System and method for sharing unsupported document types between communication devices

• US 10,097,638 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Damaka, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Damaka, Inc.
• Inventors: Chaturvedi, Sivakumar, Gundabathula, Satish
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US15/680,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20170374152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1794 Details of file format conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1824 implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

An improved system and method are disclosed for sharing a document between two communication devices that do not have an application that can display the document. In one example, the document is sent by the communication device that is sharing the document to a document server for processing into pages of one or more different document types, and both communication devices retrieve the stored pages as needed for display. The sharing communication device updates the other communication device when a new page is to be retrieved from the document server.

Claims

1. A method for sharing a document comprising:

establishing a communication session between a document server and a first communication device;

receiving, by a document server from the first communication device, a document of a first document type for processing into a first plurality of pages based on at least one parameter, wherein each of the first plurality of pages is a second document type that is different from the first document type;

providing, by the document server to the first communication device, first access information corresponding to the first plurality of pages, wherein the first access information identifies a location of at least one of the first plurality of pages on a network accessible storage location;

sending, by the document server, the first access information to the first communication device;

receiving, by the document server, a request from a first communication device for one of the first plurality of pages, wherein the request includes the first access information, and wherein the first communication device does not have access to an application required to display the first document type but has access to an application required to display the second document type;

receiving, by the document server, an edit to one of the first plurality of pages from the first communication device, wherein the edit creates a modified page; and

storing the modified page on the network accessible storage location.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the document server from the first communication device, information to be used in processing the document, wherein the information includes the first document type and a share mode that identifies a view only mode or a view/edit mode.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the document into a second plurality of pages of a third document type that is different from the first and second document types.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first communication device selects at least one of the second document type and the third document type from a list of available document types on the document server.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the document server selects at least one of the second document type and the third document type from a list of available document types.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing, by the document server, second access information corresponding to the second plurality of pages, wherein the second access information identifies a location of at least one of the second plurality of pages on a network accessible storage location; and

receiving, by the document server, a request from a second communication device for one of the second plurality of pages, wherein the request includes the second access information, and wherein the second communication device does not have access to an application required to display the first or second document types but has access to an application required to display the third document type.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second communication devices are peer-to-peer devices that communicate directly with each other and wherein the method further comprises establishing, by the first communication device, a peer-to-peer session with the second communication device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the document server, an index of the first plurality of pages, wherein the first access information includes a base network address of the first plurality of pages, and wherein any of the first plurality of pages can be retrieved using the index and the base network address.

9. A document server comprising:

a network interface configured to send and receive communications via at least one of a wireless and a wireline network;

a memory;

a controller coupled to the network interface and the memory, wherein the controller is configured to;

establish a communication session between the document server and a first communication device;

receive, from the first communication device, a document of a first document type for processing into a first plurality of pages based on at least one parameter, wherein each of the first plurality of pages is a second document type that is different from the first document type;

provide to the first communication device first access information corresponding to the first plurality of pages, wherein the first access information identifies a location of at least one of the first plurality of pages on a network accessible storage location;

send the first access information to the first communication device;

receive a request from a first communication device for one of the first plurality of pages, wherein the request includes the first access information, and wherein the first communication device does not have access to an application required to display the first document type but has access to an application required to display the second document type;

receive an edit to one of the first plurality of pages from the first communication device, wherein the edit creates a modified page; and

store the modified page on the network accessible storage location.

10. The document server of claim 9, wherein the document server communicates via the wireline network and wherein the controller is further configured to establish the communication session with the wireline network.

11. The document server of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive, from the first communication device, information to be used in processing the document, wherein the information includes the first document type and a share mode that identifies a view only mode or a view/edit mode.

12. The document server of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

process the document into a second plurality of pages of a third document type that is different from the first and second document types.

13. The document server of claim 12, wherein the first communication device selects at least one of the second document type and the third document type from a list of available document types on the document server.

14. The document server of claim 12, wherein the document server selects at least one of the second document type and the third document type from a list of available document types.

15. The document server of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to:

provide second access information corresponding to the second plurality of pages, wherein the second access information identifies a location of at least one of the second plurality of pages on a network accessible storage location; and

receive a request from a second communication device for one of the second plurality of pages, wherein the request includes the second access information, and wherein the second communication device does not have access to an application required to display the first or second document types but has access to an application required to display the third document type.

16. The document server of claim 15, wherein the first and second communication devices are peer-to-peer devices that communicate directly with each other and wherein the first communication device establishes a peer-to-peer session with the second communication device.

17. The document server of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

provide an index of the first plurality of pages, wherein the first access information includes a base network address of the first plurality of pages, and wherein any of the first plurality of pages can be retrieved using the index and the base network address.