Apparatus and method for sharing information in simultaneously viewed documents on a communication system
US6411989B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 28, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jun 25, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 28, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L12/1813
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Computer users may utilize different web browsers to access a server system on the World Wide Web (WWW) to create or join a collaborative session. One or more controllers connect the users or collaborators in a session in the server system. This is realized by establishing a so-called “shared Web-top”, i.e., a work space, in which different in-document applications can be run and can be interactively, collaboratively shared by a plurality of users. Specifically, this is realized by employing a surrogate that includes a polling loop which periodically checks a shared document structure for changes in prescribed properties, and transmits the detected changes to surrogates of other users, i.e., at least one other collaborator, via a communication channel. To this end, a prospective user of the shared Web-top accesses a system, which transmits mobile code to the user's computer to create a surrogate thereon. The surrogates created for the users of the shared Web-top are connected by at least one controller in the system and individually serve as an interface between the controller and the respective browsers on the users computers. Advantageously, through our unique use of …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.