Streamlined collaboration on document

• US 9,418,356 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2010
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Crevier, Daniel W., Moore, Jason F., Citron, David, Shen, Jennifer I., Howell, Gareth A., Bockelman, Jonathan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Ajay
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAN, PHOEBE X
• Application Number:
  US12/775,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20110276897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,293 Days
• Field of Search: 715/752
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging

Abstract

Collaborating on documents by e-mail may be streamlined into a unified process. In one example, a user creates a document in an online document service, and sends the document to collaborators by mailing a link to the document. The document may have permissions set so that the creator of the document, and any user on the e-mail distribution list, can read and edit the document. When a user receives the e-mail, that user may open and edit the document. Upon closing the editing application, the user may be presented with an appropriate interface to create a reply e-mail.

Claims

1. A method performed on a client computing device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the client computing device from an on-line e-mail system, an e-mail that includes an attached document, where the received e-mail indicates a sender of the received e-mail and at least one recipient of the e-mail;

opening, by the client computing device in response to a request by a user, the e-mail, where the user is one of the at least one recipients;

presenting, by the client computing device from an on-line document system in response to the attached document being selected, an on-line version of the attached document, and where permissions were set on the on-line version in the on-line document system sufficient to allow reading and editing of the on-line version by the sender and by the at least one recipient;

displaying, by the computing device in response to the presented online version being closed, a user interface asking the user if the user wants to send a reply to the received email with any changes made by the user to the presented online version; and

sending, by the client computing device subsequent to the user indicating in the displayed user interface that the user wants to send the reply, the reply to the received e-mail, where the reply includes a link to the on-line version with the any changes.

2. The method of claim 1, where the on-line e-mail system and the on-line document system are separate systems.

3. The method of claim 1, where the on-line version is edited via a browser-based document editor provided by the on-line document system.

4. The method of claim 1, where the on-line document system limits access to on-line versions of the attached document to users who have permission to access the on-line versions of the attached document.

5. The method of claim 1, where versioning of the attached document is provided based on on-line versions being stored by the on-line document system.

6. The method of claim 1, where the on-line e-mail system and the on-line document system are grouped in an on-line service.

7. The method of claim 1, where the attached document is a word processing document, a spreadsheet, or a presentation.

8. At least one computer-readable hardware device comprising:

memory comprising executable instructions that, based on execution by a client computing device, configure the client computing device to;

receive from an on-line e-mail system, an e-mail that includes an attached document, where the received e-mail indicates a sender of the received e-mail and at least one recipient of the e-mail;

open, in response to a request by a user, the e-mail, where the user is one of the at least one recipients;

present, in response to the attached document being selected, an on-line version of the attached document, and where permissions were set on the on-line version in the on-line document system sufficient to allow reading and editing of the on-line version by the sender and by the at least one recipient;

display, in response to the presented online version being closed, a user interface asking the user if the user wants to send a reply to the received email with any changes made by the user to the presented online version; and

send, subsequent to the user indicating in the displayed user interface that the user wants to send the reply, the reply to the received e-mail, where the reply includes a link to the edited on-line version with the any changes.

9. The at least one computer-readable hardware device of claim 8, where the on-line e-mail system and the on-line document system are separate systems.

10. The at least one computer-readable hardware device of claim 8, where the on-line version is edited via a browser-based document editor provided by the on-line document system.

11. The at least one computer-readable hardware device of claim 8, where the on-line document system limits access to on-line versions of the attached document to users who have permission to access the on-line versions of the attached document.

12. The at least one computer-readable hardware device of claim 8, where versioning of the attached document is provided based on on-line versions being stored by the on-line document system, or where the attached document is a word processing document, a spreadsheet, or a presentation.

13. The at least one computer-readable hardware device of claim 8, where the on-line e-mail system and the on-line document system are grouped in an on-line service.

14. A system comprising:

a client computing device that includes at least one processor and memory;

a first component of the client computing device configured to receive, from an on-line e-mail system, an e-mail that includes an attached document, where the received e-mail indicates a sender of the received e-mail and at least one recipient of the e-mail;

a second component of the client computing device configured to open, in response to a request by a user, the e-mail, where the user is one of the at least one recipients;

a third component of the client computing device configured to present, in response to the attached document being selected, an on-line version of the attached document, where permissions were set on the on-line version in the on-line document system sufficient to allow reading and editing of the on-line version by the sender and by the at least one recipient;

a fifth component of the client computing device configured to display, in response to the presented online version being closed, a user interface asking the user if the user wants to send a reply to the received email with any changes made by the user to the presented online version; and

a fourth component of the client computing device configured to send, subsequent to the user indicating in the displayed user interface that the user wants to send the reply, the reply to the received e-mail, where the reply includes a link to the edited on-line version with the any changes.

15. The system of claim 14, where the on-line e-mail system and the on-line document system are separate systems.

16. The system of claim 14, where the on-line version is edited via a browser-based document editor provided by the on-line document system.

17. The system of claim 14, where the on-line document system limits access to on-line versions of the attached document to users who have permission to access the on-line versions of the attached document.

18. The system of claim 14, where versioning of the attached document is provided based on on-line versions being stored by the on-line document system.

19. The system of claim 14, where the on-line e-mail system and the on-line document system are grouped in an on-line service.

20. The system of claim 19, where the attached document is a word processing document, a spreadsheet, or a presentation.