Collaborative email

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for writing collaborative email documents, including establishing a collaborative email document on an administrator's computer; identifying one or more collaborators who are authorized to view and edit the document; providing to the collaborators copies of the document for viewing and editing, wherein the collaborators' copies reside on collaborators' computers; creating revisions in at least one copy of the document; recording the revisions; and updating the copies of the document on collaborators' computers with the revisions. Embodiments typically include identifying editable portions of the email document, including specifying that only certain collaborators are authorized to view and edit one or more portions of the document. In many embodiments, revisions are streamed through a server so that there is no ‘master copy’ of a collaborative document, on a server or elsewhere, against which revisions are recognized.

1 . A method for writing a collaborative email document, the method comprising: 
 establishing a collaborative email document on an administrator's computer;    identifying one or more collaborators who are authorized to view and edit the document;    providing to the collaborators copies of the document for viewing and editing, wherein the collaborators' copies reside on collaborators' computers;    creating revisions in at least one copy of the document;    recording the revisions; and    updating the copies of the document on collaborators' computers with the revisions.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the collaborators include the administrator.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein establishing a collaborative email document on an administrator's computer comprises: 
 identifying an administrator for the document; and    retaining an administrative copy of the document on the administrator's computer.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising identifying editable portions of the email document, wherein identifying one or more collaborators further comprises specifying that only certain collaborators are authorized to view and edit one or more portions of the document.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising recording in the document authorization for only certain collaborators to edit one or more portions of the document.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 identifying one or more signatories for the document;    providing to each signatory a copy of the document for signing;    affixing to the document a digital signature for each signatory; and    sending the signed document from the administrator's computer to addressees.    
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising sending the collaborative email document from the administrator's computer to addressees only when the document bears valid digital signatures from all signatories.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein recording revisions comprises storing the revisions on a computer accessible to collaborators' computers.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein recording revisions comprises storing the revisions with a version identification for each revision.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein recording revisions comprises storing the revisions with a sequence identification for each revision.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein updating the copies of the document with the revisions further comprises communicating the revisions asynchronously to the collaborators and to the administrator's computer.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein updating the collaborators' copies of the document with the revisions further comprises communicating the revisions synchronously to one or more collaborators as the revisions are made.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein updating the copies of the document with the revisions comprises: 
 identifying collaborator computers that are available for synchronous communications of revisions;    communicating revisions synchronously to collaborator computers that are available for synchronous communications; and    updating current version identifications for the copies of the document on collaborator's computers that are available for synchronous communications.    
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein identifying collaborator computers that are available for synchronous communications of revisions comprises determining whether collaborators copies are synchronized with the latest revisions.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein updating the copies of the document with revisions comprises updating a copy of the document with all revisions later than a current version identifier for the copy.  
   
   
       16 . A system for writing a collaborative email document, the system comprising: 
 means for establishing a collaborative email document on an administrator's computer;    means for identifying one or more collaborators who are authorized to view and edit the document;    means for providing to the collaborators copies of the document for viewing and editing, wherein the collaborators' copies reside on collaborators' computers;    means for creating revisions in at least one copy of the document;    means for recording the revisions; and    means for updating the copies of the document on collaborators' computers with the revisions.    
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the collaborators include the administrator.  
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 16  wherein means for establishing a collaborative email document on an administrator's computer comprises: 
 means for identifying an administrator for the document; and    means for retaining an administrative copy of the document on the administrator's computer.    
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 16  further comprising means for identifying editable portions of the email document, wherein means for identifying one or more collaborators further comprises means for specifying that only certain collaborators are authorized to view and edit one or more portions of the document.  
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 16  further comprising means for recording in the document authorization for only certain collaborators to edit one or more portions of the document.  
   
   
       21 . The system of  claim 16  further comprising: 
 means for identifying one or more signatories for the document;    means for providing to each signatory a copy of the document for signing;    means for affixing to the document a digital signature for each signatory; and    means for sending the signed document from the administrator's computer to addressees.    
   
   
       22 . The system of  claim 16  further comprising means for sending the collaborative email document from the administrator's computer to addressees only when the document bears valid digital signatures from all signatories.  
   
   
       23 . The system of  claim 16  wherein means for recording revisions comprises means for storing the revisions on a computer accessible to collaborators' computers.  
   
   
       24 . The system of  claim 16  wherein means for recording revisions comprises means for storing the revisions with a version identification for each revision.  
   
   
       25 . The system of  claim 16  wherein means for recording revisions comprises means for storing the revisions with a sequence identification for each revision.  
   
   
       26 . The system of  claim 16  wherein means for updating the copies of the document with the revisions further comprises means for communicating the revisions asynchronously to the collaborators and to the administrator's computer.  
   
   
       27 . The system of  claim 16  wherein means for updating the collaborators' copies of the document with the revisions further comprises means for communicating the revisions synchronously to one or more collaborators as the revisions are made.  
   
   
       28 . The system of  claim 16  wherein means for updating the copies of the document with the revisions comprises: 
 means for identifying collaborator computers that are available for synchronous communications of revisions;    means for communicating revisions synchronously to collaborator computers that are available for synchronous communications; and    means for updating current version identifications for the copies of the document on collaborator's computers that are available for synchronous communications.    
   
   
       29 . The system of  claim 28  wherein means for identifying collaborator computers that are available for synchronous communications of revisions comprises means for determining whether collaborators copies are synchronized with the latest revisions.  
   
   
       30 . The system of  claim 16  wherein means for updating the copies of the document with revisions comprises means for updating a copy of the document with all revisions later than a current version identifier for the copy.  
   
   
       31 . A computer program product for writing a collaborative email document, the computer program product comprising: 
 a recording medium;    means, recorded on the recording medium, for establishing a collaborative email document on an administrator's computer;    means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying one or more collaborators who are authorized to view and edit the document;    means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing to the collaborators copies of the document for viewing and editing, wherein the collaborators' copies reside on collaborators' computers;    means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating revisions in at least one copy of the document;    means, recorded on the recording medium, for recording the revisions; and    means, recorded on the recording medium, for updating the copies of the document on collaborators' computers with the revisions.    
   
   
       32 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein the collaborators include the administrator.  
   
   
       33 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein means for establishing a collaborative email document on an administrator's computer comprises: 
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying an administrator for the document; and    means, recorded on the recording medium, for retaining an administrative copy of the document on the administrator's computer.    
   
   
       34 . The computer program product of  claim 31  further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying editable portions of the email document, wherein means for identifying one or more collaborators further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for specifying that only certain collaborators are authorized to view and edit one or more portions of the document.  
   
   
       35 . The computer program product of  claim 31  further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for recording in the document authorization for only certain collaborators to edit one or more portions of the document.  
   
   
       36 . The computer program product of  claim 31  further comprising: 
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying one or more signatories for the document;    means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing to each signatory a copy of the document for signing;    means, recorded on the recording medium, for affixing to the document a digital signature for each signatory; and    means, recorded on the recording medium, for sending the signed document from the administrator's computer to addressees.    
   
   
       37 . The computer program product of  claim 31  further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for sending the collaborative email document from the administrator's computer to addressees only when the document bears valid digital signatures from all signatories.  
   
   
       38 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein means for recording revisions comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for storing the revisions on a computer accessible to collaborators' computers.  
   
   
       39 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein means for recording revisions comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for storing the revisions with a version identification for each revision.  
   
   
       40 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein means for recording revisions comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for storing the revisions with a sequence identification for each revision.  
   
   
       41 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein means for updating the copies of the document with the revisions further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for communicating the revisions asynchronously to the collaborators and to the administrator's computer.  
   
   
       42 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein means for updating the collaborators' copies of the document with the revisions further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for communicating the revisions synchronously to one or more collaborators as the revisions are made.  
   
   
       43 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein means for updating the copies of the document with the revisions comprises: 
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying collaborator computers that are available for synchronous communications of revisions;    means, recorded on the recording medium, for communicating revisions synchronously to collaborator computers that are available for synchronous communications; and    means, recorded on the recording medium, for updating current version identifications for the copies of the document on collaborator's computers that are available for synchronous communications.    
   
   
       44 . The computer program product of  claim 43  wherein means for identifying collaborator computers that are available for synchronous communications of revisions comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining whether collaborators copies are synchronized with the latest revisions.  
   
   
       45 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein means for updating the copies of the document with revisions comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for updating a copy of the document with all revisions later than a current version identifier for the copy.