KR20100068988A - Collaboration system and method for representing presence information - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A collaboration system and a method for representing presence information are provided to display the presence information on past, present, and the future of user. CONSTITUTION: A database(508) stores the presence information. A presence management unit(502) receives the presence information from a first client. The presence management unit transmits the presence information to one or more other clients. A history management unit(504) stores the presence information of the first client in database. The presence information comprises the presence information of the future of a first user.

Description

COLLABORATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REPRESENTING PRESENCE INFORMATION}

The present invention relates to a collaboration system, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus capable of displaying past and future presence information together with a user's current presence information in a collaboration system.

The need for collaboration among departments or individuals within an enterprise or organization is increasing day by day. In the early days, collaboration was a simple form using a multi-party call or a wired / wireless transceiver such as a walkie-talkie.However, as network technologies and computing devices have developed, a computer system has been established as an integrated system in an Internet environment. As it became the foundation environment of information processing system, a collaborative system using it emerged.

These systems basically have a server / client structure, and users can use a client application to communicate with the server to perform tasks such as email, text and voice / video chat, file sharing, and the like. As a result, users can perform various collaboration tasks such as sharing information and opinions with each other.

In such a collaborative system, a client application receives another user's presence information from a server, such as "online", "away", "meal", "in a call", and displays it to the user, thereby displaying the user's presence information. Make sure you know what you're doing. However, the conventional collaboration system can only display the current presence information of other users, and can not display information about the presence status of the user in the past and which presence status to be in the future.

As described above, in order to solve the problem of the prior art which can display only the current presence information, the present invention can display all of the user's past, present and future presence information, and the user can also present his or her future presence. It provides a collaborative system that can change / manage information, and how to implement such a system.

The present invention enables to display past or future presence information in addition to the current presence information of the user through server / client communication of the collaboration system, and also to change / manage the presence information of the user.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method of providing presence information of a user in a collaboration system, the method comprising: receiving a presence history from a server of the collaboration system by a server of the first user; Storing the presence history of the first user on a server and transmitting the presence history of the first user to one or more other users. The presence history may include past presence information of the first user.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method of providing presence information of a user in a collaboration system, the method comprising: receiving a presence information of a first user by a server of the collaboration system; Storing the information on the server and the presence information of the first user to one or more other users. The presence information of the first user may include future presence information of the first user.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a server apparatus of a collaboration system is provided, and the server apparatus is operable to receive the presence information from a database, a first client and transmit the presence information to one or more other clients. And a history manager operable to store the received presence information of the first client in the database, wherein the presence information includes future presence information of the first user.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a client device of a collaboration system, wherein the client device is operable to receive a first presence information input from a user and to output second presence information of another user, from a server. A presence manager operable to receive the second presence information of the other user and output the second presence information of the other user through the interface unit, and a history manager operable to deliver the first presence information to a server; The first presence information includes future presence information of the user, and the second presence information includes past and future presence information of the other user.

When using the collaboration system according to the present invention, it is possible to know not only the present status information of other users, but also the past and future presence information. Therefore, it is possible to identify and predict the work status of other users, thus enabling more effective collaboration. In addition, since the presence information of the users of the collaboration system can be managed at the administrator level, the work efficiency can be improved when used for workload adjustment.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, components generally known in the art are not shown in order not to unnecessarily obscure the description of the present invention.

)", "다른 용무중(

)", "자리 비움(

)", "곧 돌아오겠음(

)", "식사중(

)" 및 "통화중(

)" 등을 포함하나, 이에 한정되는 것은 아니다. 프레즌스 정보 등록부(110)를 통한 프레즌스 정보 변경 동작에 대하여는 도 3a 및 도 3b와 관련하여 후술한다. 사용자 정보 표시부(120)는 현재 사용자의 상태, 예컨대 이름, 사진, ID, 코멘트 등을 표시할 수 있으나, 이에 한정되는 것은 아니다. 등 록 사용자 정보 표시부(130)는 사용자의 관련인으로 등록된, 협업 시스템의 다른 사용자들에 대한 정보를 표시한다. 등록 사용자 정보 표시부(130)에 표시되는 정보는 관련 사용자의 이름, 사진, ID, 코멘트 및 과거, 현재, 미래의 프레즌스 정보를 포함할 수 있으나, 이에 한정되는 것은 아니다. 1 illustrates a user screen of a client application in a collaboration system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The client application 100 may include a menu 102, a presence information register 110, a user information display 120, and a registered user information display 130. The registered user information display unit 130 includes a presence information display unit 132. The presence information register 110 is an interface for the user to change the present or future presence information. Presence information refers to information indicating the current work situation of the user. In one embodiment, the presence information is " online "

) "," Other busy (

) "," Away

) "," Will be back soon. "

) "," At meal (

) "And" Calling (

), Etc., but is not limited thereto. The operation of changing the presence information through the presence information registration unit 110 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. For example, a name, a photo, an ID, a comment, etc. may be displayed, but is not limited to this. The information displayed on the registered user information display unit 130 may include name, photo, ID, comment, and presence information of the past, present, and future of the related user, but is not limited thereto.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the user's presence information display unit 132 displayed on the registered user display unit 130 of FIG. 1. Reference numeral 202 denotes a user's past presence information display unit. The past presence information display unit 202 displays the presence information before the user's presence information is changed to the current presence information, and the user cannot change it arbitrarily. Reference numeral 204 denotes the current presence information of the user, and indicates current presence information of the user. Reference numeral 206 denotes a future presence information display unit of the user, and indicates future presence information set by the user. The present presence information and the future presence information can be set and changed by the user using his client application, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.

If the registered user changes the current presence information, or if the registered user's presence information is updated (automatically) according to the future presence information set for the user, the changed or updated presence information is displayed in the current presence information display unit 204. ), And the existing current presence information is displayed by the past presence information display unit 202.

In one embodiment, the future presence information display unit 206 displays future presence information set in the nearest time zone. In another embodiment, the future presence information display unit 206 may display the set one or more future presence information.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, looking at the user User2 information displayed in the second row, it can be seen that the user User2 is currently in a "soon to return" state and previously "online". In addition, looking at the future presence information display unit 206, it can be seen that the user User2 is going to be in the "online" state again in a later time zone.

The user may change his or her current or future presence information through the presence information register 110 of FIG. 1. 3A illustrates a menu displayed when the presence information register 110 is clicked. The user may select one of the presence states listed in the current presence information selector 302 to change the current presence information, or select the future presence information register 304 to set future presence information.

The user wants to set the current presence information in the current presence information selection unit 302 (for example, "online", "busy", "away", "soon to return", "meal", "call" "" Can be selected. When one state is selected by the current presence information selection unit 302, the selected state is set as the current presence information, and the existing current presence information becomes the past presence information. The change history of the presence information is transmitted and stored to the server, and the server retransmits the change history to clients of other users who need to receive the change history. Clients of other users who have received the change history update the presence information of the user and display the presence information on the presence display unit. The operation of the server will be described later.

3B illustrates a future presence information registration screen displayed when the future presence information registration unit 304 is selected. The function use selector 306 is a toggle button for selecting whether to use the future presence information display function, that is, to automatically change the subsequent presence information according to the set future presence information. When the button is turned on, the user's presence information is automatically changed according to the set future presence information. When the button is turned off, the future presence information display unit for the user is disabled.

The setting unit 308 is a button for selecting whether to store the set future presence information or to cancel all the set presence information. The future presence information selecting unit 310 displays selectable presence information. The future presence information display unit 312 displays registered presence information for each time zone. Although FIG. 3B illustrates an embodiment in which the presence information up to 24 hours may be registered on an hourly basis, other time units and time ranges are possible. For example, presence information can be set in 30-minute increments only during business hours (for example, from 9:00 to 18:00).

In an exemplary embodiment, the user may set the presence information of the corresponding time zone by selecting the time zone to be registered in the future presence information display unit 312 and then selecting the presence information to be set in the future presence information selector 310. In another embodiment, when the user selects a time zone to register in the future presence information display unit 312, a drop-down menu as shown in FIG. 3A is displayed to easily select the presence information.

In one embodiment, the presence information of a time zone in which the presence information is not selected may be regarded as default presence information, eg, "offline". In this case, the presence information of the time zone corresponding to the 1 to 8, 10, 11, 16 to 18, and 20 to 24 hour areas in FIG. 3B is displayed as "offline". The default presence information may be preset by the user. In another embodiment, the presence information of a time zone in which the presence information is not selected may be regarded as the same as the previous presence information of the time zone. In this case, the presence information of the 10 and 11 o'clock region is " online " such as the 9 o'clock region, the presence information of the 16 and 18 o'clock region is " online " Is considered to be "mealing".

Hereinafter, a structure of a collaboration system for implementing the above-described function will be described. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a collaboration system according to an embodiment. The collaboration system 400 according to the present invention may be implemented in a server / client structure. The collaboration system 400 includes a collaboration server 402, one or more collaboration clients 404, and optionally a switch 410. The collaboration server 402 may run on a system or dedicated device such as WINDOWS®, UNIX, LINUX, and is connected to communicate with one or more collaboration clients 404. The collaboration client 404 is a device or software that provides an interface that allows users of the collaboration system to participate in the collaboration system. The server 402 and the client 404 may be communicatively coupled with the exchange 410 for interworking with an extension telephone network.

5 is a schematic structural diagram of a client of a collaboration system for implementing the above-described operation. Client 500 may be a device or a program module. In one embodiment, the client 500 includes a presence manager 502, a history manager 504, a communicator 506, a database 508, and an interface 510.

The presence manager 502 and the history manager 504 are connected to the communication unit 506, the database 508, and the interface unit 510 so as to communicate with each other.

The communication unit 506 may transmit / receive information with the server 600. The communication unit 506 transfers the information, commands, and the like from the server 600 to the presence management unit 502 or the history management unit 504, and also transmits information, requests, and the like from the presence management unit 502 or the history management unit 504. May be transferred to the server 600. The interface unit 510 receives a user input and outputs other collaboration information such as presence information on a display (not shown).

The presence manager 502 outputs the presence information transmitted from the server 600 to the display (not shown) through the interface unit 510. For example, when receiving information indicating that the presence information of at least one of the users registered as the user of the client 500 has been changed from the server, the presence manager 502 analyzes the corresponding information on the user screen. The contents of the presence information display unit of the user can be changed.

The history manager 504 registers the current or future presence information of the user input through the interface 510 in the database 508, and transmits it to the server 600 through the communication unit 506.

Although described with reference to the schematic structure of the client 500, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, it can be implemented in other structures. For example, although the presence manager 502 and the history manager 504 have been described as separate components, they may be implemented as one component. In addition, the client 500 may not include the database 508, and may store the presence information only in the database of the server 600, and then request the server 600 when the presence information is needed.

6 is a schematic structural diagram of a server of a collaboration system. The server 600 receives the information about the change of the presence information from the client 500 and retransmits it to other appropriate users, and stores the history of the presence information in the database. In one embodiment, the server 600 includes a presence manager 602, a history manager 604, a communicator 606, and a database 608. The presence manager 602 and the history manager 604 are connected to communicate with the communication unit 606 and the database 608. Although FIG. 6 illustrates that the components of the server 600 are implemented in one device, each component of the server 600 may be separately implemented in one or more devices and connected to communicate with each other.

The communication unit 606 is a component that transmits and receives information with the client 500. The communication unit 606 transmits a request, information, and the like from the client 500 to the presence management unit 602 or the history management unit 604, and also transmits information, instructions, and the like from the presence management unit 602 or the history management unit 604. It can deliver to the client 500.

The presence manager 602 may provide the presence information requested by the client 500 to the client 500 through the communication unit 606 based on the information stored in the database 608.

The history manager 604 may add information to the database 608 according to the presence information received from the client 500, or change or delete existing information stored in the database 608. In the present embodiment, the presence manager 602 and the history manager 604 are described as separate components for convenience, but may be implemented as one component.

The database 608 may store the user's presence information and the presence information for history management.

The server 600 may further include a web server 610. The web server 610 is connected to the database 608, and allows the user's presence information stored in the database 608 to be accessible via the web.

Hereinafter, the operation of the server will be described. When the first client 500 changes its current or future presence information, the first client 500 transmits this information to the server 600. The communication unit 606 of the server 600 receives a message from the first client 500 and transmits the message to the presence manager 602 and the history manager 604 when the message is presence information. The presence management unit 602 transmits the updated presence information to the clients of the users who need to receive the updated presence information of the first client 500, for example, the clients of the user who is registered as the user of the first client. 606 through. As described above, the client receiving the new presence information updates the presence information of the user associated with the received presence information and displays it on the presence display unit.

The history manager 604 stores the received presence information of the first client in the database 608.

In one embodiment, future presence information registered by the first user may be transmitted to another user. In the present embodiment, the history manager 604 may include a timer (not shown), and checks the future presence information of the user registered in the database 608 at predetermined time intervals using the timer. If it is time to update the current presence status of the first user according to the registered future presence information, the history manager 604 needs to receive the updated presence information of the first user and the first user. For example, the updated presence information is transmitted through the communication unit 606 to the clients of the user registered as an associate with the first user. The first user who has received the updated presence information and the client of the person concerned of the first user update the presence information display unit according to the received information.

In one embodiment, server 600 provides access to historical information of the presence stored in database 608 via web server 610. This can be a useful function, for example, for administrators of collaborative systems. An administrator of the collaboration system may search for and output the presence information in the database 608 through a web interface provided by the web server 610.

7 illustrates an embodiment of a web interface provided by the web server. In one embodiment, the web interface 700 may only be accessible to administrators of the collaboration system.

The web interface 700 may include an administrator menu 710, a search filter 720, and a presence information display unit 730. The administrator menu 710 provides a list of functions for allowing an administrator to manage the collaboration system through the web, and includes a menu for retrieving the presence history information of users of the collaboration system. The description of other administrator functions is omitted.

When the administrator wants to search the presence history information of the users of the collaboration system, a search filter 720 may be provided for specifying a search condition for the user and the search period. Administrators can retrieve the presence history for all users or specific users of the collaboration system. In addition, the administrator can search the presence history by specifying a search period. Although FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment for designating a search period as a date, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is also possible to search for the user's presence history by specifying both a date and a time.

When the search is performed by specifying the search condition, the web interface 700 displays the presence information for the user of the collaboration system that meets the search condition as shown by reference numeral 730. The past presence information of the user is displayed in the time zone before the current time, and the future presence information set by the user is displayed in the time zone after the current time.

In the present embodiment, a process of searching for presence information through the web is taken as an example, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to the web. .

Although the methods of the present invention have been described through specific embodiments, the methods may also be embodied as computer readable codes on a computer readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include all kinds of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable recording media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, and the like, which are also implemented in the form of carrier waves (for example, transmission over the Internet). Include. The computer readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. In addition, functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing the above embodiments can be easily deduced by programmers of the present invention.

As described above, by sharing not only the present status information of other users, but also the present and future presence information, it is possible to identify and predict the work status of other users, thereby enabling more effective collaboration. In addition, when the web interface is used, the presence information of the user of the collaboration system can be managed at the administrator level, and thus, when used for workload adjustment, work efficiency can be increased.

The above embodiments have been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings to aid the understanding of the invention, but these are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art may have various modifications and equivalent forms thereof. I understand that it is possible. Therefore, the technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the appended claims.

1 illustrates a user screen of a client application, according to one embodiment.

2 is an enlarged view of a user's presence information display unit, according to an exemplary embodiment.

3A illustrates a menu for presence information registration, according to one embodiment.

3B illustrates an interface for future presence information registration, according to one embodiment.

4 is a schematic structural diagram of a collaboration system according to an embodiment;

5 is a schematic structural diagram of a client of a collaboration system, according to one embodiment.

6 is a schematic structural diagram of a server of a collaboration system according to an embodiment;

7 illustrates a web interface provided by a web server of a collaboration system, according to one embodiment.

Claims (12)

As a method of providing the user's presence information in the collaboration system, Receiving, by the server of the collaboration system, a presence history from a first user; Storing the presence history of the first user on a server; And Transmitting the presence history of the first user to one or more other users, The presence history includes past presence information of the first user. The method of claim 1, Receiving, by the client of the collaboration system, the presence history of the first user; And Displaying the presence history of the first user. A way to provide your presence information in a collaborative system. Receiving, by the server of the collaboration system, the presence information of the first user; Storing the presence information of the first user on a server; And Transmitting the presence information of the first user to one or more other users. Including, The presence information of the first user comprises future presence information of the first user. The method of claim 3, Receiving, by the client of the collaboration system, updated presence information of the first user; And Displaying updated presence information of the first user How to include more. The method of claim 3, wherein Automatically updating, by the server, the presence information of the first user according to the future presence information of the first user; And Transmitting the updated presence information of the first user to the one or more other users. How to include more. The method of claim 3, wherein The step of receiving the presence information of the first user comprises the step of receiving the presence information for each time zone. The method according to claim 1 or 3, Providing an interface for accessing the presence history stored on the server How to include more. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions configured to carry out the method of claim 1, when executed by a computer. As a server device of a collaboration system, A database for storing presence information; A presence manager operable to receive the presence information from a first client and transmit the presence information to one or more other clients; And A history manager operable to store the presence information of the received first client in the database Wherein the presence information comprises the presence information of the future of the first user. 10. The method of claim 9, And the history manager is further operable to transmit the new presence information of the first user to the one or more other clients according to the future presence information of the first user stored in the database. 10. The method of claim 9, Web server for providing a web interface to retrieve the presence information stored in the database Server device further comprising. As a client device of a collaboration system, An interface unit operable to receive a first presence information input from a user and to output the presence information; A presence manager operable to receive second presence information of another user from a server and to output second presence information of the other user through the interface unit; And A history manager operable to deliver the first presence information to a server Including, The first presence information includes the presence information of the future of the user, and the second presence information includes the presence and past presence information of the other user.

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