Patent ID: 7277901

Claim:
A method for facilitating collaborative updating of a file, the method comprising: (a) accepting from one of a plurality of users, and storing, a first data set (i) representing a first version of the file and (ii) designating one or more recipients of the initial version; and (b) then, for each one of a plurality of sequentially updated versions of the file: (1) accepting, from one of the plurality of users, a second data set (i) including delta data indicating the difference between the updated version of the file and an immediately previous version of the file for constructing the updated version of the file from the immediately previous version of the file, and (ii) designating one or more recipients of the updated version; and (2) transmitting a third data set representative of the updated version of the file to at least one of the recipients of the updated version designated by the second data set; wherein (c) for each recipient designated by the second data set who accessed the immediately previous version of the file, the third data set includes the delta data indicating the difference between the updated version of the file and the previous version of the file.