Collaboration methods for non-programmatic integration systems

• US 9,081,632 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyland Switzerland, Sarl
• Original Assignee: Lexmark International Technology, S.A. (Ninestar Corporation)
• Inventors: Arms, Randall, Coons, Scott, Anderson, Brian G
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillis, Brian J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Keller, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US13/091,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20120102118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Methods and systems for collaborating when one or more other users view or access the same, similar, or otherwise data. The collaboration method includes automatically non-programmatically collecting application data from a first mapped location of a mapped source reference of an application used by a first user and automatically non-programmatically collecting application data from a second mapped location of a mapped source reference of an application used by a second user. The integration application determines whether the collected application data from the first mapped location matches the collected application data from the second mapped location, and if the first collected application data matches the second collected application data, that integration application automatically notifies at least one of the first user and second user. The match determination may occur when the users are simultaneously accessing the data or at different times.

Claims

1. A method of collaboration, comprising:

enabling a user to spatially define one or more mapped locations;

automatically non-programmatically collecting application data identifying a current user of an application from a mapped location of the application and automatically signing the current user on to an integration system as the current user of the integration system, wherein in response to a lack of application data in the mapped location of the application, signing a current user out of the integration system;

automatically non-programmatically collecting application data from a first mapped location of a mapped source reference of a first document when the current user accesses the first document through an application used by the current user;

when a second user accesses a second document through an application used by the second user while the current user is accessing the first document, automatically non-programmatically collecting application data from a second mapped location of a mapped source reference of the second document;

determining whether the collected application data from the first mapped location matches the collected application data from the second mapped location; and

when the first collected application data matches the second collected application data, automatically notifying at least one of the current user and second user that the at least one of the current and second users are accessing associated documents,

wherein the first and the second documents are indexed by populating document properties for the first and the second documents using the collected application data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifying comprises providing collaboration information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the collaboration information comprises a universal resource locator of a collaboration tool.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the collaboration information comprises contact information associated with the users.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically commencing a collaboration tool when the first collected application data matches the second collected application data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the collaboration tool is a software application.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the collaboration tool is an instant messaging application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifying comprises displaying a visual indicator.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifying comprises playing an audio signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifying comprises sending an electronic mail message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining continuously compares the collected application data from the first mapped location with the collected application data from the second mapped location while the users are accessing the associated documents.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining compares the collected application data from the first mapped location with the collected application data from the second mapped location at a predetermined interval.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected application data from the first mapped location matches the collected application data from the second mapped location if the collected application data from the first mapped location is associated with the collected application data from the second mapped location.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected application data from the first mapped location matches the collected application data from the second mapped location if the collected application data from the first mapped location is substantially the same as the collected application data from the second mapped location.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein if the collected application data from the first mapped location matches the collected application data from the second mapped location, the first and the second users are accessing identical documents in the database.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining is continuously performed while the first and second users are accessing the first and second documents, respectively.

16. A method of collaboration, comprising:

enabling a user to spatially define one or more mapped locations;

automatically non-programmatically collecting application data identifying a current user of an application from a mapped location of the application and automatically signing the current user on to an integration system as the current user of the integration system, wherein in response to a lack of application data in the mapped location of the application, signing a current user out of the integration system;

automatically non-programmatically collecting application data from a first mapped location of a mapped first document accessed in an application by the current user;

when a second user accesses a mapped second document through another application used by the second user while the current user is accessing the first document, determining whether the collected application data from the first mapped location matches previously collected application data from a second mapped location of the mapped second document being accessed by the second user; and

when the first collected application data matches the previously collected application data, automatically notifying at least one of the current user and the second user that at least one of the current and the second users are accessing associated documents,

wherein the first and the second documents are indexed by populating document properties for the first and the second documents using the collected application data.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining occurs at a predetermined interval.

19. A collaboration system, comprising at least one module executing on at least one processor to:

enable a user to spatially define one or more mapped locations;

automatically non-programmatically collect application data identifying a current user of an application from a mapped location of the application and automatically sign the current user on to an integration system as the current user of the integration system, wherein in response to a lack of application data in the mapped location of the application, sign a current user out of the integration system;

automatically non-programmatically collect application data from a first mapped location of a first document accessed through an application used by the current user;

when a second user accesses a second document through another application used by the second user while the current user is accessing the first document,

automatically non-programmatically collect application data from a second mapped location of the second document;

determine whether the collected application data from the first mapped location matches the collected application data from the second mapped location; and

when the first collected application data matches the second collected application data, automatically notify at least one of the current user and second user that the current and the second users are accessing associated documents,

wherein the first and the second documents are indexed by populating document properties for the first and the second documents using the collected application data.

20. The collaboration system of claim 19, wherein the determining whether the collected application data from the first mapped location matches the collected application data from the second mapped location occurs in a second module executing on a second processor.