Conveying requests to service persons using avatars acting as proxies

Abstract

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an avatar object is presented which is well-suited for the NewWave service platform. An avatar is a virtual representation of an individual or group as a Global Information Bus (GIB) software service with which other services can interact (i.e., proxy of person). Thus, a service needing to contact a person need not know who that person is. Each avatar includes means for reaching and communicating with the individual wherever they are in the global ecosystem. An avatar is the virtualization of service methods translated to user actions. In short, an avatar is an object personification of the attributes of a person, team, group, or the like, which represents specific qualities associated with the subject of the avatar. Operators, provisions, customer contacts, service support staff and any other management-tasked staff in the customer and network care environment will have an avatar(s) for a network management task manager, such as a Management Operations Canter (MOC). An avatar's virtual image may also represent a history of past work, interactions, success ratings associated with personification of the subject of the avatar. along with its current workload and contact information for forwarding all communications, messages and work to the contact via the appropriate contact mean(s) interacting with the avatar. Initially, an avatar object registers itself as, for example as a contact entity within a DataBus, with a registry within the domain of a service which may need the contact data. Any service requesting information associated with the avatar object locates this proxy using existing NewWave protocols, and then communicates with the avatar through its proxy. In accordance with one embodiment, a service invite a person to participate in a work group based on the needs of the service and attributes of the avatar and then bind their avatar to an associated work document. As the work proceeds, the avatar attributes are updated to reflect its workload and upon completion of the task the avatar's its history is updated to reflect the its association with the particular task and the success rating of the completion of the task.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method performed by a server, the method comprising:
 creating, at the server, an in-memory shared space comprising one or more objects;   retrieving based on the at least one of the one or more objects, by the server, one or more user identifiers from a database comprising a plurality of user identifiers, wherein the database associates each user identifier with one or more devices associated with the user identifier;   receiving, at the server, for each of the one or more user identifiers retrieved from the database, a request that a device associated with the user identifier access the in-memory shared space, wherein the request does not specify any of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier;   retrieving, by the server, from the database, for each of the one or more user identifiers, a logon status of at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier;   determining, by the server, for each of the one or more user identifiers, at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier to send the request to access the in-memory shared space to, based on the determined logon status of at least one of the one more devices; and   transmitting, by the sever, for each of the one or more user identifiers, the request to access the in-memory shared space to the determined at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the database further associates at least one of the one or more devices associated with a user identifier with communication information for the device. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein transmitting, by the sever, for each of the one or more user identifiers, the request to access the in-memory shared space to the determined at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier further comprises using the communication information for the determined at least one of the one or more devices. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, at the server, a negative response from the determine at least one of the one or more devices to the request to access the in-memory shared space.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: updating, by the server, data associated with the user identifier in the database based on accessing of the in-memory shared space by at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the in-memory shared space comprises one or more objects, and wherein at least one of the one or more objects is a document. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the server, a request from at least one of the one or more devices to which the request to access the in-memory shared space was sent for access to one of the one or more objects of the in-memory shared space; and   granting, by the sever, access to the object of the in-memory shared space to the at least one of the one or more devices.   
     
     
         8 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
 create an in-memory shared space comprising one or more objects;   retrieve, based on the at least one of the one or more objects, one or more user identifiers from a database comprising a plurality of user identifiers, wherein the database associates each user identifier with one or more devices associated with the user identifier;   receive, for each of the one or more user identifiers retrieved from the database, a request that a device associated with the user identifier access the in-memory shared space, wherein the request does not specify any of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier;   retrieve, from the database, for each of the one or more user identifiers, a logon status of at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier;   determine, for each of the one or more user identifiers, at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier to send the request to access the in-memory shared space to, based on the determined logon status of at least one of the one more devices; and   transmit, for each of the one or more user identifiers, the request to access the in-memory shared space to the determined at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier.   
     
     
         9 . The medium of  claim 8 , wherein the database further associates at least one of the one or more devices associated with a user identifier with communication information for the device. 
     
     
         10 . The medium of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to transmit, for each of the one or more user identifiers, the request to access the in-memory shared space to the determined at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier further comprise one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to use the communication information for the determined at least one of the one or more devices. 
     
     
         11 . The medium of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more instructions further comprise one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to receive a negative response from the determine at least one of the one or more devices to the request to access the in-memory shared space. 
     
     
         12 . The medium of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more instructions further comprises one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to update data associated with the user identifier in the database based on accessing of the in-memory shared space by at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier. 
     
     
         13 . The medium of  claim 8 , wherein the in-memory shared space comprises one or more objects, and wherein at least one of the one or more objects is a document. 
     
     
         14 . The medium of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more instructions further comprise one or more instructions causing the processor to:
 receive a request from at least one of the one or more devices to which the request to access the in-memory shared space was sent for access to one of the one or more objects of the in-memory shared space; and   grant access to the object of the in-memory shared space to the at least one of the one or more devices.   
     
     
         15 . A system comprising
 one or more databases;   one or more server systems comprising one or more processors, the one or more server systems adapted to:   create an in-memory shared space comprising one or more objects;   retrieve, based on the at least one of the one or more objects, one or more user identifiers from the one or more databases comprising a plurality of user identifiers, wherein the one or more databases associate each user identifier with one or more devices associated with the user identifier;   receive, for each of the one or more user identifiers retrieved from the one or more databases, a request that a device associated with the user identifier access the in-memory shared space, wherein the request does not specify any of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier;   retrieve, from the one or more databases, each of the one or more user identifiers, a logon status of at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier;   determine, for each of the one or more user identifiers, at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier to send the request to access the in-memory shared space to, based on the determined logon status of at least one of the one more devices; and   transmit, for each of the one or more user identifiers, the request to access the in-memory shared space to the determined at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more databases further associate at least one of the one or more devices associated with a user identifier with communication information for the device. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more servers are further adapted to transmit, for each of the one or more user identifiers, the request to access the in-memory shared space to the determined at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier using the communication information for the determined at least one of the one or more devices. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more servers are further adapted to receive a negative response from the determined at least one of the one or more devices to the request to access the in-memory shared space. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more servers are further adapted to update data associated with the user identifier in the one or more databases based on accessing of the in-memory shared space by at least one of the one or more devices associated with the user identifier. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the in-memory shared space comprises one or more objects, and wherein at least one of the one or more objects is a document. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the one or more servers are further adapted to:
 receive a request from at least one of the one or more devices to which the request to access the in-memory shared space was sent for access to one of the one or more objects of the in-memory shared space; and   grant access to the object of the in-memory shared space to the at least one of the one or more devices.