US 2019/0158550 A1 · MANAGING MESSAGES BETWEEN USERS FOR COLLABORATIVE EDITING OF ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS

Abstract

To manage complexity related to messages and comments about collaboratively edited electronic documents, an electronic document has associated activity data and comment data, where a type of activity data includes messages among users. Message data is stored in a stream of activity data in a format that is accessible both to communication applications outside of the electronic document, and to end user applications for editing the electronic document. The message data can include a document identifier, a user identifier for a sender and/or a receiver, and content of the message. A communication application, given a user identifier, can access document messages for that user, from a single electronic document or over multiple electronic documents. Further, the communication application can be notified when new document messages related to a user identifier are added to one or more electronic documents. Additionally, the end user application, given a document identifier, can access document messages associated with that document identifier for inclusion in the activity data for the document.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer, comprising:

a network interface configured to connect the computer to a computer network, the computer network being connected to a shared storage system, the shared storage system comprising a file system configured to store a plurality of electronic documents and to make the plurality of electronic documents available to a plurality of users;
and
a processing system comprising one or more processing units and storage, the storage comprising computer program code that, when executed by the processing system, configures the processing system to comprise:
an application configured to process user input to modify an electronic document, the application comprising a graphical user interface including a document pane configured to display the electronic document and a display of actions from activity data associated with the electronic document,
wherein the actions include at least document messages, wherein a document message comprises content, an identifier of a sender, and an identifier of a recipient;
wherein the application is further configured to process user input to at least create document messages associated with a currently open electronic document.

3 more elements

An article of manufacture comprising:

at least one computer storage medium,
computer program instructions stored on the at least one computer storage medium which, when processed by a processing system of a computer, the processing system comprising one or more processing units and storage, configures the computer to comprise:
a network interface configured to connect the computer to a computer network, the computer network being connected to a shared storage system, the shared storage system comprising a file system configured to store a plurality of electronic documents and to make the plurality of electronic documents available to a plurality of users;
and
a processing system comprising one or more processing units and storage, the storage comprising computer program code that, when executed by the processing system, configures the processing system to comprise:
an application configured to process user input to modify an electronic document, the application comprising a graphical user interface including a document pane configured to display the electronic document and a display of actions from activity data associated with the electronic document,
wherein the actions include at least document messages, wherein a document message comprises content, an identifier of a sender, and an identifier of a recipient;
wherein the application is further configured to process user input to at least create document messages associated with a currently open electronic document.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Managing messages between users for collaborative editing of electronic documents

Life of this patent

Managing messages between users for collaborative editing of electronic documents

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20