital logic implementing computer code. The code may be provided to programmable logic, such as a processor or microprocessor, on a carrier medium. One such embodiment of a carrier medium is a transient medium, i.e., a signal such as an electrical, electromagnetic, acoustic, magnetic, or optical signal. Another form of carrier medium is a non-transitory storage medium storing the code, such as a solid state memory, a magnetic medium (hard drive) or an optical medium (compact disc (CD) or Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)).

It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that various other changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts and method stages which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of this subject matter may be made without departing from the principles and scope of the subject matter as expressed in the subjoined claims.

Claims

1. A method of providing a virtual office, the method comprising:

generating an output for displaying a virtual office, the output comprising a plurality of images of items of office equipment arranged in the virtual office, each item of office equipment having stored image data for generating images in the virtual office and code for performing a relevant office function;

receiving a user input to select an image of an item of office equipment and identify an operation to be performed by the office equipment;

performing the identified operation; and

modifying the generated output for display to display an image of the selected item of office equipment that performs the selected function.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one office function comprises an operation on an electronic document.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the generated output is modified to display an animation of the image of the selected item performing the selected function.

4. The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein the office device comprises a sheet of paper with electronic document content and the identified operation comprises flipping the page, and modifying the generated output to display an image of the page of paper and electronic document content.

5. The method of any of claims 1-4, wherein the office device includes a paper with electronic document content and a writing implement, and the identified operation includes writing on the paper, modifying the generated output to display an image of the writing presented on the paper, and modifying the electronic document according to the writing.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the office equipment comprises an envelope and the identified operation comprises: writing on the envelope, inserting paper into the envelope, and mailing the envelope, modifying the generated output to display: the image of paper inserted into the envelope, the image of writing presented on the envelope, and the image of the envelope inserted into the mailbox, and the identified operation comprises electronically transferring the electronic document in accordance with the writing on the envelope.

7. The method of any of claims 1-6, wherein the office equipment includes a folder containing documents, the electronic documents are stored in an electronic folder associated with an image of the folder, the identified operation includes selecting the folder, and modifying the generated output to display the image of the selected folder.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the identified operation comprises opening a folder, and modifying the generated output to display an image of the folder being opened.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identified operation comprises selecting a document in a folder and modifying the generated output to display an image of the document being opened.

10. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the office equipment comprises a telephone or a video telephone and the associated operation stored for the office function of the telephone is making a voice call or a video telephone call.

11. The method of any of claims 1-10, wherein the output for displaying the virtual office is generated using a virtual office application, at least one of office functions is implemented using an office application, and the virtual office application interfaces with the at least one office application.

12. A system for providing a virtual office, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to:

generating an output for displaying a virtual office, the output comprising a plurality of images of items of office equipment arranged in the virtual office, each item of office equipment having stored image data for generating an image in the virtual office and code for performing an associated office function;

performing the identified operation; and

13. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one office function includes an operation on an electronic document.

14. The system of claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the generated output is modified to display an animation of an image of the selected item performing the selected function.

15. The system of any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the office device comprises a sheet of paper with electronic document content and the identified operation comprises flipping the page, and modifying the generated output to display an image of the page of paper and electronic document content.

16. The system of any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the office equipment includes paper with electronic document content and a writing instrument, and the identified operation includes writing on the paper, modifying the generated output to display an image of the writing presented on the paper, and modifying the electronic document according to the writing.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the office equipment comprises an envelope and the identified operation comprises: writing on the envelope, inserting paper into the envelope, and mailing the envelope, modifying the generated output to display: an image of paper inserted into the envelope, a written image presented on the envelope, and an image of the envelope inserted into the mailbox, and the identified operations include: the electronic document is electronically transmitted according to the writing on the envelope.

18. The system of any of claims 12 to 17, wherein the office equipment comprises a folder containing documents, the electronic documents being stored in an electronic folder associated with an image of the folder, the identified operation comprising selecting the folder, and modifying the generated output to display the image of the selected folder.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the identified operation comprises opening a folder, and modifying the generated output to display an image of the folder being opened.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the identified operation comprises selecting a document in the folder and modifying the generated output to display an image of the document being opened.

21. The system of any one of claims 12 to 20, wherein the office equipment comprises a telephone or a video telephone and the associated operation stored for the office function of the telephone is making a voice call or a video telephone call.

22. The system of any of claims 12-21, wherein the instructions comprise a virtual office application to generate the output for displaying the virtual office, wherein the virtual office application interfaces with at least one office application for performing office functions.

23. A carrier medium carrying processor executable code for execution by a processor to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.

24. A non-transitory storage medium storing processor-executable code, the processor-executable code being executed by a processor to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.