Chat Channel Meeting Scheduling Without Workflow Disruption

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Solution Overview

Problem

Scheduling a meeting with all participants within a chat channel can be difficult due to the varying calendars and requires leaving the chat channel, hindering productivity.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that allows scheduling meetings directly within a chat channel, enabling users to create and manage meetings without leaving the chat interface, using a chat and video conference provider that supports video conferencing and chat functionality across various client devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If scheduling a meeting requires leaving the chat channel, then meeting scheduling can be performed, but productivity is hindered and chat interactions are disrupted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemeeting scheduling operationVSAvoidproductivity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the meeting scheduling functionality with the chat channel interface. The meeting scheduler is integrated into the chat channel, allowing users to schedule meetings directly within the chat environment without leaving the interface. This integration combines chat and meeting scheduling operations into a single unified interface, eliminating the need to switch between different applications or pages.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The chat channel interface is enhanced with multi-functionality by adding meeting scheduling capabilities directly within it. The integrated meeting scheduler allows users to perform both chatting and meeting scheduling tasks within the same interface, making the system more versatile and reducing the need to leave the chat channel for scheduling operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of operation

If scheduling a meeting requires leaving the chat channel, then meeting scheduling can be performed, but chat interactions are disrupted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemeeting scheduling operationVSAvoidchat interaction continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The meeting scheduling function is merged with the chat channel interface, allowing scheduling operations to be performed while remaining within the chat environment. This ensures that chat interactions continue uninterrupted while meeting scheduling is conducted through the integrated interface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The integrated meeting scheduler enables continuous chat interactions by allowing users to schedule meetings without leaving the chat channel. The system maintains the continuity of useful action by enabling scheduling operations to be performed seamlessly within the ongoing chat context, rather than requiring a break in chat interactions to perform scheduling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Productivity

If meeting scheduling is integrated within chat channel, then productivity is enhanced and chat interactions remain continuous, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveproductivityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary meeting scheduler component that operates within the chat channel interface. This intermediary layer handles the complexity of meeting scheduling operations while presenting a simplified interface to users, allowing the system to gain enhanced functionality without excessively increasing user-facing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20250365171A1Scheduling a meeting from a chat channel

Publication Date: 2025.11.27 ZOOM COMMUNICATIONS INC

AI summary

A system is disclosed, with a non-transitory computer-readable medium; a communications interface; and a processor communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium and the communication interface, the processor configured to execute processor executable instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium. The instructions may cause the processor to receive, from a first client device via a chat channel, a request to schedule a video conference. The chat channel may be configured to enable one or more users to exchanges messages using a respective client device. The processor may further determine a meeting time for the video conference based on one or more parameters associated with a set of users having access to the chat channel. The processor may further schedule the video conference based on the meeting time. The processor may further post, within the chat channel, a meeting notification, where the meeting notification includes a link to the video conference.