Collaborative authoring

US7941399B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Microsoft Corporation · US

Inventors

• Jonathan Beckett Bailor · Bellevue, US
• Ethan Joseph Bernstein · Mercer Island, US
• Mark Rolland Knight · Bellevue, US
• Christopher James Antos · Redmond, US
• Andrew Richard Simonds · Newcastle, US
• Brian Jones · Redmond, US
• Simon Peter Clarke · Seattle, US
• Edgar Mark Sunderland · Seattle, US
• David Benjamin Robins · Redmond, US
• Miko Arnab Sakhya Singha Bose · San Francisco, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 9, 2007
• Grant date: May 10, 2011
• Expiry date: Nov 6, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04L65/4015
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A collaborative authoring application provides an authoring environment in which two or more users can edit a document concurrently. Each user edits a copy of the document, sends updates to a master copy of the document, and receives updates from the master copy of the document. The authoring environment generally inhibits the users from providing conflicting editing instructions to the master copy of the document. For example, each user can generate a content lock about one or more data units within the document. The authoring environment may synchronize content locks automatically and content only at the request of the user.