Methods and program products for efficient communication of shared file modifications during a collaboration event

1. A method for communicating modification data for a shared file stored on a network during a video conference wherein a plurality of users modify the shared file, the method comprising:

a first video conference participant communicating modifications to make to a first version of a shared file to a conference server, the shared file having a property associated with it that is at least one of a version number and a file size;

the conference server using the modifications to modify the first version of the shared file stored on a network to thereby create a current version of the shared file, the shared file property changing with the modification to a current property;

at least a second video conference participant communicating a shared file property that corresponds to the first version of the shared file to the conference server together with a request to be notified of modifications to the shared file; and,

the conference server communicating the modifications made to the first version of the shared file to only the at least a second conference participant, such that the conference server communicates the modifications to the shared file to only the at least one second conference participant that communicated a request to be notified of modifications to the shared file to the conference server, and wherein the server does not communicate the modifications to one or more others of the conference participants that did not communicate a request to be notified of modifications.

2. A method for communicating modification data for a shared file as defined by claim 1 wherein after receiving the request to be notified of modifications from the second video conference participant the conference server retrieves the first version of the shared file, and compares the first version to the current version of the shared file to identify differences between the current version and the first version.

3. A method for communicating modification data for a shared file as defined by claim 1 wherein after modifying the first version of the shared file the conference server stores the first version of the shared file.

4. A method for communicating modification data as defined by claim 1 , wherein the modifications communicated from the first conference participant are organized into additions and removals to make to the shared file.

5. A method for communicating modification data as defined by claim 1 , wherein the modifications communicated from the conference server to the at least a second conference participant are organized into additions and removals to make to the shared file.

6. A method for communicating modification data as defined by claim 1 , wherein the modifications communicated from the first conference participant, the shared file, and the differences communicated from the video conference server to the at least a second conference participant are formatted in a markup text language.

7. A method for communicating modification data as defined by claim 6 wherein the markup text language is extendable markup text language.

8. A method for communicating modification data as defined by claim 1 wherein the at least a second video conference participant comprises a plurality of second video conference participants.

9. A method for communicating modification data for a shared file stored on a network during a video conference as defined by claim 1 and further comprising the steps of:

the first conference participant communicating a file identifier for the shared file together with the modification data to the conference server; and,

the conference server using the file identifier to retrieve the shared file.

10. A method for communicating modification data for a shared file stored on a network during a video conference as defined by claim 1 and further including a step of the conference server communicating the shared file current property to the at least a second conference participant.

11. A method for communicating modification data for a shared file stored on a network during a video conference as defined by claim 1 wherein:

the first video conference participant has a locally stored first version of the shared file;

the at least a second video conference participant has a locally stored second version of the shared file; and,

the at least a second video conference participant communicates a shared file property that corresponds to the first version of the shared file together with a request to be notified of modifications to the shared file, and uses the modification data communicated from the conference server to modify the locally stored second version of the shared file, whereby the locally stored first version of the shared file, the shared file, and the locally stored second version of the shared file all include the modifications.

12. A method for communicating modification data for a shared file as defined by claim 1 wherein the shared file contains data used by one or more of a user presence application, a shared hardware application, a shared document application, or a drawing board application.

13. A method for communicating modification data for a shared file as defined by claim 1 wherein the conference server compares the shared file property that corresponds to the first version of the shared file received from the second participant to the shared file current property and only communicates the modifications to the second participant when the first version number and the current version number do not match.

14. A method for communicating modification data for a shared file as defined by claim 1 wherein, on average, the shared file includes at least ten times more data than the file modification.

15. A method for communicating modification data for a shared file as defined by claim 1 wherein the property is a version number.

16. A non-transitory computer readable memory storing computer program instructions able to be executed by one or more computers, the program instructions when executed useful to cause one or more computers to provide modification data for a shared user presence file during a collaboration event, the program instructions causing the one or more computers to perform the steps of:

a conference server computer to receive modification data from a first collaboration event participant after the collaboration event has been initiated, the modification data including an identifier for the first collaboration event participant to add to a first version of the shared user presence file, the shared user presence file includes a list of the users that are currently present or that are connected to the network and therefore available for participating in the video conference, the shared presence file, being modified during the collaboration event to add and remove event participants as they join and exit the collaboration event;

the conference server to modify the first version of the shared file using the modification data whereby a new version of the shared user presence file includes the identifier for the first collaboration event participant, a first property value of the shared file changing with the modification to a current property value, wherein the first property value and the current property value are each a version identifier;

the conference server to receive a request from a second collaboration event participant to be notified of additional collaboration participants that have joined the collaboration event including the shared user presence file first property value; and,

the conference server communicating a confirmation to the second collaboration participant including the identifier for the first collaboration event participant together with the shared user presence file current property;

wherein the conference server compares the first property value received from the second participant to the current property value and only communicates the modifications to the second participant when the first property value and the current property value do not match, such that the conference server communicates the modifications to only the second participant that communicated a request to be notified of modifications to the conference server, and wherein the conference server does not communicate the modifications to one or more others of the participants that did not communicate a request to be notified of the modifications.

17. The computer readable memory as defined by claim 16 wherein after receiving the request to be notified of additional participants from the second event participant the conference server retrieves the first version of the shared file, and compares the first version to the current version of the shared file to identify differences between the current version and the first version.

18. The computer readable memory as defined by claim 16 wherein:

the modification data from the first collaboration event participant, the shared user presence file, the request from the second collaboration event participant, and the confirmation are all in a markup language format; and,

wherein the first collaboration event participant, the second collaboration event participant, and at least three other collaboration event participants are communicating streaming video and audio data to all others of the event participants whereby each of the participants receives streaming audio and video data from all others of the participants.

19. The computer readable memory as defined by claim 16 wherein the shared user presence file property value is a version number, and wherein the conference server changes the version number with every modification of the shared user presence file.