System and methods for automatically distributing a particular shared data object through electronic mail

• US 5,913,032 A
• Filed: 09/30/1996
• Issued: 06/15/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Borland Software Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Inprise Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Weiner, James Lewis, Schwartz, Richard Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Ai T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DZUNG C
• Application Number:
  US08/723,701
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.31, 395/200.33, 395/200.68, 395/200.43, 395/614, 395/161, 395/145, 395/44, 395/200.36, 395/200.75, 395/200.76, 395/683, 395/682, 364/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

A computer system having a facility for concurrently sharing objects or resources is described. The system includes a publish-and-subscribe facility or "Object Exchange," for facilitating sharing among workgroups. When a data object is "published" by a user ("publisher"), the object is sent from that user'"'"'s computer to other computer users specified by the publisher. Those interested in the published data object (published pages) may elect to receive or "subscribe" to that data. From that point on, the publisher can choose to update the data, such as whenever the published version changes. The "subscribers" of the published pages automatically get updates. Subscribers of a spreadsheet notebook, for instance, would automatically receive pages as they are published. The Object Manager effects actions by posting messages or "forms" to either the local Object Exchange (assuming one is the publisher) or the Object Exchange of others (subscribers). Connectivity for the system is provided by the various Object Exchange engines negotiating forms. Each Object Exchange posts and retrieves forms at polling intervals (which may be set to continuous polling). By exploiting the connectivity of existing transport media (e.g., LANs), the present invention delivers workgroup computing benefits to users, but without imposing a rigid structure which restricts when and how they work.

Claims

1. In a data processing system, a method for sharing data objects among users of a work group according to user-specified criteria, said method comprising:

(a) receiving a publication request from one user of the work group for establishing a data sharing relationship with other users of the work group, said request identifying a particular data object which is to be shared and further specifying user-specified criteria establishing conditions under which the particular data object may be shared;

(b) storing a copy of said particular data object locally in an object store;

(c) based on said user-specified criteria, sending a publication offer as an electronic mail message to a plurality of other users of the work group that said particular data object is available for use;

(d) receiving from at least one other user a subscription response as an electronic mail message for accepting said publication offer, said at least one other user accepting or rejecting said subscription based on whether the user desires to receive said particular data object; and

(e) automatically forwarding through electronic mail a copy of said particular data object to each of said at least one other user of the work group from which an acceptance is received.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from said one user of step (a) for issuing a new version of said particular data object; and

forwarding through electronic mail a copy of the new version of said particular data object to each of said at least one other user of the work group from which an acceptance has been previously received.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said publication offer provides descriptive text describing said particular data object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said request for establishing a data sharing relationship specifies a version depth that said particular data object is to be maintained in object stores of other users.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises:

assigning a unique system identifier to said copy of said particular data object, so that each particular copy may always be uniquely identified regardless of where it is stored in the system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises:

assigning a descriptive key to said copy of said particular data object, so that contents of said data object may be identified by a user based on said descriptive key.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes:

at periodic intervals, connecting the system to a computer having a message transport service and transmitting the publication offer via communication services of said message transport service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein step (d) includes:

polling said message transport service for retrieving any subscription responses sent in response to said publication offer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes:

retrieving from the message transport service any publication offers proffered by other users of the work group.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes:

specifying at least one spreadsheet page from a spreadsheet notebook which is to be shared with said at least one other user.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

said at least one other user retrieving for use said at least one spreadsheet page which has been forwarded as said particular data object to be shared.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said retrieving step includes placing said at least one spreadsheet page in a spreadsheet notebook of said at least one other user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said publication request comprises a listing specifying said plurality of other users of the work group who may receive a copy of said particular data object.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein step (e) includes:

for each said at least one other user of the work group from which an acceptance is not received, removing the user from the listing.

15. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

forwarding through electronic mail the copy of the new version of said particular data object to an object store of said at least one other user, whereby said at least one other user retrieves said particular data object from the object store when use of the object is desired.

16. A multi-user computer system comprising:

a first computer means having a processor and a memory for processing information stored in a storage device local to said first computer means;

a second computer means having a processor and a memory for processing information stored in a storage device local to said second computer means;

input means for processing a request from a first user that a particular data object stored in said first computer means be made available, according to user-specified criteria, to a second user on said second computer means for sharing with said first user;

means for storing an outgoing copy of said particular data object in the storage device of said first computer means;

means for transmitting an offer notification from said first user on said first computer means to said second user on said second computer means, based on said user-specified criteria, said offer notification offering to share said particular data object with said second user;

connectivity means, operably coupled to said transmitting means and said receiving means, for communicating notifications and data objects between said first computer means and said second computer means wherein said connectivity means includes telecommunication means for transporting notifications and data objects across an electronic mail service;

means for receiving a response notification from said second user on said second computer means to said first computer means, said response notification accepting or rejecting said offer notification based on whether said second user desires to receive said particular data object; and

means, responsive to said response notification, for forwarding said outgoing copy of said particular data object to said second computer means for storage in the storage device of said second computer for use by said second user, upon acceptance of said offer notification offering to share said particular data object.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for retrieving the copy of said particular data object from the storage device of said second computer means and using said particular data object in an application process said second user is operating on said second computer means.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

polling means for polling said connectivity means for posting any offer notifications and for retrieving any response notifications, so that sharing of data objects may be deferred.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said polling means operates in a selected one of manual polling mode and automatic polling mode.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said automatic polling mode requires said polling means to poll at a user-specified time interval.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein said connectivity means includes a local are network connecting said first computer means to said second computer means.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein said particular data object includes at least one spreadsheet page from a spreadsheet notebook which is to be shared with the other user.

23. The system of claims 16, further comprising:

means, responsive to input from said one user, for issuing a new version of said particular data object if acceptance of the offer notification has been received.

24. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

versioning means for automatically forwarding new versions of said particular data object to said second computer means for storage in the storage device of said second computer if acceptance of the offer notification has been received.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said versioning means includes:

means for setting a version depth, said version depth specifying how many versions of said particular data object are to be maintained in the storage device of said second computer means.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein said offer notification includes a descriptive message indicating a nature of said particular data object.

27. In a data processing system, a method for sharing data objects among subscribing users of a work group according to user-specified conditions, the method comprising:

(a) receiving from a publishing user a request for publishing a data object stored in the system to other users of the work group, said request specifying at least one condition by which the data object may be shared by other users;

(b) based on said at least one condition, announcing through electronic mail messages sent to the other users availability of a subscription to said data object;

(c) in response to said electronic mail messages receiving from at least some of the other users a confirmation for subscribing to said data object, each confirmation indicating that a user desires to receive said data object through electronic mail; and

(d) automatically providing each user subscribing to said data object with a copy of said data object, said copy being transmitted automatically to each user subscribing to said data object without further input from said publishing user.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

(e) issuing a new version of said data object automatically to each user subscribing to said data object, whereby each user subscribing to said data object is automatically provided with a new version of said data object.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

(f) receiving from at least one subscribing user a cancellation notice, so that the at least one user is no longer automatically provided with a new version of said data object.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein step (b) includes announcing to the other users availability of a subscription to said data object on a "don'"'"'t ask" basis, so that the other users are automatically provided with a copy of said data object in step (e).

31. The method of claim 27, wherein said request for publishing a data object includes a publication list specifying all users of the work group with whom the data object may be shared.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein steps (b) and (c) are performed at a user-specified time interval, so that sharing of data objects among subscribing users of the work group may be deferred until occurrence of said user-specified time interval.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the copy of said data object provided to each subscribing user is a read-only copy.