Method to initiate server based collaboration on e-mail attachments

• US 20040172450A1
• Filed: 02/28/2003
• Published: 09/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Quinn, Andrew, Archambault, Anne, Saliba, Hani, Liu, Hai, Sawicki, Marcin, Edelstein, Noah, Bernstein, Ethan
• Granted Patent: US 8,719,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Server-based collaboration is initiated by an email. When the user creates the email message with attachments, a collaboration website is provisioned. The collaboration website allows collaborations on the attached documents by the recipients of the message. The ease of collaboration with email and the advantages of the collaboration server are thus both available to the user.

Claims

1. A method for allowing a user to initiate collaboration on a document, comprising:

accepting from said user a message for electronic delivery, said message comprising recipient data identifying one or more recipients and one or more attached documents;

sending a request to a collaboration server to initiate collaboration on said one or more attached documents by collaborators comprising said recipients; and

sending said message to said recipients.

2. The method of claim 1 where said collaborators further comprise said user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accepting from said user an indication comprising the identity of said collaboration server.

4. The method of claim 3, where said step of accepting from said user an indication comprising the identity of said collaboration server comprises accepting a selection of said collaboration server from a list of possible collaboration servers.

5. The method of claim 4, where said list of possible collaboration servers comprises collaboration servers accessible by said recipients.

6. The method of claim 4, where said list of possible collaboration servers comprises collaboration servers most recently used for establishing a collaboration by said user.

7. The method of claim 4, where said list of possible collaboration servers comprises collaboration servers usable for establishing a collaboration by said user.

8. The method of claim 4, where said list of possible collaboration servers comprises collaboration servers most recently used for collaboration by said user.

9. The method of claim 3, where said step of accepting from said user an indication comprising the identity of said collaboration server comprises accepting user input designating a user-inputted collaboration server.

10. The method of claim 1, where said message for electronic delivery further comprises message data.

11. The method of claim 1, where said step of sending said message to said recipients comprises including in said message information regarding said collaboration.

12. The method of claim 11, where said information regarding said collaboration comprises a hyperlink to a collaboration web site.

13. The method of claim 1, where said permission information for said collaborators is added to a collaboration web site access control list.

14. The method of claim 1, where said collaboration comprises a collaboration web site managing collaboration by collaborators.

15. The method of claim 14, where said collaboration web site includes at least one selected from the group comprising:

discussion capability for maintaining a discussion among collaborators;

calendar capability for maintaining a collaboration calendar; and

a task list for said collaboration.

16. The method of claim 1, where said message for electronic delivery is an email message, and where said step of sending said message to said recipients comprises sending said message to an email server for delivery.

17. The method of claim 1, where said message for electronic delivery is a scheduling request.

18. The method of claim 1, where said message for electronic delivery is a task.

19. The method of claim 1, where said user can adjust privileges of collaborators for said collaboration.

20. The method of claim 1, where, for each collaborator, a privilege level for said collaboration are defined by said collaborator'"'"'s inclusion in a header of said electronic message.

21. The method of claim 20 where, for each collaborator in a to header, read and write privileges are granted to that collaborator for the collaboration.

22. The method of claim 20 where, for each collaborator in a cc header, read only privileges are granted to that collaborator for the collaboration.

23. The method of claim 20 where, for each collaborator in a bcc header, no privileges are granted to that collaborator for the collaboration.

24. The method of claim 1 where said step of sending said message to said recipients comprises modifying at least one of said one or more attached documents to include metadata regarding said collaboration.

25. The method of claim 1, where a new collaborator is added to said collaboration by forwarding said electronic message to said new collaborator.

26. At least one of an operating system, a computer readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of computer-executable instructions, a co-processing device, a computing device, and a modulated data signal carrying computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

27. A system for allowing a user to initiate collaboration on a document, comprising:

an electronic messaging application for accepting from said user a message for electronic delivery, said message comprising recipient data identifying one or more recipients and one or more attached documents;

a collaboration request module for sending a request to a collaboration server to initiate collaboration on said one or more attached documents by collaborators comprising said recipients; and

an electronic message server for sending said message to said recipients.

28. The system of claim 27 where said collaborators further comprise said user.

29. The system of claim 27, where said message for electronic delivery further comprises message data.

30. The system of claim 27, where said message comprises including information regarding said collaboration.

31. The system of claim 30, where said message comprises a hyperlink to a collaboration web site.

32. The system of claim 27, where said collaboration comprises a collaboration web site managing collaboration by collaborators.

33. The system of claim 27, where said electronic messaging application is an email application.

34. The system of claim 27, where said electronic messaging application is a scheduling application.

35. The system of claim 27, where said message sent to said recipients comprises a modified version of at least one of said one or more attached documents, said modified version comprising metadata regarding said collaboration.

36. The system of claim 27, where said electronic messaging application further comprises a forwarding module for forwarding said electronic message to a new collaborator and where said collaboration request module further comprises a new collaborator module for sending a request to said collaboration server to add said new collaborator to said collaboration.

37. A method for initiating collaboration, comprising:

generating a message for electronic delivery, said message comprising recipient data identifying one or more recipients and one or more attached documents;

initiating a collaboration server for initiating collaboration on said one or more attached documents; and

sending said message to said recipients.

38. The method of claim 37, where said initiation comprises granting collaborator privileges to one or more recipients identified by said recipient data.

39. The method of claim 38, where said message comprises sender data, and said initiation further comprises granting collaborator privileges to said sender identified by said sender data.

40. The method of claim 37, where said collaboration comprises a collaboration web site managing collaboration by collaborators.

41. The method of claim 40, where said collaboration web site includes at least one selected from the group comprising:

discussion capability for maintaining a discussion among collaborators, calendar capability for maintaining a collaboration calendar; and

a task list for said collaboration.

42. The method of claim 40, where said step of sending said message to said recipients comprises modifying at least one of said one or more attached documents to include metadata regarding said collaboration.

43. At least one of an operating system, a computer readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of computer-executable instructions, a co-processing device, a computing device, and a modulated data signal carrying computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 37.