Collaborative document development and review system
First Claim
1. A computer-based document collaboration system for managing the input of a plurality of reviewers associated with a plurality of computers connected in a network of computers comprising:
- a master data file containing a document stored on at least one of said computers for display on one of a plurality of display devices associated with said network, and at least one secondary data file stored on at least one of said computers and associated with at least one of said plurality of reviewers and associated with said document;
wherein said network of computers accepts input from at least one of said plurality of reviewers related to said document from said reviewer and stores said input in said secondary data file.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computer software product for allowing simultaneous multi-level collaboration, including in real time between an author and a group of reviewers invited by the author to comment on a document stored in a computer file. The computer software enables each reviewer to view the document and make changes thereto which are stored in a secondary data file without modifying the contents of the original document. The author receives and views the secondary data files from the reviewers and selectively incorporates the changes into the document. Each reviewer may invite an unlimited number of sub-reviewers to review the document, the comments of each sub-reviewer similarly being stored in a secondary data file wherein only the author may edit the document directly.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A computer-based document collaboration system for managing the input of a plurality of reviewers associated with a plurality of computers connected in a network of computers comprising:
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a master data file containing a document stored on at least one of said computers for display on one of a plurality of display devices associated with said network, and at least one secondary data file stored on at least one of said computers and associated with at least one of said plurality of reviewers and associated with said document;
wherein said network of computers accepts input from at least one of said plurality of reviewers related to said document from said reviewer and stores said input in said secondary data file. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. In a network of computers having associated therewith input and display means and to which a plurality of individual users are authorized access, a system for managing the comments of a plurality of reviewers comprising:
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a master data file on said network of computers and displayed on said display means containing a document created by at least one owner;
at least one account authorizing access to said network by said owner;
a distribution list identifying at least one of said plurality of users to serve as a first level of reviewers to provide comments on said document;
at least one account for each of said reviewers authorizing access to said network by each of said reviewers; and
at least one secondary data file linked to said document and the account of each of said reviewer;
wherein the comments of said at least one reviewer are provided via said input means and stored in said secondary data file. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A computer-based document editing system comprising:
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a plurality of computers connected in a network, a document stored on at least one of said computers;
a data file stored on at least one of said computers containing information related to said document, and at least one display associated with said network, said display divided into a plurality of regions including at least a first region displaying a portion of the document and a second region displaying a portion of the data file corresponding to the portion of the document. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A computer-based document collaboration system for managing the input of a plurality of reviewers associated with a plurality of computers connected in a network of computers comprising:
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a master data file containing a document created by at least one owner stored on at least one of said computers for display on one of a plurality of display devices associated with said network;
at least one secondary data file stored on at least one of said computers and associated with at least one of said plurality of reviewers and associated with said document;
at least one of said display devices having a display divided into a plurality of regions including at least a first region displaying a portion of the document contained in said master data file and a second region displaying a portion of the secondary data file corresponding to said portion of the document; and
an editor to enable said first region to accept input from said computer modifying the portion of the document displayed in said region and modifying the contents of said document wherein the modified contents are stored in said secondary data file. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A method for editing a document comprising the steps of:
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creating on a network of computers a master data file containing the document;
identifying a plurality of reviewers to review the document;
creating on the network of computers at least one secondary data file each uniquely associated with one of the reviewers;
displaying the document on a computer having a display and an input device;
recording changes to the document made by each of said reviewers using the inputdevice in the secondary data file uniquely associated with each of said reviewers;
selectively modifying the contents of the master data file based on the changes recorded in said at least one secondary data file.
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Specification