Asynchronous meeting management for collaboration solutions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11265183-B1
Application number	US-202117156187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 22, 2021
Priority date	Jan 22, 2021
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A method for conducting and managing collaboration sessions as asynchronous meetings that are just as effective as live (or synchronous) meetings. Specifically, the disclosed method enables asynchronous meetings where participants may join meetings and engage with content, and contribute at different points in time. The disclosed method engages around content and interaction, and summarizes results into a meaningful form. Accordingly, the disclosed method addresses a limitation of conducting meetings today, which require all participants to attend, focus, and contribute at the same time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for asynchronous meeting management, comprising:
performing, by a collaboration platform service and until a window closure criterion for an asynchronous meeting is met, an iterative process, comprising:
receiving user-specific meeting context from one selected from a group consisting of a meeting organizer and a non-meeting organizer, of the asynchronous meeting;
maintaining a meeting management structure using at least a portion of the user-specific meeting context;
inferring a meeting-relevant recommendation from at least a portion of the meeting management structure; and
transmitting the meeting-relevant recommendation to the one selected from the group consisting of the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer, of the asynchronous meeting.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user-specific context comprises contextual information pertinent to the asynchronous meeting that is relevant to a user of the one selected from the group consisting of the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the meeting management structure represents a data structure employed to facilitate management of at least one aspect of the asynchronous meeting, wherein the at least one aspect comprises a set of meeting assets.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the meeting-relevant recommendation comprises a course of action intended to facilitate cohesion amongst users of the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer, of the asynchronous meeting.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the window closure criterion for the asynchronous meeting comprises one selected from a group consisting of a time-based criterion and a contribution-based criterion.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a user contribution is further received from the one selected from the group consisting of the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer, of the asynchronous meeting, wherein the meeting management structure is further maintained using at least a portion of the user contribution, and wherein the user contribution comprises an adjustment to meeting content, of the asynchronous meeting, co-created by users of the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein at least one selected from a group consisting of the user-specific meeting context and the user contribution, comprises information conveyed in the meeting-relevant recommendation.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein a meeting-relevant reference is further retrieved from at least another portion of the meeting management structure, wherein the meeting-relevant reference is also transmitted to the one selected from the group consisting of the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer, of the asynchronous meeting, and wherein the meeting-relevant reference comprises a meeting asset associated with a past asynchronous meeting in a meeting series linked to the asynchronous meeting.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the at least one selected from the group consisting of the user-specific meeting context and the user contribution, further comprises information conveyed in the meeting-relevant reference.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
performing, by the collaboration platform service and upon meeting the window closure criterion for the asynchronous meeting, a non-iterative process, comprising:
generating, based on the meeting management structure, meeting collateral associated with the asynchronous meeting; and
transmitting the meeting collateral to the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium (CRM) comprising computer readable program code, which when executed by a computer processor, enables the computer processor to perform a method for asynchronous meeting management, the method comprising:
performing, by a collaboration platform service and until a window closure criterion for an asynchronous meeting is met, an iterative process, comprising:
receiving user-specific meeting context from one selected from a group consisting of a meeting organizer and a non-meeting organizer, of the asynchronous meeting;
maintaining a meeting management structure using at least a portion of the user-specific meeting context;
inferring a meeting-relevant recommendation from at least a portion of the meeting management structure; and
transmitting the meeting-relevant recommendation to the one selected from the group consisting of the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer, of the asynchronous meeting.

12. The non-transitory CRM of claim 11 , wherein the user-specific context comprises contextual information pertinent to the asynchronous meeting that is relevant to a user of the one selected from the group consisting of the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer.

13. The non-transitory CRM of claim 11 , wherein the meeting management structure represents a data structure employed to facilitate management of at least one aspect of the asynchronous meeting, wherein the at least one aspect comprises a set of meeting assets.

14. The non-transitory CRM of claim 11 , wherein the meeting-relevant recommendation comprises a course of action intended to facilitate cohesion amongst users of the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer, of the asynchronous meeting.

15. The non-transitory CRM of claim 11 , wherein the window closure criterion for the asynchronous meeting comprises one selected from a group consisting of a time-based criterion and a contribution-based criterion.

16. The non-transitory CRM of claim 11 , wherein a user contribution is further received from the one selected from the group consisting of the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer, of the asynchronous meeting, wherein the meeting management structure is further maintained using at least a portion of the user contribution, and wherein the user contribution comprises an adjustment to meeting content, of the asynchronous meeting, co-created by users of the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer.

17. The non-transitory CRM of claim 16 , wherein at least one selected from a group consisting of the user-specific meeting context and the user contribution, comprises information conveyed in the meeting-relevant recommendation.

18. The non-transitory CRM of claim 17 , wherein a meeting-relevant reference is further retrieved from at least another portion of the meeting management structure, wherein the meeting-relevant reference is also transmitted to the one selected from the group consisting of the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer, of the asynchronous meeting, and wherein the meeting-relevant reference comprises a meeting asset associated with a past asynchronous meeting in a meeting series linked to the asynchronous meeting.

19. The non-transitory CRM of claim 18 , wherein the at least one selected from the group consisting of the user-specific meeting context and the user contribution, further comprises information conveyed in the meeting-relevant reference.

20. The non-transitory CRM of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:
performing, by the collaboration platform service and upon meeting the window closure criterion for the asynchronous meeting, a non-iterative process, comprising:
generating, based on the meeting management structure, meeting collateral associated with the asynchronous meeting; and
transmitting the meeting collateral to the meeting organizer and the non-meeting organizer.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Iyer Vivek Viswanathan
• Tan Loo Shing
• Wood Jonathan Sebastian Yarborough

Classifications

• H04L12/1831 Primary

  Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status · CPC title

• H04L12/1822

  Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission · CPC title

• G06Q10/103 Primary

  Workflow collaboration or project management · CPC title

• H04L65/4015

  where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference · CPC title