Patent US RE38457

A method and apparatus is disclosed for <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00001"/>data <INS-E ID="INS-S-00001"/>communication between agents<INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00002"/>, such as those <INS-E ID="INS-S-00002"/>in an electronic conferencing system. In <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00001"/>an electronic conferencing<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00001"/> <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00003"/>a <INS-E ID="INS-S-00003"/>system wherein data is shared between a plurality of <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00002"/>participants during an electronic conference<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00002"/> <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00004"/>users<INS-E ID="INS-S-00004"/>, a method is disclosed for maintaining consistency of the data among the <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00003"/>participants during the electronic conference<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00003"/> <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00005"/>users<INS-E ID="INS-S-00005"/>. The method of the present invention comprises the following steps: a) each <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00004"/>participant in the electronic conferencing system<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00004"/> <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00006"/>user <INS-E ID="INS-S-00006"/>maintains a local copy of the shared data <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00005"/>for the electronic conference during the electronic conference<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00005"/> ; b) one of the <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00006"/>participants<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00006"/> <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00007"/>users <INS-E ID="INS-S-00007"/>commences to perform modifications to an associated local copy of the shared data; c) subsequent to the step of commencing modifications, a <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00007"/>participant<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00007"/> <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00008"/>user <INS-E ID="INS-S-00008"/>requests an index for the modifications from an arbitrator <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00008"/>participant<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00008"/> <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00009"/>user<INS-E ID="INS-S-00009"/>, wherein the modifications to the associated local copy of the shared data may continue to be performed; d) the arbitrator <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00009"/>participant<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00009"/> <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00010"/>user <INS-E ID="INS-S-00010"/>responds to the <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00010"/>participant<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00010"/> <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00011"/>user <INS-E ID="INS-S-00011"/>requesting the index for the modifications; and e) a <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00011"/>participant<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00011"/> <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00012"/>user <INS-E ID="INS-S-00012"/>modifies the associated local copy of the shared data according to the index received from the arbitrator <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00012"/>participant<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00012"/> <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00013"/>user <INS-E ID="INS-S-00013"/>and transfers the local modifications to remote <DEL-S DATE="20040309" ID="DEL-S-00013"/>participants<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00013"/> <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00014"/>users<INS-E ID="INS-S-00014"/>. <INS-S DATE="20040309" ID="INS-S-00015"/>In one embodiment, the users are participants of an electronic conference, and the shared data are the &#8220;meeting&#8221; data of the electronic conference. <INS-E ID="INS-S-00015"/>