초록 ▼

A multi-user collaborative system in which the contents as well as the current status of other user activity of a shared structured data object representing one or more related structured data objects in the form of data entries can be concurrently accessed by different users respectively at differe

A multi-user collaborative system in which the contents as well as the current status of other user activity of a shared structured data object representing one or more related structured data objects in the form of data entries can be concurrently accessed by different users respectively at different workstations connected to a common link. The WYSIWIS user interface representation of the shared structured data object includes an ordered listing of such entries that are maintained by the structured data object and various attributes of each listed entry, inter alia, the type and class of entry; the revision number of the shared structured data object; the number of pages and revision number of each structured data object entry; the date of creation and last revision of each such entry; whether an entry can be accessed by a user and, if not, who has prevented such access to prevent concurrent editing; whether a local instance of an entry is present on a user\s system; and a provision for miscellaneous notes or comments relative to each entry for view by other users. Means is provided for maintaining current information relative to the shared structured object and its entries on a user initiated demand updated basis invoked by a user operation, which operation requires updated information to properly implement the operation.

대표청구항 ▼

A method for operating a collaborative system that includes a plurality of workstations each having a respective display and a respective user input device, the collaborative system further including shared data, each of the workstations being connected for accessing the shared data, the shared data

A method for operating a collaborative system that includes a plurality of workstations each having a respective display and a respective user input device, the collaborative system further including shared data, each of the workstations being connected for accessing the shared data, the shared data including a set of parts, the method comprising the steps of: presenting on the respective display of a first one of the workstations a local representation of the shared data; the local representation of the shared data including, for each of the parts of the shared data, a respective small-scale representation occupying a small part of the first workstation\s respective display; presenting on the respective display of a second one of the workstations a full-scale representation of a first one of the parts of the shared data, the full-scale representation occupying a substantial part of the second workstation\s respective display; and after receiving from the second workstation\s respective user input device a signal requesting an operation affecting the first part of the shared data, including in the first part\s respective small-scale representation an indication of the operation affecting the first part.