Structured Data Objects: US Patent 6,088,702 commenting on US Patent 5,220,657

The following quoted text is a comment on both of the following Patent Library entries:

1. US Patent 5,008,853: Representation of collaborative multi-user activities relative to shared structured data objects in a networked workstation environment (Xerox Corporation) Φ, and
2. US Patent 5,220,657: Updating local copy of shared data in a collaborative system (Xerox Corporation) Φ

by inventors Scott H. Plantz et al. in US Patent 6,088,702: Group publishing system (Plantz, Scott H. et al.):

• "In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,008,853 and 5,220,657 (the '853 and '657 patents), a real-time, WYSIWIS ("what you see is what I see") system is described for manipulation of so-called "structured data objects," including multi-page documents, wherein each page linked to other pages in a predetermined order, is considered a "structured data object" [column/line citation omitted]. Specifically excluded from the types of "structured data objects" that may be employed according to the '853 and '657 patents are hierarchical texts, such as folders, record files, books, shared books themselves, and reference icons [column/line citation omitted]. As will be seen, the present group publishing system is not so limited. In addition, from [column/line citation omitted] of the '853 patent, it appears that in order to author or edit any section of a shared data object, a copy of the section of the object must be downloaded from a file server to the particular user's desktop machine, modified, and then re-uploaded to the file server for integration into the shared data object. Accordingly, multiple copies of a given document, or sections thereof, may exist on many different computers at the same time [column/line citation omitted]. Although the referenced patent relates efforts to update all users as to current data, the fact remains that multiple copies of an existing document may exist at various locations at the same time. As will be seen, this is essentially the inverse of the present system, in which all data and modifications to a group-authored document are made by each user on a single existing document resident on a central computer, thereby avoiding the problem of multiple versions of a document on different computers at the same time. Further, it is noted that throughout, the locking of a document by a given user may be a user-specified function, as opposed to a system imposed function (see for example [column/line citation omitted] of the '853 patent; however, see also [column/line citation omitted] which seems to imply some level of automatic system lockup of documents). This raises the difficulty that when other authors or editors need to access a locked document, contact with the locking author may first be required [column/line citation omitted]. In addition, if an author or editor fails to lock a document they are working on, others may access unedited versions of the same document, thus causing confusion, loss of time and efficiency. As will be seen, in the instant system, access to a document or subsection thereof automatically prevents others from accessing the document or section until the first author or editor has completed work on that document or section. These and other differences will be apparent from a review of the complete disclosure of the present invention, which follows ...." [emphasis added]