Cloud Meeting Facilitator for Distributed Collaboration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current meeting organization and management processes are cumbersome, especially when multiple collaborators are involved across different locations, as they struggle with planning content organization, generating meeting notes, creating presentation materials, and tracking follow-up tasks, often resulting in inefficiencies and missed responsibilities.
Innovation Solution
A cloud computing-based meeting facilitator service that automates the planning, presentation, and post-presentation phases by creating virtual planning and meeting spaces, allowing real-time collaboration, content sharing, and task assignment, with features like virtual planning spaces and meeting rooms for seamless communication and task management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional meeting organization methods are used with multiple collaborators across different locations, then communication can occur, but the process becomes cumbersome and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple meeting management functions (content sharing, real-time collaboration, task assignment, follow-up tracking) into a single integrated cloud-based platform. This merging of previously separate processes into one unified system reduces overall process complexity while maintaining high productivity across distributed teams.
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud-based meeting management system performs multiple functions through a single platform: it enables content creation and sharing, real-time collaboration, task assignment, follow-up tracking, and presentation management. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for multiple separate tools and processes, reducing complexity while improving productivity.
2Reliability
If physical handouts are produced for meeting participants, then all participants receive materials, but costs increase and waste is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces physical handouts with digital copies distributed through the cloud platform. Participants access meeting materials electronically, eliminating the need for physical printing and distribution. This ensures reliable material distribution to all participants while completely eliminating material waste from printing and disposal.
3Ease of operation
If presenters manually manage presentation materials and distribute copies, then participant requests can be fulfilled, but time and effort are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables participants to self-serve by automatically providing access to presentation materials through the cloud platform. When participants request copies, the system automatically distributes digital materials without requiring presenter intervention. This maintains ease of operation for material distribution while eliminating the time-consuming manual management previously required.
4Reliability
If individuals track follow-up tasks personally using digital devices, then task reminders can be created, but the process is tedious and accountability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges task assignment and tracking into the meeting management workflow. Tasks are automatically assigned to specific participants during the meeting planning phase, and the system automatically tracks completion status. This integration maintains reliable task tracking while greatly simplifying the process compared to manual digital note-taking.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automated feedback mechanisms where task assignments are communicated to participants, and completion status is automatically updated and notified to relevant stakeholders. This automated feedback loop ensures reliable task tracking while eliminating the tedious manual process of creating and monitoring personal task reminders.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for planning a meeting in a cloud computing environment is disclosed. The method embodiment includes receiving by a server a meeting configuration file including information identifying a meeting, a plurality of meeting collaborators, and/or a plurality of meeting participants. When the meeting configuration file is received, the server is configured to generate a virtual planning space associated with the meeting and located in a cloud computing environment, to transmit a message to the plurality of meeting collaborators that includes an invitation to collaborate in the meeting via the virtual planning space, and to receive an indication to load planning content that includes at least one data object. In response to receiving the indication, the server associates the planning content with the virtual planning space so that the planning content is accessible by the meeting collaborators via the virtual planning space in the cloud computing environment.