Groove Networks, Incorporated

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Other

Edward J Fischer

Ransom Lloyd Richardson

Raymond Edward Ozzie

Kenneth G Moore

Dana Zircher

Hugh Francis Pyle

Michael Jeffers

Robert Sean Slapikoff

Christopher Norman

Tools and techniques are described for synchronization and collaboration within peer-to-peer and client/server environments. These tools may provide methods that include establishing peer-to-peer relationships between two or more client systems. These relationships enable the client systems to create respective local instances of workspaces, shared between the client systems to allow them to collaborate with one another. The client systems may participate in peer-to-peer synchronization flows with one another, with the synchronization flows representing updates made local to the shared workspaces of the client systems. The methods may also establish establishing a client/server relationship between one of the client systems and a server system. Through this client/server relationship, the client and server systems may participate in client/server synchronization flows, with these flows representing updates made to the local shared workspace at the client system.

Synchronization and collaboration within peer-to-peer and client/server environments

A storage manager represents XML-compliant documents as a collection of objects in memory, allowing the storage manager to manipulate the document, or parts of the document, with a consistent interface and to provide for features that are not available in conventional XML documents, such as element attributes with types other than text and documents that contain binary rather than text information. The XML-compliant document may be associated with a schema document which defines the arrangement of the document elements and attributes. The schema data associated with a document can contain a mapping between document elements and program code to be associated with each element. The storage manager further has methods for retrieving the code from the element tag. The retrieved code can then be invoked using attributes and content from the associated element and the element then acts like a conventional object.

Method and apparatus for efficient management of XML documents

A storage manager represents XML-compliant documents as a collection of objects, each associated with an element of the XML document. The objects are created with a hierarchy that conforms to the hierarchy of elements in the XML document. Access to the document is then through methods of the objects exposed to application programs through a programming interface. The methods provide a consistent interface to documents regardless of how the data associated with the documents is stored in memory. Consequently, the underlying content of XML documents can be stored using a distributed virtual object system that provides a mechanism for multiple processes to access each object. As an example of the benefits of such a storage manager, the storage manager may be used to maintain a telespace, such as may store information shared by multiple users participating in a collaboration session.

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.

An anti-syphon device for a water supply line of a toilet tank having an opening in a bottom wall thereof. A tubular inlet fitting is mounted in the opening and has a lower portion extending downwardly from the bottom wall. The water supply line underlies the inlet fitting and includes a main portion, a head portion of enlarged diameter, and an outwardly extending flange at an upper end of the head portion. A washer forms a seal between the flange of the water supply line and the lower portion of the inlet fitting. The washer includes a portion extending inwardly of the head portion. There is a valve seat at the lower end of the head portion and a valve member, which is inside the head portion, engages the valve seat to form a seal therewith. A compression spring bears on the valve member and on the inwardly extending portion of the washer member to urge the valve member to closed position.

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Edward J Fischer