Concurrent editing of a file by multiple authors

• US 20040107224A1
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Published: 06/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bera, Rajendra Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 7,954,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2308 Concurrency control transaction processing G06F9/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for enabling the concurrent editing of a document containing a plurality of independent or loosely connected segments by multiple authors is described. Among other things, the invention allows assigning of editing rights for each segment to a defined set of segment authors, making available a special segment that contains metadata shared by all the segments of said documents, and providing email means private to said document, for facilitating communication between the authors of the document.

Claims

1. A method for enabling concurrent editing of a document containing a plurality of independent or loosely connected segments by multiple authors, comprising the steps of:

assigning editing rights for each segment to a defined set of segment authors,

making available a special segment that contains metadata shared by all the segments of said document, and

providing email means private to said document, for facilitating communication between the authors of the document.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said metadata includes definitions, declarations, formatting data and reference glossary of terms applicable to the entire said document.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including grant of viewing rights to defined segments other than the segments for which editing rights have been assigned.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including a header associated with each segment containing control information pertaining to said segment including date and time of last save, name of author of last editing, references to headers of the most recently saved versions of all segments when said segment was last opened for editing and the list of segments whose headers had changed while said segment was being edited.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an author can suspend an editing session for a period not exceeding a defined time limit, with the editing being resumed either by the same author or by one or more designated authors from the set of authors that have been assigned editing rights for said segment.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a segment can be locked by a designated author when desired to prevent editing.

7. The method as claimed in claim 3, further including viewing options to enable each author to view selected segments for which viewing rights are granted in accordance with desired preferences, said views being generated on-the-fly by concatenating appropriate versions of each segment, as applicable for the selected views by using the information stored in the headers of each of the segments and the contents of the metadata.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the viewing options are:

first option to open the segment for editing and reflecting the editorial changes as they are being made in real time and allowing viewing of one or more of the most recent saved version of each of the other segments,

second option to allow the segment author to view in real time those other segments, which are being concurrently edited,

third option to selectively combine and view previously saved versions of one or more segments of the document,

fourth option to provide a view of the document as it was when the segment being currently edited was last opened for editing,

fifth option to provide a view of the document as it was when the segment being currently edited was last closed, and

sixth option to provide a view of the document as it was when the segment being currently edited was last suspended.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said segment is encrypted while saving and decrypted while viewing.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein access to a segment is protected through a password.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the segments are distributed over more than one device capable of storing and manipulating the document directly or through routing devices such as internet, intranet, LANs.

12. A system for enabling concurrent editing of a document containing a plurality of independent or loosely connected segments by multiple authors, comprising:

editing rights assignment means for assigning editing rights for each segment to a defined set of segment authors,

creation means for enabling a special segment to contain metadata shared by all the segments of said document, and

email means private to said document, for facilitating communication between the authors of the document.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said metadata includes definitions, declarations, formatting data and reference glossary of terms applicable to the entire said document.

14. The system as claimed in claim 12, further including viewing rights assignment means for granting viewing rights to defined segments other than the segments for which editing rights have been assigned.

15. The system as claimed in claim 12, further including means to create and populate a header associated with each segment to include control information pertaining to said segment including date and time of last save, name of author of last editing, references to headers of the most recently saved versions of all segments when said segment was last opened for editing and the list of segments whose headers had changed while said segment was being edited.

16. The system as claimed in claim 12, further including suspension means for suspending an editing session, by an author, for a period not exceeding a defined time limit and resumption means for resuming editing either by the same author or by one or more designated authors from the set of authors that have been assigned editing rights for said segment.

17. The system as claimed in claim 12, further including locking means for locking a segment by a designated author when desired to prevent editing.

18. The system as claimed in claim 14, further including means for providing viewing options to enable author to view selected segments for which viewing rights are granted in accordance with desired preferences, said views being generated on-the-fly by means for concatenating appropriate version of each segment, as applicable for the selected views by using the information stored in the headers of each of the segments and the contents of the metadata.

19. The system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the viewing options are:

first option comprising means for opening the segment for editing and reflecting the editorial changes as they are being made in real time and means for allowing viewing of one or more of the most recent saved version of each of the other segments,

second option comprising means to allow the segment author to view in real time those other segments, which are being concurrently edited,

third option comprising means to selectively combine and view previously saved versions of one or more segments of the document,

fourth option comprising means to provide a view of the document as it was when the segment being currently edited was last opened for editing,

fifth option comprising means to provide a view of the document as it was when the segment being currently edited was last closed, and

sixth option comprising means to provide a view of the document as it was when the segment being currently edited was last suspended.

20. The system as claimed in claim 12, further including encrypting means for encrypting said segment while saving and means for decrypting said segment while viewing.

21. The system as claimed in claim 12, including protection means for protecting access to a segment through a password system.

22. The system as claimed in claim 12, further including distribution means for distributing the segments over more than one device capable of storing and manipulating the document directly or through routing devices such as internet, intranet, LANs.

23. A computer program product comprising computer readable program code stored on computer readable storage medium embodied therein for enabling concurrent editing of a document containing a plurality of independent or loosely connected segments by multiple authors, comprising:

computer readable program code means configured for assigning editing rights for each segment to a defined set of segment authors,

computer readable program code means configured for making available a special segment that contains metadata shared by all the segments of said document, and

computer readable program code means configured for providing email means private to said document, for facilitating communication between the authors of the document.

24. The computer program product as claimed in claim 23, wherein said metadata includes definitions, declarations, formatting data and reference glossary of terms applicable to the entire said document.

25. The computer program product as claimed in claim 23, further including computer readable program code means configured for granting viewing rights to defined segments other than the segments for which editing rights have been assigned.

26. The computer program product as claimed in claim 23, further including computer readable program code means to create and populate a header associated with each segment containing control information pertaining to said segment including date and time of last save, name of author of last editing, references to headers of the most recently saved versions of all segments when said segment was last opened for editing and the list of segments whose headers had changed while said segment was being edited.

27. The computer program product as claimed in claim 23, further including computer readable program code means configured for suspending an editing session, by an author, for a period not exceeding a defined time limit, and computer readable program code means configured for resuming said editing session either by the same author or by one or more designated authors from the set of authors that have been assigned editing rights for said segment.

28. The computer program product as claimed in claim 23, further including computer readable program code means configured for locking a segment by a designated author when desired to prevent editing.

29. The computer program product as claimed in claim 25, further including computer readable program code means configured to provide viewing options to enable each author to view selected segments for which viewing rights are granted in accordance with desired preferences, said views being generated on-the-fly by computer readable program code means configured for concatenating appropriate versions of each segment, as applicable for the selected views by using the information stored in the headers of each of the segments and the contents of the metadata.

30. The computer program product as claimed in claim 29, wherein the viewing options are provided by:

computer readable program code means configured to open the segment for editing and reflecting the editorial changes as they are being made in real time and to allow the segment author to view one or more of the most recent saved version of each of the other segments,

computer readable program code means configured to allow the segment author to view in real time those other segments, which are being concurrently edited,

computer readable program code means configured to allow the segment author to selectively combine and view previously saved versions of one or more segments of the document,

computer readable program code means configured to provide a view of the document as it was when the segment being currently edited was last opened for editing,

computer readable program code means configured to provide a view of the document as it was when the segment being currently edited was last closed, and

computer readable program code means configured to provide a view of the document as it was when the segment being currently edited was last suspended.

31. The computer program product as claimed in claim 23, further including computer readable program code means configured for encrypting said segment while saving and computer readable program code means configured for decrypting said segment while viewing

32. The computer program product as claimed in claim 23, including computer readable program code means configured for protecting access to a segment through a password system.

33. The computer program product as claimed in claim 23, further including computer readable program code means configured for distributing the segments over more than one device capable of storing and manipulating the document directly or through routing devices such as internet, intranet, LANs.