Collaborative workflow through messaging conversations

• US 8,291,019 B1
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• 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): Strange, Aaron
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/359,157
• Time in Patent Office: 264 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 first message to a plurality of users, the first message including a first link to a first version of a document accessed via a network application;

providing, by the processor, access to the document to the plurality of users;

receiving, by the processor, a modification of the document from a first user, of the plurality of users; and

generating, by the processor, a second message to at least a second user, of the plurality of users, based on receiving the modification of the document,

the second message being pre-populated to include both the first link to the first version of the document and a second link to a second version of the document, and

the second version of the document including the modification of the document from the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, where the second message allows the second user to simultaneously view the first link and the second link.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to allow the plurality of users to collaborate on the document, the first message being provided to the plurality of users based on receiving the request.

4. The method of claim 1, where providing the access to the document includes:

transmitting a portion of the network application to one or more clients based on receiving a selection of the first link to the first version of the document, transmitting the portion of the network application allowing the network application to be executed at the one or more clients.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information identifying one or more permissions associated with the plurality of users; and

where providing the access to the document to the plurality of users includes;

preventing a first group of users, of the plurality of users, from modifying the document based on the information identifying the one or more permissions.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a third user, of the plurality of users, a request to provide the first message to the plurality of users;

providing, based on receiving the request and to the third user, an interface for sending the first message;

receiving, via the interface, information identifying a first group of users, of the plurality of users, and information identifying a second group of users, of the plurality of users, the information identifying the first group of users being received via a first field provided by the interface and the information identifying the second group of users being received via a second field provided by the interface; and

where providing the access to the document includes;

setting a first set of privileges, associated with modifying the document, for the first group of users based on receiving the information identifying the first group of users via the first field, and

setting a second set of privileges, associated with modifying the document, for the second group of users based on receiving the information identifying the second group of users via the second field.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a current version of the document, where the first link to the first version of the document includes a uniform resource locator (URL) that includes a string that identifies the current version of the document as comprising the first version of the document.

8. A non-transitory memory device storing instructions, the instructions including:

one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to provide a first message to a plurality of users, the message including a first link to a first version of a document accessed via a network application;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to provide access to the document to the plurality of users;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to receive a modification of the document from a first user, of the plurality of users; and

one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to generate a second message to at least a second user, of the plurality of users, based on receiving the modification of the document,

the second message being pre-populated to include both the first link to the first version of the document and a second link to a second version of the document, and

the second version of the document including the modification of the document from the first user.

9. The memory device of claim 8, where the second message allows the first link and the second link to be concurrently displayed to the second user.

10. The memory device of claim 8, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to receive, from a third user, a request to allow the plurality of users to collaborate on the document, the first message being provided to the plurality of users based on receiving the request.

11. The memory device of claim 8, where the one or more instructions to provide the access to the document include:

one or more instructions to transmit a portion of the network application to one or more clients based on receiving a selection of the first link, transmitting the portion of the network application allowing the network application to be executed at the one or more clients.

12. The memory device of claim 8, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to receive information identifying a privilege associated with a first group of users, of the plurality of users; and

where the one or more instructions to provide the access to the document to the plurality of users include;

one or more instructions to prevent other users, of the plurality of users, not included in the first group of users, from modifying the document based on the information identifying the privilege.

13. The memory device of claim 8, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to receive a request, from the second user, to provide the first message to the plurality of users;

one or more instructions to provide, based on receiving the request and to the second user, an interface for sending the first message;

one or more instructions to receive, via the interface, information identifying a first group of the plurality of users and information identifying a second group of the plurality of users,

the information identifying the first group being received via a first field provided by the interface, and

the information identifying the second group being received via a second field provided by the interface; and

where the one or more instructions to provide the access to the document include;

one or more instructions to associate a first set of privileges, associated with modifying the document, with the first group based on receiving the information identifying the first group via the first interface, and

one or more instructions to associate a second set of privileges, associated with modifying the document, with the second group based on receiving the information identifying the second group via the second interface.

14. The memory device of claim 8, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to identify a current version of the document, where the first link includes information that identifies the current version of the document as comprising the first version of the document.

15. A device comprising:

a processor to;

provide a first message to a plurality of users, the first message including a first link to a first version of a document accessed via a network application,

provide access to the document to the plurality of users;

receive a modification of the document from a first user, of the plurality of users, and

generate a second message to a second user, of the plurality of users, based on receiving the modification of the document, the second message being pre-populated to include the first link to the first version of the document and a second link to a second version of the document that includes the modification of the document.

16. The device of claim 15, where the processor is further to:

receive a request to allow the plurality of users to collaborate on the document, the first message being provided to the plurality of users based on receiving the request.

17. The device of claim 15, where the processor is further to:

receive a selection of the first link via one or more clients associated with the plurality of users, and

where, when providing the access to the document, the processor is to;

transmit a portion of the network application to the one or more clients based on receiving the selection of the first link, transmitting the portion of the network application allowing the network application to be executed at the one or more clients.

18. The device of claim 15, where the processor is further to:

receive information identifying a privilege associated with the first user, and

where, when providing the access to the document to the plurality of users, the processor is to;

allow the first user to modify the first version of the document to produce the second version of the document based on the information identifying the privilege.

19. The device of claim 15, where the processor is further to:

receive a request to provide the first message to the plurality of users,

provide, based on receiving the request and to a user initiating the request, an interface for providing the first message,

receive, via the interface, information identifying a first group of the plurality of users and information identifying a second group of the plurality of users,

the information identifying the first group being received via a first field of the interface, and

the information identifying the second group being received via a second field of the interface, and

where, when providing the access to the document, the processor is to;

set a first set of privileges associated with modifying the document for the first group based on receiving the information identifying the first group via the first interface, and

set a second set of privileges associated with modifying the document for the second group based on receiving the information identifying the second group via the second interface.

20. The device of claim 19, where the first set of privileges are different from the second set of privileges.