Intelligent conflict detection and semantic expression of document edits

A system for detecting conflicting edits to a document, the system comprising:

• a storage system for storing documents;
• a conflict detection engine executed by a computing device comprising a processor and a memory, the conflict engine operable to:
• provide copies of a document containing structured data;
• and
• receive an edit to a structured data item from a copy of the document, the edit expressed as an intent based on a characteristic of the structured data item, the intent comprising a verb corresponding to an edit action;
• compare the intent of the edit with changes to the corresponding structured data item since the copy was sourced;
• determine if the edit conflicts with the changes to the structured data item reflected in the current version of the document;
• when no conflict exists, update the structured data item to reflect the edit;
• and
• when a conflict exists, prompt for resolution of the conflict, receive a resolution of the conflict, and apply the resolution.

A computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, perform a method for detecting conflicting edits to structured data in a document, the document having a version identifier, the method comprising the acts of:

• receiving an edit to a structured data item in a copy of a document, the copy having a baseline version identifier corresponding to the version identifier of the document when the copy was sourced;
• comparing the current version identifier of the document with the baseline version identifier of the copy being submitted to determine if the document has been updated since the copy was sourced;
• when the document has been updated since the copy was sourced, comparing an intent associated with the edit with a history of modifications to the structured data item since the copy was sourced to determine if the edit conflicts with any of the modifications to the structured data item in the history since the copy was sourced that are reflected in the most recent version of the document, the intent comprising a verb and a slot, the verb corresponding to an edit action, and the slot containing a value corresponding to the edit;
• if the intent associated with the edit does not conflict with any of the modifications to the structured data item since the copy was sourced:
• updating the structured data item to reflect the edit;
• updating the version identifier of the document;
• and
• adding the edit to the history as a modification associated with the version identifier;
• and
• if the intent associated with the edit conflicts with any of the modifications to the structured data item since the copy was sourced,
• prompting for a resolution of the conflict;
• receiving a resolution of the conflict;
• and
• updating the structured data item based on the resolution.