IDENTIFYING CHANGES FOR ONLINE DOCUMENTS

• US 20100318892A1
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hughes, Richard, Liebling, Daniel, Dumais, Susan, Teevan, Jaime
• Granted Patent: US 9,330,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71

Abstract

Techniques and systems are disclosed for providing changed content identification for an online document that is accessed by a user or user agent. A reference point for an online document that a user or user agent is interested in accessing is identified, comprising a stored prior version of the document. The prior version of the document is retrieved, when the user or user agent accesses the online document, such as by using the reference point. Elements of the prior version are compared with elements of a current version of the document, to determine whether there are differences between the versions. If changes are identified between the prior version and the current version, the current version is automatically updated with visual or auditory representations that identify those changes of content.

Claims

1. A method for providing changed content identification for an online document that is accessed by a user or user agent, comprising:

identifying a reference point for an online document that a user or user agent is interested in accessing, comprising a stored prior version of the document;

retrieving the prior version when the user or user agent accesses the online document;

comparing elements of the prior version with elements of a current version of the document; and

automatically updating a presentation of the current version with visual or auditory representations that identify changes of content between the prior version and the current version.

2. The method of claim 1, identifying a reference point comprising one of:

identifying a point when the online document was accessed by the user or user agent; and

identifying a global reference point for an online document.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising storing data in a cache that identifies when the user or user agent accessed the document.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising storing an existing version of the document as a prior version comprising storing a version of the document when the user or user agent accesses the document.

5. The method of claim 4, storing an existing version of the document comprising storing merely differences between a prior stored version and a current stored version.

6. The method of claim 4, comprising one or more of:

storing versions of the document locally; and

storing versions of the document remotely.

7. The method of claim 4, storing an existing version of the document comprising one or more of:

storing the document in a graphical-structure representation;

storing the document as an image-based representation;

storing the document as a text-based representation; and

storing the documents as a code-based representation.

8. The method of claim 1, retrieving the prior version comprising retrieving one or more stored prior versions.

9. The method of claim 1, comparing elements of the prior version with elements of the current version of the document comprising one or more of:

determining whether a new element has been added between the prior and current versions;

determining whether an element has been changed between the prior and current versions;

determining whether an element has been moved between the prior and current versions; and

determining whether an element has been removed between the prior and current versions.

10. The method of claim 9, determining whether an element has been changed comprising:

applying a function to the prior version element to obtain a prior version result;

applying a function to the current version element to obtain a current version result; and

comparing the respective results to determine whether there is a difference that meets a desired threshold.

11. The method of claim 1, comparing elements of the prior version with elements of the current version of the document comprising comparing merely those elements of interest to the user or user agent.

12. The method of claim 11, identifying merely those elements of interest to the user or user agent comprising one or more of:

identifying elements that have been selected by the user or user agent;

identifying elements based on regions of inferred relevance;

identifying elements based on the user or user agent'"'"'s document accessing patterns; and

identifying elements based on global document accessing patterns.

13. The method of claim 1, updating the current version with visual or auditory representations that identify changes comprising altering a current version visual or auditory representation of the changed element.

14. A system for providing changed content identification for an online document that is accessed by a user or user agent, comprising:

a reference point identification component configured to identify a reference point for an online document that a user or user agent is interested in accessing;

a document storing component configured to provide for storage of an existing version of the document from the identified reference point as a prior version;

a version retrieval component configured to retrieve the prior version when the user or user agent accesses the online document;

a version comparison component configured to compare elements of the prior version with elements of the current version of the document; and

a change identification component configured to automatically update the current version with visual or auditory representations that identify changes from the prior version to the current version.

15. The system of claim 14 comprised in an application plug-in component configured to be operably coupled with an application that is utilized to access the documents.

16. The system of claim 15, comprising a user interface (UI) configured to provide system operations to the user.

17. The system of claim 14, the document storing component operably coupled to one or more of:

a local cache; and

a remote storage cache; and

configured to store one or more prior versions of the document in the one or more caches.

18. The system of claim 14, comprising an element comparison selection component configured to:

identifying elements for comparison that have been selected by the user or user agent for comparison;

identifying elements for comparison based on the user or user agent'"'"'s document accessing patterns;

identifying elements for comparison based on regions of inferred relevance; and

identifying elements for comparison based on global document accessing patterns.

19. The system of claim 14, the document storing component comprising a differentiation component configured to:

identify merely differences between a prior stored version and a current stored version; and

provide merely the differences for storage.

20. A method for providing changed content identification for an online document that is accessed by a user or user agent, comprising:

identifying a reference point for an online document that a user or user agent is interested in accessing, comprising one of;

identifying a point when the online document was accessed by the user or user agent; and

identifying a global reference point for an online document;

storing locally an existing version of the document from the identified reference point as a prior version, comprising;

storing a version of the document when the user or user agent accesses the online document;

storing merely differences between a prior stored version and a current stored version; and

storing the document in a graphical-structure representation;

retrieving one or more prior versions when the user or user agent accesses the online document;

comparing elements of the prior version with elements of the current version of the document comprising;

comparing merely those elements of interest to the user or user agent;

determining whether a new element has been added between the prior and current versions;

determining whether an element has been changed between the prior and current versions comprising;

applying a function to the prior version element to obtain a prior version result;

applying a function to the current version element to obtain a current version result; and

comparing the respective results to determine whether there is a difference that meets a desired threshold;

determining whether an element has been moved between the prior and current versions; and

determining whether an element has been removed between the prior and current versions; and

automatically updating the current version with visual or auditory representations that identify changes from the prior version to the current version.