Storage-and transport-independent collaborative document-management system
First Claim
1. A method for managing documents, comprising the following steps:
- assigning a unique identifier to a first version of a given document, and attaching the assigned version identifier to a file containing said first version;
ratifying said first version as the authoritative version of the given document;
assigning a second version identifier to an edited variation of said first version;
determining whether any other edited variation of said first version has been ratified; and
ratifying said edited variation having the assigned second version identifier as the authoritative successor to said first version if no other edited variation has been ratified.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A document management system enables multiple users to collaboratively contribute to the contents of a document via any suitable medium for transporting and storing documents, including email, shared drives, replicated work spaces and centralized storage systems. A tracking strategy is employed, in lieu of a central repository, that is based upon medium-independent versioning. Each version of a document that is created and saved by a user is given a unique identifier. The versions are submitted to a global service for ratification as the next authoritative version of a document. A submitted version that forms the next step in a linear sequence is ratified as the authoritative version of the document, whereas the version which does not meet this criterion becomes identified as a new document. Support is provided for users who create versions off-line, as well as users who are not subscribers to the system.
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Citations
64 Claims
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1. A method for managing documents, comprising the following steps:
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assigning a unique identifier to a first version of a given document, and attaching the assigned version identifier to a file containing said first version;
ratifying said first version as the authoritative version of the given document;
assigning a second version identifier to an edited variation of said first version;
determining whether any other edited variation of said first version has been ratified; and
ratifying said edited variation having the assigned second version identifier as the authoritative successor to said first version if no other edited variation has been ratified. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A system for managing documents, comprising:
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a client service that executes on a user'"'"'s computer, which assigns a unique version identifier to a version of a document when the user saves the document; and
a global service that communicates with the client service to receive the version identifier and the document, and ratifies the version of the document as a new authoritative version of the document. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. A method for managing documents, comprising the following steps:
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creating a version of a document at a user'"'"'s computer;
designating said version as a version in a sequence of versions that constitute said document;
submitting said designated version to a global service accessible to multiple users; and
at said global service, ratifying said submitted version at a defined position within said sequence if no other edited variation has been ratified at said defined position. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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Specification