Collaborative, contextual enterprise networking systems and methods
View Patent ↗Described is an enterprise-based, contextual network system and method to keep employees connected with one another, as well as to external resources. Current media offers a great way to stay in touch with others but is not cohesive and contextual for businesses or generally productive for businesses. The enterprise media disclosed in this application presents a way for businesses to keep all of their employees and outside resources connected, but in a professional and efficient manner for the workplace. This enterprise media adapts to its users to create an interface that will help the user complete work, connect with others, and use various applications all in one place.
1. An enterprise-focused network system, the system comprising:
a) a client interface operable to communicate with one or more internet-based or mobile client machines;
b) an enrollment server in communication with the client interface, the enrollment server operable to communicate with the client interface and to provide for new user enrollment with the enterprise-focused network system;
c) a database in communication with the client interface and the enrollment server, the database operable to store user community records and profile information for users;
d) a user stream server in communication with the client interface, the user stream server operable to provide user-specific news feeds to users through the client interface to the one or more internet-based or mobile client machines;
e) an enterprise application interface, the enterprise application interface operable to facilitate coordination between enterprise servers outside the enterprise-focused network system, whereby the client interface provides enterprise-focused network information that includes contextually focused updates from the enterprise servers outside the enterprise-focused network system; and
(f) a network processing machine in communication with the client interface, the enrollment server, the database, the user stream server, and the enterprise application interface, the network processing machine operable to present contextualized, enterprise-based user home pages to users according to their profile information.
2. The enterprise-focused network system of claim 1 , in which the enrollment server, the user stream server, and the network processing machine are separate physical machines.
3. The enterprise-focused network system of claim 1 , in which the network processing machine is further operable to process geolocation-based information associated with multiple users or client machines and to provide contextual geolocation-based subjects or communities to the one or more internet-based or mobile client machines based at least in part upon the processed geolocation-based information.
4. The enterprise-focused network system of claim 1 , wherein the user stream server is operable to provide streams generated by the one or more internet-based or mobile client machines interacting directly with the enterprise-focused network system and an external stream received through the enterprise application interface.
5. The enterprise-focused network system of claim 4 , wherein the external stream is one of a Salesforce stream, an SAP stream, an Oracle Order Management stream, and an Oracle Expenses stream.
6. The enterprise-focused network system of claim 1 , wherein the user stream server is operable to provide streams generated by the one or more internet-based or mobile client machines interacting directly with the enterprise-focused network system and an external stream received from a life stream source.
7. The enterprise-focused network system of claim 6 , wherein the life stream source is one of a Facebook stream, a LinkedIn stream, and a Twitter stream.
8. The enterprise-focused network system of claim 1 , further comprising a video conferencing server operable to communicate with the network processing machine to enable the instantiation of contextual video conferencing services among users connected by certain common subjects.
9. The enterprise-focused network system of claim 8 , wherein the certain common subjects are subjects coordinated with enterprise applications through the enterprise application interface.
10. The enterprise-focused network system of claim 1 , wherein the enrollment server is further operable to communicate with the network processing machine to encourage new user enrollment through gaming techniques.
11. A method for providing a collaborative enterprise-focused communications network, the method comprising:
a) providing a client interface operable to communicate with one or more internet-based or mobile client machines;
b) providing an enrollment server in communication with the client interface, the enrollment server operable to communicate with the client interface and to provide for new user enrollment with the enterprise-focused network system;
c) providing a database in communication with the client interface and the enrollment server, the database operable to store user community records and profile information for users;
d) providing an enterprise application interface, the enterprise application interface operable to facilitate coordination between enterprise servers outside the enterprise-focused communications network and to receive contextually focused updates from enterprise applications running on the enterprise servers; and
e) providing user streams through the client interface to the one or more internet-based or mobile client machines, the user streams comprising user-specific news feeds, the user-specific news feeds based at least in part on the contextually focused updates received from the enterprise applications.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising processing geolocation-based information associated with users or client machines and providing contextual geolocation-based subjects or communities to the one or more internet-based or mobile client machines based at least in part upon the processed geolocation-based information.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the enterprise applications include one of Salesforce, SAP, Oracle Order Management, and Oracle Expenses.
14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising integrating life stream information in the user streams provided through the client interface.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the life stream information includes life stream sources from one of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising providing a video conferencing server operable to enable instantiation of contextual video conferencing services among users connected by certain common subjects.