Method and apparatus to handle changes in file ownership and editing authority in a document management system
A method and corresponding system to maintain an updated version of an electronic file in a multi-user document management system. The system includes a master node and at least one satellite node to enable satellite offices of an enterprise to communicate over a network with a central file store. The method includes providing a central file store on the network to store a commonly accessible shared file, providing ownership information that identifies an owner of the file, enabling the owner of the file to authorize changes to the file, replicating the changes at the central file store, enabling the owner to transfer ownership of the file by altering the ownership information to identify a subsequent owner that controls changes to the file, and providing shared access to the file by the satellite nodes to thereby maintain an updated version of the file for multiple users of the document management system. The owner of the file preferably is the master node or one of the satellite nodes. Other aspects include the master node handling ownership transfers and file transfers with the central file store; enabling read-only access to the file when the owner is off-line, and enabling a file owner to change the file while off-line and then replicating the change upon re-establishment of connection with said network.
1 . A method of maintaining an updated version of a shared file in a multi-user document management system having a master node and at least one satellite node that communicate over a network, said method comprising the steps of:
providing a central file storage on the network to store a commonly accessible file,
providing ownership information that identifies an owner of the file,
enabling the owner to authorize changes to said file according to the ownership information,
replicating changes to the file at said central file storage,
enabling the owner to transfer ownership of said file by altering the ownership information to identify a subsequent owner who may authorize changes to said file, and
providing shared access to the file via a satellite node communicating over the network with said central file storage whereby to maintain an updated version of the file when multiple users may be authorized to make changes.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in said first providing step, said master node provides access to said central file storage.
3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said owner comprises one of said master and satellite nodes.
4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said enabling step includes said master node providing negotiation for transfer of file ownership between the owner and said subsequent owner.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the last providing step includes enabling read-only access to said file when the owner is unavailable to participate in negotiation for transfer of ownership of said file.
6 . The method according to claim 1 , and further including the steps of enabling a file owner to authorize changes to said file while off-line and replicating said changes upon re-establishment of connection with said network.
7 . A method of transferring ownership and editing authority of a file among multiple owner nodes of a network in a multi-user document management system, said method comprising:
providing shared access to a file having associated ownership indicia to identify an owner node of said file and whether ownership of the file may be transferred to another owner node,
transferring ownership and editing authority of the file to another owner node according to said ownership indicia,
enabling an owner node to authorize changes to the file by a user, and
replicating changes to the file at a central file store located on the network to thereby maintain a current version of the file in a multi-user environment that enables changes by multiple users.
8 . The method according to claim 7 , and further including enabling the owner node to authorize changes to the file while off-line from the network and replicating said changes upon re-establishment of network connection.
9 . The method of claim 8 , and further including the step of periodically replicating changes to the file in the central file store as changes are being made by a user.
10 . The method of claim 7 , and further including the step of providing read-only access to said file when network communication with the owner node of the file is broken.
11 . A document management system to maintain an updated version of a file accessible by multiple users over a network, said system comprising:
a central file store that stores a file having associated ownership indicia to identify an owner and authorized editor of the file;
at least one satellite node to enable a user on the network to communicate with said central file store in order to store and retrieve files; and
a processor that includes an editing module to enable changes to said file according to said ownership indicia, a replicator module to replicate changes to said file at said central file store, a negotiator module to enable a transfer of file ownership and editing authority to another owner, and an access coordinator to enable access to said file via the network to thereby enable access to an updated version of the file in a multi-user environment that permits a transfer of editing authority among different owners.
12 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein said ownership indicia further indicates whether ownership may be freely transferred, and said negotiator module responds to said indicia to transparently transfer file ownership to a subsequent owner.
13 . The system according to claim 12 , wherein said master node handles ownership transfer negotiation.
14 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the central file store is located at a master node that handles access to the central file store by the satellite nodes.
15 . The system according to claim 14 , wherein the master node permits read-only access to said file when the owner of the file is off-line or when ownership transfer is not permitted.
16 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein said ownership indicia is stored among attributes of said file.
17 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein said ownership indicia is provided by an ownership records database maintained at said central file store.
18 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein said editing module enables changes to said file while the owner is off-line and said replicator module replicates said changes upon re-establishment of network connection.
19 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein said replicator module automatically and periodically replicates changes to said file in said central file store.
20 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the owner of said file comprises a satellite node and transfer of ownership occurs among multiple satellite nodes.