Listing activities in a graphical user interface in a collaborative work tool Architecture

1. A method for listing activities in a graphical user interface in a collaborative work tool framework comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying an activity window having activity description data, activity start data, activity duration data, and activity status data;

(b) defining an activity in response to user selection of a define activity button, wherein the defined activity is thereafter displayed in the activity window and the defined activity includes an activity description, a start time, a duration, and a status;

(c) determining the status for the defined activity based on the start time for the defined activity and the duration for the defined activity; and

(d) automatically acquiring background information relevant to the defined activity including automatically obtaining the activity description when the start time is within a predetermined period, parsing and pattern matching the activity description to identify searchable components thereof, querying a plurality of sources across a network to obtain the background information, and receiving the background information in response to querying the plurality of sources.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the activity is defined as a brainstorning activity.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the activity is defined as a categorization activity.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the activity is defined as a voting activity.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising the step of displaying a message window capable of displaying user messages in real-time.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising the step of sending the defined activity to a database in response to user selection of a submit button.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 , flrther comprising the step of sending the defined activity to a specific participant user in response to user selection of the specific participant user from a participant user menu.

8. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for listing activities in a graphical user interface in a collaborative work tool framework comprising:

(a) a code segment for displaying an activity window having activity description data, activity start data, activity duration data, and activity status data;

(b) a code segment for defining an activity in response to user selection of a define activity button, wherein the defined activity is thereafter displayed in the activity window and the defined activity includes an activity description, a start time, a duration, and a status;

(c) a code segment for determining the status for the defined activity based on the start time for the defined activity and the duration for the defined activity; and

(d) a code segment for automatically acquiring background information relevant to the defined activity including automatically obtaining the activity description when the start time is within a predetermined period, parsing and pattern matching the activity description to identify searchable components thereof, querying a plurality of sources across a network to obtain the background information, and receiving the background information in response to querying the plurality of sources.

9. A computer program as recited in claim 8 , wherein the activity is defined as a brainstorming activity.

10. A computer program as recited in claim 8 , wherein the activity is defined as a categorization activity.

11. A computer program as recited in claim 8 , wherein the activity is defined as a voting activity.

12. A computer program as recited in claim 8 , further comprising a code segment for displaying a message window capable of displaying user messages in real-time.

13. A computer program as recited in claim 8 , further comprising a code segment for sending the defined activity to a database in response to user selection of a submit button.

14. A computer program as recited in claim 8 , further comprising a code segment for sending the defined activity to a specific participant user in response to user selection of the specific participant user from a participant user menu.

15. A system for listing activities in a graphical user interface in a collaborative work tool framework comprising the steps of:

(a) logic for displaying an activity window having activity description data, activity start data, activity duration data, and activity status data;

(b) logic for defining an activity in response to user selection of a define activity button, wherein the defined activity is thereafter displayed in the activity window and the defined activity includes an activity description, a start time, a duration, and a status;

(c) logic for determining the status for the defined activity based on the start time for the defined activity and the duration for the defined activity; and

(d) logic for automatically acquiring background information relevant to the defined activity including automatically obtaining the activity description when the start time is within a predetermined period, parsing and pattern matching the activity description to identify searchable componets thereof, guerying a plurality of sources across a network to obtain the background information, and receiving the background information in response to querying the pluraltity of sources.

16. A system as recited in claim 15 , wherein the activity is defined as a brainstorming activity.

17. A system as recited in claim 15 , wherein the activity is defined as a categorization activity.

18. A system as recited in claim 15 , wherein the activity is defined as a voting activity.

19. A system as recited in claim 15 . futher comprising logic for displaying a message window capable of displaying user messages in real-time.

20. A system as recited in claim 15 , further comprising logic for sending the defined activity to a database in response to user selection of a submit button.