Method and system for document assembly

• US 7,577,906 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rinearson, Peter, Yaacovi, Yoram, Malcolm, Jason, Zuniga, Roy, Sweeney, Gwen, Sol, Alisson, Friedrichowitz, Ingo, Burtner, Russ
• Primary Examiner(s): Hillery; Nathan
• Application Number:
  US11/129,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20060101321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 715/530, 715/531, 715/511, 715/751, 707 8- 10, 709/203
• US Class Current: 715/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

The assembly of documents assembled by a team is simplified. Document sections are assigned to a team member from within a word-processing document. Once a document template is opened by a user, the different sections within the document may be assigned to team members. Once a section is assigned, a notification is sent to the team members indicating the assignment. The team member may access their assigned section(s) through the notification. The team member may also access a central location to edit the sections they have been assigned. Team members from within the document may also search and use content from one or more content libraries to assist in the document assembly. Newly created content may also be saved to a new and/or existing content library. The content is then available to other team members working on the same or different projects.

Claims

1. A system for assembling documents, comprising

a client computing device that is configured to access the network and that includes a program that is arranged to perform actions, including:

receiving a request to access a document, wherein the document includes sections and the document is shared by more than one user;

requesting a server computing device for the document;

receiving the document from the server;

displaying the document within a word processor window;

wherein the document displayed includes displaying the section headings that are associated with the document;

receiving a request from within the word processor window to select a section of the document;

wherein the request is a selection of text that is associated with the section; and

in response to the request, rendering a display comprising a plurality of child windows to the word processor window, the display including;

a proposal window, the proposal window comprising;

a section heading list, the section heading list including headings of sections in the document;

an assignment properties list, the assignment properties list comprising a plurality of assignment properties of the selected section of the document; and

an assignment window, wherein the assignment window is configured to facilitate an assignment of the selected section of the document to an editor, and the assignment window further comprises fields, the fields including;

an editor field displaying a name of an editor to perform the assignment of the selected section of the document,

a due date field displaying a date the assignment of the selected section of the document is due,

a status field displaying a current status of the assignment of the selected section of the document, wherein the current status is selected from a plurality of pre-defined status levels; and

a message field displaying a message to be sent to the editor;

assigning the selected section of the document to an editor; and

automatically sending the message to the editor indicating that the section is assigned to them for editing;

wherein the message includes a link to the section assigned to them for editing;

where the link directly accesses the section; and

displays the section to the editor when selected.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the program on the server computing device is further configured to perform locking the section of the document such that only an assigned editor of the section may access the section.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein assigning the section of the document comprises displaying a menu within the window that is configured to display a list of editors that may be selected to be assigned to the section.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a content library that is configured to store content and that is coupled to the server computing device and the client computing device;

and wherein the program on the client computing device is further configured to initiate a search of the content library from within the window;

previewing content retrieved from the search of the content library, receiving a selection of content from the previewed content and placing the content into the section.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the program on the client computing device is further configured to display content that is located from the search of the content library within a preview window.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the program on the client computing device is further configured to publish at least a portion of the section that is selected from within the window, to the content library.

7. A computer-implemented method for managing team assembled documents, comprising:

a client computing device that is configured to access the network and that includes a program that is arranged to perform the actions of;

receiving a request to access a document, the document including sections and being shared by more than one user;

requesting a server computing device for the document;

receiving the document from the server;

displaying the document within a word processor window, the document displayed includes displaying the section headings that are associated with the document;

receiving a request from within the word processor window to select a section of the document, the request being a selection of text that is associated with the section; and

in response to the request, rendering a display comprising a plurality of child windows to the word processor window, the display including;

a proposal window, the proposal window comprising;

a section heading list, the section heading list including headings of sections in the document;

an assignment properties list, the assignment properties list comprising a plurality of assignment properties of the selected section of the document; and

an assignment window, the assignment window facilitating an assignment of the selected section of the document to an editor, and the assignment window further comprising fields, the fields including;

 

an editor field displaying a name of an editor to perform the assignment of the selected section of the document,

 

a due date field displaying a date the assignment of the selected section of the document is due,

 

a status field displaying a current status of the assignment of the selected section of the document, the current status being selected from a plurality of pre-defined status levels; and

 

a message field displaying a message to be sent to the editor;

assigning the selected section of the document to an editor; and

automatically sending the message to the editor indicating that the section is assigned to them for editing, the message includes a link to the section assigned to them for editing, the link directly accesses the section; and

displays the section to the editor when selected.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending a notification to the editor in response to the editor being assigned the portion of the document;

wherein the notification includes a link to the assigned section of the document.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein assigning the portion of the document to the editor comprises accessing a menu within the word processor program that was used to access the document and using the menu to select the editor.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising searching a content library, from within the document, for material to be incorporated within the document.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising previewing the material to the editor and importing the material located from the search upon acceptance of the material by the editor.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising publishing a portion of the document, from within the document, to a content library such that the content may be searched from within a document being edited and reused within another document created after the portion of the document is published to the content library.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising locking the portion of the document from unauthorized editing and maintaining a status of the assembly of the document and allowing team members to view the status.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for use in assembling documents prepared by team members, comprising:

a client computing device that is configured to access the network and that includes a program that is arranged to perform the actions of;

receiving a request to access a document, the document including sections and being shared by more than one user;

requesting a server computing device for the document;

receiving the document from the server;

displaying the document within a word processor window, the document displayed includes displaying the section headings that are associated with the document;

receiving a request from within the word processor window to select a section of the document, the request being a selection of text that is associated with the section; and

in response to the request, rendering a display comprising a plurality of child windows to the word processor window, the display including;

a proposal window, the proposal window comprising;

a section heading list, the section heading list including headings of sections in the document;

an assignment properties list, the assignment properties list comprising a plurality of assignment properties of the selected section of the document; and

an assignment window, the assignment window facilitating an assignment of the selected section of the document to an editor, and the assignment window further comprising fields, the fields including;

 

an editor field displaying a name of an editor to perform the assignment of the selected section of the document,

 

a due date field displaying a date the assignment of the selected section of the document is due,

 

a status field displaying a current status of the assignment of the selected section of the document, the current status being selected from a plurality of pre-defined status levels; and

 

a message field displaying a message to be sent to the editor;

assigning the selected section of the document to an editor; and

automatically sending the message to the editor indicating that the section is assigned to them for editing, the message includes a link to the section assigned to them for editing, the link directly accesses the section; and

displays the section to the editor when selected.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising preventing unauthorized editing of the section of the document and sending a notification to the editor when the section is assigned.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein assigning the section of the document to the editor comprises accessing a menu from within the program used to open the document and using the menu to select the editor.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising searching a content library from within the opened document for material to be included within the document.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising determining when the material may be of interest to the editor editing the document;

previewing the material to the editor; and

importing the material located from the search upon acceptance of the material by the editor into the opened document.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising publishing a portion of the document, from within the document, to a content library such that the content may be searched from within a document being edited and reused within another document created after the portion of the document is published to the content library.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising providing a status of the assembly of the document to editors that have been assigned at least one section of the document.