Email-Initiated Server Collaboration for Conflict-Free Document Editing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing document collaboration methods via email attachments lead to conflicts due to separate editing and lack of centralized management, while setting up and managing a collaboration server is complex and not user-friendly.
Innovation Solution
A system that initiates and manages server-based collaboration by provisioning a collaboration website through email, allowing multiple users to access and edit a document centrally, preventing conflicts and simplifying access and permission management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If collaborators use email attachments to share documents, then ease of operation is improved, but conflict management deteriorates due to separate editing and version control issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an email server as an intermediary that automatically provisions a collaboration server when collaboration emails are exchanged. This mediator bridges the simplicity of email attachments with the conflict-prevention capabilities of server-based collaboration, allowing users to start with email attachments and automatically transition to centralized collaboration without manual server setup.
2Reliability
If a collaboration server is used to prevent conflicts, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to server setup and management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically provisioning the collaboration server infrastructure before users need it. When collaboration emails are exchanged, the system preemptively sets up the collaboration server, configures access rights, and prepares the environment, eliminating the need for users to manually identify servers, set access rights, or upload documents.
Solution Approach 2:
The collaboration system provides self-service capabilities where the system automatically manages server provisioning, configuration, and access rights based on email collaboration patterns. Users don't need to manually manage the collaboration server; the system automatically responds to collaboration needs by setting up and managing the server infrastructure.
3Reliability
If document collaboration is centralized on a server, then conflict management is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in managing access rights and encouraging server usage
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses email exchange as feedback to automatically adjust collaboration server configuration and access rights. When users send collaboration emails or forward shared emails, the system monitors these actions and automatically provisions or updates collaboration server access, making the system responsive to actual user collaboration needs without manual intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
Server-based collaboration is initiated by an email. When the user creates the email message with attachments, a collaboration website is provisioned. The collaboration website allows collaborations on the attached documents by the recipients of the message. The ease of collaboration with email and the advantages of the collaboration server are thus both available to the user.