Collaborative Attachment Generation in Message Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current collaboration systems in message environments lack efficient mechanisms for real-time document updates and feedback management across multiple recipients, often requiring manual editing and merging of changes, which can be cumbersome and inefficient.

Innovation Solution

A message system that generates a collaborative version of an attachment, allowing recipients to edit and update it in real-time, with the sender's message system managing and merging changes, providing access through unique links or embedded references, and enabling simultaneous or sequential editing by multiple users.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If manual editing and merging of document changes is used, then document collaboration is possible, but the process becomes cumbersome and inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedocument collaboration efficiencyVSAvoidmanual editing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs automatic merging of document changes without requiring manual intervention from users. The message system autonomously receives updates from multiple recipients, merges the changes, and distributes the consolidated document, eliminating the need for manual editing and merging operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The message system acts as an intermediary between multiple recipients and the original sender. It receives document updates from recipients, manages the merging process, and relays the merged changes back to the sender, thereby simplifying the collaboration process for all participants.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Speed

If real-time collaboration features are implemented, then document updates are immediate, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedocument update speedVSAvoidmessage system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The message system performs multiple functions: it serves as an email delivery system, a document storage system, a real-time update notification system, and an automatic merging system. By combining these functions into a single platform, the patent avoids the need for separate specialized systems while achieving real-time collaboration capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Productivity

If multiple recipients can edit simultaneously, then collaboration efficiency improves, but managing feedback and updates becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecollaboration efficiencyVSAvoidfeedback management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where recipients receive notifications when the original sender makes changes to the master copy of the document. This ensures all participants are aware of the current document state and can adjust their editing activities accordingly, maintaining collaboration efficiency while managing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2932666B1Attachment collaboration within message environments
Publication Date: 2019.08.07 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP2932666B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2932666B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5
  • EP2932666B1 patent drawingFigure 6~7

AI summary

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and software for facilitating collaboration within message environments. In an implementation, a message system receives a request to send on behalf of a sender a message having an attachment. In response to the request, the message system generates a collaborative version of the attachment within a location associated with the sender. The collaborative version of the attachment may be modified to reflect updates initiated on behalf of recipients of the message.