Deferred sychronization of distributed objects
First Claim
1. In an electronic conferencing system wherein data is shared between a plurality of participants during an electronic conference, a method of maintaining consistency of shared data among said participants during said electronic conference comprising the following steps:
- a. each participant of said plurality of participants in said electronic conferencing system maintaining a local copy of said shared data for said electronic conference during said electronic conference;
b. one participant of said participants commencing to perform modifications to an associated local copy of said shared data;
c. subsequent to commencing modifications, said one participant requesting an index for said modifications from an arbitrator participant, wherein said modifications to said associated local copy of said shared data may continue to be performed;
d. said arbitrator participant responding to said one participant with said index for said modifications to said associated local copy of said shared data;
e. said one participant of said participants modifying said associated local copy of said shared data according to said index received from said arbitrator participant; and
f. transferring said modifications of steps b through e above to a remote participant.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus is disclosed for data communication between agents, such as those in an electronic conferencing system. In an electronic conferencing a system wherein data is shared between a plurality of participants during an electronic conference users, a method is disclosed for maintaining consistency of the data among the participants during the electronic conference users. The method of the present invention comprises the following steps: a) each participant in the electronic conferencing system user maintains a local copy of the shared data for the electronic conference during the electronic conference ; b) one of the participants users commences to perform modifications to an associated local copy of the shared data; c) subsequent to the step of commencing modifications, a participant user requests an index for the modifications from an arbitrator participant user, wherein the modifications to the associated local copy of the shared data may continue to be performed; d) the arbitrator participant user responds to the participant user requesting the index for the modifications; and e) a participant user modifies the associated local copy of the shared data according to the index received from the arbitrator participant user and transfers the local modifications to remote participants users. In one embodiment, the users are participants of an electronic conference, and the shared data are the “meeting” data of the electronic conference.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. In an electronic conferencing system wherein data is shared between a plurality of participants during an electronic conference, a method of maintaining consistency of shared data among said participants during said electronic conference comprising the following steps:
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a. each participant of said plurality of participants in said electronic conferencing system maintaining a local copy of said shared data for said electronic conference during said electronic conference;
b. one participant of said participants commencing to perform modifications to an associated local copy of said shared data;
c. subsequent to commencing modifications, said one participant requesting an index for said modifications from an arbitrator participant, wherein said modifications to said associated local copy of said shared data may continue to be performed;
d. said arbitrator participant responding to said one participant with said index for said modifications to said associated local copy of said shared data;
e. said one participant of said participants modifying said associated local copy of said shared data according to said index received from said arbitrator participant; and
f. transferring said modifications of steps b through e above to a remote participant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. In an electronic conferencing system wherein data is shared between a plurality of participants during an electronic conference, an apparatus for maintaining consistency of said data among said participants during said electronic conference comprising:
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a. means for maintaining a local copy of said shared data for said electronic conference during said electronic conference, each participant of said plurality of participants in said electronic conferencing system including said means for maintaining;
b. means for commencing to perform modifications to an associated local copy of said shared data;
c. means for requesting an index for said modifications from an arbitrator participant, wherein said modifications to said associated local copy of said shared data may continue to be performed, one participant of said participants including said means for requesting;
d. means for responding to said one participant with said index for said modifications to said associated local copy of said shared data, said arbitrator participant including said means for responding;
e. means for modifying said associated local copy of said shared data according to said index received from said arbitrator participant; and
f. means for transferring said local modifications to a remote participant. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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- 11. In an electronic conferencing system wherein data is shared between a plurality of participants during an electronic conference, an apparatus for maintaining consistency of said data among said participants during said electronic conference comprising:
- 16. An apparatus equipped with:
- 24. In a digital system wherein a local copy of shared data is maintained, a method for synchronizing the local copy of the shared data to corresponding remote copies of the shared data, the method comprising the steps of:
Specification