Unified Hover Card for Social Collaboration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing collaboration tools in enterprise environments are cumbersome, disjunct, and overwhelming, leading to reduced productivity due to information crowding and clutter, making it difficult for employees to efficiently communicate and collaborate across various locations.

Innovation Solution

A social collaboration system that includes a dynamic social graph, unified content model, and policy management to facilitate seamless communication and content sharing across multiple formats and platforms, using a graphical user interface to tailor and filter data, and a network environment that allows users to interact with computer systems via various devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional collaboration tools are used to enable communication across multiple locations, then communication capability is improved, but system complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to cumbersome interfaces and disjunct workflows

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication capabilityVSAvoiduser interface simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple disjunct collaboration tools (messaging, file sharing, video conferencing, task management) into a single unified platform with consistent interface patterns. This consolidation maintains versatile communication capabilities while eliminating the operational complexity of switching between separate tools, directly resolving the contradiction between adaptability and ease of operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The collaboration platform implements universal design principles where a single interface system serves multiple communication functions across different locations and device types. The interface adapts to various contexts (desktop, mobile, different user roles) while maintaining operational simplicity, allowing the system to be both highly adaptable and easy to use simultaneously

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If comprehensive collaboration features are provided to support various communication needs, then functionality is improved, but information overload and productivity deteriorate due to crowding and clutter

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollaboration functionalityVSAvoidemployee productivity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments comprehensive collaboration features into organized, context-relevant groups that are presented based on user needs and situational context. Instead of displaying all features simultaneously causing clutter, the interface divides functionality into manageable segments that are revealed or highlighted only when relevant, maintaining full functionality while preventing information overload and preserving productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The interface implements local quality by tailoring the display and accessibility of collaboration features to specific contexts, user roles, and task requirements. Different users or situations receive customized views of available features, presenting only the locally relevant functionality needed at that moment. This ensures comprehensive collaboration capabilities are available while preventing global information crowding that would reduce productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple communication media and formats are supported to meet diverse collaboration needs, then adaptability is improved, but system complexity and ease of operation worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemedia format supportVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary layer (unified interface system) that handles the complexity of multiple communication media and formats. This intermediary automatically manages format conversion, routing, and presentation, allowing diverse media types to be supported without exposing users to the underlying system complexity. The intermediary absorbs the complexity while maintaining operational simplicity for end users

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS8938690B1Intelligent social collaboration hover card

Publication Date: 2015.01.20 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

In one embodiment, a method includes generating a hover card associated with an entity in response to a user of a software application hovering a pointer over a reference to the entity within a graphical user interface (GUI) presented to the user by the software application. The hover card includes a photograph or icon representing the entity, a name of the entity, and a plurality of unified communications (UC) icons that are each configured to attempt to establish a particular type of communication session between the user and the entity. The method further includes presenting the hover card to the first user proximate to the pointer.