Collaborative review of distributed content

• US 20040122898A1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Srinivasa, Deepak
• Granted Patent: US 7,209,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

Collaboratively reviewing a digital document in a computing environment having a visual interface involves first presenting multiple users with a copy of the digital document in a visual interface. Annotations (such as highlights, underlines, or textual annotations) are made by the users and separately recorded, independently of the client application used to view the digital document. The annotations, though, are logically linked to the digital document, and annotations made by a particular user can be recorded over multiple overlays.

Claims

1. A method for reviewing a digital document in a computing environment having a visual interface, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting to multiple users a digital document using a visual interface of a client application; and

recording annotations to the digital document made by the users using the visual interface used to view the digital document;

wherein the annotations made by each user are separately recorded and are independent of the client application, but logically linked to the digital document.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the user'"'"'s annotations are recorded in one or more overlays to the digital document.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the overlays generated by users can be logically grouped.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the overlays can be selectively activated when presenting the digital document.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein annotations made by respective users are cannot be edited by other users.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digital document is presented by a client application associated with the digital document, and the annotations are recorded by an annotation application.

7. Computer software, recorded on a medium, for reviewing a digital document in a computing environment having a visual interface, the computer software comprising:

software code means for presenting to multiple users a digital document using a visual interface of a client application; and

software code means for recording annotations to the digital document made by the users using the visual interface used to view the digital document;

wherein the annotations made by each user are separately recorded and are independent of the client application, but are logically linked to the digital document.

8. The computer software as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the user'"'"'s annotations are recorded in one or more overlays to the digital document.

9. The computer software as claimed in claim 8, wherein the overlays generated by users can be logically grouped.

10. The computer software as claimed in claim 8, wherein the overlays can be selectively activated when presenting the digital document.

11. The computer software as claimed in claim 7, wherein annotations made by respective users are cannot be edited by other users.

12. The computer software as claimed in claim 7, wherein the digital document is presented by a client application associated with the digital document, and the annotations are recorded by an annotation application.

13. A computer system for reviewing a digital document in a computing environment having a visual interface, the computer system comprising:

an interface for presenting to multiple users a digital document using a visual interface of a client application; and

computing hardware for recording annotations to the digital document made by the users using the visual interface used to view the to the digital document;

wherein the annotations made by each user are separately recorded and are independent of the client application, but are logically linked to the digital document.

14. The computer system as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of the user'"'"'s annotations are recorded in one or more overlays to the digital document.

15. The computer system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the overlays generated by users can be logically grouped.

16. The computer system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the overlays can be selectively activated when presenting the digital document.

17. The computer system as claimed in claim 13, wherein annotations made by respective users are cannot be edited by other users.

18. The computer system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the digital document is presented by a client application associated with the digital document, and the annotations are recorded by an annotation application.