Patent ID: 9094353
Filing Date: 2015-07-28
Classification: G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for collaborative arbitration of polling results in a collaborative environment, the method comprising: providing a user interface configured to create a message for placing a poll within the message for use within a calendaring and scheduling (C&S) server providing calendaring and scheduling functionality for communicatively coupled collaborative clients over a computer communications network, the user interface displaying a plurality of fields including an identity field designating one or more recipients for the message, a moderator field indicating a moderator for the poll encapsulated within the message, a poll limitation field configured to limit a duration of the poll, a polling data area configured to receive poll results, and also an aggregated results area configured to display an aggregation of poll results; creating the poll and also embedding the poll within the message in response to a user using the user interface to enter data in the plurality of fields to create the message for placing the poll within the message; sending the message over the computer communications network to respective ones of the collaborative clients for a select group of collaborators according to the one or more recipients designated in the identity field; receiving poll results in the C&S server from a collaborator in the select group of collaborators in a reply to the message; extracting the poll results from the reply and placing the poll within a new message along with the extracted poll results; sending the new message to the select group of collaborators over the computer communications network; and, discontinuing the poll once poll results have been received from a threshold number of collaborators in the select group of collaborators.