System and method for scalable architecture for web-based collaborative annotation of page-based documents
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorJohn F. Bremer, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for managing the communication of multi-page documents. The system may use a software module document splitter adapted to receive a multi-page document being uploaded as a single file and to split the multi-page document into a plurality of independent files, with each independent file representing a single page of the document. The software module document splitter may also associate meta data with each single page that enables the single pages to be downloaded, one at a time, by an electronic device being used by a user, from a file storage device remote from the electronic device. This provides the appearance to the user that the electronic device is in possession of single, multi-page file.
Claims16
A system for managing the communication of multi-page documents, comprising:
- a software module document splitter, configured to run on a processor, and adapted to:
- receive a multi-page, electronic document being uploaded as a single file;
- split the multi-page, electronic document into a plurality of single pages;
- save the single pages such that each one of said single pages may be transmitted separately over a network;
- associate meta data with each said single page that enables said single pages to be downloaded, one at a time, by an electronic device being used by a user, from a file storage device remote from said electronic device, to provide the appearance to the user that said electronic device is in possession of a single, multi-page document;
- and
- associate annotations made by individuals on specific pages of said multi-page, electronic document with specific ones of said single pages when said single pages are downloaded to said electronic device of said user, such that said annotations appear on said single pages as said annotations were initially authored by said individuals.
A method for managing communication of a page-based document file between first and second electronic devices, comprising:
- receiving a page-based electronic document file having a plurality of pages of information from said first electronic device;
- splitting, using a processor, said page-based electronic document into a plurality of independent files, with each one of said plurality of independent files representing a single page of said page-based document file;
- saving each of said independent files as a separate independent file such that each said independent file may be transmitted separately over a network;
- storing meta data concerning said page-based, electronic document file with each one of said plurality of saved independent files;
- providing said plurality of saved independent files with said meta data, one at a time, to said second electronic device;
- and
- further comprising storing annotations made by one or more users on said page-based, electronic document on specific pages of said page-based, electronic document, separately from said plurality of saved independent files in said database;
- and
- associating said annotations with specific ones of the pages that said annotations are related to when said independent files corresponding to said specific pages are retrieved from storage and presented for viewing to a user.
A method for managing communication of a page-based, electronic document file between first and second electronic devices over a wide area network (WAN), comprising:
- uploading a page-based, electronic document file from a browser of said first electronic device over said WAN to a document splitter module, configured to run on a processor, said page-based, electronic document file having a plurality of pages of information;
- using said document splitter module, configured to run on a processor, to split said page-based, electronic document file into a plurality of independent files, with each one of said plurality of independent files representing a single page of said page-based, electronic document file;
- saving each one of said independent files in a database such that each said independent file is able to be transmitted separately over a network;
- storing meta data concerning said page-based, electronic document file with each one of said plurality of saved independent files;
- storing annotations made by one or more users on said page-based, electronic document file on specific pages of said page-based, electronic document file, separately from said plurality of independent files in said database;
- downloading said plurality of saved independent files with said meta data, one at a time, in response to page requests communicated from a browser of said second electronic device over said WAN;
- and
- prior to said downloading, associating said annotations with specific ones of the pages that said annotations are related to when said specific pages are retrieved from storage and presented to said browser for viewing by a specific user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.