Scalable method and system for providing real time indications of currently open documents

• US 7,716,263 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2006
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Masek, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hwa; Shyue Jiunn
• Application Number:
  US11/611,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A system for providing indications of documents currently opened by members of a group, in which document open and close operations are detected, and conveyed to a server system. The server system receives the document operation messages, and uses them to maintain lists of open documents associated with individual users through records in a user database that also indicate individual users'"'"' on-line status. When the server system transmits the on-line status of a user to other users that have an interest in that user (e.g. fellow members of a collaboration team, development project or the like, or user'"'"'s having entered that user in their buddy list, etc.), an open documents list for that user is included in the message along with his or her on-line status information. The client systems maintain lists of currently accessing users for open documents they have received identifiers of within open documents lists contained in such on-line status messages. As a result, a user can select a user interface view, such as a file directory or other type of interface providing indications of multiple shared documents, and the disclosed system allows the user to quickly determine which documents are currently open by other users in a group.

Claims

1. A method for providing indications that documents are currently opened by other users in a group, comprising:

detecting a document open operation on a document, wherein said document open operation is performed by a first user;

sending an indication of said document open operation to a server system, wherein said indication of said document open operation further includes a user identifier of said first user and a document identifier of said document;

in response to receipt by said server system of said indication of said document open operation, adding said document identifier to a list of documents currently opened by said first user, wherein said list of documents currently opened by said first user is stored on said server system in an on-line status database entry associated with said first user, wherein said on-line status database entry associated with said first user further includes an on-line status of said first user;

sending on-line status of said first user from said server system to client systems associated with other users in said group, wherein said list of documents currently opened by said first user is sent together with said on-line status of said first user;

generating a perceptible indication by at least one of said client systems associated with said other users in said group that said at least one of said documents is currently opened by said first user;

receiving, by a client system associated with a second user that is one of said other users in said group, said list of documents currently opened by said first user together with said on-line status of said first user;

in response to receipt of said list of documents currently opened by said first user, comparing said received list of documents currently opened by said first user with a previously received list of documents currently opened by said first user;

in the event said received list of documents currently opened by said first user includes a new document identifier, wherein said new document identifier is not listed in said previously received list of documents opened by said first user, determining whether any user in said group currently has a document opened that is identified by said new document identifier; and

in the event that another user in said group currently has said document opened that is identified by said new document identifier, adding said user identifier of said first user to a currently accessing users list associated with said new document identifier, wherein said currently accessing users list associated with said new document identifier is stored on said client system associated with said second user, and wherein said currently accessing users list associated with said new document identifier contains user identifiers indicating which specific ones of said users in said group currently have said document open that is identified by said new document identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the event that no other user in said group currently has said document opened that is identified by said new document identifier, adding an entry containing said new document identifier to a list of currently opened documents, wherein said entry further includes a currently accessing users list associated with said new document identifier, wherein said currently accessing users list includes said user identifier of said first user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

in the event said received list of documents currently opened by said first user does not include a previously listed document identifier contained in said previously received list of documents opened by said first user, determining whether any other user currently has a document opened that is identified by said previously listed document identifier; and

in the event that another user currently has said document opened that is identified by said previously listed document identifier, removing said user identifier of said first user from a currently accessing users list associated with said previously listed document identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

in the event that no other user currently has said document opened that is identified by said previously listed document identifier, removing an entry from said list of currently opened documents, wherein said removed entry contains said previously listed document identifier.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing a user interface view to said second user, wherein said user interface view includes indications of multiple shared documents;

wherein said indications of said shared documents each include indications of whether corresponding ones of said shared documents are currently opened by one or more users in said group;

wherein said indications of whether corresponding ones of said shared documents are currently opened by one or more users in said group are each made up of at least one of the group consisting of visual indications, auditory indications and tactile indications; and

wherein said indications of whether corresponding ones of said shared documents are opened by one or more users in said group include said perceptible indication that said at least one of said documents is currently opened by said first user.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

wherein said sending said on-line status of said first user from said server system to client systems associated with other users in said group includes filtering said list of documents currently opened by said first user to remove identifiers of documents to which specific ones of said other users in said group do not have access.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

wherein said indications of whether said corresponding ones of said shared documents are currently opened by one or more users in said group further enable a local user to request display of lists of said one or more users in said group that are currently accessing corresponding ones of said shared documents.

8. A system including a computer readable storage medium, said computer readable storage medium having program code stored thereon for providing indications that documents are currently opened by other users in a group, said program code comprising:

program code for detecting a document open operation on a document, wherein said document open operation is performed by a first user;

program code for sending an indication of said document open operation to a server system, wherein said indication of said document open operation further includes a user identifier of said first user and a document identifier of said document;

program code for, in response to receipt by said server system of said indication of said document open operation, adding said document identifier to a list of documents currently opened by said first user, wherein said list of documents currently opened by said first user is stored on said server system in an on-line status database entry associated with said first user, wherein said on-line status database entry associated with said first user further includes an on-line status of said first user;

program code for sending on-line status of said first user from said server system to client systems associated with other users in said group, wherein said list of documents currently opened by said first user is sent together with said on-line status of said first user;

program code for generating a perceptible indication by at least one of said client systems associated with said other users in said group that said at least one of said documents is currently opened by said first user;

program code for receiving, by a client system associated with a second user that is one of said other users in said group, said list of documents currently opened by said first user together with said on-line status of said first user;

program code for, in response to receipt of said list of documents currently opened by said first user, comparing said received list of documents currently opened by said first user with a previously received list of documents currently opened by said first user;

program code for, in the event said received list of documents currently opened by said first user includes a new document identifier, wherein said new document identifier is not listed in said previously received list of documents opened by said first user, determining whether any user currently has a document opened that is identified by said new document identifier; and

program code for, in the event that another user currently in said group has said document opened that is identified by said new document identifier, adding said user identifier of said first user to a currently accessing users list associated with said new document identifier, wherein said currently accessing users list associated with said new document identifier is stored on said client system associated with said second user, and wherein said currently accessing users list associated with said new document identifier contains user identifiers indicating which specific ones of said users in said group currently have said document open that is identified by said new document identifier.

9. The system of claim 8, said program code further comprising:

program code for, in the event that no other user currently has said document opened that is identified by said new document identifier, adding an entry containing said new document identifier to a list of currently opened documents, wherein said entry further includes a currently accessing users list associated with said new document identifier, wherein said currently accessing users list includes said user identifier of said first user.

10. The system of claim 9, said program code further comprising:

program code for, in the event said received list of documents currently opened by said first user does not include a previously listed document identifier contained in said previously received list of documents opened by said first user, determining whether any other user currently has a document opened that is identified by said previously listed document identifier; and

program code for, in the event that another user currently has said document opened that is identified by said previously listed document identifier, removing said user identifier of said first user from a currently accessing users list associated with said previously listed document identifier.

11. The system of claim 10, said program code further comprising:

program code for, in the event that no other user currently has said document opened that is identified by said previously listed document identifier, removing an entry from said list of currently opened documents, wherein said removed entry contains said previously listed document identifier.

12. The system of claim 11, said program code further comprising:

program code for providing a user interface view to said second user, wherein said user interface view includes indications of multiple shared documents;

wherein said indications of said shared documents each include indications of whether corresponding ones of said shared documents are currently opened by one or more users in said group;

wherein said indications of whether corresponding ones of said shared documents are currently opened by one or more users in said group are each made up of at least one of the group consisting of visual indications, auditory indications and tactile indications; and

wherein said indications of whether corresponding ones of said shared documents are opened by one or more users in said group include said perceptible indication that said at least one of said documents is currently opened by said first user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said program code for sending said on-line status of said first user from said server system to client systems associated with other users in said group includes program code for filtering said list of documents currently opened by said first user to remove identifiers of documents to which specific ones of said other users in said group do not have access.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

wherein said indications of whether said corresponding ones of said shared documents are currently opened by one or more users in said group further enable a local user to request a display of lists of said one or more users in said group that are currently accessing corresponding ones of said shared documents.

15. A computer program product including a computer readable storage medium, said computer readable storage medium having program code stored thereon for providing indications that documents are currently opened by other users in a group, said program code comprising:

program code for detecting a document open operation on a document, wherein said document open operation is performed by a first user;

program code for sending an indication of said document open operation to a server system, wherein said indication of said document open operation further includes a user identifier of said first user and a document identifier of said document;

program code for, in response to receipt by said server system of said indication of said document open operation, adding said document identifier to a list of documents currently opened by said first user, wherein said list of documents currently opened by said first user is stored on said server system in an on-line status database entry associated with said first user, wherein said on-line status database entry associated with said first user further includes an on-line status of said first user;

program code for sending on-line status of said first user from said server system to client systems associated with other users in said group, wherein said list of documents currently opened by said first user is sent together with said on-line status of said first user;

program code for generating a perceptible indication by at least one of said client systems associated with said other users in said group that said at least one of said documents is currently opened by said first user;

program code for receiving, by a client system associated with a second user that is one of said other users in said group, said list of documents currently opened by said first user together with said on-line status of said first user;

program code for, in response to receipt of said list of documents currently opened by said first user, comparing said received list of documents currently opened by said first user with a previously received list of documents currently opened by said first user;

program code for, in the event said received list of documents currently opened by said first user includes a new document identifier, wherein said new document identifier is not listed in said previously received list of documents opened by said first user, determining whether any user currently has a document opened that is identified by said new document identifier; and

program code for, in the event that another user in said group currently has said document opened that is identified by said new document identifier, adding said user identifier of said first user to a currently accessing users list associated with said new document identifier, wherein said currently accessing users list associated with said new document identifier is stored on said client system associated with said second user, and wherein said currently accessing users list associated with said new document identifier contains user identifiers indicating which specific ones of said users in said group currently have said document open that is identified by said new document identifier.