Document version of interest discoverability and persistence

• US 10,534,858 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2016
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: McNeill, Thomas Mattison, FitzGerald, Maura
• Primary Examiner(s): Meng, Jau Shya
• Application Number:
  US14/992,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20170199915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,464 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1873 Versioning file systems, temporal file systems, e.g. file system supporting different historic versions of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71

Abstract

Document version discoverability and persistence are provided. A version history of a document includes snapshots of the document as it is created and edited over time. When a version history for a document is invoked, a list of the previous versions of the document is generated for display. Certain versions may be more important to a user. Upon selection of a version, an option to append identification metadata to the selected version is displayed. Received text input is appended to the version of interest, and stored as identification metadata. When a user subsequently selects to view the version history of the document, the identification metadata are displayed with the version of interest, enabling the user to quickly and easily identify the version of interest. Additionally, the version of interest is prioritized, ensuring that it is persisted and not purged when older versions are removed from storage.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing document version discoverability and persistence, comprising:

opening a document with a document editing application;

displaying the opened document in a document editing window of a user interface of the document editing application along with a selectable version history element, the selectable version history element being selectable to initiate display of a document version history listing of the opened document;

receiving a selection of the selectable version history element;

in response to receipt of the selection of the selectable version history element, querying a storage repository for versions of the opened document;

generating and displaying in the user interface of the document editing application a list of document versions of the opened document, based on the results of querying the storage repository, while concurrently displaying the opened document;

receiving a selection of a document version of interest from the list of document versions;

in response to receipt of the selection of the document version of interest, newly displaying within the user interface of the document editing application a selectable option to add identification metadata to the document version of interest;

receiving a selection of the option to add identification metadata to the document version of interest;

in response to receipt of the selection of the option to add identification metadata to the document version of interest, newly displaying within the user interface of the document editing application, while concurrently displaying the opened document and the list of document versions, a text input box;

receiving a text input in the displayed text input box;

saving the text input as the identification metadata associated with the document version of interest; and

updating the displayed list of document versions to include a display of the text input as associated with the document version of interest.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the list of document versions further includes a display of a date and time of creation for each of the document versions.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein querying the storage repository for the document versions associated with the opened document further comprises querying the storage repository for the metadata associated with the document versions associated with the opened document.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein querying the storage repository for the metadata associated with the document versions associated with the opened document comprises querying the storage repository for an identification metadata associated with the document versions associated with the opened document.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,

wherein saving the text input as the identification metadata designates the version of interest as a priority version;

and the method further comprising;

receiving an indication of a purge event to purge versions of the document and, in response to the received indication, determining if versions of the document are priority versions, and purging versions of the document not determined to be priority versions.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the displayed list of document versions includes for each document version an indicator indicating an activity or event that triggered a creation of a respective document version.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the indicator indicating the activity or event that triggered the creation of the respective document version comprises an icon or a glyph.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein, in response to receipt of the selection of the document version of interest, newly displaying within the user interface of the document editing application a selectable option to share the selected document version of interest while concurrently displaying the opened document and the list of document versions.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein, in response to receipt of the selection of the document version of interest, newly displaying within the user interface of the document editing application a selectable option to copy the selected document version of interest while concurrently displaying the opened document and the list of document versions.

10. A system for providing document version discoverability and persistence, comprising:

a memory storing instructions;

a display device; and

a processor coupled to the display device and to the memory, wherein execution of the stored instructions by the processor causes the processor to perform;

opening a document with a document editing application and displaying the opened document in a user interface of the document editing application;

receiving a selection of a version history element, the selection made via the user interface of the document editing application, wherein selection of the version history element initiates a display of a document version history listing of the opened document;

in response to receipt of the selection of the version history element, querying a storage repository for versions of the opened document;

generating a list of document versions associated with the opened document for display in the user interface of the document editing application based on the results of querying the storage repository;

displaying the list of document versions of the opened document while concurrently displaying the opened document within the user interface of the document editing application;

receiving an indication of a selection of a document version of interest from the list of document versions;

in response to receipt of the selection of a document version of interest, displaying within the user interface of the document editing application, concurrently with the displayed opened document and with the displayed list of document versions of the opened document, a selectable option to add identification metadata to the document version of interest;

receiving a selection of the option to add identification metadata to the document version of interest;

in response to receipt of the selection of the option to add identification metadata to the document version of interest, newly displaying within the user interface of the document editing application a text input box, wherein the newly displayed text input box is displayed concurrently with the displayed opened document and the displayed list of document versions;

receiving a text input in the text input box;

saving the text input as the identification metadata associated with the version of interest; and

updating the displayed list of document versions to include a display of the text input as associated with the document version of interest.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein displayed list of document versions includes a date and time associated with a creation of each of the versions.

12. An article of manufacture comprising computer storage media containing computer executable instructions, wherein a computer executing the computer executable instructions is caused to perform a method for providing document version discoverability and persistence, the method comprising:

opening a document with a document editing application;

displaying the opened document in an editing window of a user interface of the document editing application along with a selectable version history element, wherein selection of the selectable version history element initiates a display of a document version history listing of the opened document;

receiving a selection of the selectable version history element;

in response to the receipt of the selection of the selectable version history element, querying a storage repository for document versions associated with the opened document and for metadata associated with the document versions;

generating and displaying a list of document versions of the opened document and the metadata associated with the respective document versions based on the results of querying the storage repository, wherein the displayed list of document versions is displayed concurrently with the opened document within the user interface of the document editing application;

receiving a selection of a document version of interest from the list of document versions;

in response to receiving the selection of the document version of interest, newly displaying within the user interface of the document editing application a selectable option to add identification metadata to the document version of interest;

in response to receipt of the selection of the option to add identification metadata to the document version of interest, newly displaying within the user interface of the document editing application a text input box;

receiving a text input in the text input box;

saving the text input as an identification metadata associated with the document version of interest; and

updating the displayed list of document versions to include a display of the text input as associated with the document version of interest.