Abstract: A connection between a secure shared space and an external system is created with a connector tool. The connector tool code is included in an independent agent called a “bot” that is created by a software developer. Bots run in the background in an automated and unattended manner in a specialized enterprise integration server. Each bot has a unique identity and runs under an account assigned to the enterprise integration server. A bot can be invited to a shared space much as another collaborator. Bots can also invite others to shared spaces. All bots running in the enterprise integration server are administered by a centralized administrative control. This allows account and identity policies to be established and global behaviors, including authentication settings, startup options and scope to be determined centrally. The centralized control allows simple installation, configuration and deployment and administrative control of bot operation and access.

Abstract: An in-memory storage manager represents XML-compliant documents as a collection of objects in memory. The storage manager allows real-time access to the objects by separate processes operating in different contexts. The data in the objects is stored in memory local to each process and the local memories are synchronized by means of a distributed memory system that stores the data in the same data region, but maps the data region to the address space of each process. Data corruption in the data region is prevented by a locking mechanism that prevents the processes from simultaneously modifying same data.

Abstract: A distributed, activity-based collaboration system can employ a data change request priority scheme for determining an order of execution of data change requests in effecting changes to local copies of data so as to optimize data consistency for collaborative activities. The data change request priority scheme can entail encoding sequence number information and dependency information in the data change requests, responsive to which data changes can be made, unmade and remade to the data.

Abstract: In a peer-to-peer collaboration system, deltas containing data change commands are organized in a persistent data structure called a delta log. The delta log is organized into blocks, which are the largest division in the delta log. In turn, blocks contain groups, groups contain chains and chains contain deltas. Delta blocks are used to implement priority deltas that are used to limit the collection of data change commands that must be transferred. Within a block the deltas are organized by groups, each of which is a set of deltas organized into chains. The delta group in used to determine which deltas to purge. The chains are ordered by increasing creator ID of the endpoint that created the chain. Organizing the delta log in this fashion allows the log to be “walked” to detect convergence problems. To achieve causality-preservation, each delta has a list of dependencies representing other deltas that must be executed before the current delta can be executed.

Abstract: In a peer-to-peer collaborative system in which collaborators communicate via a shared telespace and exchange data change requests, a unique number is assigned to each endpoint (a unique pairing of a device and a person) of each of the telespace members. Each endpoint number indicates the order in which the member joined the telespace, and, for each member invited to join (or otherwise sponsored) by another telespace member (the “inviting member”), it also indicates the inviting member. As more and more members are invited to join by those new members, the designations add additional orders of digits to indicate the family tree or chain of inviting members. The designations are used to resolve collisions between two data change requests that are both dependent on the same data change request.

Abstract: A connection between a secure shared space and an external system is created with a connector tool. The connector tool code is included in an independent agent called a “bot” that is created by a software developer. Bots run in the background in an automated and unattended manner in a specialized enterprise integration server. Each bot has a unique identity and runs under an account assigned to the enterprise integration server. A bot can be invited to a shared space much as another collaborator. Bots can also invite others to shared spaces. All bots running in the enterprise integration server are administered by a centralized administrative control. This allows account and identity policies to be established and global behaviors, including authentication settings, startup options and scope to be determined centrally. The centralized control allows simple installation, configuration and deployment and administrative control of bot operation and access.

Abstract: A communications manager provides communication services for an activity-based collaboration system, in which data change requests comprising deltas are communicated over a network between network-capable devices. The communications manager is operable on a local network capable device for sending locally-generated deltas over the network to at least one remote network-capable device and for receiving remotely-generated deltas over the network from the at least one remote network-capable device. The communications manager can send the deltas via unicasting, multicasting, or broadcasting techniques. The communications manager is responsive to network connection status information indicating that the remote network-capable device is connected to the network for sending the local deltas directly to an address for the remote network-capable device. A presence mechanism maintains and distributes, on request, the network connection status information, which it acquires from each of the network-capable devices.

Abstract: An activity-based collaboration system provides communication and other shared and mutual activities between individuals and small groups in shared private spaces, called “telespaces”. In the system, participants or members of a telespace interact through personal computers, Internet appliances or other network-capable devices, which can communicate with one-another over a network, e.g., the Internet. Each telespace is an instantiation of an activity operable on each of the network-capable devices of members of the telespace. Each activity includes a tool for initiating data change requests (called “deltas”) responsive to telespace member interactions, and a data-change engine, separate from the tool, for maintaining telespace data pursuant to a common data model, usually activity-specific, in memory. Each network-capable device also includes a dynamics manager, responsive to the deltas, for directing the data-change engine to make changes to the local copy of data.

Abstract: In order to establish a protected channel between a user and a software program running on a computer system, a graphic display unique to the user is displayed along with the normal information entry graphics. A foreign program which might duplicate the overall appearance of the entry graphics cannot display the unique visual display which would appear on the legitimate entry screen of a particular user. Thus, a user looking at his entry screen can tell by the visual display whether the entry screen has been generated by a legitimate program or by a foreign impostor program. Further, since it might be possible for an unauthorized person to surreptitiously observe the unique display pattern on the entry screen of an authorized user, to increase security, a program constructed according to the principles of the invention, changes the visual display as information is entered based on the partially entered information.