System and method for merging edits for a conversation in a hosted conversation system

• US 9,294,421 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Jens Eilstrup, Rasmussen, Lars Eilstrup, Ma, Stephen, Mah, Alexandre T.
• Primary Examiner(s): COX, NATISHA D
• Application Number:
  US12/729,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20100241700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,192 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• 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 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services

Abstract

A server system hosts a plurality of conversations. For a respective conversation the server system receives a first sequence of edits and a second sequence of edits to a respective content unit of the conversation from different participants of the conversation. The server system converts the first and second sequences of edits into respective first and second merged sequences of edits. The server system responds to a determination that the first merged sequence of edits and the second merged sequence of edits meet predefined conflict criteria by transforming the first and second merged sequences of edits. The server system sends the respective transformed sequences of edits to respective participants so that respective participants can apply either the first sequence of edits followed by the second transformed sequence of edits or applying the second sequence of edits followed by the first transformed sequence of edits to produce a same result.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a system hosting a plurality of conversations, including, for a respective conversation including a message and one or more responses to the message, in the plurality of conversations;

receiving, from a first messaging client, a first sequence of edits to a portion of the respective conversation from a first participant of the respective conversation;

receiving, from a second messaging client, a second sequence of edits to the portion of the respective conversation from a second participant of the respective conversation;

responsive to a determination that the first sequence of edits and the second sequence of edits meet a predefined conflict criterion;

(A) transforming the first sequence of edits to produce a first transformed sequence of edits in accordance with the second sequence of edits, and

(B) transforming the second sequence of edits to produce a second transformed sequence of edits in accordance with the first sequence of edits;

(C) causing the first transformed sequence of edits to be applied to the second messaging client, and causing the second transformed sequence of edits to be applied to the first messaging client, thereby producing a same modification to the portion of the respective conversation at both the first messaging client and the second messaging client; and

(D) causing a first visual aid and a second visual aid to be concurrently displayed at both the first messaging client and the second messaging client, wherein

the first visual aid moves responsive to the edits of the first participant and visually indicates the portion of the conversation the first participant is editing thereby visually indicating a first location in the portion of the respective conversation where the first sequence of edits is applied, wherein the first visual aid further indicates a personal identity of the first participant; and

the second visual aid moves responsive to the edits of the second participant and visually indicates the portion of the conversation the second participant is editing thereby visually indicating a second location in the portion of the respective conversation where the second sequence of edits is applied, wherein the second visual aid further indicates a personal identity of the second participant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined conflict criterion is met when one or more of the following conditions is detected:

performing the first sequence of edits would change a position of at least one edit operation in the second sequence of edits;

performing the second sequence of edits would change a position of at least one edit operation in the first sequence of edits;

the first sequence of edits and the second sequence of edits include overlapping delete operations; and

the first sequence of edits and the second sequence of edits include edit operations that would modify a same word in the portion of the respective conversation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transforming the first sequence of edits changes a position, within the portion of the respective conversation, of at least one edit in the first sequence of edits.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the first and second sequences of edits include overlapping delete operations, transforming the first sequence of edits changes a respective delete operation of the first sequence of edits and produces a transformed delete operation that deletes fewer elements of the portion of the respective conversation than the respective delete operation of the first sequence of edits.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the first and second sequences of edits include overlapping operations, including a redundant operation, the first transformed sequence of edits does not include the redundant operation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating a first version number with the portion of the respective conversation prior to editing the portion of the respective conversation with the first sequence of edits and the second sequence of edits.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

upon updating the portion of the respective conversation with the first transformed sequence of edits and the second transformed sequence of edits, associating a second version number with the updated portion of the respective conversation.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising associating distinct time stamps with the first version number and the second version number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sequence of edits comprises a text edit operation and an XML edit operation.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first messaging client is the same type of client as the second messaging client.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the first messaging client and the second instant messaging client are different types of messaging clients.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the first messaging client is an instant messaging client.

10. A system, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs stored in the memory for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for hosting a plurality of conversations, the hosting including, for a respective conversation including a message and one or more responses to the message, in the plurality of conversations, instructions for;

receiving, from a first messaging client, a first sequence of edits to a portion of the respective conversation from a first participant of the respective conversation;

receiving, from a second messaging client, a second sequence of edits to the portion of the respective conversation from a second participant of the respective conversation;

responsive to a determination that the first sequence of edits and the second sequence of edits meet a predefined conflict criterion;

(A) transforming the first sequence of edits to produce a first transformed sequence of edits in accordance with the second sequence of edits, and

(B) transforming the second sequence of edits to produce a second transformed sequence of edits in accordance with the first sequence of edits;

(C) causing the first transformed sequence of edits to be applied to the second messaging client, and causing the second transformed sequence of edits to be applied to the first messaging client, thereby producing a same modification to the portion of the respective conversation at both the first messaging client and the second messaging client; and

(D) causing a first visual aid and a second visual aid to be concurrently displayed at both the first messaging client and the second messaging client, wherein

the first visual aid moves responsive to the edits of the first participant and visually indicates the portion of the conversation the first participant is editing thereby visually indicating a first location in the portion of the respective conversation where the first sequence of edits is applied, wherein the first visual aid further indicates a personal identity of the first participant; and

the second visual aid moves responsive to the edits of the second participant and visually indicates the portion of the conversation the second participant is editing thereby visually indicating a second location in the portion of the respective conversation where the second sequence of edits is applied, wherein the second visual aid further indicates a personal identity of the second participant.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein transforming the first sequence of edits changes a position, within the portion of the respective conversation, of at least one edit in the first sequence of edits.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein, when the first and second sequences of edits include overlapping operations, including a redundant operation, the first transformed sequence of edits does not include the redundant operation.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

associating a first version number with the portion of the respective conversation prior to editing the portion of the respective conversation with the first sequence of edits and the second sequence of edits.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

upon updating the portion of the respective conversation with the first transformed sequence of edits and the second transformed sequence of edits,

associating a second version number with the updated portion of the respective conversation.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

associating distinct time stamps with the first version number and the second version number.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution by one or more processors of a system, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed cause the system to:

host a plurality of conversations; and

for a respective conversation including a message and one or more responses to the message, in the plurality of conversations;

receive, from a first messaging client, a first sequence of edits to a portion of the respective conversation from a first participant of the respective conversation;

receive, from a second messaging client, a second sequence of edits to the portion of the respective conversation from a second participant of the respective conversation;

responsive to a determination that the first sequence of edits and the second sequence of edits meet a predefined conflict criterion;

(A) transform the first sequence of edits to produce a first transformed sequence of edits in accordance with the second sequence of edits, and

(B) transform the second sequence of edits to produce a second transformed sequence of edits in accordance with the first sequence of edits;

(C) cause the first transformed sequence of edits to be applied to the second messaging client, and cause the second transformed sequence of edits to be applied to the first messaging client, thereby producing a same modification to the portion of the respective conversation at both the first messaging client and the second messaging client; and

;

(D) cause a first visual aid and a second visual aid to be concurrently displayed at both the first messaging client and the second messaging client, wherein

the first visual aid moves responsive to the edits of the first participant and visually indicates the portion of the conversation the first participant is editing thereby visually indicating a first location in the portion of the respective conversation where the first sequence of edits is applied, wherein the first visual aid further indicates a personal identity of the first participant; and

the second visual aid moves responsive to the edits of the second participant and visually indicates the portion of the conversation the second participant is editing thereby visually indicating a second location in the portion of the respective conversation where the second sequence of edits is applied, wherein the second visual aid further indicates a personal identity of the second participant.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein, when the first and second sequences of edits include overlapping operations, including a redundant operation, the first transformed sequence of edits does not include the redundant operation.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

associating a first version number with the portion of the respective conversation prior to editing the portion of the respective conversation with the first sequence of edits and the second sequence of edits.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

upon updating the portion of the respective conversation with the first transformed sequence of edits and the second transformed sequence of edits,

associating a second version number with the updated portion of the respective conversation.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

associating distinct time stamps with the first version number and the second version number.