Method to initiate server based collaboration on e-mail attachments

• US 8,719,325 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2003
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Edelstein, Noah, Quinn, Andrew, Archambault, Anne, Bernstein, Ethan, Sawicki, Marcin, Saliba, Hani, Liu, Hai
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US10/376,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20040172450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,085 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-206, 709/200
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Server-based collaboration is initiated by an email. When the user creates the email message with attachments, a collaboration website is provisioned. The collaboration website allows collaborations on the attached documents by the recipients of the message. The ease of collaboration with email and the advantages of the collaboration server are thus both available to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for allowing a user to initiate collaboration on a document, comprising:

a computer accepting from said user a message for electronic delivery to one or more recipients, said message comprising recipient data identifying said one or more recipients and one or more attached documents upon which collaboration is to be initiated;

provisioning a collaboration server to initiate collaboration on said one or more attached documents by collaborators comprising said one or more recipients and the user whereby said collaboration comprises said collaborators accessing said one or more attached documents and collaborating to edit said one or more attached documents using said collaboration server, said collaboration server having presentation software executed thereon that opens the one or more attached documents for editing by said collaborators and enables the collaborators to see each other'"'"'s edits in said one or more attached documents at one time without needing to view and synchronize edits from two different documents;

inserting a link into the one or more attached documents directing said one or more recipients to said collaboration server for use of said presentation software by said collaborators to update said one or more attached documents; and

sending the message and the one or more attached documents to said one or more recipients.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer accepting from said user an indication comprising an identity of said collaboration server.

3. The method of claim 2, where said step of accepting from said user an indication comprising the identity of said collaboration server comprises accepting a selection of said collaboration server from a list of possible collaboration servers.

4. The method of claim 3, where said list of possible collaboration servers comprises collaboration servers accessible by said one or more recipients.

5. The method of claim 3, where said list of possible collaboration servers comprises collaboration servers most recently used for establishing a collaboration by said user.

6. The method of claim 3, where said list of possible collaboration servers comprises collaboration servers usable for establishing a collaboration by said user.

7. The method of claim 3, where said list of possible collaboration servers comprises collaboration servers most recently used for collaboration by said user.

8. The method of claim 2, where said step of accepting from said user an indication comprising the identity of said collaboration server comprises accepting user input designating a user-inputted collaboration server.

9. The method of claim 1, where said message for electronic delivery further comprises message data.

10. The method of claim 1, where said recipient data for said collaborators is added to a collaboration web site access control list.

11. The method of claim 1, where said collaboration server comprises a collaboration web site managing collaboration by collaborators.

12. The method of claim 11, where said collaboration web site includes discussion capability for maintaining a discussion among collaborators and/or a task list for said collaboration.

13. The method of claim 1, where said message for electronic delivery is an email message, and where said step of sending said message comprises sending said message to an email server for delivery.

14. The method of claim 1, where said message for electronic delivery is a scheduling request.

15. The method of claim 1, where said message for electronic delivery is a task.

16. The method of claim 1, where said user can adjust privileges of collaborators for said collaboration.

17. The method of claim 1 where said step of sending said message to said one or more recipients comprises modifying at least one of said one or more attached documents to include metadata regarding said collaboration.

18. A computer memory device having stored thereon a plurality of computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

19. A system for allowing a user to initiate collaboration on a document, comprising:

a memory that stores computer executable code; and

a processor that processes said computer executable code to implement;

an electronic messaging application for accepting from said user a message for electronic delivery to one or more recipients, said message comprising recipient data identifying said one or more recipients and one or more attached documents upon which collaboration is to be initiated;

a collaboration request module for sending a provisioning request to a collaboration server to initiate collaboration on said one or more attached documents by collaborators comprising said one or more recipients and the user whereby said collaboration comprises said collaborators accessing said one or more attached documents and collaborating to edit said one or more attached documents using said collaboration server, said collaboration server having presentation software executed thereon that opens the one or more attached documents for editing by said collaborators and enables the collaborators to see each other'"'"'s edits in said one or more attached documents at one time without needing to view and synchronize edits from two different documents; and

an electronic message server for sending said message to said one or more recipients, said message further comprising information regarding the collaboration server on which collaboration has been initiated and the one or more attached documents including a link that directs the one or more recipients to said collaboration server for use of said presentation software by said collaborators to update said one or more attached documents.

20. The system of claim 19, where said message for electronic delivery further comprises message data.

21. The system of claim 19, where said collaboration server comprises a collaboration web site managing collaboration by collaborators.

22. The system of claim 19, where said electronic messaging application is an email application.

23. The system of claim 19, where said electronic messaging application is a scheduling application.

24. The system of claim 19, where said message sent to said one or more recipients comprises a modified version of at least one of said one or more attached documents, said modified version comprising metadata regarding said collaboration.

25. A computer-implemented method for initiating collaboration, comprising:

a computer generating a message for electronic delivery to one or more recipients, said message comprising recipient data identifying said one or more recipients and one or more attached documents upon which collaboration is to be initiated;

the computer initiating a collaboration server for initiating collaboration on said one or more attached documents by collaborators comprising said one or more recipients and a sender of the message whereby said collaboration comprises said collaborators accessing said one or more attached documents and collaborating to edit said one or more attached documents using said collaboration server, said collaboration server having presentation software executed thereon that opens the one or more attached documents for editing by said collaborators and enables the collaborators to see each other'"'"'s edits in said one or more attached documents at one time without needing to view and synchronize edits from two different documents; and

sending said message to said one or more recipients, said message including information regarding the collaboration server on which collaboration has been initiated and the one or more attached documents including a link directing said one or more recipients to said collaboration server for use of said presentation software by said collaborators to update said one or more attached documents.

26. The method of claim 25, where said collaboration server comprises a collaboration web site managing collaboration by collaborators.

27. The method of claim 26, where said collaboration web site includes discussion capability for maintaining a discussion among collaborators and/or a task list for said collaboration.

28. The method of claim 26, where said step of sending said message to said one or more recipients comprises modifying at least one of said one or more attached documents to include metadata regarding said collaboration.

29. A computer memory device having stored thereon a plurality of computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform the method of claim 25.

30. A computer-implemented method for allowing a user to initiate collaboration on a document, comprising:

a computer accepting from said user a message for electronic delivery to one or more recipients, said message comprising recipient data identifying said one or more recipients and one or more attached documents upon which collaboration is to be initiated;

the computer receiving a request from said user that said collaboration be initiated;

provisioning a collaboration server to initiate said collaboration on said one or more attached documents by collaborators comprising said one or more recipients and the user in response to the request, whereby said provisioning comprises sending a copy of said one or more attached documents to the collaboration server and said collaboration comprises said collaborators accessing said copy of the one or more attached documents on said collaboration server and collaborating to edit said copy of the one or more attached documents using said collaboration server, said collaboration server having presentation software executed thereon that opens the copy of the one or more attached documents for editing by said collaborators and enables the collaborators to see each other'"'"'s edits in said copy of the one or more attached documents at one time without needing to view and synchronize edits from two different documents;

inserting information regarding the collaboration server on which collaboration has been initiated into said message, said message directing said one or more recipients to said collaboration server for use of said presentation software by said collaborators to update said copy of said one or more attached documents on said collaboration server; and

sending the message with the inserted information and the one or more attached documents to said one or more recipients.

31. A system for allowing a user to initiate collaboration on a document, comprising:

a memory that stores computer executable code; and

a processor that processes said computer executable code to implement;

an electronic messaging application for accepting from said user a message for electronic delivery to one or more recipients, said message comprising recipient data identifying said one or more recipients and one or more attached documents upon which collaboration is to be initiated, and receiving a request from said user that said collaboration be initiated;

a collaboration request module for sending a provisioning request to a collaboration server to initiate said collaboration on said one or more attached documents by collaborators comprising said one or more recipients and the user and sending a copy of the one or more attached documents to said collaboration server in response to said request from said user, whereby said collaboration comprises said collaborators accessing said copy of said one or more attached documents on said collaboration server and collaborating to edit said copy of said one or more attached documents using said collaboration server, said collaboration server having presentation software executed thereon that opens said copy of the one or more attached documents for editing by said collaborators and enables the collaborators to see each other'"'"'s edits in said copy of said one or more attached documents at one time without needing to view and synchronize edits from two different documents; and

an electronic message server for sending said message and the one or more attached documents to said one or more recipients, said message further comprising information regarding the collaboration server on which collaboration has been initiated and a link that directs the one or more recipients to said collaboration server for use of said presentation software by said collaborators to update said copy of said one or more attached documents on said collaboration server.

32. A computer-implemented method for initiating collaboration, comprising:

a computer generating a message for electronic delivery to one or more recipients, said message comprising recipient data identifying said one or more recipients and one or more attached documents upon which collaboration is to be initiated;

the computer receiving a request from a sender of the message that said collaboration be initiated;

the computer initiating a collaboration server for initiating said collaboration on said one or more attached documents by collaborators comprising said one or more recipients and said sender of the message in response to said request, whereby said initiating comprises sending a copy of said one or more attached documents to the collaboration server and said collaboration comprises said collaborators accessing said copy of the one or more attached documents on said collaboration server and collaborating to edit said copy of the one or more attached documents using said collaboration server, said collaboration server having presentation software executed thereon that opens the copy of the one or more attached documents for editing by said collaborators and enables the collaborators to see each other'"'"'s edits in said copy of the one or more attached documents at one time without needing to view and synchronize edits from two different documents; and

sending said message and the one or more attached documents to said one or more recipients, said message further including information regarding the collaboration server on which collaboration has been initiated, said message enabling directing said one or more recipients to said collaboration server for use of said presentation software by said collaborators to update said copy of said one or more attached documents on said collaboration server.