Synchronizing/updating local client notes with annotations previously made by other clients in a notes database

A method of collaborative document annotation, said method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a first request comprising a Universal Resources Locator (URL) associated with a document to be viewed and annotated and transmitting said first request from a client to a server;
• sending a first response from said server to said client in response to said first request, said first response comprising a document type and a representation of said requested document;
• receiving a second request comprising a document note URL corresponding to the notes associated with said document and sending said second request from said client to said server;
• sending a second response from said server to said client in response to said second request, said second response comprising one or more notes associated with said document;
• displaying the representation of said document and the associated one or more notes locally on said client such that both are viewable simultaneously;
• providing said user annotation editing functions on said client wherein any number of users in said network may simultaneously annotate their respective representations of said document and, in response to a synchronization event initiated by said client, generating a third request comprising one or more note events related to said document subsequently transmitted from said client to said server;
• and
• sending a third response from said server to said client in response to said third request, said third response comprising an updated list of notes associated with said document, said updated list of notes comprising the results of a merge between the note events sent in said third request and a notes database in communication with said server, said updated list of notes incorporating annotations previously made by all other clients that have synchronized with said server since synchronization between said client and said notes server was last performed.

A system for collaborative document annotation, comprising:

• one or more servers, coupled to a first network;
• a document file system located on at least one of said servers, said document file system for storing document files, said document files describing document pages;
• a notes database located on at least one of said servers, said notes database for storing one or more notes, each note associated with a particular one of said document pages;
• one or more notes clients coupled to a second network, each notes client operative to locally generate a display of a document page, described by one of said document files, said notes client adapted to permit a user to annotate said document page with one or more user notes, said notes client operative to generate note events describing user notes, wherein any number of users in said network may simultaneously annotate their respective said document page;
• a notes server of said one more servers being coupled to said second network, said notes server operative to receive one or more note events processed by one of said notes clients;
• and
• synchronization means within each notes client and said notes server, wherein in response to a synchronization event initiated by one of said notes clients said synchronization means adapted to update said notes server with any notes events processed by said one of said notes clients and to return to said one of said notes clients an updated notes list incorporating annotations previously made by all other notes clients that have synchronized with said notes server since synchronization between said one of said notes clients and said notes server was last performed.

A system for collaborative document annotation, comprising:

• one or more servers coupled to a first network;
• a document file system located on at least one of said servers, said document file system for storing document files, each stored document file describing one or more document pages in a format defined by a native type associated with the document file;
• a notes database located on at least one of said servers, said notes database for storing one or more archived notes, each archived note associated with a particular one of said document pages;
• one or more notes clients coupled to a second network, each notes client operative to locally generate a display of a document page described by one of said document files, said notes client adapted to permit a user to annotate said document page with one or more suer notes, said notes client operative to simultaneously display said archived nots associated with said document page and said user notes over said display of a document page such that said document page is viewable along with both said associated archived notes and said user notes, wherein any number of users in said network may simultaneously annotate their respective said document pages;
• and
• a notes server of said one or more servers being coupled to said second network and operative to maintain said notes database;
• and
• synchronization means operative to send one or more notes events from a synchronizing notes clients to said notes server, merge said notes events with the notes stored in said notes database associated with a particular document, and to send an updated notes list to said synchronizing notes client, wherein said updated notes list is generated by merging said one or more notes event with notes stored in said notes database associated with said particular document, and comprises annotations previously made by all other notes clients that have synchronized with said notes server since synchronization between said one of said notes clients and said notes server was last performed.

A method of collaborative document annotation in a system including one or more notes clients and a notes server, said method comprising the steps of:

• displaying a representation of a document and associated notes on one of said notes clients;
• generating one or more notes events in accordance with user annotations of said document, wherein any number of users in said network may simultaneously annotate their respective representations of said document;
• synchronizing said one of said notes clients with said notes server wherein said one or more notes events are sent from said one of said notes clients to said notes server, merged with a current notes list maintained by said notes server and an updated notes list is sent from said notes server to said one of said notes clients;
• and
• wherein said updated notes list incorporates annotations previously made by all other notes clients that have synchronized with said notes server since synchronization between said one of said notes clients and said notes server was last performed.

A method of collaborative document annotation for use on a notes server in a system including one or more notes clients, said method comprising the steps of:

• first receiving a request to view a document and in response thereto sending requested document data to a notes client;
• second receiving a request to retrieve notes associated with said document and in response thereto sending requested annotation data to said notes client;
• third receiving one or more notes events associated with said document from said notes client in response to a synchronization event and in response, merging said one or more notes events with a current set of notes stored in a notes database and associated with said document, generating an updated notes list therefrom and sending said updated notes list to said notes client;
• and
• wherein said updated notes list incorporates annotations previously made by all other notes clients that have synchronized with said notes server since synchronization between said one of said notes clients and said notes server was last performed.

A computer program product for use in a notes server, said computer program product comprising:

• a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for performing collaboration annotation of documents, said computer program product comprising:
• computer readable program code means for receiving a request to retrieve notes associated with a document and in response thereto sending requested annotation data to a notes client;
• computer readable program code means for receiving one or more notes events associated with said document from said notes client in response to a synchronization event;
• and
• computer readable program code means for merging said one or more notes events with a current set of notes stored in a notes database and associated with said document, generating an updated notes list therefrom and sending said updated notes list to said notes client in response to said synchronization event, and wherein said updated notes list incorporates annotations previously made by all other notes clients that have synchronized with said notes server since synchronization between said one of said notes clients and said notes server was last performed.