Patent ID: 7774703
Filing Date: 2010-08-10
Classification: G06F,G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: establishing a collaborative session for a document being displayed at a local computing device of a local user editing the document with the local computing device, said collaborative session being between the local user and a plurality of remote other users accessing said document with remote computing devices, the session including a moveable cursor displayed within the document at the local computing device and indicating a moveable location within the document where input from the local user is inserted into the document, the location and cursor moving in the document in accordance with interactive input of the local user that changes the location within the document; and representing each of said plurality of users modifying a document using respective shadows, each shadow comprising an icon image representing a corresponding user, wherein the shadows are automatically positioned and displayed within the document at the local computing device based on the current location of the cursor within the document, wherein the shadows track the cursor such that they stay near the cursor while the user moves the cursor by inputting text to the document, and wherein whether a shadow is displayed or not at the local computing device is based on a determination of whether a remote user represented by the shadow is able to view the editing of the local user at the moveable location, wherein when one of the remote users is reading the document but not writing to the document the remote user is represented using a shadow indicating reading of the document.