Shared and independent views of shared workspace for real-time collaboration

• US 6,564,246 B1
• Filed: 02/02/1999
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kumar, Suresh, Varma, Pradeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KUPSTAS, TOD A
• Application Number:
  US09/241,928
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/205, 709/219, 709/223, 709/203, 709/243, 709/244, 709/248, 709/294
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A synchronous collaboration environment that supports real-time collaboration of multiple participants, each having shared and independent views of the shared workspace. Multiple views per participant are provided. Some of the views seen by a participant can be shared views with the usual common cursor and annotation tools. The shared views need not be homogeneous, which means that for a given view, each participant can see more than just some common data in his or window for the view. What the participant sees separately from the common data can make his or her shared view different from that of other participants. The view can be different due to different data being exposed in the view. Some of the views seen by a participant can be independent views. This allows to the participant synchronous working with the shared workspace alone on his or her own. The collaboration system includes a user interface and support for aligning views including goto and overlaying. Participants can modify the workspace through their views in a synchronized manner provided the sharing and access rights of their views allow them to do so.

Claims

1. A computer implemented process which provides a synchronous, real-time collaboration environment in which multiple and possibly independent views of a common workspace are allowed to each participant, said process comprising the steps of:

establishing a set of clients for any session of real-time collaboration, wherein said clients provide synchronous access to a shared workspace of said session, support one or more said workspaces, and make one or more synchronous views of said shared workspace available to individual participants;

verifying that initial copies of said workspace for each said client prior to collaboration are the same;

serializing workspace modifications generated by said clients, wherein each said workspace modification is tagged by the identity of a view associated with a client interest group including a said individual participant in which said workspace modification was created and serialization is based on input modification sequences received from said clients;

communicating to said clients said serialized workspace modifications, including client interest group status;

updating each said client'"'"'s shared workspace, wherein each said client'"'"'s said workspace is a synchronous copy; and

ensuring that the stream of serialized modifications for each said workspace copy is the same.

2. A method according to claim 1, which further comprises dynamically creating and deleting said views.

3. A method according to claim 1, which further comprises dynamically creating and discontinuing one or more said client interest groups, each said interest group being a subset of all said clients in said session.

4. A method according to claim 3, which further comprises dynamically adding said clients to and deleting said clients from said interest group.

5. A method according to claim 3, which further comprises blocking the addition and deletion of any said client to said interest group.

6. A method according to claim 3, which further comprises enabling membership of said interest group to remain anonymous to other said clients that are not members of said interest group.

7. A method according to claim 3, which further comprises enabling said interest group to remain unknown to other said clients that are not members of said interest group.

8. A method according to claim 3, which further comprises associating each said view with a said interest group.

9. A method according to claim 3, which further comprises enabling only one said client to belong to said interest group for the duration of said interest group.

10. A method according to claim 1, which further comprises enabling each said view for each client to contain data common to all said clients sharing the view and client-specific data.

11. A method according to claim 1, which further comprises enabling any of said views to contain the same data for all said clients that are viewing said view.

12. A method according to claim 10, which further comprises enabling each said client to align their views, by using a goto or equivalent command, from one view to another, or by overlaying one view on another.

13. A method according to claim 1, which further comprises enabling one said view to overlap with an other said view, such that when one said view is overlaid on another said view, said overlaid view follows and coincides with said view over which it is overlaid.

14. A method according to claim 2, which further comprises utilizing an existing said view as the initial position for a newly-created view.

15. A method according to claim 1, which further comprises providing specific sharing and access rights for each said view and/or interest group of each said client, said specific access rights including read-only, and read and write, said specific sharing rights including ability to add or remove any client from any said interest group.

16. A method according to claim 15, which further comprises enabling said access rights to be statically or dynamically defined or changed on an individual view basis.

17. A method according to claim 15, which further comprises enabling said sharing and said access rights to be statically or dynamically defined or changed on a multiple view and/or interest group basis.

18. A method according to claim 16, which further comprises enabling said access rights for a particular said client to be changed by said particular client, or independently of said particular client.

19. A method according to claim 17, which further comprises enabling said sharing and said access rights for a particular said client to be changed by said particular client, or independently of said particular client.

20. A method according to claim 16, which further comprises enabling a subset of said clients to change said sharing and said access rights.

21. A method according to claim 17, which further comprises enabling a subset of said clients to change said sharing and said access rights.

22. A method according to claim 20, which further comprises enabling said subset of said clients to change dynamically.

23. A method according to claim 21, which further comprises enabling said subset of said clients to change dynamically.

24. A method according to claim 10, which further comprises enabling said clients to view each said view separately.

25. A method according to claim 11, which further comprises enabling said clients to view each said view separately.

26. A method according to claim 10, which further comprises enabling said clients to explicitly delineate said common data.

27. A method according to claim 25, which further comprises enabling said clients to store said views as a bookmark associated with each said view.

28. A method according to claim 27, which further comprises enabling said clients to view said stored view by selecting a bookmark associated with said view.

29. A method according to claim 28, which further comprises enabling several said bookmarks to share a window such that only one said bookmark can be presented as its expanded view through the window at any time.