Systems and methods for collaboration

Abstract

In some embodiments, the disclosed systems and methods provide a client-server infrastructure capable of supporting a variety of asynchronous and synchronous collaboration activities in a so-called collaboration place. Some of these activities include chatting, viewing and/or editing one or more data files, and sharing one or more applications, data files, and/or displays. The client-server infrastructure supports seamless navigation between the supported asynchronous and synchronous activities in the collaboration place. Additionally, the client-server architecture supports data persistence, so that data files associated with the collaboration place can be stored for subsequent access.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for collaboration, the system comprising:
 a server configured to perform actions comprising:
 maintaining a list of invited members to a collaboration place, each invited member having an assigned level of membership selected from a plurality of levels of membership to the collaboration place, wherein each invited member's privileges to edit documents in the collaboration place are based on the level of membership assigned to that invited member; 
 providing, over a network, a first interface to the collaboration place to a first client and a second interface to the collaboration place to a second client accessing the collaboration place simultaneously with the first client, each of the first and second interfaces including a first display for displaying a first type of data and a second display for displaying a view of a data file; 
 receiving a set of data associated with the collaboration place, the set of data of the first type of data, 
 updating the first display in the first interface and the first display in the second interface to display the set of data; 
 receiving an update to a data file being viewed simultaneously in the second display of the first interface and the second display of the second interface; and 
 updating the second display of the first interface and second display of the second interface to display the updated data file. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first type of data comprises comments and the data file comprises a document. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the server is further configured to perform the action of managing sequential co-editing activity among members of the collaboration place. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the server is further configured to perform the action of managing simultaneous co-editing activity among users of the collaboration place. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the server is further configured to manage collaboration activities among members of the collaboration place using a set of objects. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the server is further configured to provide a private place to a first member of the collaboration place and provide a link to the collaboration place in the private place. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the server is further configured to provide a software resident application, the software resident application comprising a client plug in. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the server further comprises:
 a network interface configured to connect to the network;   a processor; and   a processor readable storage medium storing code executable to establish new collaboration places and administer existing collaboration places.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising a network connecting the server to the first client and the second client. 
     
     
         10 . A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by a processor to:
 create a collaboration place on a server;   maintain a list of invited members to the collaboration place in storage accessible by the server, each invited member having an assigned level of membership selected from a plurality of levels of membership to the collaboration place, wherein each invited member's privileges to edit documents in the collaboration place are based on the level of membership assigned to that invited member;   provide, over a network, a first interface to the collaboration place to a first client and a second interface to the collaboration place to a second client accessing the collaboration place simultaneously with the first client, each of the first and second interfaces including a first display for displaying a first type of data and a second display for displaying a view of a data file;   receive a set of data associated with the collaboration place, the set of data of the first type of data;   update the first display in the first interface and the first display in the second interface to display the set of data;   receive an update to a data file being viewed simultaneously in the second display of the first interface and the second display of the second interface; and   update the second display of the first interface and second display of the second interface to display the updated data file.   
     
     
         11 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , wherein the first type of data comprises comments and the data file comprises a document. 
     
     
         12 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , further comprising instructions executable to manage sequential co-editing activity among members of the collaboration place. 
     
     
         13 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , further comprising instructions executable to manage simultaneous co-editing activity among users of the collaboration place. 
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , further comprising instructions executable to manage collaboration activities among members of the collaboration place using a set of objects. 
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , further comprising instructions executable to provide a private place to a first member of the collaboration place and provide a link to the collaboration place in the private place. 
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , further comprising instructions executable to provide a software resident application, the software resident application comprising a client plug in. 
     
     
         17 . A method for collaboration, the method comprising:
 creating a collaboration place at a server;   maintaining a list of invited members to the collaboration place in storage accessible by the server, each invited member having an assigned level of membership selected from a plurality of levels of membership to the collaboration place, wherein each invited member's privileges to edit documents in the collaboration place are based on the level of membership assigned to that invited member;   providing, over a network, a first interface to the collaboration place to a first client and a second interface to the collaboration place to a second client, the second client accessing the collaboration place simultaneously with the first client, each of the first and second interfaces including a first display for displaying a first type of data and a second display for displaying a view of a data file;   receiving a set of data associated with the collaboration place at the server, the set of data of the first type of data;   sending a communication from the server to the first client and the second client to update the first display in the first interface and the first display in the second interface to display the set of data;   receiving an update to a data file being viewed simultaneously in the second display of the first interface and the second display of the second interface; and   sending a communication from the server to the first client and the second client to update the second display of the first interface and second display of the second interface to display the updated data file.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first type of data comprises comments and the data file comprises a document. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising managing, at the server, sequential co-editing activity among members attic collaboration place at the server. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising managing, at the server, simultaneous co-editing activity among users of the collaboration place. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising managing, at the server, collaboration activities among members of the collaboration place using a set of objects. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising providing a private place to a first member of the collaboration place and providing a link to the collaboration place in the private place. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising providing a software resident application, the software resident application comprising a client plug in.