Collaborative workflow through messaging conversations

• US 8,108,464 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rochelle, Jonathan, Lemonik, Micah, Khosrowshahi, Farzad, Danaher, John Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/278,347
• Time in Patent Office: 2,132 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments

Abstract

A networked application and email application were described herein that provide for an intuitive system by which users can participate in collaborative workflow relating to a network document. In one implementation, a system includes a messaging server component to provide messaging services and an application server component to provide a networked application. The application server component interacts with the messaging server component in response to a user command to initiate collaboration on the network document. The interaction with the messaging server component includes providing a link that refers to a version of the network document as created or edited by the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing, by a processor of the computer, a networked application to a plurality of users, the networked application being executable to create a network document;

providing, by the processor, a messaging interface in response to a request, from a user of the networked application, to send a message relating to collaboration on the network document, where the messaging interface includes a thread of messages that includes at least a previous message, where the previous message includes a first link to a particular version of the network document, where the messaging interface is an email messaging interface;

automatically pre-populating, by the processor, the messaging interface with;

a subject of the message, based on a subject of the previous message, and

a second link that references another version of the network document as created or edited by the user, where the other version of the network document is different from the particular version of the network document; and

sending the message to a recipient, where the message, when displayed by a device associated with the recipient, allows the recipient to simultaneously view the first link and the second link.

2. The method of claim 1, where the email messaging interface is generated by a networked email component that is contacted by the networked application on behalf of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, where the networked application includes a spreadsheet application or a word processor application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication, from the user, of document editing privileges for collaborators of the networked document.

5. The method of claim 1, where the link includes a uniform resource locator (URL) of a device that implements the networked application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the message using an email application that groups email messages as email threads.

7. The method of claim 1, where the messaging interface includes an instant messaging (IM) interface.

8. A system comprising:

one or more devices to;

provide a networked application to a plurality of users, the networked application to facilitate generation of a network document;

provide a messaging interface in response to a request from a user of the networked application to send a message relating to collaboration on the network document, where the messaging interface is an email interface, where the messaging interface includes a thread of messages that includes at least a previous message, where the previous message includes a first link to a particular version of the network document;

automatically pre-populate the messaging interface with;

a subject of the message, based on a subject of the previous message, and

a second link that references another version of the document as created or edited by the user, where the other version of the network document has been created or edited based on the particular version of the network document; and

send the message to a recipient, where the message, when displayed by a device associated with the recipient, allows the recipient to simultaneously view the first link and the second link.

20. The system of claim 8, where the one or more devices are further to:

receive an indication, from the user, of document editing privileges for collaborators of the network document.

9. A device comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device to store;

a plurality of versions of a network document created by a networked application, and

computer-executable instructions,

where the processor is to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

provide the networked application to a plurality of users, the networked application configured to facilitate generation of the network document and facilitate providing of a messaging interface in response to a request from a user of the networked application,

where the messaging interface includes a thread of messages that relates to collaboration on the networked document,

where the messaging interface is an email interface,

where the messaging interface includes at least a previous message that includes a first link to a particular version of the network document, and

pre-populate the message interface with;

a subject of the message, based on a subject of the previous message, and

a second link that references an other version of the networked document, where the other version includes a current version of the network document as created or edited by the user, and where the other version of the network document is different from the particular version of the network document,

where the message, when displayed by a device associated with a recipient of the message, allows the recipient to simultaneously view the first link and the second link.

10. The device of claim 9, where the networked application includes a spreadsheet application.

11. The device of claim 9, where the link includes a uniform resource locator (URL) of a device that implements the networked application.

12. The device of claim 9, where the processor is further to process the message using an email application that groups email messages as email threads.

13. A system comprising:

a messaging server component to provide messaging services; and

an application server component to provide a networked application to a plurality of users that are collaborating on a network document,

where the application server component interacts with the messaging server component in response to a user command to initiate collaboration on the network document based on sending of an email message to collaborators of the networked document,

where the collaborators are assigned default editing privileges for the network document based on how the user addresses the collaborators in the message, and

where the interaction with the messaging server component includes automatically providing a link, within the message, that refers to a version of the network document as created or edited by the user, where the version of the network document is different from a previous version of the network document, for which a previous link was previously provided to the collaborators,

where the messaging server component allows one or more of the collaborators to;

simultaneously view the link and the previous link,

select one of the link or the previous link, and

view the version of the network document as created or edited by the user, or the previous version of the document, based on the selecting.

14. The system of claim 13, where the collaborators are assigned default editing privileges by assigning collaborators addressed in a TO field of the message as having editing privileges for the network document and by assigning collaborators addressed in a CC field of the message as being limited to viewing the network document.

15. The system of claim 13, where the networked application includes a spreadsheet application.

16. The system of claim 13, where the application server is further to:

receive an indication, from the user, of document editing privileges for collaborators of the network document.

17. The system of claim 13, where the link includes a uniform resource locator (URL) of a device that implements the networked application.

18. The system of claim 13, where the messaging server component is to group email messages as email threads.

19. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing, by a processor of the computer, a networked application to a plurality of users, the networked application being executable to create a network document;

receiving, by the processor, a request from a user of the networked application, the request relating to a current version of the network document, as modified by the user; and

transmitting, by the processor and in response to the request from the user, a request to a messaging application to provide a messaging interface to the user,

where the messaging interface is an email messaging interface,

where the messaging interface includes;

one or more prior messages,

a template for a current message relating to the current version of the network document, where the template for the current message includes;

a subject that is based on a subject of at least one of the one or more prior messages, and

a first link that references the current version of the network document as created or edited by the user, where the current version of the network document is different from a prior version, of the network document, that is referenced by a second link in the one or more prior messages,

where the current message, when displayed by a device associated with a recipient of the current message, allows the recipient to simultaneously view the first link and the second link.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, where the link that references the current version of the network document includes a uniform resource locator (URL) of a device that implements the networked application.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, where the networked application includes a spreadsheet application or a word processor application.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device including computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

one or more instructions to provide a networked application to a plurality of users, the networked application being executable to create a network document;

one or more instructions to provide a messaging interface in response to a request, from a user of the networked application, to send a message relating to collaboration on the network document, where the messaging interface includes a thread of messages that includes at least a previous message, where the previous message includes a first link to a particular version of the network document, where the messaging interface is an email interface; and

one or more instructions to automatically pre-populate the messaging interface with;

a subject of the message, based on a subject of the previous message, and

a second link that references another version of the network document as created or edited by the user, where the other version of the network document is different from the particular version of the network document,

where the message, when displayed by a device associated with a recipient of the message, allows the recipient to simultaneously view the first link and the second link.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 23, where the computer-executable instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to receive an indication, from the user, of document editing privileges for collaborators of the networked document.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 23, where the first link or the second link includes a uniform resource locator (URL) of a device that implements the networked application.