Method and system for providing a networked collaborative work environment

• US 6,233,600 B1
• Filed: 07/15/1997
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Open Text Corporation
• Original Assignee: eRoom Technology, Inc. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Dennie, Andy, Steele, Alan, Kleppner, Paul, Crowley, Patrick, McDonald, Glenn, Salas, Pito, Finnegan, Neal, Leffler, Melissa, Beir, Jeffrey, Morrissey, Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Application Number:
  US08/893,111
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.35, 395/200.31, 395/200.47, 395/200.49, 709/205, 709/201, 709/217, 709/219, 709/248
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A system and method for providing a collaborative work environment includes servers and client workstations. Client workstations receive data objects from one or more servers and combine the received data objects with stored templates to render HTML pages representing at least a portion of a common project. Users may view, edit, and create common documents for the projects and upload them to the server using a drag-and-drop interface. Additionally, since all file transfers take place using HTTP, project groups can span corporate organizations as well as time zones and geographic boundaries.

Claims

1. A method for generating a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) page for display at a client computer in a network environment, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving project data from a server computer at a client computer, wherein the project data is associated with a shared work project via a network connection;

(b) storing the received project data in a client database;

(c) retrieving an HTML file from a client memory element; and

(d) processing the stored project data in conjunction with the retrieved template file to generate at the client computer an HTML page representing a portion of a collaborative workspace and enabling a user to perform work on the project data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises storing the received project data in a ODBC-compliant database.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining from a modification tag associated with the stored project data if the stored project data in the client database requires synchronization with a server database;

if synchronization is required, requesting modified project data via the network connection from the server database; and

replacing the stored project data with the modified data received via the network connection from the server database.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) further comprises storing in the client database the received project data together with a modification tag.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) further comprises retrieving a template file from the client memory element in response to receiving the project data.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

(e) requesting a file from the server computer;

(f) invoking execution of an application capable of viewing the file;

(g) determining, upon termination of application, if the file was modified;

(h) transmitting the modified file to the server computer; and

(i) storing the modified file in a server computer database in a manner such that the modifications to the modified file become available to other users of the collaborative workspace.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein step (h) further comprises transmitting the modified file to the HTML server using only a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

8. A system for allowing a plurality of users to collaborate on a shared project using a HyterText Markup Language (HTML) file server, the system comprising:

a project database stored on a server computer, the project database comprising project data related to a shared project;

a client database for storing a subset of the project data related to the shared project;

a plurality of template files stored at a client computer; and

a page builder for processing the stored subset of the project data with one or more of the computer a plurality of HTML pages representing a portion of a collaborative workspace, and for enabling the user to perform work on the subset of the project data.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is used for all communications between a client computer and the server computer.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein data files are transferred between the client computer and the server computer using HTTP.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein modifications or additions made to the shared project are reflected in the client database.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the client database and the project database are periodically synchronized.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the client database and the project database are cynchronized upon the occurrence of an event.

14. The system of claim 8 further comprising server file storage on the server computer for storing files related to the shared project.

15. The system of claim 8 wherein the project data contained in the project database comprises access control information.

16. The system of claim 8 wherein the project data contained in the project database comprises a list of users allowed to access the project data.

17. A system for allowing a plurality of users to collaborate on a shared project in a network environment using a server computer, the system comprising,

a project database stored on a server computer, the project database comprising project data related to a shared project,

a client database for storing a subset of the project data related to the shared project,

a plurality of template files stored on the client computer and adapted for being combined with the subset of the project data to render HTML pages for display at a client computer, and

a page builder executing on the client computer for processing the subset of the project data from the client database with the template files stored on the client computer to render on the client computer a plurality of HTML pages, representing a portion of a collaborative workspace, the HTML pages enabling the user to perform work on the subset of the project data, for display at the client computer.