Reviewing and editing word processing documents

• US 8,418,051 B1
• Filed: 08/06/2004
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Bourdev, Lubomir D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughn, Gregory J
• Application Number:
  US10/912,964
• Time in Patent Office: 3,168 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500, 715/511, 715/512, 715/513, 715/526, 715/200, 715/229, 715/230, 715/234, 715/255
• US Class Current: 715/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

Methods and systems, including computer program products, implementing techniques for reviewing and editing word processing documents. The techniques include receiving from a reviewer a first comment about a word processing document receiving from the reviewer a second comment about the word processing document, sending the first comment to one or more editors and independently sending the second comment to one or more editors. The first comment can be sent before the second comment is received.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a computer system comprising one or more processors and one or more memory devices, receiving from a reviewer data representing a first comment and a second comment about a word processing document and indicating that the first comment and the second comment are respectively assigned to a first editor and a second editor from among multiple editors, wherein the reviewer and the multiple editors share a single copy of the word processing document;

sending, from the computer system, first data representing the first comment but not the second comment to the first editor in response to a first input from the first editor requesting immediate access to any submitted issues and based on said indicating that the first comment is assigned to the first editor;

independently sending, from the computer system, second data representing the second comment but not the first comment to the second assigned editor in response to a first input from the second editor requesting immediate access to any submitted issues;

receiving, at the computer system from the reviewer after the first data was sent to the first editor, data representing an additional comment about the word processing document and indicating that the additional comment is assigned to the first editor; and

sending, from the computer system, data representing the additional comment to the first editor in response to a second input from the first editor requesting immediate access to any submitted issues and based on said indicating that the additional comment is assigned to the first editor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the word processing document is in PDF format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the word processing document is in a markup language format.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a current version of the comments to a reviewer or editor in a dynamic list; and

for one or more of the comments, categorizing the comment in the dynamic list according to whether the current version of the comment is old or new/changed.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying the first editor, and the second editor based on the received data indicating that the first comment and the second comment are respectively assigned to the first editor and the second editor; and

wherein sending the data representing the first comment comprises causing presentation of the first comment to the first editor, and independently sending the data representing the second comment comprises causing presentation of the second comment to the second editor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the received data indicating that the first comment is assigned to the first editor comprises input from the reviewer designating the first editor.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

causing presentation to the reviewer of a list of editors for designation of the first editor with respect to the first comment.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

receiving a request from an assigned editor to reassign a given comment to a new editor; and

reassigning the given comment in response to the request.

9. A method comprising:

at a computer system comprising one or more processors and one or more memory devices, receiving from an editor data representing a first change to a word processing document, wherein the editor and multiple reviewers share a single copy of the word processing document;

sending, from the computer, data representing the first change to a first reviewer from among the multiple reviewers in response to a first input from the first reviewer requesting immediate access to any submitted issues;

receiving, at the computer system from the editor after the data representing the first change was sent to the first reviewer, data representing a second change to the word processing document;

sending, from the computer system, data representing the second change to the first reviewer in response to a second input from the first reviewer requesting immediate access to any submitted issues; and

independently sending, from the computer system, data representing the first change and the second change to a second reviewer from among the multiple reviewers in response to a first input from the second reviewer requesting immediate access to any submitted issues.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the word processing document is in PDF format.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the word processing document is in a markup language format.

12. A non-transitory, machine-readable storage device storing a computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving from a reviewer data representing a first comment and a second comment about a word processing document and indicating that the first comment and the second comment are respectively assigned to a first editor and a second editor from among multiple editors, wherein the reviewer and the multiple editors share a single copy of the word processing document;

sending first data representing the first comment but not the second comment to the first editor in response to a first input from the first editor requesting immediate access to any submitted issues;

independently sending second data representing the second comment but not the first comment to the second assigned editor in response to a first input from the second editor requesting immediate access to any submitted issues;

receiving, from the reviewer after the first data was sent to the first editor, data representing an additional comment about the word processing document and indicating that the additional comment is assigned to the first editor; and

sending data representing the additional comment to the first editor in response to a second input from the first editor requesting immediate access to any submitted issues and based on said indicating that the additional comment is assigned to the first editor.

13. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the word processing document is in PDF format.

14. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the word processing document is in a markup language format.

15. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting a current version of the comments to a reviewer or editor in a dynamic list; and

for one or more of the comments, categorizing the comment in the dynamic list according to whether the current version of the comment is old or new/changed.

16. A non-transitory, machine-readable storage device storing a computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving from an editor data representing a first change to a word processing document, wherein the editor and multiple reviewers share a single copy of the word processing document;

sending data representing the first change to a first reviewer from among the multiple reviewers in response to a first input from the first reviewer requesting immediate access to any submitted issues;

receiving, from the editor after the data representing the first change was sent to the first reviewer, data representing a second change to the word processing document;

sending data representing the second change to the first reviewer in response to a second input from the first reviewer requesting immediate access to any submitted issues; and

independently sending data representing the first change and the second change to a second reviewer from among the multiple reviewers in response to a first input from the second reviewer requesting immediate access to any submitted issues.

17. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the word processing document is in PDF format.

18. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the word processing document is in a markup language format.

19. A system comprising:

a computer-readable medium encoding a word processing document; and

processor electronics configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving from a reviewer a first comment and a second comment about a word processing document and indications that the first comment and the second comment are respectively assigned to a first editor and a second editor from among multiple editors, wherein the reviewer and the multiple editors share a single copy of the word processing document;

sending the first comment but not the second comment to the first editor in response to a first input from the first editor requesting immediate access to any submitted issues;

independently sending the second comment but not the first comment to the second assigned editor in response to a first input from the second editor requesting immediate access to any submitted issues;

receiving, from the reviewer after the first comment was sent to the first editor, an additional comment about the word processing document and an indication that the additional comment is assigned to the first editor; and

sending the additional comment to the first editor in response to a second input from the first editor requesting immediate access to any submitted issues and based on said indicating that the additional comment is assigned to the first editor.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the word processing document is in PDF format.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the word processing document is in a markup language format.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor electronics are further configured to perform operations comprising:

presenting a current version of the comments to a reviewer or editor in a dynamic list; and

for one or more of the comments, categorizing the comment in the dynamic list according to whether the current version of the comment is old or new/changed.

23. A system comprising:

a computer-readable medium encoding a word processing document; and

processor electronics configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving from an editor a first change to the word processing document, wherein the editor and multiple reviewers share a single copy of the word processing document;

sending the first change to a first reviewer from among the multiple reviewers in response to a first input from the first reviewer requesting immediate access to any submitted issues;

receiving, from the editor after the first change was sent to the first reviewer, a second change to the word processing document;

sending the second change to the first reviewer in response to a second input from the first reviewer requesting immediate access to any submitted issues; and

independently sending the first change and the second change to a second reviewer from among the multiple reviewers in response to a first input from the second reviewer requesting immediate access to any submitted issues.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the word processing document is in PDF format.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the word processing document is in a markup language format.