Patent ID: 6981019

Claim:
A computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) system comprising: a server which handles messages among a plurality of agents and network channels between the agents and the server, each of said agents communicating with a corresponding device in an environment, the corresponding device, after analyzing a sensed data, dividing the results into several categories and sending a message through a communication channel to the corresponding agent, the agents analyzing data received from the corresponding devices and, when other agents ask about a status of an agent's user, after a negotiation process, the agent provides relevant information; and a plurality of multi-modal communication channels for facilitating communication with devices in the environment by a user, the multi-modal communication channels serving as sensing channels for devices to sense data from the environment, the user and various activities of the user, wherein the sensed data is at least events associated with the environment of the agent's user and the categories are at least divisions of sensed ranges associated with the corresponding device.