Patent ID: 7353252
Filing Date: 2008-04-01
Classification: G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. A collaboration application for a computer for direct transmission of electronic files, interactive collaboration and simultaneous multi-file support with other conference participant computers comprising: a conference engine configured to maintain connections in a decentralized manner using peer-to-peer network channels without requiring a server and to coordinate connections between said computer and other said conference participant computers for concurrent communication with said conference participant computers via transmission of command messages that identify said network channels based on sockets and concurrent collaboration on documents hosted by said conference participant computers, said conference engine comprising a conference module and socket module, said conference module being a thread manager operable to queue events and requests transmitted between said conference participant computers when operating as participants of different conferences on first-come-first served basis, and to manage commands, routing controls, user controls and conference-joining controls generated by said conference participant computers to support simultaneous multi-hosting and multi-conferencing that allows said computer to operate as both a conference participant and a host simultaneously when desired by a user, to host plural conferences simultaneously, and to participate in multiple conferences simultaneously as a non-host participant, said socket module being a multi-threaded TCP/IP socket manager that uses sockets to allow bi-directional communication between two of said conference participant computers that are identifiable via respective IP addresses and that supports socket messages selected from the group consisting of create, destroy, read, write, connect, close, receive, send, accept, binding, password authentication; and a universal viewer engine for supporting different file types and corresponding file operations during conferences between said computer and other said conference participant computers, said different file types comprising both raster-type files and vector-type files and including common file types and proprietary file types, said viewer engine comprising a platform that is configured to interface with an operating system, a display device and a disk input/output device of said computer, said universal viewer engine comprising a read-write-display or RWD module operable to provide codes for said different file types to allow the opening and display of said documents using another resident application to obviate the need to preconfigure said computer prior to said conference to open said different file types hosted and shared during said conference; wherein, when said computer operates as a nonowner conference participant computer, said conference engine temporarily stores a file owned by another computer, prevents printing or saving the file, and deletes the file when corresponding conference connections are terminated.