Instant messaging with data sharing

• US 7,693,958 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2005
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Teodosiu, Dan, Ford, Peter S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder; Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOUDHURY, AZIZUL Q
• Application Number:
  US11/157,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20070005707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments

Abstract

Instant messaging with data sharing is described. One or more of the described techniques may be employed to share data in conjunction with an instant messaging session, even if one or more clients which are to share the data are not currently available.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

during an instant messaging session;

establishing, by a client device, a shared space accessible by the client device and one or more other client devices;

specifying data by the client device to be shared with the one or more other client devices, wherein at least one said other client device is not available during the instant messaging session;

storing the data in a local storage or in a storage that is not included in the client device and the one or more other client devices;

synchronizing the shared data with each said other client device when the client device is available, wherein synchronizing the shared data with each said other client device includes communicating a message, the message comprising a version vector that contains at least one entry that identifies an item in the shared data, from the client device to each said other client device when each said other client device is available, the version vector utilized to trigger replicating shared data that is modified when the version vector from the client device differs from a version vector maintained by at least one said other client device, and updating the shared data to a current status based on each entry that differs between the version vector from the client device and the version vector maintained by the at least one said other client device, the updating facilitated by the at least one said other client device contacting the client device and executing a synchronization protocol;

detecting when a conflicting change is made to the item in the shared data, wherein when the conflicting change is detected;

flagging the item in the shared data as conflicting; and

notifying at least one client device of the conflict for correction; and

providing the updated shared data stored in the local storage or the storage not included in the client device and the one or more other client devices to the at least one said other client device.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the synchronizing is performed over a peer-to-peer network.

3. A method as described in claim 1, where the specifying is performed via a user interface that is configured to display instant messages communicated during the instant messaging session.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the specifying is performed via a user interface that includes a representation of a folder which corresponds to data shared with the one or more other client devices.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the storage is accessible via a web interface.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein:

the specifying is performed via a user interface that includes a representation of a folder which corresponds to data shared by a group having a plurality of other said client devices; and

membership in the group is specified by a persistent object that is configured to survive past termination of the instant messaging session.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the data is a subset of a data item that describes one or more changes made to the data item.

8. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising scheduling the synchronization of the data.

9. A method, using instant messaging client devices that incorporate data sharing, for a first client device to collaboratively share data between one or more of a plurality of other client devices, the method comprising:

determining, by the first client device, whether the data to be shared by the one or more plurality of other client devices is to be synchronized;

selecting, by the first client device, which of the one or more of the plurality of other client devices will receive the data to be shared;

specifying, by the first client, a shared space that facilitates access to the data to be shared by the selected other client devices;

specifying, by the first client device, that the selected other client devices can collaboratively modify the data; and

based on the determining, scheduling synchronization of the data to be shared while at least one of the selected other client devices is not available via the instant messaging, wherein synchronization of the data includes communicating a message from the first client device to each selected other client device when each selected other client device is available, the message comprising a version vector that contains at least one entry that identifies an item in the data to be shared, the version vector utilized to trigger replicating the data that is modified when the version vector from the first client device differs from a version vector maintained by at least one of the selected other client devices, and updating the data to be shared to current status by using each entry that differs between the version vector from the first client device and the version vector maintained by the at least one of the selected other client devices;

detecting when a conflicting change has been made to the item in the data to be shared, wherein when the conflicting change is detected;

flagging the item in the data to be shared as conflicting; and

notifying at least one of the selected other client device of the conflict for correction; and

providing the updated data to the at least one of the selected other client devices according to the decided upon schedule.

10. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the determining is based at least in part on monitoring interaction with a user interface configured to display instant messages.

11. A method as described in claim 9, further comprising determining presence of one or more said client devices and wherein the scheduling is performed based at least in part on the determined presence.

12. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the determining is based at least in part on the message being a synchronization negotiation message having the version vector that corresponds to the data to be shared.

13. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the determining is performed based at least in part by utilizing version vectors which are stored as part of presence information that describes the one or more of the plurality of other client devices.

14. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the scheduling is based at least in part on one or more current characteristics of at least one selected other client device that is to receive the data to be shared.

15. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the scheduling is based at least in part on one or more characteristics of at least one said client device that originates the data to be shared.

16. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the scheduling is based at least in part on one or more characteristics of the data to be synchronized.

17. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the scheduling the synchronization of the data is facilitated by a scheduling module executing within the client device and each said other client device.

18. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

determining whether to synchronize data specified to be shared with at least one other client during instant messaging; and

based on the determination, scheduling when to synchronize the data with the at least one other client, wherein synchronizing the data with the at least one other client includes communicating a message to the at least one other client when the at least one other client is available, the message comprising a version vector that contains at least one entry that identifies an item in the data specified to be shared, the message utilized to trigger replicating data specified to be shared when the version vector from the computer differs from a version vector maintained by the at least one other client, and updating the data specified to be shared to current status based on each item identified by each entry that differs between the version vector from the computer and the version vector maintained by the at least one other client;

detecting when a conflicting change has been made to the item in the data to be shared, wherein when the conflicting change is detected;

flagging the item in the data specified to be shared as conflicting; and

notifying at least one client of the conflict for correction; and

providing the updated data specified to be shared to the at least one other client according to the decided upon schedule.

19. The method as described in claim 18, wherein the computer executable instructions direct the computer to output a user interface configured to display instant messages and accept an input to be communicated as an instant message during an instant messaging session.

20. The method as described in claim 18, wherein the computer executable instructions direct the computer to schedule utilizing characteristics that are based on the at least one other client, the data, and the computer.