KR20200037240A - Virtual office work - Google Patents

Abstract

Generating an output for display of a virtual office including a plurality of images of items of office equipment arranged in the virtual office-each item of office equipment is stored image data for use in the creation of an image in the virtual office and Has code to perform the associated virtual function-; Selecting an image of an item of office equipment and receiving a user input to identify an operation to be performed by the office equipment; Performing the identified action; And modifying the generated output for display to display an image of a selected item of office equipment that performs the selected function.

Description

Virtual office work

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

Office workers are required to use many different programs on computers and items of office equipment to perform their office functions. Office workers often require considerable training on how to use the array of items and programs of office equipment they are required to use.

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

One aspect provides a method for providing virtual office work, the method comprising: generating an output for display of a virtual office work, including a plurality of images of items of office equipment arranged in the virtual office work-each item of office equipment is Have stored image data for use in the creation of images in virtual offices and code to perform associated virtual functions; Selecting an image of an item of office equipment and receiving a user input to identify an operation to be performed by the office equipment; Performing the identified action; And modifying the generated output for display so that the selected item of office equipment displays an image performing the selected function.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a system for providing virtual office work, the system comprising: at least one processor; And a memory for storing instructions, wherein the instructions, by at least one processor, generate an output for display of the virtual office including a plurality of images of items of the office equipment arranged in the virtual office-each of the office equipment. The item has stored image data for use in the creation of an image in a virtual office and code to perform an associated virtual function; Select an image of an item of the office equipment and receive user input to identify an action to be performed by the office equipment; To perform the identified action; And it is feasible to modify the generated output for display so that the selected item of the office equipment displays an image that performs the selected function.

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

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a generalized system according to one embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for providing virtual office work using the system of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment.
3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an office system according to an embodiment.
4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a networked system according to one embodiment.
5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a display of a virtual office output from a system according to an embodiment.
6A and 6B are schematic diagrams illustrating the display of a virtual office output from the system during file selection according to one embodiment.
7A and 7B are schematic diagrams illustrating the display of a virtual office output from the system during document selection according to one embodiment.
8A and 8B are schematic diagrams illustrating the display of a virtual office output from a system during page turning of a document according to one embodiment.
9A and 9B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from a system during recording of a document according to one embodiment.
10 is a diagram illustrating a display sequence output from a system during document posting according to an embodiment.
11A and 11B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from a system during document recording according to an embodiment.
12A and 12B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from a system during mail reading according to one embodiment.
13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from a system during social network participation according to one embodiment.
14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a display in a section of a virtual office output from a system during document filing and search according to one embodiment.
15 is a schematic diagram of a basic computing device for use in one embodiment.

In the detailed description that follows, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which specific embodiments are illustratively shown, which form part of the present application and in which the present invention may be practiced. It is understood that these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the subject matter of the invention, and other embodiments can be used and structural, logical, and electrical changes can be made without departing from the scope of the subject matter. Should be. Such embodiments of the subject matter of the invention are for convenience only and

Indeed, if more than one is disclosed, it may be referred to herein individually and / or collectively by the term “invention” without the intention of voluntarily limiting the scope of the present application to any single invention or concept of the invention.

The following description should therefore not be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

In the following embodiments, the same components are labeled with the same reference numbers.

In the following embodiments, the data is described as being stored in at least one database. The term database includes relational databases (eg, Oracle databases, mySQL databases, etc.), non-relational databases (eg, NoSQL databases, etc.), in-memory databases. Fields, comma separated values (CSV) files, eXtendible markup language (XML) files, TXT (TeXT) files, flat files, spreadsheets such as spreadsheet files, and / or data storage It is intended to cover any data structure (and / or combinations of multiple data structures) for storing and / or organizing data, including, but not limited to, any other widely used or commercial format. Databases are typically stored in one or more data stores. Accordingly, each database referred to herein (eg, in the description herein and / or drawings of the present application) should be understood as being stored in one or more data stores. “File system” (eg, disk file systems such as FAT, NTFS, optical disks, flash file systems, tape file systems, database file systems, transactional file systems, network file systems, etc.) is how data is stored. It can be controlled to be saved and / or retrieved (retrieve). For simplicity, the present disclosure is described herein in relation to databases. However, the systems and techniques disclosed herein can be implemented with file systems or a combination of databases and file systems.

In the embodiments that follow, 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 stores include optical disks (eg, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.), magnetic disks (eg, hard disks, floppy disks, etc.), memory circuits [eg, solid State drives, random-access memory (RAM), and / or the like, but is not limited to these. Another example of a data store is a hosted storage environment that includes a collection of physical data storage devices (commonly referred to as a “cloud” storage) that can be remotely accessed and provisioned as needed. .

The functions or algorithms described herein are implemented in one embodiment in hardware, software or a combination of software and hardware. Software includes computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable carrier medium, such as memory or other types of storage devices. In addition, the functions described can correspond to modules that can be software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. Multiple functions are performed in one or more modules as desired, and the described embodiments are merely examples. The software can be executed on other types of processors running on the system, such as digital signal processors, ASICs, microprocessors, or other devices capable of processing data, including personal computers, servers, routers, or network interconnect devices. .

Some embodiments function within two or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices, or as part of an application-specific integrated circuit, with related control and data signals communicated between modules and through the modules. Implement them. Accordingly, the example process flow is applicable to software, firmware, and hardware implementations.

The generalized embodiment includes a method and system for providing a virtual office, and output is generated for display of the virtual office including a plurality of images of items of office equipment arranged in the virtual office. Each item of office equipment stores image data for use in the creation of an image in a virtual office and code for performing associated office functions. A user input for selecting an image of an item of office equipment and identifying an operation to be performed by the office equipment is received, and the identified operation is performed. The generated output for display is modified such that the selected item of office equipment displays an image that performs the selected function.

Office functions may include actions on electronic documents.

The displayed virtual office work thus provides a simple and intuitive user interface that office workers use to perform office functions. Items of office equipment include paper, writing tools (eg, pens, pencils, erasers, highlighters, etc.), printers, scanners, facsimile machines, shredders, filing cabinets, files, scanners, pending It may include any of the computers for implementing applications such as in trays, white boards, pin boards, calendars, and email, spreadsheets, or budget / accounting software. This list is illustrative only and not comprehensive.

Office functions that can be performed in a virtual office can include the following actions on the document: filing, search, shredding, e-mailing, faxing, printing, scanning, creating, saving, opening, closing , Edit / edit, post, display (such as on a shared whiteboard or pinboard). The office function may also be, for example, the initiation of a phone call or video call / conference.

In the present invention, the term 'document' is intended to include any form of data held as a unit for electronic publication or communication in an office environment, including photographs and images, text, email, 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 in which the selected item performs the selected function. For example, the shredding function may be illustrated by an image in which the shredder shreds the document, and the printing function may be illustrated by an image printed by the printer.

Office equipment may include papers that carry electronic document content, and identified actions may include turning pages. The generated output is modified in response to display images of electronic document content and paper that the page flips over.

Office equipment may include papers that carry electronic document content and writing tools such as pens or pencils. The identified action may include writing to paper, the generated output is modified to display the image it appears on the page, and the electronic document is modified according to the record.

Office equipment may include an envelope, and identified actions may include writing in the envelope, inserting paper into the envelope, and posting the envelope. This can be referred to as a virtual posting. The resulting output is modified in response to display the image where the paper is inserted into the envelope, the image where the recording appears on the envelope, and the image where the envelope is inserted into the postbox. The identified action in this case includes electronically transmitting the electronic document according to what was written on the envelope. Writing to an envelope can be entered manually by the user or retrieved from a locally stored or remotely stored source, such as a stored contact in the address book. Recording can also be input from other displayed text, for example by cutting and copying in another application or window.

Office equipment may include files containing documents. Electronic documents can be stored in electronic files associated with an image of the files. This can be referred to as virtual filing. The identified action can include selecting a file, and the generated output can be modified to display the image in which the file is selected. The identified action can include opening the file, and the generated output can be modified to display the image in which the file was opened. The identified action may include selecting a document from a file, and the generated output can be modified to display an image in which the document is opened.

Office equipment may include a telephone or videophone, and the associated action stored for office functions on the telephone may be to make a voice or video call.

In embodiments, virtual office processing, word processing, spreadsheets, presentation applications, email applications, communication applications, messaging applications, image processing, to provide a more intuitive interface for performing office functions. It interfaces with office applications that provide standard office functions such as applications, drawing applications, document management applications, and the like. Users can interact with items of office equipment in a more natural way in a virtual office environment. The user also controls to operate within a virtual office to interact with his avatars to interact with his avatars' images of office equipment.

In one embodiment, code for execution by the processor includes a virtual office application for generating output for display of a virtual office, and the virtual office application is interfaced to at least one office application for performing office functions. Accordingly, standard available office applications, such as word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, etc., are provided to avoid the need to replace known office applications and to provide an easier to use interface without replacing office standard document processing applications. Can be used behind a virtual office interface.

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

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

1 illustrates a generalized system according to one embodiment.

1 illustrates modules implemented in a computing device. Modules contain the logical units of code. However, the functions of the logical units can be performed by any suitable separation or division of code into modules.

The user interface 11 is connected to the virtual office processing module 12 to perform processing for display using the user interface 11 to generate virtual office output. Virtual office processing module 12 accesses virtual office data store 13 that stores all of the data required to create and render a virtual office environment. For example, the virtual office data store 13 may store image data for items of office equipment, background office images, and the like. The document data store 14 is connected to the virtual office processing module 12 to store document data for use in a virtual office environment.

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

In step S10, an output for display of the virtual office including a plurality of images of items of office equipment arranged in the virtual office is generated. Each item of office equipment stores image data for use in the creation of an image in a virtual office and code for performing associated office functions. Office functions can include actions on electronic documents as defined broadly above. In step S11, a user input for selecting an image of an item of office equipment and identifying an operation to be performed by the office equipment on the electronic document is received. In step S12, the identified operation is performed on the electronic document, and in step S13, the output produced for display is modified to display an image in which the selected item of office equipment performs the selected function.

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

In this embodiment, the virtual office processing module 22 is connected to a user interface 21 for providing virtual office output for display using data stored in the virtual office data store 25. The virtual office processing module is interfaced to a plurality of office applications including virtual processing modules 23A, 23B and 23C. An office file storage module 24 connected to each of the office processing modules 23A, 23B and 23C is provided to store data A, B and C associated with each office processing modules 23A, 23B and 23C, respectively do. Office processing modules 23A, 23B and 23C are high-level applications and printer drivers, shredders or secure erase for performing office functions such as word processing, presentation processing, spreadsheet processing, image processing, social networking, emailing, etc. It may include any convention application to provide office functions, including low-level applications such as applications. Thus, in this embodiment, the virtual office environment allows applications that allow the user to perform office functions more intuitively and applications that the user is familiar or standard and requires, for example, to be used in office for policy or compatibility reasons. It provides a top-level interface that allows access to.

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

4 illustrates two client devices 100A and 100B for use by a user. Any number of client devices can be used. Client devices 100A and 100B may be of any type, such as a personal computer, laptop, tablet computer, personal organizer, mobile device, smart phone, mobile telephone, video player, television, audio player, multimedia device, personal digital assistant, etc. It may include a computing or processing machine.

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 virtual office work 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 of the data required to create and render a virtual office environment for display on client devices 100A and 100B. For example, the virtual office data store 130 may store image data for items of office equipment, background office images, and the like. Document data store 140 is coupled to virtual office application 120 to store document data for use in a virtual office environment provided to client devices 100A and 100B.

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

The display 200 displays a virtual office including multiple items of desks, chairs, and office equipment that a user can interact with input commands for processing documents. In this embodiment there is a laptop 202 and a printer 201 on the desk. There is a recycle bin 203 and a shredder 204 next to a desk and a filing cabinet 205 in the corner. There is a shelf with books 206 on one wall and files 207 and a shared whiteboard and pinboard 208 on the other wall. A bookcase 209 is also displayed next to the desk. All of these displayed images of items of office equipment are selectable by the user to select to perform processing corresponding to the expected normal function of the illustrated item of office equipment. For example, if the user has the document open on the desk, in order to delete the document, the user releases the document by dragging and dropping it into the trash 203, for example. If the user wants to safely delete the document, the user can drop the document, for example, by dragging and dropping it into the shredder 204. In order to print a document, the user may cause a printing operation by dragging and dropping the document onto the printer 201. Although drag and drop operations have been described as examples, the user can interface by any means such as touch and voice.

The shared whiteboard and pinboard 208 allows the user to record messages and add documents for viewing by other users who can use the shared office environment.

The bookshelf 209 allows a user to select a bookshelf 209 to access a library of reference books. The image of the phone 214 is provided to enable the user to select the image and initiate the office function of a phone call (or video call if the phone has video capability).

Implementation of other office functions using a virtual office environment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 14.

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

As shown in FIG. 6A, the user can select files 207 on a shelf for search to open a document from one of the files. The sequence of images appearing in the virtual office, illustrating the animated states of the files 207 on the shelf during the process, is illustrated in FIG. 6B. It is shown that the file moves from the shelf to leave an empty space on the shelf when the user makes a selection of the file.

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

When the file is selected in Fig. 6B, the file is placed on the desk and the user can select a document from the file. The selected document is shown open on the desk next to the selected file. To read the document, the user can select the document and the document will be displayed in a larger format. If the user wants to operate the document, the user can choose to manipulate the document, for example to edit the document, and a word processing application can be opened to enable word processing of the document. The word processing interface can be overlaid on the virtual office display or can be on a separate display area or on a separate display screen. The same applies to accessing any other document processing application, such as a spreadsheet application, presentation application, or accounting application.

The display of documents within the display area can be manipulated in a manner similar to that of a user interacting with paper. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams illustrating the display of a virtual office output from a system during page turning of a document according to one embodiment. Accordingly, the user can select to display the next page by performing a simple selection operation such as a drag operation to turn the page of the document, and the image of the paper (item of office equipment) is modified to illustrate the page turning operation.

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

In this embodiment, the user's interaction with the document can be displayed on the table and the user input can be displayed as an action the pen writes to the paper.

10 is a diagram illustrating a display sequence output from a system during document virtual posting according to an embodiment.

In this embodiment, a document can be displayed on the table and the user can choose to create the document and send the document by electronic communication, such as email. The sequence of FIG. 10 illustrates the operation of selecting a document, creating a document, inserting the document into a virtual envelope, writing an address in the envelope, and posting the envelope. The envelope may be stamped and may be required to be paid or authorized by the user to obtain the stamp. The stamp can include any designed image, such as a company logo.

Since virtual office work represents a different type of office environment, handling virtual mail is an important task in office work. The virtual mail posting and delivery system enables the sending and receiving of virtual mail, including virtual letters (including virtual letters, flyers, card flyers, parcels, etc.), ie posting and delivery.

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

11A and 11B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from a system during document recording according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the user can write notes in the notepad and they can be saved as a document. The recording operation can be exemplified by a virtual writing writing, such as a pen or pencil writing on a virtual paper.

12A and 12B are schematic diagrams illustrating a display of a virtual office output from a system during mail reading according to one embodiment. Thus, an embodiment can be used in conjunction with the embodiment of FIG. 10 that describes the generation and transmission of electronic communications.

The user can know that they have received mail (or any form of electronic communications) by a simple notification. In one embodiment, the notification may be a pile of virtual envelopes on a desk or in a tray. The user can choose to view the envelopes as shown in the first part of FIG. 12B and the user can choose to open one of the envelopes and read the document contained therein. The user can choose to reply to the message in the envelope and the address can be rewritten so that the envelope is automatically resent to the sender.

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

The document in this embodiment may include text entered into the social network interface. Users can open social network pages as documents and interact with them as documents.

14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a display in a section of a virtual office output from a system during document filing and search according to one embodiment. This embodiment illustrates the interaction by the user with the filing cabinet 205 of FIG. 5.

When the user selects the filing cabinet 205, the search participation box 300 may be displayed so that the user can enter a search string as a query for documents stored in the filing cabinet. When the user enters the query “File A” and finds the file, the filing cabinet image is modified to show that the drawer opens and the document is retrieved.

Virtual office work may also be home office work. The virtual office interface can also be “occupied” with multiple users, or can be used as an interface to a virtual office that is a shared and shared office environment with multiple users, so the administrator user can be an employer, for example. There may be many office work within the main virtual office work area, or many office work may be linked to each other. In this environment, files can be accessed, delivered, and shared. Similarly, users can use book shelves to share books, view each other's books, add books to the book shelf, and download new books from sources, such as via the Internet.

Although virtual office work has been described above without reference to the description of any office work workers, in an embodiment, office work workers may be depicted by avatars. The avatars can interact, and the displayed virtual office can include a virtual meeting or conference so that attendees can interact with images of items of office equipment. Avatars can interact with each other and avatars can interact with the virtual office equipment to reconstruct the layout of the office by moving images of office equipment in the virtual office.

In one embodiment, the method and system can be used with the methods and apparatus disclosed in the co-pending U.S. patent application entitled “VIRTUAL MEETING PARTICIPANT RESPONSE INDICATION METHOD AND SYSTEM” and filed on the same day as the above application, The contents are entirely incorporated herein.

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

Basic computing device

15 is a block diagram illustrating a basic computing device 600 on which exemplary embodiment (s) of the present invention may be implemented. The computing device 600 and its components, including connections, relationships, and functions, are meant to be exemplary only, and not to limit implementations of the exemplary embodiment (s). Other computing devices suitable for implementing the exemplary embodiment (s) can have different components, including with different connections, relationships, and functions.

Computing device 600 may include any servers or client devices illustrated in FIG. 3 or a computer apparatus in which the modules of FIG. 1 are implemented, for example.

Computing device 600 may include a bus 602 or other communication mechanism for addressing 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 to bus 602 to process information. The hardware processor 604 may be a general purpose microprocessor, a system on a chip (SoC), or other processor.

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

The software instructions, when stored in a storage medium accessible to the processor (s) 604, render the computing device 600 on a special purpose computing device customized to perform operations specific to the software instructions. The terms “software”, “software instructions”, “computer program”, “computer executable instructions”, and “processor executable instructions” refer to application software, and to instruct a computing device to perform certain operations. Desktop applications, scripts, binaries, operating systems, device drivers, boot loaders, shells, utilities, system software, JAVASCRIPT, web pages, web applications, plugins, Human-readable, including but not limited to embedded software, microcode, compilers, debuggers, interpreters, virtual machines, linkers, and text editors Whether or not it should be interpreted broadly to cover any machine readable information.

Computing device 600 may also include a read only memory (ROM) or other static storage device coupled to bus 602 to store static information and software instructions for processor (s) 604. .

One or more mass storage devices 610 for persistent storage of information and software instructions on a fixed or removable medium, such as magnetic, optical, solid state, magnetic optical, flash memory, or any other available mass storage technology. Can be coupled to the bus 602. The mass storage can be shared over a network or can be a dedicated mass storage. Typically, at least one of the mass storage devices 610 (e.g., the main hard disk for the device) is operating system, user application programs, drivers and other support files, as well as all other types of Stores the body of data and programs for directing the operation of the computing device, including data files.

The computing device 600 can be coupled via the bus 602 to a display 612 such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or other electronic visual display, to display information to a computer user. In some configurations, a touch-sensitive surface, including touch detection technology, is formed on the display 612 to form a touch-sensitive display for passing touch gesture (eg, finger or stylus) input to the processor (s) 604. Can be overlaid.

An input device 614 that includes alphanumeric and other keys can be coupled to the bus 602 to communicate information and instruction selections to the processor 604. In addition to or in place of alphanumeric and other keys, input device 614 may include one or more physical buttons or switches, such as, for example, a power (on / off) button, a “home” button, volume control buttons, and the like. .

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

In some configurations, such as the configuration shown in FIG. 15, one or more of display 612, input device 614, and cursor control 616 are external components of computing device 600 (ie, peripheral devices). , In other configurations, some or all of display 612, input device 614, and cursor control 616 are integrated as part of forming elements of 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 instead 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 within main memory 606 from storage device (s) 610 or other storage medium such as a transmission medium. Execution of software instructions contained in main memory 606 causes processor (s) 604 to perform the functions of the exemplary embodiment (s).

Although the functions and operations of the exemplary embodiment (s) may be implemented entirely in software instructions, hard-wired or programmable circuitry (eg, ASIC, FPGA) in the computing device 600 may be implemented. Etc.) can be used in other embodiments in place of or in combination with software instructions to perform functions according to the requirements of the specific implementation available.

As used herein, the term “storage medium” refers to any non-transitory medium that stores data and / or software instructions that cause a computing device to operate in a particular way. Such storage media can include non-volatile media and / or volatile media. Non-volatile media include, 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. Typical forms of storage media include, for example, floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, solid state drives, magnetic tapes, or any other magnetic data storage medium, CD-ROM, any other optical data storage medium, pattern of holes Any physical medium with RAM, PROM, and EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, NVRAM, flash memory, any other memory chip or cartridge.

The storage medium is separate from the transmission medium, but can be used with the transmission medium. The transmission medium participates in the transmission of information between storage media. For example, the transmission medium includes coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, including wires comprising bus 602. The transmission medium can also take the form of sound or light waves, such as those generated during radio-wave and infrared data communications. Machine-readable media carrying instructions in code form may include non-transitory storage media and transmission media.

Various forms of media may be included in carrying one or more sequences of one or more software instructions to processor (s) 604 for execution. For example, software instructions may be initially 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 the computing device 600 can receive data on the telephone line and use an infrared transmitter to convert the data to an infrared signal. An infrared detector can receive the data carried in the infrared signal and appropriate circuitry can place the data on the bus 602. Bus 602 carries data to main memory 606 where processor (s) 604 retrieves and executes software instructions therefrom. Software instructions received by main memory 606 may be selectively stored in storage device (s) 610 either before or after execution by processor (s) 604.

Computing device 600 may also include one or more communication interface (s) 618 coupled to bus 602. The communication interface 618 is bidirectional data communication coupled to a wired or wireless network link 620 connected to a local network 622 (eg, an Ethernet network, wireless local area network, cellular phone network, Bluetooth wireless network, etc.). Gives The communication interface 618 transmits and receives electrical, electromagnetic, or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information. For example, the communication interface 618 can be an integrated radio antenna, or a wireless network interface card with a modem (eg, ISDN, DSL, or cable modem), a wired network interface card.

Network link (s) 620 typically provide data communication over one or more networks to other data devices. For example, network link 620 may provide a connection to a data device operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or to a host computer through a local network 622. The ISP, in the end, provides data communication services through a world wide packet data communication network, now commonly referred to as the “Internet”. The local network (s) 622 and the Internet use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. Signals over various networks and signals over network link (s) 620 and over communication interface (s) 618 that carry digital data to and from computing device 600 are transmitted through the transmission medium. Are exemplary forms of

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

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

In one aspect, a carrier such as a non-transitory storage medium storing code for execution by a processor of a machine to implement a method, or a temporary medium carrying processor executable code for execution by a processor of a machine to implement a method Provide media. Embodiments may be implemented with programmable digital logic that implements computer code. Code may be supplied to programmable logic, such as a processor or microprocessor, on a carrier medium. One such embodiment of a carrier medium is a temporary medium, such as a signal such as an electrical, electromagnetic, acoustic, magnetic, or optical signal. Other types of carrier media are non-transitory storage media that store code, such as solid state memory, magnetic media (hard disk drives), or optical media (compact disc (CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD)).

Various other changes in details, materials, and arrangements of the parts and method stages described and illustrated to describe the nature of the subject matter of the invention do not depart from the principles and scope of the subject matter of the invention expressed in the appended claims. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that it can be done.

Claims (24)

In the method of providing a virtual office (virtual office),
Generating an output for display of a virtual office including a plurality of images of items of office equipment arranged in the virtual office-each item of the office equipment in the creation of an image in the virtual office Has code for performing stored virtual data and associated virtual functions for use;
Selecting an image of an item of office equipment and receiving a user input to identify an operation to be performed by the office equipment;
Performing the identified operation; And
And modifying the generated output for display so that the selected item of the office equipment displays an image performing the selected function. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one office function includes operations on electronic documents. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the generated output is modified so that an image of the selected item displays an animation performing the selected function. 4. The office equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the office equipment includes paper that carries the electronic document content, and the identified operation includes turning the page, and the generated output is passed through the page. And modifying to display an image of the paper and electronic document content. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the office equipment comprises paper and writing tools to carry the electronic document content, and the identified operation comprises writing to the page, and the generated The output is modified so that the recording displays an image appearing on the paper, and the electronic document is modified according to the recording. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the office equipment includes an envelope, and the identified actions include writing to the envelope, inserting the paper into the envelope, and posting the envelope. And the generated output is modified to display an image in which the paper is inserted in the envelope, an image in which the recording appears in the envelope, and an image in which the envelope is inserted in the post box, and the identified operation is the envelope And electronically transmitting the electronic document according to the document recorded in the virtual office providing method. 7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the office equipment comprises files containing documents, the electronic documents are stored in electronic files associated with images of the files, and the identified operation is And selecting a file, wherein the generated output is modified to display the selected image of the file. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the identified action includes opening a file, and the generated output is modified to display an image in which the file is opened. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identified action includes selecting a document from the file, and the generated output is modified to display an image in which the document is opened. 10. A virtual office service according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the office equipment comprises a telephone or a videophone, and the associated action stored for office functions for the telephone is to place a voice or video call. Way. 11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the output for the display of the virtual office is generated using a virtual office application, at least one of the virtual functions is implemented using an office application, and the virtual A method for providing a virtual office, wherein the office application is interfaced to at least one office application. In the system for providing virtual office work,
At least one processor; And
A memory for storing instructions, said instructions being executed by said at least one processor,
To produce an output for display of a virtual office including a plurality of images of items of office equipment arranged in the virtual office-each item of the office equipment is a stored image for use in the creation of an image in the virtual office Has code to perform data and associated virtual functions-;
Select an image of an item of office equipment and receive user input to identify an action to be performed by the office equipment;
To perform the identified operation; And
A system for providing virtual office work, wherein a selected item of office equipment is executable to modify the generated output for display to display an image performing a selected function. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one office function includes operations on electronic documents. 14. The system of claim 12 or 13, wherein the generated output is modified such that an image of the selected item displays an animation that performs the selected function. 15. The method of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the office equipment includes paper that carries the electronic document content, the identified action includes turning pages, and the generated output is page-by-page. And modified to display an image of the paper and electronic document content. 16. The method of any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the office equipment includes paper and writing tools to carry the electronic document content, and the identified action includes writing to the page, and the generated The output is modified such that the recording is displaying an image appearing on the paper, and the electronic document is modified according to the recording. 17. The output of claim 16, wherein the office equipment includes an envelope, and the identified actions include writing to the envelope, inserting the paper into the envelope, and posting the envelope. Is modified to display the image in which the paper is inserted into the envelope, the image in which the recording appears in the envelope, and the image in which the envelope is inserted into the post box, and the identified operation is based on the electronic And electronically transmitting a document. 18. The method of any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the office equipment includes files including documents, the electronic documents are stored in electronic files associated with images of the files, and the identified operation is And selecting a file, the generated output being modified to display the selected image. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the identified action comprises opening a file, and the generated output is modified to display an image in which the file is opened. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the identified action includes selecting a document from the file, and the generated output is modified to display an image in which the document is opened. 21. The system of any one of claims 12 to 20, wherein the office equipment comprises a telephone or a videophone, and the associated action stored for office functions on the telephone is to place a voice or video call. 22. A method according to any one of claims 12 to 21, wherein the instructions include a virtual office application for generating output for display of the virtual office, wherein the virtual office application is at least one for performing the office functions. System that is interfacing to office applications. A carrier medium carrying processor executable code for execution by a processor to implement the method of claim 1. A non-transitory storage medium storing processor executable code for execution by a processor to implement the method of claim 1.

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