System and methods for managing co-editing of a document by a plurality of users in a collaboration place

• US 8,484,292 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2010
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ip Ot Sub Ulc
• Original Assignee: Open TEXT SA (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Spataro, Jared M, West, Cornelia A, Glazer, David, Schneider, Ronald E
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B
• Application Number:
  US12/754,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20100192072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 707/103.R, 709/205
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

In some embodiments, the disclosed systems and methods provide a client-server infrastructure capable of supporting a variety of asynchronous and synchronous collaboration activities in a so-called collaboration place. Some of these activities include chatting, viewing and/or editing one or more data files, and sharing one or more applications, data files, and/or displays. The client-server infrastructure supports seamless navigation between the supported asynchronous and synchronous activities in the collaboration place. Additionally, the client-server architecture supports data persistence, so that data files associated with the collaboration place can be stored for subsequent access.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for collaboration, the method comprising:

providing a collaboration place interface to a first client, the interface configured to (a) connect the first client to each of two or more independent collaboration places, and (b) generate a portion of data associated with a document based on at least one event associated with the collaboration places, wherein the portion of the data is persistent and available for access by a second client when the first client has disconnected from the collaboration places, the collaboration places enabling simultaneous co-editing of the document by at least the first client and the second client;

administering collaboration activities interactions among at least the first client and the second client in each of the two or more independent collaboration places, wherein the administering with respect to the co-editing of the document comprises restricting the first client to editing the portion of the data associated with the document when the second client is editing another portion of data associated with the document;

providing a software resident application configured to provide and integrate a collaboration tool;

associating the collaboration places with the collaboration tool;

establishing communications via a plurality of network connections between the software resident application and a server that supports collaboration among users;

storing on the server information related to activity in the collaboration tool; and

providing access to the stored information to a user who participated in the collaboration activities interactions for later retrieval.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a private place configured for private use by a user when the user is in the collaboration tool; and

managing an object stored in the private place while collaborating with the plurality of connected users.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user authorizes another user to have temporary access to a portion of the private place.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the private place includes links to one or more collaboration places, and wherein the links are configured to allow the user of the private place drag and drop them into a portion of one of the collaboration places to provide the other users of the collaboration place corresponding to that collaboration place access to the collaboration place corresponding to the link.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the collaboration tool comprises a real-time collaboration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the software resident application comprises a plurality of different types of desktop applications that provides a communications interface with the collaboration place interface.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

managing other interactions in another application of the users via the server, wherein the other application is separate from the collaboration tool;

synchronizing co-editing activity in the other application via a back channel connection of the network connections, wherein the back channel is dedicated to pushing content to the software resident application, wherein the activity is further stored on the server further includes the co-editing activity.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

managing sequential or simultaneous co-editing activity among the users.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing comprises storing a history of interactions.

10. A system for collaboration, the system comprising:

a server configured to perform actions comprising;

providing a collaboration place interface to a first client, the interface configured to (a) connect the first client to each of two or more independent collaboration places, and (b) generate a portion of data associated with a document based on at least one event associated with the collaboration places, wherein the portion of the data is persistent and available for access by a second client when the first client has disconnected from the collaboration places, the collaboration places enabling simultaneous co-editing of the document by at least the first client and the second client;

administering collaboration activities interactions among at least the first client and the second client in each of the two or more independent collaboration places, wherein the administering with respect to the co-editing of the document comprises restricting the first client to editing the portion of the data associated with the document when the second client is editing another portion of the data associated with the document;

storing information related to collaboration activity in the collaboration places; and

providing access to the stored information to the user who participated in the interactions for later retrieval;

a client configured to perform actions comprising;

providing a software resident application configured to provide and integrate a collaboration tool that is associated with the collaboration places; and

establishing communications via a plurality of network connections between the software resident application and a server that supports collaboration among users.

11. The system of claim 10, the server is further configured to perform actions:

providing a private place configured for private use by a user when the user is in the collaboration tool; and

managing an object stored in the private place while collaborating with the plurality of connected users.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the user authorizes another user to have temporary access to a portion of the private place.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the private place includes links to one or more collaboration places, and wherein the links are configured to allow the user of the private place drag and drop them into a portion of one of the collaboration places to provide the other users of the collaboration place corresponding to that collaboration place access to the collaboration place corresponding to the link.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the collaboration tool comprises a real-time collaboration.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the software resident application comprises a client-side plug-in that-provides a communications interface with the collaboration place interface,

16. The system of claim 10, the client is further configured to perform actions:

managing interactions in another application of the users via the server, wherein the other application is separate from the collaboration tool;

synchronizing co-editing activity in the other application via a back channel connection of the network connections, wherein the back channel is dedicated to pushing content to the software resident application, wherein the activity is further stored on the server further includes the co-editing activity.

17. The system of claim 10, the client is further configured to perform actions:

managing sequential or simultaneous co-editing activity among the users.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the storing comprises storing a history of interactions.

19. A processor readable medium for collaboration comprising processor executable instructions, the instructions when executed by a processor causes the processor to perform actions that comprises:

providing a software resident application configured to provide and integrate a collaboration tool that is associated with a collaboration place, wherein the collaboration place;

(1) provides a collaboration place interface to a first client, the interface configured to (a) connect the first client to independent collaboration place, and (b) generate a portion of data associated with a document based on at least one event associated with the collaboration place, wherein the portion of the data is persistent and available for access by a second client when the first client has disconnected from the collaboration place, the collaboration place enabling simultaneous co-editing of the document by at least the first client and the second client;

(2) administers collaboration activities interactions among at least the first client and the second client using the collaboration tool, wherein the administering with respect to the co-editing of the document comprises restricting the first client to editing the portion of the data associated with the document when the second client is editing another portion of data associated with the document; and

(3) stores information related to collaboration activity using the collaboration tool;

establishing communications via a plurality of network connections between the software resident application and a server that supports collaboration among users; and

providing access to the stored information to a user who participated in the collaboration activities interactions for later retrieval.

20. The processor readable medium of claim 19, wherein the collaboration tool comprises a real-time collaboration, and wherein the software resident application comprises a client-side plug-in that provides a communications interface with the collaboration place interface.

21. A device for collaboration, comprising a processor configured to perform actions comprising:

generating a portion of data associated with a document based on at least one event associated with a collaboration place;

enabling simultaneous co-editing of the document by at least a first client and a second client within the collaboration place;

administering a collaboration activity among at least the first client and the second client in the collaboration place, wherein the administering with respect to the co-editing of the document comprises restricting the first client to editing the portion of the data associated with the document when the second client is editing another portion of the data associated with the document;

providing a software resident application configured to provide and integrate a collaboration tool; and

associating the collaboration place with the collaboration tool.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein administering the collaboration activity in the collaboration place comprises:

managing co-editing activity among a plurality of clients, wherein at least one of the client executes the software resident application.