Providing an electronic document collection

• US 9,286,271 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Khosrowshahi, Farzad, Tunali, Haluk Burcin, Epshteyn, Lev, Wain, Joseph, Johnston, Scott M., Sladden, Mandy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): JHAVERI, JAYESH M
• Application Number:
  US13/873,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20130268830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 709/209, 709/213, 709/221, 709/22, 709/224, 709/226, 709/227, 707608-609
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/12 Protecting executable software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/171 by use of digital ink
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/183 Tabulation, i.e. one-dimensional positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a request to access an electronic document collection that integrates a plurality of electronic sub-documents that are each of one of a plurality of defined document types. The method also includes retrieving information that is associated with the document collection, wherein the retrieved information identifies a first sub-document of the plurality of sub-documents using a first non-address identifier, and identifying a first software application that is configured to provide access to the first sub-document. The method additionally includes initiating a first connection with a first server that causes execution of the identified first software application and that, using the first non-address identifier, provides access to the first sub-document. The method further includes integrating access to the first sub-document into the document collection through the initiated first connection with the first server that causes execution of the first software application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing, at a computer system, a first electronic document having a first electronic document type via a first software program that is configured to provide access to the first electronic document type;

accessing, at the computer system, a second electronic, document having a second electronic document type via a second software program that is configured to provide access to the second electronic document type;

receiving a user selection that identifies a part of the second electronic document as an indicated portion of the second electronic document, wherein the indicated portion of the second electronic document is highlighted;

integrating the indicated portion of the second electronic document having the second electronic document type into the first electronic document based on a dynamic link in the first electronic document that identifies the second electronic document by a non-address identifier that does not provide access to the second electronic document, that can be used to locate the second electronic document within a data repository, that causes the second software program to interpret the indicated portion of the second electronic document, and that causes the first software program to generate information for display in the first electronic document based on the interpreted indicated portion of the second electronic document, resulting in an integrated first electric document;

receiving a user request to perform an operation in the integrated first electronic document; and

performing the operation using the first software program if the request relates to the first electronic document or using the second software program if the request relates to the second electronic document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation includes outputting, for display, at least a portion of at least one of the first electronic document or the second electronic document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation includes modifying at least one of the first electronic document or the second electronic document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to perform an operation is an undo request, and performing the operation includes identifying a prior operation for reversal using a common undo stack, wherein the prior operation for reversal is associated with at least one of the first electronic document or the second electronic document.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user request to perform an operation includes an identifier specifying at least one of the first electronic document or the second electronic document.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the dynamic link in the first electronic document using the first software program prior to integrating at least a portion of the second electronic document.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic document and the second electronic document are each sub-documents of an electronic document collection.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a client computing system, an access request that identifies the first electronic document by a non-address identifier that does not provide access to the first electronic document and that can be used to locate the first electronic document within a data repository.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic document is a map document and wherein the information generated for display in the first electronic document includes representations of locations contained in the indicated portion of the second electronic document.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory having program instructions stored therein; and

one or more processors configured to execute the program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to;

access a first electronic document having a first electronic document type via a first software program that is configured to provide access to the first electronic document type,

access a second electronic document having a second electronic document type via a second software program that is configured to provide access to the second electronic document type,

receive a user selection that identifies a Dart of the second electronic document as an indicated portion of the second electronic document, wherein the indicated portion of the second electronic document is highlighted;

integrate the indicated portion of the second electronic document having the second electronic document type into the first electronic document based on a dynamic link in the first electronic document that identifies the second electronic document by a non-address identifier that does not provide access to the second electronic document, that can be used to locate the second electronic document within a data repository, that causes the second software program to interpret the indicated portion of the second electronic document, and that causes the first software program to generate information for display in the first electronic document based on the interpreted indicated portion of the second electronic document, resulting in an integrated first electronic document;

receive a user request to perform an operation in the integrated first electronic document, and

perform the operation using the first software program if the request relates to the first electronic document or using the second software program if the request relates to the second electronic document.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operation includes outputting, for display, at least a portion of at least one of the first electronic document or the second electronic document.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the operation includes modifying at least one of the first electronic document or the second electronic document.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the request to perform an operation is an undo request, and the processor performs the operation by identifying a prior operation for reversal using a common undo stack, wherein the prior operation for reversal is associated with at least one of the first electronic document or the second electronic document.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the user request to perform an operation includes at least one of a non-address identifier specifying the first electronic document or the non-address identifier specifying the second electronic document.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

identify the dynamic link in the first electronic document using the first software program prior to integrating at least a portion of the second electronic document.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the first electronic document is a map document and wherein the information generated for display in the first electronic document includes representations of locations contained in the indicated portion of the second electronic document.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium including program instructions executable by one or more processors that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

accessing, at a computer system, a first electronic document having a first electronic document type via a first software program that is configured to provide access to the first electronic document type;

accessing, at the computer system, a second electronic document having a second electronic document type via a second software program that is configured to provide access to the second electronic document type;

receiving a user selection that identifies a art of the second electronic document as an indicated portion of the second electronic document, wherein the indicated portion of the second electronic document is highlighted;

integrating the indicated portion of the second electronic document having the second electronic document type into the first electronic document based on a dynamic link in the first electronic document that identifies the second electronic document by a non-address identifier that does not provide access to the second electronic document, that can be used to locate the second electronic document within a data repository, that causes the second software program to interpret the indicated portion of the second electronic document, and that causes the first software program to generate information for display in the first electronic document based on the interpreted indicated portion of the second electronic document, resulting in an integrated first electronic document;

receiving a user request to perform an operation in the integrated first electronic document; and

performing the operation using the first software program if the request relates to the first electronic document or using the second software program if the request relates to the second electronic document.