Method and System for Document Retrieval with Selective Document Comparison
AssigneeWorkshare, Ltd.
InventorDaniel Von Weihe
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention discloses a novel system and method for displaying electronic documents on remote devices and enabling collaborative editing where the system upon a request by a user to access a document, automatically determines the latest version of a document that the person had accessed and also whether a newer version had been created. The invention also merges parallel changes that have not been viewed by the user into the comparison result. The invention also includes running a comparison on the two versions and presenting the result to the user.
Claims12
A method for providing a user operating a remote computer access to a document embodied in at least two versions stored on a server comprising:
- receiving from a user a request for access to the document;
- by inspecting a data structure representing the access history of the document, making a first determination of a first version of the document that is the latest version viewed by the requesting user, a second determination whether the document is embodied in a second version saved by a user other than the requesting user that is associated with either a storage time or a version indicator that is later than the first version or both;
- in dependence on the second determination,
- transmitting a query to the requesting user;
- receiving from the user a response to the query;
- and
- in dependence on the response, generating a comparison between the first version and the second version of the document.
A computer system for providing a user operating a remote computer access to a document embodied in at least two versions stored on a server comprising:
- a component adapted for receiving from a user a request for access to the document;
- a component adapted for inspecting a data structure representing the access history of the document,
- a component adapted for making a first determination of a first version of the document that is the latest version viewed by the requesting user,
- a component adapted for making a second determination whether the document is embodied in a second version saved by a user other than the requesting user that is associated with either a storage time or a version indicator that is later than the first version or both;
- a component adapted for transmitting a query to the requesting user in dependence on the second determination,
- a component adapted for receiving from the user a response to the query;
- a component adapted for, in dependence on the response, generating a comparison between the first version and the second version of the document.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.