Transmission of messages related to electronic documents

• US 20060248012A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kircher, Stefan, Dauscher, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/119,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20060248012A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

One implementation provides a computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed, perform a method for processing a message related to an electronic document. The method includes transmitting an electronic document having a unique identifier from a first system to a second system and receiving at the first system a message from the second system related to content contained in the electronic document. The message includes a predetermined field for the unique identifier that links the message to the electronic document. The method may also include notifying a user of the first system that the first system received the message. The notifying may include updating a list of tasks. One of the tasks may indicate that the user may view the received message on the first system.

Claims

1. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, perform a method for processing a message related to an electronic document, the method comprising:

transmitting an electronic document having a unique identifier from a first system to a second system; and

receiving at the first system a message from the second system that relates to content contained in the electronic document, wherein the message includes a predetermined field for the unique identifier that links the message to the electronic document.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising notifying the user of the first system that the first system received the message.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the notifying includes updating a list of tasks, one of the tasks indicating that the user may view the received message on the first system.

4. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the notifying includes sending an e-mail to the user.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is an electronic document number, and wherein the electronic document number is a number uniquely associated with the electronic document.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is an item number, and wherein the item number is a number uniquely associated with an item in the electronic document.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises transmitting a second message from the first system to the second system, wherein the second message includes a predetermined field containing the unique identifier that links the second message to the electronic document.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises notifying a user of the second system that the second system received the second message.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises maintaining a history for the electronic document using the unique identifier that is included in each message, and wherein the history includes each message transmitted by the first and second systems.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the history is visually displayed when the electronic document is accessed.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein a user of the second system inputs the message.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the second system automatically generates the message.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the second system generates the message based on the content of the electronic document.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first system is a seller system and the second system is a buyer system.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises transmitting a second electronic document from the first system to the second system, and wherein the second electronic document is a second version of the electronic document that incorporates changes prompted by the message received by the first system.

16. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the message further includes message text, a message source, date information, and time information.

17. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the second system retrieves the unique identifier from the received electronic document and associates the unique identifier with the message before transmitting the message to the first system.

18. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving an attachment linked to the message, and wherein the attachment is selected from a group consisting of a text document, a sound file, a video file, an image file, a spreadsheet, an e-mail, a slide presentation, and a design file.

19. A method comprising:

transmitting an electronic document having a unique identifier from a first system to a second system; and

receiving at the first system a message from the second system that relates to content contained in the electronic document, wherein the message includes a predetermined field containing the unique identifier that links the message to the electronic document.

20. A system that is programmed to:

transmit an electronic document having a unique identifier from a first system to a second system; and

receive at the first system a message from the second system that relates to content contained in the electronic document, wherein the message includes a predetermined field containing the unique identifier that links the message to the electronic document.