Systems and methods for providing access to data and searchable attributes in a collaboration place

• US 10,108,613 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2014
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ip Ot Sub Ulc
• Original Assignee: Open Text Sa Ulc (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Spataro, Jared M., West, Cornelia A., Glazer, David, Schneider, Ronald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B
• Application Number:
  US14/218,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20140207730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,680 Days
• Field of Search: 700 83, 707608
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system and method for collaborative activity support is provided. A server establishes a collaboration place that is accessible by a plurality of remote clients and supports a plurality of collaboration activities. Data is generated based on at least one event associated with a collaborative activity and stored as a content item. The content item is accessed to generate at least a portion of the searchable attributes of the data based on the contents of the content item. The server enables a first client data connection from a first client computer to the data to provide a first client user access to the data and a second client data connection from a second client computer to the data to provide a second client user access to the data and the searchable attributes of the data.

Claims

1. A method of collaborative activity support, comprising:

establishing generating data based upon at least one event associated with a collaborative activity of the plurality of collaborative activities and storing the data as a content item, wherein a plurality of users associated with the collaboration place have permission to modify the contents of the content item;

generating searchable attributes of the data to support the collaborative activity, wherein generating the searchable attributes of the data comprises accessing the contents of the content item and generating at least a portion of the searchable attributes based on the contents of the content item, including identifying indexable features of the data, indexing and storing the identified indexable features in storage associated with the collaboration place;

enabling by the server a first client data connection from a first client computer to the data over a network to provide a first user access to the data through a first graphical user interface at the first client computer that allows the first user to participate in the collaborative activity to modify the data, wherein the first user is one of the plurality of users;

in response to an instruction received at the server via the first client data connection, modifying the data;

modifying the searchable attributes of the data by the server based, at least in part, on a data modification;

disabling the first client data connection to the data; and

enabling by the server a second client data connection from a second client computer to the data to provide a second user access to the data and the searchable attributes of the data through a second graphical user interface at the second client computer, wherein the second user is one of the plurality of users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling a first client data connection to the data comprises:

providing access to the data and the searchable attributes of the data to the first user via a page within a browser.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing access to the data and the searchable attributes of the data to the first user via a page in a browser comprises:

providing the collaboration place within the page; and

providing a collaborative interface to control and manage the page.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content item comprises a document associated with the collaborative activity and modifying the data includes modifying the document.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating searchable attributes of the data to support the collaborative activity comprises accessing the contents of the document and generating at least a portion of the searchable attributes based on the contents of the document.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining access permissions to the data and the searchable attributes of the data including;

defining a first access permission to the data and the searchable attributes of the data, the first access permission associated with the first user; and

defining a second access permission to the data and the searchable attributes of the data, the second access permission associated with the second user and characterized by more restricted access to the data and the searchable attributes of the data than the first access permission.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said defining the second access permission to the data and the searchable attributes of the data is based on an instruction received from the first client computer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating searchable attributes of the data to support the collaborative activity comprises:

generating a collaborative activity guide using the searchable attributes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the collaborative activity guide includes references to content within a document.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the second user through the second graphical user interface that the data has been modified, wherein said enabling a second client data connection is responsive to a request from the second client computer to access the data.

11. A system for collaborative activity support, comprising:

a server coupled to a network configured to;

establish a persistent collaboration place that is addressable by remote clients over a network, wherein the collaboration place supports a plurality of collaborative activities;

associate the collaboration place with a plurality of users;

generate data based upon at least one event associated with a collaborative activity of the plurality of collaborative activities and manage the data as a content item, wherein the content of the content item is modifiable by the plurality of users;

generate searchable attributes of the data to support the collaborative activity, wherein generating the searchable attributes of the data comprises accessing the content of the content item and generating at least a portion of the searchable attributes based on the content of the content item, including identifying indexable features of the data, indexing and storing the identified indexable features in storage associated with the collaboration place;

enable a first client data connection over the network from a first client computer to the data to provide a first user access to the data through a first graphical user interface at the first client computer that allows the first user to participate in collaborative activity, wherein the first user is one of plurality of users;

in response to an instruction received via the first client data connection, modify the data;

modify the searchable attributes of the data based, at least in part, on a data modification;

disable the first client data connection to the data; and

enable a second client data connection over the network from a second client computer to the data to provide a second user access to the data and the searchable attributes of the data via a second graphical user interface, wherein the second user is one of the plurality of users.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein enabling a first client data connection to the data comprises:

providing access to the data and the searchable attributes of the data to the first user via a page within a browser.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein providing access to the data and the searchable attributes of the data to the first user via a page in a browser comprises:

providing a collaboration place within the page; and

providing a collaborative interface to control and manage the page.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the content item comprises a document associated with the collaborative activity and modifying the data includes modifying the document.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein generating searchable attributes of the data to support the collaborative activity comprises accessing the contents of the document and generating at least a portion of the searchable attributes based on the contents of the document.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

define a first access permission to the data and the searchable attributes of the data, the first access permission associated with the first user; and

define a second access permission to the data and the searchable attributes of the data, the second access permission associated with the second user and characterized by more restricted access to the data and the searchable attributes of the data than the first access permission.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said defining the second access permission to the data and the searchable attributes of the data is based on an instruction received from the first client computer.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein said generating searchable attributes of the data to support the collaborative activity comprises:

to generate a collaborative activity guide using the searchable attributes.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the collaborative activity guide includes references to content within a document.

20. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

notify the second user that the data has been modified, wherein said enabling a second client data connection is responsive to a request from the second client computer to access the data.