# US 9,438,546 B2 · Attachment collaboration within message environments > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,438,546 B2 - Document ID: US9438546B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/716,088 - Filed: 2012-12-15 - Published: 2014-06-19 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-15 - Assignees: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Applicants: Microsoft Corporation - Inventors: Philip Yue-Leung Chan; Nathan F. Waddoups; Michael Patrick Loughry; Maxim A. Ivanov - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438546B2 ## CPC - H04L 12/1813: {for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms (instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15)} - H04L 51/04: Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] - H04L 51/08: Annexed information, e.g. attachments - H04L 51/42: Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and software for facilitating collaboration within message environments. In an implementation, a message system receives a request to send on behalf of a sender a message having an attachment. In response to the request, the message system generates a collaborative version of the attachment within a location associated with the sender. The collaborative version of the attachment may be modified to reflect updates initiated on behalf of recipients of the message. ## Claims ### Claim 1 One or more computer readable storage media comprising program instructions stored thereon for facilitating document collaboration within a message environment that, when executed by a computing system, directs the computing system to at least: receive a request to send, on behalf of a sender, a message having an attachment; in response to the request, determine whether or not a collaboration option in the message is selected; if the collaboration option is selected, then generate a collaborative version of the attachment within a location in the message environment associated with the sender and send the message to a plurality of recipients of the message with a reference to the collaborative version of the attachment; if the collaboration option is not selected, then send the message to the plurality of recipients of the message with the attachment; and modify the collaborative version of the attachment to reflect a plurality of updates initiated on behalf of a plurality of recipients of the message. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the message comprises an email message. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 2 wherein the location in the message environment associated with the sender comprises a mailbox associated with the sender accessed on behalf of the plurality of recipients using the reference. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 3 wherein to modify the collaborative version of the attachment to reflect the plurality of updates initiated on behalf of the plurality of recipients, the program instructions direct the computing system to access the mailbox to modify the collaborative version of the attachment. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 4 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to generate and store in the mailbox a sent version of the message that includes the reference to the collaborative version of the attachment. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 2 wherein the reference to the collaborative version of the attachment comprises a link to the location in the message environment with which to access the collaborative version of the attachment and wherein at least one of the plurality of updates comprises a direct edit of the collaborative version of the attachment accessed using the link. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 2 wherein the reference to the collaborative version of the attachment comprises a copy of the collaborative version of the attachment and wherein at least one of the plurality of updates comprises an edited version of the copy of the collaborative version of the attachment. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to determine whether or not the attachment is nominated for collaboration, wherein the program instructions direct the computing system to generate the collaborative version of the attachment in response to determining that the attachment is nominated for collaboration. ### Claim 9 A method of operating a message system to facilitate document collaboration within a message environment, the method comprising: receiving a request to send, on behalf of a sender, a message having an attachment; in response to the request, determining whether or not a collaboration option in the message is selected; if the collaboration option is selected, then generating a collaborative version of the attachment within a location in the message environment associated with the sender and sending the message to a plurality of recipients of the message with a reference to the collaborative version of the attachment; if the collaboration option is not selected, then sending the message to the plurality of recipients of the message with the attachment; and modifying the collaborative version of the attachment to reflect a plurality of updates initiated on behalf of a plurality of recipients of the message. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein the message comprises an email message. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein the location in the message environment associated with the sender comprises a mailbox associated with the sender accessed on behalf of the sender and the plurality of recipients using the reference. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein modifying the collaborative version of the attachment to reflect the plurality of updates initiated on behalf of the plurality of recipients comprises accessing the mailbox to modify the collaborative version of the attachment. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising generating and storing in the mailbox a sent version of the message that includes the reference to the collaborative version of the attachment. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein the reference to the collaborative version of the attachment comprises a link to the location in the message environment with which to access the collaborative version of the attachment and wherein at least one of the plurality of updates comprises a direct edit of the collaborative version of the attachment using the link. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein the reference to the collaborative version of the attachment comprises a copy of the collaborative version of the attachment and wherein at least one of the plurality of updates comprises an edited version of the copy of the collaborative version of the attachment. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 further comprising determining whether or not the attachment is nominated for collaboration, wherein generating the collaborative version of the attachment occurs in response to determining that the attachment is nominated for collaboration. ### Claim 17 A computing apparatus comprising: one or more computer readable storage media; and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for facilitating content collaboration that, when executed by a processing system, direct the processing system to at least: present a view of an email having an attachment; present a collaboration option in the view that when selected nominates the attachment for collaboration; and when communicating with a message system to send the email to a plurality of recipients on behalf of a sender: request that the message system host a collaborative version of the attachment within a location in the message system associated with the sender if the attachment is nominated for collaboration and request that the message system send the email to the plurality of recipients with a reference to the collaborative version of the attachment; and if the attachment is not nominated for collaboration, request that the message system send the email to the plurality of recipients with the attachment. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computing apparatus of claim 17 wherein the program instructions further direct the processing system to store a record of the email including a reference with which to access the collaborative version of the attachment and a plurality of updates to the collaborative version of the attachment initiated on behalf of a plurality of recipients. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computing apparatus of claim 18 wherein at least one of the plurality of updates comprises a one of a direct edit of the collaborative version of the attachment and an edited version of the copy of the collaborative version of the attachment. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The computing apparatus of claim 17 wherein the computing apparatus further comprises the processing system configured to execute the program instructions and wherein the location in the email system associated with the sender comprises a mailbox associated with the sender exposed to modifications on behalf of the sender and a plurality of recipients.