MANAGING MESSAGES BETWEEN USERS FOR COLLABORATIVE EDITING OF ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS

• US 20170257406A1
• Filed: 03/04/2016
• Published: 09/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Wilde, Benjamin, Gan, Patrick, Powers, Samantha N., Polyakov, Aleksandr, Sundar, Sudarshan, Baker, Graham, Milvaney, Douglas, Weaver, Joan, Nathwani, Nikhil
• Granted Patent: US 10,225,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4025 where none of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. downloading a file in a parallel FTP session, initiating an email or combinational services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

To manage complexity related to messages and comments about collaboratively edited electronic documents, an electronic document has associated activity data and comment data, where a type of activity data includes messages among users. Message data is stored in a stream of activity data in a format that is accessible both to communication applications outside of the electronic document, and to end user applications for editing the electronic document. The message data can include a document identifier, a user identifier for a sender and/or a receiver, and content of the message. A communication application, given a user identifier, can access document messages for that user, from a single electronic document or over multiple electronic documents. Further, the communication application can be notified when new document messages related to a user identifier are added to one or more electronic documents. Additionally, the end user application, given a document identifier, can access document messages associated with that document identifier for inclusion in the activity data for the document.

Claims

1. A computer, comprising:

a network interface configured to connect the computer to a computer network, the computer network being connected to a shared storage system, the shared storage system comprising a file system configured to store a plurality of electronic documents and to make the plurality of electronic documents available to a plurality of users; and

a processing system comprising one or more processing units and storage, the storage comprising computer program code that, when executed by the processing system, configures the processing system to comprise;

an application configured to process user input to modify an electronic document, the application comprising a graphical user interface including a document pane configured to display the electronic document and a display of actions from activity data associated with the electronic document,

wherein the actions include at least document messages, wherein a document message comprises content, an identifier of a sender, and an identifier of a recipient;

wherein the application is further configured to process user input to at least create document messages associated with a currently open electronic document.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the application is further configured to display comments associated with locations in the electronic document.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein the application is further configured to process user input to at least create replies to document messages as further document messages associated with the currently open electronic document.

4. The computer of claim 1, wherein data defining document messages associated with the currently open electronic document are stored separately from the data defining the structure and content of the electronic document.

5. The computer of claim 1, further comprising a communication application configured to access the data defining the document messages associated with an electronic document according to access controls associated with the electronic document.

6. The computer of claim 5, wherein the communication application is associated with a user and is configured to access document messages associated only with electronic documents to which the user has access.

7. The computer of claim 5, wherein the communication application is associated with a first user and is configured to receive a document message from a second user in response to the second user posting the document message in an electronic document authorized to be accessed by the first user.

8. An article of manufacture comprising:

at least one computer storage medium,

computer program instructions stored on the at least one computer storage medium which, when processed by a processing system of a computer, the processing system comprising one or more processing units and storage, configures the computer to comprise;

a network interface configured to connect the computer to a computer network, the computer network being connected to a shared storage system, the shared storage system comprising a file system configured to store a plurality of electronic documents and to make the plurality of electronic documents available to a plurality of users; and

a processing system comprising one or more processing units and storage, the storage comprising computer program code that, when executed by the processing system, configures the processing system to comprise;

an application configured to process user input to modify an electronic document, the application comprising a graphical user interface including a document pane configured to display the electronic document and a display of actions from activity data associated with the electronic document,

wherein the actions include at least document messages, wherein a document message comprises content, an identifier of a sender, and an identifier of a recipient;

wherein the application is further configured to process user input to at least create document messages associated with a currently open electronic document.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the application is further configured to display comments associated with locations in the electronic document in.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the application is further configured to process user input to at least create replies to document messages as further document messages associated with the currently open electronic document.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein data defining document messages associated with the currently open electronic document are stored separately from the data defining the structure and content of the electronic document.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 8, further comprising a communication application configured to access the data defining the document messages associated with an electronic document according to access controls associated with the electronic document.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the communication application is associated with a user and is configured to access document messages associated only with electronic documents to which the user has access.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the communication application is associated with a first user and is configured to receive a document message from a second user in response to the second user posting the document message in an electronic document authorized to be accessed by the first user.

15. A computer-implemented process comprising:

processing user input to modify an electronic document, including presenting a graphical user interface including a document pane configured to display the electronic document, and a display of actions from activity data associated with the electronic document;

wherein the actions include at least document messages, wherein a document message comprises content, an identifier of a sender, and an identifier of a recipient;

wherein the application is further configured to process user input to at least create document messages associated with a currently open electronic document.

16. The computer-implemented process of claim 15, wherein the application is further configured to display comments associated with locations in the electronic document.

17. The computer-implemented process of claim 15, wherein the application is further configured to process user input to at least create replies to document messages as further document messages associated with the currently open electronic document.

18. The computer-implemented process of claim 15, wherein data defining document messages associated with the currently open electronic document are stored separately from the data defining the structure and content of the electronic document.

19. The computer-implemented process of claim 15, further comprising a communication application configured to access the data defining the document messages associated with an electronic document according to access controls associated with the electronic document.

20. The computer-implemented process of claim 19, wherein the communication application is associated with a first user and is configured to receive a document message from a second user in response to the second user posting the document message in an electronic document authorized to be accessed by the first user.