Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to authorization and/or review systems. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing a collaborative user session.
BACKGROUND
With the recent advancements in technology, there has been an exponential increase in utilization of authorization systems such as, Maker-checker applications or other document review applications across several industries including, but not limited to, finance, software, content, media, and the like. The “Maker-checker” is an authorization workflow protocol operable to ensure that at least 2 people are involved in any given transaction, wherein a Maker is responsible for making or generating requests (or transactions) and a checker is responsible for approving the requests.
Maker-checker applications form one of the central authorization principles, wherein users may be allowed to review transactions and/or each other’s work product for improving the accuracy thereof. Currently, there exists some solutions to provide such document review applications. However, such solutions require pre-configuration data of large sizes for implementation and are not versatile due to inherent implementational requirements such as, specific configuration data and/or technology, for example, requirement of specific file viewers for accessing certain proprietary file types. Alternatively stated, such solutions are difficult to implement across different platforms due to the inherent complexities and thus, not suitable for large scale operations. Moreover, such solutions require constant internet connectivity and do not operate under offline conditions.
Therefore, in light of the foregoing discussion, there exists a need to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks associated with the existing review applications and provide an improved, simple, scalable, light-weight and versatile system and/or method for managing a collaborative user session.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure seeks to provide a system for managing a collaborative user session. The present disclosure also seeks to provide a computer implemented method for managing a collaborative user session. An aim of the present disclosure is to provide a solution that overcomes at least partially the problems encountered in prior art.
In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system for managing a collaborative user session, the system comprising:
- at least one server communicably coupled to a database, wherein the at least one server is configured to:
- provide an interface for establishing the collaborative user session for two or more user devices, wherein the interface is configured to obtain at least one document from a first user device of the two or more user devices; and
- process the at least one document, via the database, to identify and locate a plurality of field elements therein;
- configure the interface to obtain one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements in the at least one document, based on an input from at least one of the two or more user devices;
- convert the obtained one or more annotations to generate one or more cookies;
- store the generated one or more cookies in the database; and
- transmit the generated one or more cookies to each of the two or more user devices for enabling dynamic inspection of the at least one document during the collaborative user session.
In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer implemented method for managing a collaborative user session, the method comprising:
- providing an interface for establishing the collaborative user session for two or more user devices, wherein the interface is configured for obtaining at least one document from a first user device of the two or more user devices;
- processing the at least one document, via the database, to identify and locate a plurality of field elements therein;
- configuring the interface for obtaining one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements in the at least one document, based on an input from at least one of the two or more user devices;
- converting the received one or more annotations to generate one or more cookies;
- storing the generated one or more cookies in the database; and
- transmitting the generated one or more cookies to each of the two or more user devices for enabling dynamic inspection of the at least one document during the collaborative user session.
Embodiments of the present disclosure substantially eliminate or at least partially address the aforementioned problems in the prior art, and enables management of the collaborative user session in an accurate and efficient manner.
Additional aspects, advantages, features and objects of the present disclosure would be made apparent from the drawings and the detailed description of the illustrative embodiments construed in conjunction with the appended claims that follow. It will be appreciated that features of the present disclosure are susceptible to being combined in various combinations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The summary above, as well as the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, exemplary constructions of the disclosure are shown in the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. Moreover, those skilled in the art will understand that the drawings are not to scale. Wherever possible, like elements have been indicated by identical numbers.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following diagrams wherein:
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a system for managing a collaborative user session, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart listing steps involved in a computer-implemented method for managing a collaborative user session, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 3A to 3C are exemplary illustrations of an interface, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
In the accompanying drawings, an underlined number is employed to represent an item over which the underlined number is positioned or an item to which the underlined number is adjacent. A non-underlined number relates to an item identified by a line linking the non-underlined number to the item. When a number is non-underlined and accompanied by an associated arrow, the non-underlined number is used to identify a general item at which the arrow is pointing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
The following detailed description illustrates embodiments of the present disclosure and ways in which they can be implemented. Although some modes of carrying out the present disclosure have been disclosed, those skilled in the art would recognize that other embodiments for carrying out or practising the present disclosure are also possible.
In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system for managing a collaborative user session, the system comprising:
- at least one server communicably coupled to a database, wherein the at least one server is configured to:
- provide an interface for establishing the collaborative user session for two or more user devices, wherein the interface is configured to obtain at least one document from a first user device of the two or more user devices; and
- process the at least one document, via the database, to identify and locate a plurality of field elements therein;
- configure the interface to obtain one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements in the at least one document, based on an input from at least one of the two or more user devices;
- convert the obtained one or more annotations to generate one or more cookies;
- store the generated one or more cookies in the database; and
- transmit the generated one or more cookies to each of the two or more user devices for enabling dynamic inspection of the at least one document during the collaborative user session.
In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer implemented method for managing a collaborative user session, the method comprising:
- providing an interface for establishing the collaborative user session for two or more user devices, wherein the interface is configured for obtaining at least one document from a first user device of the two or more user devices;
- processing the at least one document, via the database, to identify and locate a plurality of field elements therein;
- configuring the interface for obtaining one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements in the at least one document, based on an input from at least one of the two or more user devices;
- converting the received one or more annotations to generate one or more cookies;
- storing the generated one or more cookies in the database; and
- transmitting the generated one or more cookies to each of the two or more user devices for enabling dynamic inspection of the at least one document during the collaborative user session.
In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a system for managing a collaborative user session. The term “managing” as used herein refers to the process of collecting, preserving, organizing (or arranging), representing (or depicting), selecting (or retrieving), processing and storing of information, via the system, associated with the collaborative user session. Typically, the system is configured to authorize two or more users to access the collaborative user session maintained and/or established by the system and thereby process received information from the two or more users to enable simultaneous working and verification of any given transaction or piece of work (or project). The term “collaborative user session” refers to a common session (or workspace) established via the system for at least two user devices and accessible via at least an administrator (or Maker) and a verifier (or Checker). In an example, the maker may establish the collaborative user session for review of a project (or work) to be verified by the checker. The system relates to a Maker-checker application or review application configured for providing an authorization protocol such as, followed by financial organizations, for providing a dual approval (or review) mechanism for any type of transaction (or project) to enhance the efficiency and accuracy thereof.
Currently, there exists some solutions to provide such review applications. However, such solutions require pre-configuration data having large sizes for implementation and are not versatile due to inherent implementational requirements such as, specific data, technology and/or equipment. Alternatively stated, such solutions are difficult to implement across different platforms due to the inherent complexities and thus, not suitable for large scale operations. Moreover, such solutions require constant internet connectivity and do not offer offline operation. Thus, in light of a need to overcome the aforementioned problems, the present disclosure provides a simple, scalable, light-weight and versatile system and/or method for managing a collaborative user session.
The system comprises at least one server communicably coupled to a database. Throughout the present disclosure, the term “server” refers to a structure and/or module that includes programmable and/or non-programmable components configured to store, process and/or share information or data for managing a collaborative user session via the system. Herein, the server is configured to communicate with other elements within the system i.e., two or more user devices, or other input devices associated therewith, for securely and efficiently managing the collaborative user session via the system. Herein, the at least one server is communicably coupled to the database, wherein the database is configured to store and organize information associated with the collaborative user session such that the stored information may be made accessible to each of the two or more user devices during the collaborative user session in a dynamic and faster manner.
Optionally, the server includes any arrangement of physical or virtual computational entities capable of enhancing information to perform various computational tasks. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the server may be implemented as a hardware server and/or plurality of hardware servers operating in a parallel or in a distributed architecture. Optionally, the servers in the server are supplemented with additional computation system, such as neural networks, and hierarchical clusters of pseudo-analog variable state machines implementing artificial intelligence algorithms. In an example, the server may include components such as a memory, a processor, a data communication interface, a network adapter and the like, to store, process and/or share information with other computing devices, such as the monitoring apparatus. Moreover, the server refers to a computational element that is operable to respond to and processes instructions to manage the collaborative user session via the system. For example, the server may be a cloud server, an application server, a file server, a database server or a block chain server. Optionally, the server includes, but is not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or any other type of processing circuit, for example as aforementioned. Additionally, the server is arranged in various architectures for responding to and processing the instructions for managing the collaborative user session via the system.
The system further comprise a database (or data repository) communicably coupled to the server, wherein the database is configured to store information related to management of the collaborative user session. The term "database" as used herein refers to hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of these for storing a given information in an organized (namely, structured) manner, thereby, allowing for easy storage, access (namely, retrieval), updating and analysis of the given information. For example, the database may be one of MySQL®, SQL® Server, MongoDB®, Oracle® Database, PostgreSQL®, Sybase®, and the like. The database may be implemented as a memory of a device (such as, the two or more user devices), a removable memory, a cloud-based database, or similar. The database can be implemented as one or more storage devices. A technical effect of using the data repository is that it provides an ease of storage and access of processing inputs, as well as processing outputs.
The at least one server is configured to provide an interface for establishing the collaborative user session for two or more user devices, wherein the interface is configured to obtain at least one document from a first user device of the two or more user devices. Typically, the at least one server is configured to provide the interface configured for establishing the collaborative user session for the two or more user devices (associated with respective two or more users), wherein the two or more user devices may simultaneously perform one or more operations (for example, modification, addition, annotation of information) on the at least one document made accessible via the interface. The collaborative user session is established, via the interface, to allow the first user device to dynamically edit, update and verify any (or all) information in the at least one document in an efficient and effective manner. Herein, the interface is configured to obtain the at least one document from a first user device of the two or more user devices during the collaborative user session for other of the two or more users to access the obtained at least one document and thereby perform one or more operations such as, editing, verification, etc., on the at least one document. The first user device of the two or more user devices may refer to an administrator device operable to provide the at least one document during the collaborative user session i.e., the first user device may be a creator of the at least one document and configured to provide the at least one document, via the interface, for enabling the other of the two or more user devices to access and review the at least one document. Beneficially, the at least one document is dynamically accessible to each of the two or more user devices in a versatile format and allows the two or more user devices to track, edit, or verify the at least one document at any point of time during the collaborative user session.
Throughout the present disclosure, the term “user device” refers to an electronic device associated with a user, wherein the user device may be one of, but not limited to, a computer, a laptop, a smartphone, a smartwatch, and the like. The term “interface” as used herein refers to a point of interaction and/or communication with a user such as, for enabling access to the two or more user devices and receiving input therefrom. The interface may configure to receive input either directly from the two or more user devices, or in-directly via another device, webpage, or an application configured to enable the two or more user devices to provide the at least one document as input. Herein, the interface may be configured to receive, via a first input module, the at least one document for further processing thereof. Further, the term “input module” as used herein refers to interactive elements or input controls of the interface configured to allow the two or more user devices to provide user input, for example, the at least one document. In an example, the input module includes, but is not limited to, a text field, a checkbox, a list, a list box, a button, a radio button, a toggle, and the like. The term “document” as used herein refers to an electronic document i.e., any electronic media content configured to be employed in an electronic form or as a printed output. For example, the at least one document may be plain text, hypertext markup language (HTML) document, PDF document, and the like. It will be appreciated that the at least one document may be any type of conventional electronic document readable via the method and if required, the at least one document may be converted into a readable format before being further processed.
In one or more embodiments, the interface is provided using one or more of Hypertext markup language (HTML), for configuring structure or body of the interface, Cascading style sheets (CSS), for defining styling and positioning elements of the interface and JavaScript, for configuring interactive elements of the interface. Conventionally, several sophisticated programming languages have been utilized to provide such review (or Maker-checker) applications; however, such programming languages significantly increase the cost and complexity of the implementation and thereby reduces the scalability of the solution. Thus, in light of the aforementioned problems, the system provides a novel interface i.e., provided or generated using HTML for configuring the structure of the interface. The structural configuration of the interface is defined using HTML, for example, adding headers (or field elements), formatting text, inserting objects or images, creating tables, emphasizing text, and the like. Beneficially, HTML is a versatile and scalable alternative and enables formatting and/or structuring of the interface in an efficient manner. Further, CSS is utilized for defining the styling and positioning elements of the interface i.e., CSS is configured to dictate the positioning and styling of each of the plurality of field elements in the interface. Alternatively stated, the front-end or appearance of the interface and the elements therein are defined using CSS. However, HTML and CSS are static programming languages and offer limited interactive elements to the interface and thus, the interactive elements of the interface are configured using Javascript. Typically, the interface is enabled to obtain the one or more annotations from the two or more user devices using Javascript. Alternatively stated, Javascript is utilized to provide interactive input elements (or modules) configured to allow the two or more user devices to provide the one or more annotations in the at least one document. Beneficially, the collective implementation of HTML, CSS and Javascript for the provision of the interface enables the system to provide a user-friendly, easy to use, and versatile interface that enables faster and accurate review of the at least one document.
In one or more embodiments, the interface is further configured to receive, via a login module, authentication data from each of the two or more user devices and transmit the authentication data to the at least one server for authentication of the two or more users associated with the two or more user devices. The term “authentication data” refers to authorization and/or authentication information of users associated with the two or more user devices. For example, the authentication data may be a login ID and password of a user associated with one of the two or more user devices. The “login module” refers to a collection of input modules configured to allow the two or more user devices to enter the authentication data. Upon receiving or obtaining the authentication data from the two or more user devices, the interface is further configured to transmit the authentication data to the at least one server for further processing thereof such that the at least one server may authenticate and/or authorize the two or more user devices to access the interface during the collaborative user session.
In another embodiment, the at least one server is further configured to process the authentication data for identifying authentication information of users associated with the two or more user devices and define an access level based on the processed authentication data for each of the two or more user devices for enabling customized access therefor. The term “access level” refers to a degree of access or control provided to the two or more user devices based on the processed authentication data. For example, the access level may be complete access, partial or restricted access or only viewing access. Upon receiving the authentication data from the two or more user devices via the interface, the at least one server is further configured to process the authentication data to verify the credentials of the users requesting access to the interface. The at least one server is configured to check and verify the authentication data such as, against a credential database, and thereby determining a corresponding access level to the associated user device. The two or more user devices may either be an administrator (or maker) or a reviewer (or checker), wherein the administrator is granted a higher access level than the reviewer i.e., the first user device of the two or more user devices is granted either complete or restricted access to modify the at least one document and provide one or more annotations thereat. However, the other of the two or more user devices is granted either restricted access allowing provision of the one or more annotations or viewing access i.e., not enabled to directly edit or modify the at least one document during the collaborative user session.
The at least one server is further configured to process the at least one document, via the database, to identify and locate a plurality of field elements therein. Upon obtaining the at least one document, via the interface, the at least one server is further configured to process the at least one document to identify and locate the plurality of field elements in the at least one document. The term “field element” as used herein refers to primary building blocks (or elements) of the interface and/or the at least one document, wherein the field element may be at least one of a structural element, a styling element, a positioning element, or an interactive element. For example, the plurality of field elements includes headers, text, images, objects, and the like. Typically, the at least one document is processed via the at least server, for example, parsed through a document parser, for identifying and locating the plurality of field elements in the at least one document. Such a processing step via the at least one server enables the system to identify the plurality of field elements and correspondingly receive inputs associated therewith from the two or more user devices in an accurate manner, such that, the received inputs may further be linked to the at least one document for verification thereof during the collaborative user session.
In one or more embodiments, the interface comprises a tracking module configured to detect the input from at least one of the two or more devices and detect a current field element from the identified plurality of field elements based on the detected input. The “tracking module” refers to a coded program configured to detect the input from at least one of the two or more user devices. For example, the input may be a left mouse-click associated with at least one of the two or more user devices, wherein the tracking module is configured to detect events (or inputs) associated with the left mouse-click i.e., the input. The detection of the input comprises determining the location of the input from at least one of the one or more devices and correspondingly determining the current field element from the identified plurality of field elements.
In another embodiment, the interface is further configured to implement an annotation module at the current field element of the at least one document, wherein the annotation module is configured to enable the two or more user devices to provide the one or more annotations. Upon detecting the current field element, the interface is further configured to implement the annotation module at the current field element i.e., based on the input from at least one of the two or more user devices, the interface is configured to implement the annotation module at the location of the input. The “annotation module” refers to an input module configured to enable the two or more user devices to provide the one or more annotations. For example, the annotation module comprises an input text field configured to allow a user to enter annotations thereat. Beneficially, the annotation module enables addition of comments or annotations at any required location of the at least one document based on the input from at least one of the two or more user devices. Alternatively stated, the two or more user devices are enabled to enter the one or more annotations at preferred or required locations of the at least one document and thereby making it easier for other of the two or more user devices to view or access the one or more annotations and deriving inferences therefrom in an efficient and/or effective manner.
In one or more embodiments, the interface is further configured to display the at least one document and display the one or more annotations on the at least one document. The interface is configured to display the at least one document and the one or more annotations therein to each of the two or more user devices to enable dynamic inspection thereof and allowing the two or more user devices to verify and/or edit the at least one document simultaneously.
In one or more embodiments, the interface is further configured to enable the first user device to modify the at least one document, via an editing module, during the collaborative user session. Upon obtaining the at least one document, the interface is further configured to enable the first user device of the two or more user devices to modify the at least one document. The term “editing module” refers to an input module configured to enable the first user device to modify or add information in the at least one document. In an example, the editing module may be operable to convert the at least one document or a selected field element in an editable form for allowing the first user device to modify the entire document or part thereof. In another example, the editing module may be a text field configured to enable the first user device to enter additional information into the at least one document. Beneficially, such modifications and/or additions to the at least one document by the first user device may also be reviewed simultaneously by other of the two or more user devices and thereby improves the accuracy of the output i.e., the at least one document.
The at least one server is further configured to configure the interface to obtain one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the identified one or more field elements in the at least one document, based on an input from at least one of the two or more user devices. Typically, upon identifying and locating the plurality of field elements in the at least one document, the interface is further configured to obtain one or more annotations from at least one of the two or more user devices based on the input from the associated user device. Alternatively stated, the at least one server configures the interface to obtain one or more annotations associated with at least one of the identified one or more field elements in the at least one document based on user input from at least one of the two or more user devices. The term “annotations” as used herein refers to comments or text notes provided by the two or more user devices to provide an explanation, or justification, or a suggestive action along with the identified field element selected based on the input from at least one of the two or more user devices. The “input” refers to an input command provided by any of the two or more user devices to annotate the at least one document during the collaborative user session. For example, the input may be a mouse-click (from a computer device), a touch input (from a smartphone), a key press (from a keyboard), and the like. Notably, the at least one server is configured to collect information associated with the input obtained from the at least one of the two or more user devices i.e., the location of the input, to allow annotations to be implemented at the exact location of the obtained input. Beneficially, such obtained annotations are dynamic in nature and are easily accessible by each of the two or more user devices during the collaborative user session to allow verification or review based on the provided annotations.
The at least one server is further configured to convert the obtained one or more annotations to generate one or more cookies. Typically, upon obtaining the one or more annotations from at least one of the two or more user devices, the at least one server is further configured to convert the received annotations to generate the one or more cookies that allow other of the two or more user devices to access the obtained one or more annotations. The term “cookies” as used herein refers to browser or web cookies i.e., a block of data created via the at least one server based on the obtained one or more annotations. Alternatively stated, the obtained one or more annotations are converted into the one or more cookies for enabling the two or more user devices to dynamically access the one or more annotations in an efficient manner. Herein, the at least one server is configured to generate the one or more cookies by utilizing the obtained one or more annotations during the collaborative user session and correspondingly, the generated one or more cookies may be transferred to the two or more user devices to enable access thereof. Beneficially, the generated one or more cookies are light-weight i.e., occupies minimal space and thereby enables faster review (or check) mechanism via the system in contrast to existing highly resource consuming solutions.
The at least one server is further configured to store the generated one or more cookies in the database. Upon generating the one or more cookies, the at least one server is further configured to store the one or more cookies in the database. Typically, the obtained one or more annotations are stored in the form of cookies in the database and thereby made accessible to each of the two or more user devices during the collaborative user session. Optionally, the at least one server or the database may be configured to index the obtained one or more annotations or the generated one or more cookies. Alternatively stated, the at least one server may provide a counter (or index) to keep track of the count of the associated one or more annotations and thereby stored in the form of cookies i.e., the one or more cookies contain the one or more annotations and the count of the annotations therewith to enable the two or more user devices to accurately inspect each of the one or more annotations and thereby verify the at least one document in an efficient manner.
The at least one server is further configured to transmit the generated one or more cookies to each of the two or more user devices for enabling dynamic inspection of the at least one document during the collaborative user session. Upon storing the generated one or more cookies in the database, the at least one server is further configured to transmit the stored one or more cookies to each of the two or more user devices during the collaborative user session. Typically, the generated one or more cookies are transferred to each of the two or more user devices for allowing access thereof and enabling dynamic inspection of the at least one document during the collaborative user session. Alternatively stated, the transmission of the stored one or more cookies enables the two or more user devices to access the one or more annotations dynamically (or instantly) since the transfer of the one or more cookies, owing to the light weight, is transferred almost instantly and/or dynamically and thereby allowing the two or more user devices to dynamically inspect and/or review the at least one document or further provide additional annotations such as, for further iterations.
A second aspect of the invention provides a computer implemented method for managing a collaborative user session, the method comprising:
- providing an interface for establishing the collaborative user session for two or more user devices, wherein the interface is configured for obtaining at least one document from a first user device of the two or more user devices;
- processing the at least one document, via the database, to identify and locate a plurality of field elements therein;
- configuring the interface for obtaining one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements in the at least one document, based on an input from at least one of the two or more user devices;
- converting the received one or more annotations to generate one or more cookies;
- storing the generated one or more cookies in the database; and
- transmitting the generated one or more cookies to each of the two or more user devices for enabling dynamic inspection of the at least one document during the collaborative user session.
The computer implemented method comprises providing an interface for establishing the collaborative user session for two or more user devices, wherein the interface is configured for obtaining at least one document from a first user device of the two or more user devices. The interface is provided for establishing the collaborative user session i.e., a common platform, wherein the first user device (or a maker device) of the two or more user devices is configured to provide the at least one document via the interface.
The method further comprises processing the at least one document, via the database, to identify and locate a plurality of field elements therein. The obtained at least one document is thereby processed via the database to identify and locate the plurality of field elements for enabling granular control via the method to accurately manage the collaborative user session.
The method further comprises configuring the interface for obtaining one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements in the at least one document, based on an input from at least one of the two or more user devices.
Upon processing the at least one document, the method further comprises configuring the interface to obtain the one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements from at least one of the two or more user devices i.e., the user associated with the two or more user devices are enable to enter annotations (at any selected location) in the at least one document.
The method further comprises converting the received one or more annotations to generate one or more cookies. The obtained one or more annotations are thereby converted to generate the one or more cookies. Beneficially, the generated one or more cookies (or library files) may be utilized by any user device in a faster and efficient manner owing to the light-weight characteristic of the one or more cookies.
The method further comprises storing the generated one or more cookies in the database and transmitting the generated one or more cookies to each of the two or more user devices for enabling dynamic inspection of the at least one document during the collaborative user session. Typically, the generated one or more cookies are stored in the database to be, made accessible, or transferred, to each of the two or more user devices to enable dynamic inspection and review of the at least one document during the collaborative user session.
In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises configuring the interface for providing a tracking module configured for detecting the input from at least one of the two or more devices and detecting a current field element from the identified plurality of field elements based on the detected input.
In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises configuring the interface for implementing an annotation module at the current field element of the at least one document, wherein the annotation module is configured for enabling the two or more user devices to provide the one or more annotations.
In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises configuring the interface for displaying at least one of the at least one document and the one or more annotations on the at least one document.
In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises configuring the interface for enabling the first user device to modify the at least one document, via an editing module, during the collaborative user session.
In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises providing the interface comprises utilizing one or more of HTML, for configuring structure or body of the interface, CSS, for defining styling and positioning elements of the interface and JavaScript, for configuring interactive elements of the interface.
In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises configuring the interface for receiving, via a login module, authentication data from each of the two or more user devices, transmitting the authentication data to the at least one server for authentication of the two or more users associated with the two or more user devices, processing the authentication data for identifying authentication information of users associated with the two or more user devices and defining an access level based on the processed authentication data for each of the two or more user devices for enabling customized access therefor.
A third aspect of the invention provides a computer program product for managing a collaborative user session, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable data storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when accessed by a processing device, cause the processing device to execute steps of a method of the first aspect. The term "computer program product" refers to a software product comprising program instructions that are recorded on the non-transitory machine-readable data storage medium, wherein the software product is executable upon a computing hardware for implementing the aforementioned steps of the method for managing a collaborative user session.
In an embodiment, the non-transitory machine-readable data storage medium can direct a machine (such as computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices) to function in a particular manner, such that the program instructions stored in the non-transitory machine-readable data storage medium case a series of steps to implement the function specified in a flowchart corresponding to the instructions. Examples of the non-transitory machine-readable data storage medium includes, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, or any suitable combination thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to FIG. 1, illustrated is a block diagram of a system 100 for managing a collaborative user session, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the system 100 comprises at least one server 102 communicably coupled to a database 104. The at least one server 102 is configured to provide an interface 106 for establishing the collaborative user session for two or more user devices 108, wherein the interface 106 is configured to obtain at least one document from a first user device 108A of the two or more user devices 108, process the at least one document, via the database 104, to identify and locate a plurality of field elements therein, configure the interface 106 to obtain one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements in the at least one document, based on an input from at least one of the two or more user devices 108, convert the obtained one or more annotations to generate one or more cookies, store the generated one or more cookies in the database 104 and transmit the generated one or more cookies to each of the two or more user devices 108 for enabling dynamic inspection of the at least one document during the collaborative user session.
Referring to FIG. 2, illustrated is a flowchart listing steps involved in a computer-implemented method 200 for managing a collaborative user session, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the method 200 comprises steps 202, 204, 206, 208, 210 and 212. At a step 202, the method 200 comprises providing an interface for establishing the collaborative user session for two or more user devices, wherein the interface is configured for obtaining at least one document from a first user device of the two or more user devices. The interface is provided for establishing the collaborative user session i.e., a common platform, wherein the first user device (or a maker device) of the two or more user devices is configured to provide the at least one document via the interface. At a step 204, the method 200 further comprises processing the at least one document, via the database, to identify and locate a plurality of field elements therein. The obtained at least one document is thereby processed via the database to identify and locate the plurality of field elements for enabling granular control via the method to accurately manage the collaborative user session. At a step 206, the method 200 further comprises configuring the interface for obtaining one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements in the at least one document, based on an input from at least one of the two or more user devices. Upon processing the at least one document, the method 200 further comprises configuring the interface to obtain the one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements from at least one of the two or more user devices i.e., the user associated with the two or more user devices are enable to enter annotations (at any selected location) in the at least one document. At a step 208, the method 200 further comprises converting the received one or more annotations to generate one or more cookies. The obtained one or more annotations are thereby converted to generate the one or more cookies. Beneficially, the generated one or more cookies (or library files) may be utilized by any user device in a faster and efficient manner owing to the light-weight characteristic of the one or more cookies. At a step 210, the method 200 further comprises storing the generated one or more cookies in the database and at a step 212, the method 200 further comprises transmitting the generated one or more cookies to each of the two or more user devices for enabling dynamic inspection of the at least one document during the collaborative user session. Typically, the generated one or more cookies are stored in the database to be, made accessible, or transferred, to each of the two or more user devices to enable dynamic inspection and review of the at least one document during the collaborative user session. The aforementioned steps are only illustrative and other alternatives can also be provided where one or more steps are added, one or more steps are removed, or one or more steps are provided in a different sequence without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIGs. 3A to 3C, illustrate are exemplary representations of the interface 106, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the exemplary representations of the interface 106 are illustrated for depicting the process of obtaining the one or more annotations associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements 302 in the at least one document 300, based on an input from at least one of the two or more user devices 108.
Referring to FIG. 3A, illustrated is an exemplary representation of the interface 106, wherein a user of at least one of the two or more user devices 108 hovers an input device (such as, a mouse) associated with one of the two or more user devices 108 over the at least one document and based on hovering over the identified plurality of field elements, the interface 106 is configured to display a prompt 304A indicating “Add a new comment” for informing user to annotate the at least one document 300.
Referring to FIG. 3B, illustrated is an exemplary representation of the interface 106, wherein the user of at least one of the two or more user devices 108 provides an input (such as, a mouse-click) via the input device. Herein, the interface 106 detects the input from at least one of the two or more devices 108 and correspondingly, the interface 106 is configured to detect a current field element 302A from the plurality of field elements 302 based on the detected input. The detected current field element 302A is thereby utilized to enable the two or more user devices 108 to annotate the at least one document 300 at the location of the current field element 302A.
Referring to FIG. 3C, illustrated is an exemplary representation of the interface 106, wherein the user of at least one of the user devices has entered an annotation “correct invoice number to 012345” to be added to the at least one document based on input (for example, left click on add button) from the user of at least one of the two or more user devices 108.
Modifications to embodiments of the present disclosure described in the foregoing are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the accompanying claims. Expressions such as "including", "comprising", "incorporating", "have", "is" used to describe and claim the present disclosure are intended to be construed in a non-exclusive manner, namely allowing for items, components or elements not explicitly described also to be present. Reference to the singular is also to be construed to relate to the plural.
, Claims:CLAIMS
What is claimed is:
1. A system for managing a collaborative user session, the system comprising:
- at least one server communicably coupled to a database, wherein the at least one server is configured to:
- provide an interface for establishing the collaborative user session for two or more user devices, wherein the interface is configured to obtain at least one document from a first user device of the two or more user devices;
- process the at least one document, via the database, to identify and locate a plurality of field elements therein;
- configure the interface to obtain one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements in the at least one document, based on an input from at least one of the two or more user devices;
- convert the obtained one or more annotations to generate one or more cookies;
- store the generated one or more cookies in the database; and
- transmit the generated one or more cookies to each of the two or more user devices for enabling dynamic inspection of the at least one document during the collaborative user session.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a tracking module configured to:
- detect the input from at least one of the two or more devices; and
- detect a current field element from the plurality of field elements based on the detected input.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the interface is further configured to implement an annotation module at the current field element of the at least one document, wherein the annotation module is configured to enable the two or more user devices to provide the one or more annotations.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the interface is further configured to:
- display the at least one document; and
- display the one or more annotations on the at least one document.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to enable the first user device to modify the at least one document, via an editing module, during the collaborative user session.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is provided using one or more of:
- HTML, for configuring structure or body of the interface;
- CSS, for defining styling and positioning elements of the interface; and
- JavaScript, for configuring interactive elements of the interface;
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to:
- receive, via a login module, authentication data from each of the two or more user devices; and
- transmit the authentication data to the at least one server for authentication of the two or more users associated with the two or more user devices.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one server is further configured to:
- process the authentication data for identifying authentication information of users associated with the two or more user devices; and
- define an access level based on the processed authentication data for each of the two or more user devices for enabling customized access therefor.
9. A computer implemented method for managing a collaborative user session, the method comprising:
- providing an interface for establishing the collaborative user session for two or more user devices, wherein the interface is configured for obtaining at least one document from a first user device of the two or more user devices;
- processing the at least one document, via the database, to identify and locate a plurality of field elements therein;
- configuring the interface for obtaining one or more annotations, associated with at least one of the plurality of field elements in the at least one document, based on an input from at least one of the two or more user devices;
- converting the received one or more annotations to generate one or more cookies;
- storing the generated one or more cookies in the database; and
- transmitting the generated one or more cookies to each of the two or more user devices for enabling dynamic inspection of the at least one document during the collaborative user session.
10. The method of claim 9 further comprises configuring the interface for providing a tracking module configured for:
- detecting the input from at least one of the two or more devices; and
- detecting a current field element from the plurality of field elements based on the detected input.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprises configuring the interface for implementing an annotation module at the current field element of the at least one document, wherein the annotation module is configured for enabling the two or more user devices to provide the one or more annotations.
12. The method of claim 11 further comprises configuring the interface for displaying at least one of:
- the at least one document; and
- the one or more annotations on the at least one document.
13. The method of claim 1 further comprises configuring the interface for enabling the first user device to modify the at least one document, via an editing module, during the collaborative user session.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the interface comprises utilizing one or more of:
- HTML, for configuring structure or body of the interface;
- CSS, for defining styling and positioning elements of the interface; and
- JavaScript, for configuring interactive elements of the interface.
15. The method of claim 1 further comprises configuring the interface for:
- receiving, via a login module, authentication data from each of the two or more user devices;
- transmitting the authentication data to the at least one server for authentication of the two or more users associated with the two or more user devices;
- processing the authentication data for identifying authentication information of users associated with the two or more user devices; and
- defining an access level based on the processed authentication data for each of the two or more user devices for enabling customized access therefor.