Virtual Meeting Location Automation in Calendaring Apps

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current calendaring tools do not provide integration with virtual world environments for scheduling and reserving virtual meeting locations, limiting the ability to efficiently organize and manage meetings within immersive online settings.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that utilizes a software agent to receive meeting parameters from a calendar client application, generate creation and destruction scripts, and execute them on a virtual world server to create and dismantle virtual meeting locations, including necessary objects, within a virtual world environment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual creation of virtual meeting locations is used, then flexibility in meeting space customization is improved, but time consumption and operational complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveMeeting location setup convenienceVSAvoidTime to create and teardown meeting spaces

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by automatically creating virtual meeting locations before the scheduled meeting time. The calendar application receives meeting parameters, generates creation scripts, and executes them on the virtual world server in advance, so that meeting spaces are ready when needed without requiring manual setup time during the meeting event.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements self-service by enabling automatic creation and management of virtual meeting locations without requiring manual intervention. The calendar application automatically communicates with the virtual world server, generates appropriate creation scripts based on meeting parameters, and executes them autonomously, eliminating the need for users to manually create or teardown meeting spaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Productivity

If automated script execution is implemented, then meeting setup efficiency is improved, but system complexity and script management difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveMeeting location creation speedVSAvoidScript generation and execution system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses an intermediary approach by introducing a calendar application as a mediator between the user and the virtual world server. This intermediary component handles the complexity of script generation and execution automatically, translating high-level meeting parameters into executable creation scripts without requiring users to directly manage the complexity of virtual world scripting mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces manual mechanical operations with automated electronic processes. Instead of requiring users to manually navigate virtual world interfaces to create meeting locations, the system substitutes these manual operations with automated script generation and execution mechanisms that handle the entire creation process electronically and autonomously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Adaptability or versatility

If integration with calendar applications is added, then meeting scheduling convenience is improved, but system integration complexity and compatibility requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveCalendar application integration capabilityVSAvoidIntegration architecture and interface complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements universality by designing the calendar application integration to work with various calendar applications without requiring application-specific customization. The calendar application serves multiple functions: receiving meeting parameters, generating creation scripts, and coordinating with the virtual world server, making the integration architecture universally applicable to different calendar applications through standardized interfaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS7765478B2Scheduling and reserving virtual meeting locations in a calendaring application

Publication Date: 2010.07.27 ACTIVISION PUBLISHING INC

AI summary

A mechanism is provided for scheduling and reserving virtual meeting locations in a calendaring application. Participants use a calendaring application to schedule meetings. If the meeting takes place in a location within the virtual persistent world, then the calendaring application sends the meeting information, including virtual user IDs of the invitees, meeting location, and other virtual world requirements or parameters for the meeting, to a software agent. The software agent receives the meeting information and generates a script for creating the meeting location and a script for destroying the meeting location.