Method and apparatus for electronic document exchange

• US 20010027459A1
• Filed: 02/28/2001
• Published: 10/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: XBridge Software, Inc. (Cistera Networks, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: XBridge Software, Inc. (Cistera Networks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Royal, Gregory T.
• Application Number:
  US09/795,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20010027459A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/513
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

A method and apparatus for performing electronic document exchange between a plurality of parties is described. Each party may have a multiple number of data communications processors at various locations. These data communications processors or servers transmit documents between respective parties under the context of relationships between the two or more parties. When the organizations decide on those relationships, they exchange capability to exchange documents through the establishment of a security protocol model and document type definitions (DTD) for the exchanged documents. These DTDs are stored within relationship containers on the server. The relationships are stored within organizational containers. Additionally, DTDs inherit attributes of the relationship and of the organization. Multiple documents in relationships and multiple relationships within organizational containers can exist. The logic of the document is defined within the context of the relationship between two parties. This logic is associated with the DTD and stored within the appropriate relationship where the DTD is stored. Once a document is received, the DTD is extracted and the relationship is located for that DTD. At each step, the requestor is tested to see whether the request is working within the relationship security model and the bounds of that relationship. The document and the decision template are passed through the engine and the result set is marked up and passed back to the requester.

Claims

1. A method for the electronic document exchange of XML documents consisting of a multiplicity of communicating data processors, the method comprising:

creating an organizational container for each of a plurality of parties;

creating a plurality of relationship containers for each relationship between two or more of the plurality of parties;

installing the plurality of relationship containers inside the appropriate organizational container;

identifying an appropriate document to formalize each relationship between two more of the plurality of parties;

exchanging the Uniform Resources Locator (URL) of a Document Type Definition (DTD) of the appropriate document;

assigning a decision tree for each DTD; and

storing the DTD and the decision tree in the appropriate relationship container.

2. The method according to

claim 1

, further including:

determining a method of transacting documents;

establishing a document interchange session based upon the result of the determining step;

transmitting a document from a first party to a second party according to the appropriate relationship;

receiving the electronic document by the second party from the first party;

extracting the DTD from the document; and

retrieving the decision tree for that Document Type Definition.

3. The method of

claim 2

, further including executing the document as per the decision tree and extracting a plurality of results.

4. The method of

claim 3

, further including passing the plurality of results back to the second party.