Method and apparatus for supporting real-time collaboration
AssigneeObject Technology Licensing Corp.
InventorsArnold Schaeffer, David R. Anderson, Jack H. Palevich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A collaboration system synchronizes an application or applications running on one or more computer systems. Each of the applications has a local data copy and the applications commence operation by creating consistent local copies from a common third copy. The consistency is maintained by distributing address space independent selections and commands to each application as they are entered at a controlling system. The selections and commands are generated by directly manipulating a presentation of each local data copy. When a selection and command arrive at a destination, the selection is used to find and selection the data and the command is applied to the data located by the selection.
Claims14
A method for supporting real time collaboration between a first collaborating computer, having a user interface and containing a first local data copy in a first local address space and connected by a network to a second collaborating computer containing a second local data copy in a second local address space, the method comprising:
- (a) generating in the first local address space in the first collaborating computer, an address space independent selection of the first local data copy;
- (b) generating with the user interface, an address space independent command that modifies the selection generated in step (a);
- (c) sending the selection and command from the first collaborating computer over the network to the second collaborating computer;
- (d) using the selection in the second local address space to find and select a data portion from the second local data copy;
- and
- (e) applying the command in the second local address space to the data portion selected in step (d).
Apparatus for supporting real time collaboration between a first collaborating computer, having a user interface and containing a first local data copy in a first local address space and connected by a network to a second collaborating computer containing a second local data copy in a second local address space, the apparatus comprising:
- a selection mechanism that generates in the first local address space in the first collaborating computer, an address space independent selection of the first local data copy;
- a command mechanism that generates with the user interface, an address space independent command that modifies the selection generated by the selection mechanism;
- a transport mechanism that sends the selection and command from the first collaborating computer over the network to the second collaborating computer;
- an editing mechanism that uses the selection in the second local address space to find and select a data portion from the second local data copy;
- and
- a data change mechanism that applies the command in the second local address space to the data portion selected by the editing mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.