Calendar Document Linking for Virtual Meeting Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing virtual conferencing systems lack efficient integration of documents with calendar applications, leading to disorganization and accessibility issues during and after communication sessions, particularly in real-time video conferences where participants may not be in the same physical location.
Innovation Solution
A method that retrieves meeting appointments in a calendar application, identifies associated documents, and links them centrally, allowing invitees to access these documents with defined permission levels, ensuring organization and accessibility throughout the communication session and subsequent follow-ups.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If documents are shared through individual participant devices during virtual conferences, then accessibility to documents is improved, but document organization and version control deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized server as an intermediary between participants and documents. The server stores master copies of documents and provides controlled access to participants, eliminating the need for individual devices to maintain document copies. This resolves the contradiction by centralizing document management while maintaining accessibility through the intermediary server.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges document storage and management functions into a centralized location on the server, combining what was previously distributed across multiple participant devices. This consolidation improves organization and version control while maintaining accessibility through the unified document store.
2Productivity
If multiple participants can access and edit documents simultaneously, then collaboration efficiency is improved, but document version control and consistency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the server tracks all document access and modification operations. When a participant edits a document, the server receives feedback about the changes, updates the master copy, and notifies other participants. This maintains version control and consistency while allowing simultaneous collaboration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the document access system dynamic by allowing participants to edit documents in real-time while the server continuously updates the master copy. The system adapts to concurrent editing operations, managing versions dynamically rather than using static file copying, thus maintaining both collaboration efficiency and version control.
3Speed
If documents are stored locally on participant devices, then access speed is improved, but document security and authorization control deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as an intermediary that controls all document access through centralized authorization. Participants request documents from the server, which verifies their permissions before providing access. This maintains security through centralized control while providing fast access through the server's document delivery mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The server provides multiple functions: storing documents, controlling authorization, managing versions, and enabling fast access. By making the server universal and multi-functional, the system maintains security through centralized authorization while achieving fast access speeds through the server's optimized document delivery capabilities.
4Device complexity
If calendar applications and conferencing systems are separate, then application simplicity is improved, but integration of meeting schedules and documents deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The server is designed with universal functionality to handle both calendar event management and document management. It can store calendar events with associated documents, manage participant invitations, and control document access all through a single system. This maintains application simplicity while providing comprehensive integration capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges calendar event data and document data into a unified structure on the server. Meeting events are associated with their documents through the server's integrated data model, allowing participants to access both scheduling information and documents through a single interface without increasing client device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques presented herein provide techniques for integrating one or more documents for a communication session in a calendar application. In one example, a computing device retrieves a meeting appointment in a calendar application executed by the computing device for a meeting via a communication session, wherein the meeting appointment includes identifying information of one or more invitees and for the communication session, wherein the communication session enables communication between different computing devices. At least one document associated with the communication session is identified. The document is linked with the meeting appointment such that a centralized version of the at least one document is accessible to the one or more invitees via the meeting appointment, wherein authorization is granted to each of the one or more invitees to the communication session defining permission levels for each of the one or more invitees to access the at least one document.