Method and apparatus for supporting real-time collaboration

• US 20030120690A1
• Filed: 07/25/2002
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Object Technology Licensing Corporation (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Palevich, Jack H., Schaeffer, Arnold, Anderson, David R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,363,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/500
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A collaboration system synchronizes an application or applications running on one or more computer systems. Each of the applications has a local data copy and the applications commence operation by creating consistent local copies from a common third copy. The consistency is maintained by distributing address space independent selections and commands to each application as they are entered at a controlling system. The selections and commands are generated by directly manipulating a presentation of each local data copy. When a selection and command arrive at a destination, the selection is used to find and selection the data and the command is applied to the data located by the selection.

Claims

1. A method for supporting real time collaboration between a first collaborating computer, having a user interface and containing a first local data copy in a first local address space and connected by a network to a second collaborating computer containing a second local data copy in a second local address space, the method comprising:

(a) generating in the first local address space in the first collaborating computer, an address space independent selection of the first local data copy;

(b) generating with the user interface, an address space independent command that modifies the selection generated in step (a);

(c) sending the selection and command from the first collaborating computer over the network to the second collaborating computer;

(d) using the selection in the second local address space to find and select a data portion from the second local data copy; and

(e) applying the command in the second local address space to the data portion selected in step (d).

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(f) creating a first presentation of at least a portion of the second local data copy; and

(g) modifying the first presentation in response to the application of the command in step (e).

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

(h) modifying the first presentation in response to a user interaction at the second computer system.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(f) creating a second presentation of at least a portion of the first local data copy as part of the user interface; and

(g) performing step (b) in response to a direct manipulation of the second presentation.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

(h) performing step (a) in response to a direct manipulation of the second presentation.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(f) creating the first local data copy and the second local data copy from a common third data copy.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) and step (b) are performed by executing a script.

8. Apparatus for supporting real time collaboration between a first collaborating computer, having a user interface and containing a first local data copy in a first local address space and connected by a network to a second collaborating computer containing a second local data copy in a second local address space, the apparatus comprising:

a selection mechanism that generates in the first local address space in the first collaborating computer, an address space independent selection of the first local data copy;

a command mechanism that generates with the user interface, an address space independent command that modifies the selection generated by the selection mechanism;

a transport mechanism that sends the selection and command from the first collaborating computer over the network to the second collaborating computer;

an editing mechanism that uses the selection in the second local address space to find and select a data portion from the second local data copy; and

a data change mechanism that applies the command in the second local address space to the data portion selected by the editing mechanism.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

a first presentation means for creating a first presentation of at least a portion of the second local data copy; and

a first notification mechanism that modifies the first presentation in response to the application of the command by the data change mechanism.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

a user interface that modifies the first presentation in response to a user interaction at the second computer system.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

a second presentation means for creating a second presentation of at least a portion of the first local data copy as part of the user interface; and

an first interaction mechanism that controls the command mechanism in response to a direct manipulation of the second presentation.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:

a second interaction mechanism that control the selection mechanism in response to a direct manipulation of the second presentation.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

a collaboration initiation mechanism that creates the first local data copy and the second local data copy from a common third data copy.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a script execution mechanism that controls the selection mechanism and the command mechanism.