System and method for sharing unsupported document types between communication devices

• US 8,407,314 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2011
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Damaka, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Damaka, Inc.
• Inventors: Chaturvedi, Sivakumar, Gundabathula, Satish
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US13/079,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20120254348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 715/206
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1794 Details of file format conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1824 implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

An improved system and method are used for sharing a document between two communication devices that do not have an application that can display the document. In one example, the document is sent by the communication device that is sharing the document to a document server for processing into pages of one or more different document types, and both communication devices retrieve the stored pages as needed for display. The sharing communication device updates the other communication device when a new page is to be retrieved from the document server.

Claims

1. A method for sharing a document comprising:

receiving, by a first communication device, input indicating that a document on the first communication device is to be shared with a second communication device;

determining, by the first communication device, that the document is a first document type and that the first communication device does not have access to an application required to display the first document type;

sending, by the first communication device, information representing at least one parameter to be used in processing the document to a document server;

sending, by the first communication device, the document to the document server for processing into a plurality of pages based on the at least one parameter, wherein each of the plurality of pages is a second document type that is different from the first document type, and wherein the second document type is supported by an application present on the first communication device;

receiving, by the first communication device from the document server, access information corresponding to a first page of the plurality of pages, wherein the access information identifies a location of the first page on a network accessible storage location;

retrieving, by the first communication device, the first page from the network accessible storage location using the access information;

sending, by the first communication device, information representing at least one parameter of the first page and access information for the first page to the second communication device;

displaying, by the first communication device, the first page on a display;

selecting, by the first communication device, a second page of the plurality of pages;

sending, by the first communication device, information requesting the second page to the network accessible storage location;

retrieving, by the first communication device, the second page from the network accessible storage location;

sending, by the first communication device, information needed to obtain the second page from the network accessible storage location to the second communication device; and

displaying, by the first communication device, the second page on the display.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, by the first communication device from the document server, a plurality of network addresses corresponding to the plurality of pages, wherein each of the plurality of network addresses identifies the location of one of the plurality of pages on the network accessible storage location.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein sending the information needed to obtain the second page from the network accessible storage location to the second communication device includes sending a network address that corresponds to the second page from the plurality of network addresses.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, by the first communication device from the document server, an index of the plurality of pages, wherein the access information received from the document server includes a base network address of the plurality of pages, and wherein the first communication device is configured to retrieve any of the plurality of pages using the index and the base network address.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein sending the information needed to obtain the second page from the network accessible storage location to the second communication device includes sending the base network address and index information corresponding to the second page.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein sending, by the first communication device, information needed to obtain the second page from the network accessible storage location to the second communication device includes instructing the second communication device to retrieve the second page.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

performing, by the first communication device, an edit to the first page to create a modified first page; and

sending, by the first communication device, the edit to the second communication device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein sending the edit includes sending the modified first page.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising sending, by the first communication device, the modified first page to the document server.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising receiving, by the first communication device, an edit to the first page from the second communication device, wherein the edit creates a modified first page.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the information representing at least one parameter to be used in processing the document includes the first document type, a display resolution of the first communication device, and at least one of the second document type and a share mode, wherein the share mode identifies a view only mode or a view/edit mode.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, by the first communication device from the document server, information corresponding to the plurality of pages, wherein the information includes a total number of pages and the second document type.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein sending, by the first communication device, information representing at least one parameter of the first page and the access information of the first page to the second communication device includes sending a total number of pages, a page prefix, and at least one of the second document type and a share mode, wherein the share mode identifies a view only mode or a view/edit mode.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, by the first communication device, an update from the document server between the step of sending the document to the document server for processing and the step of receiving the access information by the first communication device from the document server, wherein the update identifies that the processing is in progress.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the network accessible storage location is the document server.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein signaling between the first and second communication devices and between the first communication device and the document server is Session Initiation Protocol signaling.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second communication devices are peer-to-peer devices that communicate directly with each other and wherein the method further comprises establishing, by the first communication device, a peer-to-peer session with the second communication device prior to sending the information representing at least one parameter of the first page and the access information of the first page to the second communication device.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the second communication device does not have access to an application required for use of the first document type and the document cannot be opened on the second communication device, and wherein the second document type is supported by an application present on the second communication device.

19. A method for sharing a document comprising:

receiving, by a first communication device, a message from a second communication device indicating that a document on the second communication device is to be shared with the first communication device, wherein the document is a first document type and the first and second communication devices do not have access to an application required to display the first document type;

receiving, by the first communication device from the second communication device, information corresponding to a first page of a plurality of pages that represent the document, wherein each of the plurality of pages is a second document type that is different from the first document type, and wherein the second document type is supported by an application present on the second communication device, and wherein the information includes access information representing a network address corresponding to the first page of the plurality of pages that identifies a location of the first page on a network accessible storage location;

retrieving, by the first communication device, the first page from the network accessible storage location using the network address;

displaying, by the first communication device, the first page on a display;

receiving, by the first communication device from the second communication device, information corresponding to a second page of the plurality of pages;

retrieving, by the first communication device, the second page from the network accessible storage location; and

displaying, by the first communication device, the second page on the display.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the information corresponding to the second page includes a network address of the second page, wherein the first communication device does not know the network address of the second page until the first communication device receives the information from the second communication device.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the information corresponding to the second page includes an instruction to retrieve the second page.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

performing, by the first communication device, an edit to the first page to create a modified first page; and

sending, by the first communication device, the edit to the second communication device.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein sending the edit includes sending the modified first page.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein the information corresponding to the first page includes a total number of pages, a page prefix, and at least one of the second document type and a share mode, wherein the share mode identifies a view only mode or a view/edit mode.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the first and second communication devices are peer-to-peer devices that communicate directly with each other and wherein the method further comprises establishing, by the first communication device, a peer-to-peer session with the second communication device prior to receiving, by the first communication device, the message from the second communication device.

26. A communication device comprising:

a network interface configured to send and receive communications via at least one of a wireless and a wireline network;

a controller coupled to the network interface; and

a memory coupled to the controller, the memory having a plurality of instructions stored thereon for execution by the controller, for;

receiving input indicating that a document on the communication device is to be shared with a second communication device;

determining that the document is a first document type and that the communication device does not have access to an application required to open the first document type;

sending information representing at least one parameter to be used in processing the document to a document server;

sending the document to the document server for processing into a plurality of pages based on the at least one parameter, wherein each of the plurality of pages is a second document type that is different from the first document type, and wherein the second document type is supported by an application present on the communication device;

receiving access information corresponding to a first page of the plurality of pages from the document server, wherein the access information identifies a location of the first page on a network accessible storage location;

retrieving the first page from the network accessible storage location using the access information;

sending information representing at least one parameter of the first page and access information for the first page to the second communication device;

displaying the first page on a display;

receiving input selecting a second page of the plurality of pages;

sending information requesting the second page to the network accessible storage location;

retrieving the second page from the network accessible storage location;

sending information needed to obtain the second page from the network accessible storage location to the second communication device; and

displaying the second page on the display.

27. The communication device of claim 26 wherein the instructions further include instructions for establishing a peer-to-peer session with the second communication device prior to sending the information representing at least one parameter of the first page and access information for the first page to the second communication device.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the communication device communicates via the wireless network and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for establishing a wireless communication link with the wireless network prior to sending the information representing at least one parameter to be used in processing the document to the document server.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the communication device communicates via the wireline network and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for establishing a wireline communication link with the wireline network prior to sending the information representing at least one parameter to be used in processing the document to the document server.