WEB-BASED MULTIUSER COLLABORATION

• US 20090235181A1
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Saliba, Hani, Engrav, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,436,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Tools and techniques are described for web-based multiuser collaboration. These tools may provide methods that enable users to collaborate remotely on documents using respective browsers. These methods may send representations of portions of a given document to the browsers, and associate portions of the documents with particular users. The browsers may receive representations of commands as provided by the users, and may determine whether to execute the commands at the browser. The methods may also include receiving from the browsers revisions to the portions of the document, and storing these portions of the document in storage areas that are configured for storing content that has changed relatively recently.

Claims

1. At least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

enabling a plurality of users to collaborate remotely on at least one document using respective browsers;

sending a representation of a portion of the document to a browser that is associated with at least one of the users; and

associating the portion of the document with at least the one user.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for receiving from the browser a representation of at least one revision to the portion of the document.

3. The storage medium of claim 2, further comprising instructions for determining that at least a further one of the users is collaborating on the portion of the document, and further comprising instructions for sending a representation of the revision to at least the further one of the users.

4. The storage medium of claim 2, further comprising instructions for determining that at least a further one of the users is collaborating on the portion of the document, and further comprising instructions for sending a representation of the revision only to at least the further one of the users.

5. The storage medium of claim 2, further comprising instructions for receiving from the browser a representation of at least a further revision to the portion of the document.

6. The storage medium of claim 5, further comprising instructions for merging the revision and at least the further revision to the portion of the document.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for modeling the document as a plurality of cells, and wherein the instructions for sending a representation of a portion of the document include instructions for sending at least one of the revisions to the browser.

8. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for caching at least the portion of the document.

9. The storage medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions for retrieving from the cache at least the portion of the document, and for sending a representation of the portion of the document to at least a further browser that is associated with at least a further one of the users.

10. The storage medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions for receiving a request for at least the portion of the document, and for redirecting this request to the cache.

11. At least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

enabling a plurality of users to collaborate remotely on at least one document using respective browsers;

receiving, at one of the browsers, a representation of at least one command as provided by at least one of the users; and

determining whether to execute the command at the browser.

12. The storage medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for executing the command at the browser.

13. The storage medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for executing the command against a document object model maintained by the browser.

14. The storage medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for executing the command against a graph structure maintained by the browser.

15. The storage medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for forwarding the command to a server for execution.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for receiving results of executing the command on the server.

17. At least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

enable a plurality of users to collaborate on at least one document using respective browsers;

sending a representation of a portion of the document to a browser that is associated with at least one of the users; and

receiving at least one revision to the portion of the document from the browser; and

storing the portion of the document in a first storage area that is configured for storing portions of the document that have changed relatively recently.

18. The storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions for storing the rest of the document in a second storage area that is configured for storing portions of the document that have not changed relatively recently.

19. The storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions for storing include instructions for storing the portion of the document in a hot storage area, and wherein the instructions for storing the rest of the document include instructions for storing the rest of the document in a cold storage area.

20. The storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions for converting the portion of the document to or from at least one format that is associated with a client application.