System and method for local editing of shared multiple user document

A system, implemented on at least one computer, of editing a shared document, comprising:

• an electronic storage configured to store annotations in an annotation data storage, and to store shared documents in a document data storage;
• and
• a processor cooperatively operable with the electronic storage, the processor being configured to
• receive a request for a version for one of a shared document and annotation data, as a requested version;
• determine a version of an other of the shared document and annotation data, as a determined version corresponding to the requested version;
• retrieve the requested version and the determined version from a document data storage as document data and from an annotation storage as annotation data;
• provide, for display, a marked-up document that has the annotation data embedded into the document data at section-dependent, display-independent locations of the shared document, the shared document having plural sections each having a user-selectable length, the plural sections including a section-dependent section into which the annotation data is embedded;
• input, in response to a user, edits to the marked-up document, in association with the section-dependent, display-independent location of the shared document;
• extract annotation data and document data from the marked-up document, and determining the section-dependent display-independent location of the annotation data within the shared document as edited;
• store the extracted annotation data that is unedited as a same version in the annotation data storage and said document data with edits to the document data as a next version in the document data storage for later retrieval, wherein
• the annotation data indicates the section-dependent, display-independent location within said document data in the document data storage into which the annotation data is applied, and at least one version of the shared document to which the annotation data is applied, and
• the edits to the document date of one of the plural sections of the shared document (i) cause subsequent sections of the shared document to be positioned differently in the display and (ii) the section-dependent, display-independent locations indicated in the annotation data that is unedited still correctly indicate locations of the annotation data of the subsequent sections of the shared document, for which the subsequent sections are positioned differently in the display.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing therein a computer program having computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer causes a processor to perform a method of editing a shared document, said method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a request for a version for one of a shared document and annotation data, as a requested version;
• determining a version of an other of the shared document and annotation data, as a determined version corresponding to the requested version;
• retrieving the requested version and the determined version from a document data storage as document data and from an annotation storage as annotation data;
• providing, for display, a marked-up document that has the annotation data embedded into the document data at section-dependent, display-independent locations of the shared document, the shared document having plural sections each having a user-selectable length, the plural sections including a section-dependent section into which the annotation data is embedded;
• inputting, in response to a user, edits to the marked-up document, in association with the section-dependent, display-independent location of the shared document;
• extracting annotation data and document data from the marked-up document, and determining the section-dependent display-independent location of the annotation data within the shared document as edited;
• storing the extracted annotation data that is unedited as a same version in the annotation data storage and said document data with edits to the document data as a next version in the document data storage for later retrieval, wherein
• the annotation data indicates the section-dependent, display-independent location within said document data in the document data storage into which the annotation data is applied, and at least one version of the shared document to which the annotation data is applied, and
• the edits to the document data of one of the plural sections of the shared document (i) cause subsequent sections of the shared document to be positioned differently in the display and (ii) the section-dependent, display-independent locations indicated in the annotation data that is unedited still correctly indicate locations of the annotation data of the subsequent sections of the shared document, for which the subsequent sections are positioned differently in the display.