System and method for enabling simultaneous multi-user electronic document editing

• US 8,196,029 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2000
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rucker, Erik, Ramaley, Alan, Bernsten, Ethan Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton, Jr., Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEBROW, JAMES J
• Application Number:
  US09/598,856
• Time in Patent Office: 4,367 Days
• Field of Search: 715/517, 715/530, 715/200
• US Class Current: 715/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71

Abstract

A document management system and method are provided to support simultaneous multi-user editing of a single document. The system and method do not require the use of a new file format or the use of a central document repository to limit user access to the document. When a user attempts to open the document and a determination is made that the document is in use, then an alert is presented to the user that informs the user that the document is locked for editing. The user may select to receive a notification when the original document is no longer in use. If the user selects to make a local copy and subsequently merge the changes, the local copy will be made and the path of the original document will be stored so that the original document location can be determined at the time that the changes are merged. When the original document becomes available, the user'"'"'s changes can be merged into the original document. The original document is located using the original path that was stored when the local copy was created. Of course, any time that a merge is attempted, and a conflict exists (i.e., the changes in the local document are inconsistent with the changes made to the original document), an alert can be generated to inform the user of the conflict and the user can be prompted to reconcile the conflict to complete the merge.

Claims

1. A method for enabling simultaneous multi-user editing of an original document, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from a first user to open the original document;

determining whether the original document is open at a second user, wherein the second user has exclusive rights to save the original document while the original document is open at the second user;

in response to a determination that the original document is open at the second user, creating a local copy and storing a path of the original document with the local copy;

in response to the receipt of a request to save changes to the local copy, determining whether the original document is still open at the second user;

in response to a determination that the original document is not still open at the second user, identifying a location for the original document using the stored path and merging the local copy with the original document;

in response to a determination that the original document is still open at the second user, prompting the first user to decide between saving the local copy with the path of the original document such that a subsequent merge of the saved local copy and the original document can be performed, and saving the local copy as a separate file as compared to the original document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the original document is open at a second user is made by determining whether an in-use flag is set for the original document.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of in response to a determination that the original document is still open at the second user, creating an email note with the local copy as an attachment and sending the email note to the second user for the subsequent merge.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of in response to a determination that the original document is still open at the second user, saving the local copy with the path of the original document, such that the second user attempting to open the saved local copy will be prompted to merge the saved local copy with the original document.

5. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

receiving a request from a first user to open the original document;

in response to a determination that the original document is open at a second user, creating and storing a local copy and storing a path of the original document with the local copy;

monitoring the original document by periodically determining whether the original document is still open at the second user, wherein the second user has exclusive rights to save the original document while the original document is open at the second user;

in response to a determination that the original document is no longer open at the second user, notifying the first user that the original document is no longer open and prompting the user to decide whether to merge changes made to the local copy into the original document; and

in response to input from the first user, merging changes made to the local copy into the original document, the location of the original document being identified by the stored path.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, further comprising the step of storing the path of the original document as a property of the local copy.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, further comprising the step of storing the path of the original document as a registry key associated with the local copy.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, further comprising the step of in response to an attempt to open the stored local copy and to a determination that the original document is no longer open at the second user, providing a prompt to merge the local copy with the original document.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, further comprising the step of creating an email note with the local copy as an attachment and sending the email note to the second user prior to the merging changes step.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising the step of attaching the path of the original document to the email note.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the step of creating an email note comprises inserting a default entry into a subject field of the email note.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the step of creating an email note comprises inserting a default entry into a message body field of the email note.

13. A system for enabling simultaneous multi-user editing of an original document, comprising:

a file server operative to maintain an original document at a document location;

a first local document editor of a first user operative to make changes to the original document and to set a flag on the original document, the flag indicating that the original document is open at the first user, wherein the first user has exclusive rights to save the original document while the original document is open at the first user;

a second local document editor of a second user operative to request access to the original document from the file server and determine whether the flag is set; and

wherein, in response to a determination that the flag is set, the second local document editor is further operative to create a local copy of the original document and to store the document location with the local copy as a registry key associated with the local copy so that a change to the local copy can be merged with the original document at a later time.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the document location is stored with the local copy as a property of the local copy.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the second local document editor is further operative to monitor in a background process whether the original document is still open at the first user and, if the original document becomes available, to provide a prompt to merge the local copy with the original document.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the second local document editor is further operative to cause the creation of an email note with the stored local copy as an attachment and to cause the email note to be sent to the first user.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the second local document editor is further operative to cause the attachment the path of the original document to the email note.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the second local document editor is further operative to cause the insertion of a default entry into a subject field of the email note.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the second local document editor is further operative to cause the insertion of a default entry into a message body field of the email note.

20. A method for enabling simultaneous multi-user editing of an original document file without reference to a multi-user control file, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a first user to open the original document file;

determining whether the original document file is open at a second user, wherein the second user has exclusive rights to save the original document while the original document is open at the second user;

in response to a determination that the original document is open at the second user, creating a local document file and storing a path of the original document file as part of the local document file;

in response to the receipt of a request to save changes to the local document file, determining whether the original document file is still open at the second user;

in response to a determination that the original document file is not still open at the second user, identifying a location for the original document using the stored path and merging the local document file with the original document file;

in response to a determination that the original document file is still open at the second user, saving the local document file with the path of the original document file as a registry key associated with the local copy;

in response to a request from a user to open the saved local document file, prompting the user to merge the saved local document file and the original document file;

wherein the original document file is progressively updated with merged edits so that edits to the original data file may be accessed by subsequent editors.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

monitoring the original document file; and

in response to a determination that the original document file is no longer open at the second user, notifying the first user that the original document file is no longer open.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein, if the local document file and original document file are merged, the first user is allowed to work in the original document file after the merger of the local document file and original document file.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the determination of whether the original document file is open at a second user is made by determining whether an in-use flag is set for the original document file.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

in response to a determination that the original document file is still open at the second user, creating an email note with the local document file as an attachment and sending the email note to another user for a subsequent merge.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising attaching the path of the original document file to the email note.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein creating an email note comprises inserting a default entry into a subject field of the email note.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein creating an email note comprises inserting a default entry into a message body field of the email note.