Collaborative cursors in a hosted word processor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016139768-A1
Application number	US-201615008209-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 27, 2016
Priority date	Apr 12, 2010
Publication date	May 19, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A computer-implemented collaborative editing method includes receiving input from a user of a browser-based document editing application on a document displayed by the application; identifying a current location in the document for a cursor of a first user executing the application; receiving from a central server system data that reflects changes made to the document by one or more users other than the first user and current positions in the document of cursors for the one or more other user; updating a document model stored on a computing device that is executing the browser-based application and rendering at least a portion of the model to the browser; and rendering the current positions of the cursors for the one or more other users to the browser.

First claim

1 - 22 . (canceled)

23 . A computer-implemented collaborative editing method, comprising:
receiving a first change from a first user to a document displayed by a first browser-based document editing application, wherein the document is stored by a computing device; identifying a first current location in the document for a cursor associated with the first user; receiving a second change made to the document by a second user other than the first user and a second current position in the document of a cursor associated with the second user; determining that the received first change from the first user and the received second change by the second user include conflicting edits to a same portion of the document; and modifying the document based on a conflict resolving rule, wherein:
the first browser-based document editing application renders a first portion of the modified document and the second browser-based document editing application renders a second portion of the modified document,
a first indicator of the second current position of the cursor associated with the second user is displayed along with a first identity tag identifying the second user within the first portion, and
a second indicator of the first current location of the cursor associated with the first user is displayed along with a second identity tag identifying the first user within the second portion.

24 . The computer-implemented method of claim 23 , wherein the first user maintains a first client copy of the document, and the second user maintains a second client copy of the document.

25 . The computer-implemented method of claim 24 , wherein the first change is made by the first user within the first client copy, and the second change is made by the second user within the second client copy.

26 . The computer-implemented method of claim 23 , further comprising:
storing, at a server, a master copy of the document to perform collaborative editing during a common session; and synchronizing the master copy of the document with the first client copy and the second client copy.

27 . The computer-implemented method of claim 23 , wherein the conflict resolving rule includes a rule that adopts edits to the mater copy of the document based on an arrival time of the edits at the server.

28 . The computer-implemented method of claim 23 , wherein the conflict resolving rules includes a rule that adopts edits to the mater copy of the document based on a user status associated with the edits.

29 . The computer-implemented method of claim 23 , further comprising:
transmitting information indicative of modifications made to the master copy of the document model and information indicative of the locations in the electronic document of cursors to the first user or the second user.

30 . A system for collaborative editing, comprising:
a memory; and a computer processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the computer processor configured to:
receive a first change from a first user to a document displayed by a first browser-based document editing application, wherein the document is stored by a computing device;
identify a first current location in the document for a cursor associated with the first user;
receive a second change made to the document by a second user other than the first user and a second current position in the document of a cursor associated with the second user;
determine that the received first change from the first user and the received second change by the second user include conflicting edits to a same portion of the document; and
modify the document based on a conflict resolving rule, wherein:
the first browser-based document editing application renders a first portion of the modified document and the second browser-based document editing application renders a second portion of the modified document,
a first indicator of the second current position of the cursor associated with the second user is displayed along with a first identity tag identifying the second user within the first portion, and
a second indicator of the first current location of the cursor associated with the first user is displayed along with a second identity tag identifying the first user within the second portion.

31 . The system of claim 30 , wherein the first user maintains a first client copy of the document, and the second user maintains a second client copy of the document.

32 . The system of claim 30 , wherein the first change is made by the first user within the first client copy, and the second change is made by the second user within the second client copy.

33 . The system of claim 30 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
store, at a server, a master copy of the document to perform collaborative editing during a common session; and synchronizing the master copy of the document with the first client copy and the second client copy.

34 . The system of claim 30 , wherein the conflict resolving rule includes a rule that adopts edits to the mater copy of the document based on an arrival time of the edits at the server.

35 . The system of claim 30 , wherein the conflict resolving rules includes a rule that adopts edits to the mater copy of the document based on a user status associated with the edits.

36 . The system of claim 30 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
transmit information indicative of modifications made to the master copy of the document model and information indicative of the locations in the electronic document of cursors to the first user or the second user.

37 . A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing a plurality of processor-executable instructions, the processor-executable instructions executed by a computer processor to:
receive a first change from a first user to a document displayed by a first browser-based document editing application, wherein the document is stored by a computing device; identify a first current location in the document for a cursor associated with the first user; receive a second change made to the document by a second user other than the first user and a second current position in the document of a cursor associated with the second user; determine that the received first change from the first user and the received second change by the second user include conflicting edits to a same portion of the document; and modify the document based on a conflict resolving rule, wherein:
the first browser-based document editing application renders a first portion of the modified document and the second browser-based document editing application renders a second portion of the modified document,
a first indicator of the second current position of the cursor associated with the second user is displayed along with a first identity tag identifying the second user within the first portion, and
a second indicator of the first current location of the cursor associated with the first user is displayed along with a second identity tag identifying the first user within the second portion.

38 . The medium of claim 37 , wherein the first user maintains a first client copy of the document, and the second user maintains a second client copy of the document.

39 . The medium of claim 37 , wherein the first change is made by the first user within the first client copy, and the second change is made by the second user within the second client copy.

40 . The medium of claim 37 , wherein the processor-executable instructions further comprise instructions executed by

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Lemonik Micah
• Saviano Olga Sergeyevna
• Ravi Janani R
• Pereira Filho Luiz Do Amaral De Franca

Classifications

• G06F3/0346 Primary

  with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors · CPC title

• G06F40/169

  Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes · CPC title

• G06F40/166

  Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting · CPC title

• G06F3/0484

  for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title