Patent ID: 6446093
Filing Date: 2002-09-03
Classification: G06F,G06Q,H04L,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of managing a document for near-simultaneous generation and editing of content by a plurality of users employing a plurality of clients with all clients accessing the document displaying the content as it is generated and edited, wherein the document is shared in a distributed system comprising a document server and the plurality of clients which are connected to said document server via a network, said method comprising the steps of:a) carrying out a generation operation for the document via an application program on a specific document generation client by a user to produce an original document generation transaction related to generation of the document, said specific document generation client being one of said plurality of clients; b) transmitting, from said specific document generation client to said document server, the original document generation transaction which designates a document access attribute of the document to be generated, said document access attribute identifying clients which may access the document; c) receiving the original document generation transaction in said document server; d) processing, in said document server, said original document generation transaction as a global document generation transaction to produce a document object; e) transmitting, from said document server to each client corresponding to the document access attribute designated by the global document generation transaction, the global document generation transaction as a local document generation transaction; f) receiving the local document generation transaction in each client corresponding to the document access attribute designated by the global document generation transaction; g) performing, in each client receiving the local document generation transaction, the local document generation transaction to produce a virtual document object corresponding to the document object generated in said document server; and h) returning, in each client performing the local document generation transaction, the virtual document object to an application program thereof; wherein said document comprises a plurality of document components, said method further comprising the steps of:aa) carrying out a generation operation for a particular document component via an application program of a specific document component via an application program of a specific document component generation client by a user to produce an original document component generation transaction related to generation of the particular document component, the particular document component being one of the plurality of document components, said specific document component generation client being any one of said plurality of clients identified in said document access attribute as having write access to said document; bb) transmitting, from said specific document component generation client to said document server, the original document component generation transaction which designates a component access attribute of the particular document component to be generated said component access attribute identifying clients which may access the particular document component; cc) receiving the original document component generation transaction in said document server; dd) processing, in said document server, said original document component generation transaction as a global document component generation transaction to produce a document component object; ee) transmitting, from said document server to each client corresponding to the component access attribute designated by the global document component generation transaction, the global document component generation transaction as a local document component generation transaction; ff) receiving the local document component generation transaction in each client corresponding to the component access attribute designated by the global document component generation transaction; gg) performing, in each client receiving the local document component generation transaction, the local document component generation transaction to produce a virtual document component object corresponding to said document component object generated in said document server; and hh) returning, in each client performing the local document component generation transaction, the virtual document object to an application program thereof.