Collaboration Software With Real-Time Synchronization

Abstract

A collaboration program operates on a computer system for storing, sharing and synchronizing data between different users. Centrally stored content data items are organized by associations into one or more folders, with the folders arranged by associations in a multi-level hierarchical structure. Users have access to all folders and content data items falling within at least one top level folder or “file cabinet” viewable by that user. When a user makes a change/addition to the hierarchical structure, that change/addition is transmitted to a server, which makes the change/addition to the necessary associations and sends messages through a TCP/IP format advising other signed-on users of the change/addition. The computer system operating the collaboration program gives different users simultaneous, synchronized access to the folders and content data items in the hierarchical structure.

1 . A computer system for storage, sharing and synchronization of data between a plurality of users, comprising:
 a plurality of content data items electronically stored in a central memory;   a plurality of electronic folders stored in the central memory, each folder being capable of containing content data items and/or containing child folders in a multi-level hierarchical structure;   associations stored in the central memory, the associations placing each of the content data items into at least one folder, with each content data item having the capability of being associated into a plurality of folders;   a server logically programmed for accessing the central memory and providing selected access to the folders and the content data items associated in the folders; and   a viewer on each of a plurality of peripheral computers, the viewer providing user identification information identifying the user to the server; wherein the server provides viewer access to the folders and to the content data items in the multi-level hierarchical structure falling within at least one top level folder with access granted to that user, wherein multiple users can have simultaneous, synchronized access to the same folder.   
     
     
         2 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein a user accessing a content data item can make changes to that content data item, wherein those changes are transmitted from the viewer to the server through TCP/IP formatted messages. 
     
     
         3 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein a user accessing a content data item can make changes to that content data item, wherein those changes are transmitted from the server to the viewers of other users through TCP/IP format messages. 
     
     
         4 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the field identifying at least one folder to which that content data item belongs exists in an items/folder association table, and wherein a value of content data associated with the items in the items/folder association table exists in a separate datastructure. 
     
     
         5 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the viewer can make changes to content data associated with existing content data items and can author new items of content data thereby creating new content data items, wherein the changes to content data items and new content data items are both transmitted from the viewer to the server. 
     
     
         6 . The computer system of  claim 5 , wherein the server transmits changes to content data items and new content data items to non-authoring users via TCP/IP messages. 
     
     
         7 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the content data associated with a content data item is a text item. 
     
     
         8 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the content data associated with a content data item is an e-mail message. 
     
     
         9 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the content data associated with a content data item is a URL. 
     
     
         10 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the content data associated with a content data item is a file or file address. 
     
     
         11 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the content data associated with a content data item is a contact item. 
     
     
         12 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the content data associated with different content data items comprises:
 an e-mail message for at least one content data item;   a URL for at least one content data item; and   a file or file address for at least one content data item;   
       and further comprising a field identifying the type of content data information associated with each content data item. 
     
     
         13 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein each user having viewer access to a content data item can change the content data associated with that content data item. 
     
     
         14 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein a viewer can create an additional association for a content data item through a mouse command. 
     
     
         15 . The computer system of  claim 14 , wherein the mouse command is by default a single left click-drag-drop. 
     
     
         16 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein each folder has the capability of being associated into a plurality of other folders but cannot be associated into itself. 
     
     
         17 . A computer system for storage, sharing and synchronization of data between a plurality of users, comprising:
 a stored association table of records, each record including a field identifying at least one folder to which content data associated with that record belongs, each record having the capability to belong to a plurality of folders, with all the folders arranged in a multi-level hierarchical structure;   a server providing access to selected records of the database; and   a viewer on each of a plurality of computers, the viewer containing user identification information identifying the user to the server;   
       wherein the server permits users to make changes to records in the stored database, and wherein the server transmits the changes made to other viewers through TCP/IP messages indicating the change having been made. 
     
     
         18 . The computer system of  claim 17 , wherein each user accessing a content data item can make changes to that content data item, wherein those changes are transmitted from the viewer to the server through TCP/IP formatted messages. 
     
     
         19 . A client-side application having computer instructions recorded on a computer readable medium providing a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface comprising at least one window wherein folders and content data items are listed in a hierarchical format, wherein a new association for any listed folder or content data item can be made by selecting the folder or content data item with a mouse command, the new association additionally placing the selected folder or content data item within the client-side application at a different location in the hierarchical format, the client-side application recording the new association as a message transmitted to a server through a TCP/IP format. 
     
     
         20 . The client-side application of  claim 19 , wherein the client-side application can receive messages transmitted by the server through a TCP/IP format, such messages reporting changes made by other users to the associations, wherein the client-side application immediately shows the change on the graphical user interface upon receipt of a message.