Collaborative Email With Hierachical Signature Authority

• US 20090083384A1
• Filed: 03/25/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhogal, Kulvir Singh, Kamper, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

Writing a collaborative email document with hierarchical authorities including establishing a collaborative email document on an administrator'"'"'s computer, identifying one or more signatories for the document, identifying one or more collaborators who are authorized to view and edit the document, providing to the collaborators copies of the document for viewing and editing, where the collaborators'"'"' copies reside on collaborators'"'"' computers, updating the copies of the document on collaborators'"'"' computers with revisions from the collaborators, and sending the collaborative email document from the administrator'"'"'s computer to addressees when the document bears valid digital signatures from all signatories. Typical embodiments also include providing at least one user authority to delegate signature authority, establishing a hierarchy of delegation authority for signatures, establishing at least one authority delegation policy including at least one rule for automated delegation of signature authority among signatories and delegating signature authority from at least one signatory to another.

Claims

1. A method for writing a collaborative email document with delegable authorities, the method comprising:

establishing a collaborative email document on an administrator'"'"'s computer;

identifying one or more signatories for the document;

identifying one or more collaborators who are authorized to view and edit the document;

providing to the collaborators copies of the document for viewing and editing, wherein the collaborators'"'"' copies reside on collaborators'"'"' computers;

updating the copies of the document on collaborators'"'"' computers with revisions from the collaborators; and

sending the collaborative email document from the administrator'"'"'s computer to addressees when the document bears valid digital signatures from all signatories.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing to at least one user authority to delegate signature authority.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing a hierarchy of delegation authority for signatures;

establishing at least one authority delegation policy comprising at least one rule for automated delegation of signature authority among signatories in the hierarchy; and

delegating signature authority from at least one signatory to another signatory in accordance with the authority delegation policy.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing at least one authority delegation policy comprising at least one rule for automated delegation of signature authority; and

delegating signature authority from at least one signatory to another signatory in accordance with the authority delegation policy.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein rules for automated delegation of signature authority comprise:

a rule that the signature authority of a first signatory having a first position in a hierarchy of delegation authority may be delegated to a second signatory having a second position in the hierarchy of delegation authority, wherein the second position is higher in the hierarchy than the first position;

a rule that a first signatory having a first position in the hierarchy of delegation authority may digitally sign the collaborative email document only after a second signatory having a second position in the hierarchy of delegation authority has signed the collaborative email document, wherein the second position is higher in the hierarchy than the first position;

a rule that signature authority is to be delegated to a second signatory if a first signatory does not sign the document within a specified period of time; and

a rule that signature authority may be delegated during a specified period of time.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing one or more authority delegation type parameters that identify modes of delegating authority for signatories;

assigning at least one authority delegation type parameter to the collaborative email document; and

delegating signature authority from at least one signatory to another signatory in accordance with the assigned authority delegation type parameter.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein modes of delegating authority for signatories comprise:

a mode in which signature authority is delegated according to authority delegation policies;

a mode in which signature authority is delegated by an originator of the collaborative email document; and

a mode in which one or more collaborators are authorized to delegate signature authority to at least one signatory.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing time parameters for writing the collaborative email document;

providing alerts and reminders in accordance with the established time parameters; and

forwarding copies of the collaborative email document to delegated backup collaborators in accordance with the established time parameters.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing for at least one collaborator authority to delegate the authority to view and edit the collaborative email document.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying editable portions of the email document; and

specifying that only certain collaborators are authorized to view and edit one or more portions of the document;

wherein authority to view and edit one or more portions of the document includes authority to delegate to another collaborator the authority to view and edit one or more portions of the document.

11. A system for writing a collaborative email document with delegable authorities, the system comprising:

means for establishing a collaborative email document on an administrator'"'"'s computer;

means for identifying one or more signatories for the document;

means for identifying one or more collaborators who are authorized to view and edit the document;

means for providing to the collaborators copies of the document for viewing and editing, wherein the collaborators'"'"' copies reside on collaborators'"'"' computers;

means for updating the copies of the document on collaborators'"'"' computers with revisions from the collaborators; and

means for sending the collaborative email document from the administrator'"'"'s computer to addressees when the document bears valid digital signatures from all signatories.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising means for providing to at least one user authority to delegate signature authority.

13. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

means for establishing a hierarchy of delegation authority for signatures;

means for establishing at least one authority delegation policy comprising at least one rule for automated delegation of signature authority among signatories in the hierarchy; and

means for delegating signature authority from at least one signatory to another signatory in accordance with the authority delegation policy.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

means for establishing at least one authority delegation policy comprising at least one rule for automated delegation of signature authority; and

means for delegating signature authority from at least one signatory to another signatory in accordance with the authority delegation policy.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein rules for automated delegation of signature authority comprise:

a rule that the signature authority of a first signatory means for having a first position in a hierarchy of delegation authority may be delegated to a second signatory means for having a second position in the hierarchy of delegation authority, wherein the second position is higher in the hierarchy than the first position;

a rule that a first signatory means for having a first position in the hierarchy of delegation authority may digitally sign the collaborative email document only after a second signatory means for having a second position in the hierarchy of delegation authority has signed the collaborative email document, wherein the second position is higher in the hierarchy than the first position;

a rule that signature authority is to be delegated to a second signatory if a first signatory does not sign the document within a specified period of time; and

a rule that signature authority may be delegated during a specified period of time.

16. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

means for establishing one or more authority delegation type parameters that identify modes of delegating authority for signatories;

means for assigning at least one authority delegation type parameter to the collaborative email document; and

means for delegating signature authority from at least one signatory to another signatory in accordance with the assigned authority delegation type parameter.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein modes of means for delegating authority for signatories comprise:

a mode in which signature authority is delegated according to authority delegation policies;

a mode in which signature authority is delegated by an originator of the collaborative email document; and

a mode in which one or more collaborators are authorized to delegate signature authority to at least one signatory.

18. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

means for establishing time parameters for writing the collaborative email document;

means for providing alerts and reminders in accordance with the established time parameters; and

means for forwarding copies of the collaborative email document to delegated backup collaborators in accordance with the established time parameters.

19. The system of claim 11 further comprising means for providing for at least one collaborator authority to delegate the authority to view and edit the collaborative email document.

20. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

means for identifying editable portions of the email document; and

means for specifying that only certain collaborators are authorized to view and edit one or more portions of the document;

wherein authority to view and edit one or more portions of the document includes authority to delegate to another collaborator the authority to view and edit one or more portions of the document.

21. A computer program product for writing a collaborative email document with delegable authorities, the computer program product comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for establishing a collaborative email document on an administrator'"'"'s computer;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying one or more signatories for the document;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying one or more collaborators who are authorized to view and edit the document;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing to the collaborators copies of the document for viewing and editing, wherein the collaborators'"'"' copies reside on collaborators'"'"' computers;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for updating the copies of the document on collaborators'"'"' computers with revisions from the collaborators; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for sending the collaborative email document from the administrator'"'"'s computer to addressees when the document bears valid digital signatures from all signatories.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing to at least one user authority to delegate signature authority.

23. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for establishing a hierarchy of delegation authority for signatures;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for establishing at least one authority delegation policy comprising at least one rule for automated delegation of signature authority among signatories in the hierarchy; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for delegating signature authority from at least one signatory to another signatory in accordance with the authority delegation policy.

24. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for establishing at least one authority delegation policy comprising at least one rule for automated delegation of signature authority; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for delegating signature authority from at least one signatory to another signatory in accordance with the authority delegation policy.

25. The computer program product of claim 24 wherein rules for automated delegation of signature authority comprise:

a rule that the signature authority of a first signatory means, recorded on the recording medium, for having a first position in a hierarchy of delegation authority may be delegated to a second signatory means, recorded on the recording medium, for having a second position in the hierarchy of delegation authority, wherein the second position is higher in the hierarchy than the first position;

a rule that a first signatory means, recorded on the recording medium, for having a first position in the hierarchy of delegation authority may digitally sign the collaborative email document only after a second signatory means, recorded on the recording medium, for having a second position in the hierarchy of delegation authority has signed the collaborative email document, wherein the second position is higher in the hierarchy than the first position;

a rule that signature authority is to be delegated to a second signatory if a first signatory does not sign the document within a specified period of time; and

a rule that signature authority may be delegated during a specified period of time.

26. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for establishing one or more authority delegation type parameters that identify modes of delegating authority for signatories;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning at least one authority delegation type parameter to the collaborative email document; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for delegating signature authority from at least one signatory to another signatory in accordance with the assigned authority delegation type parameter.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein modes of means, recorded on the recording medium, for delegating authority for signatories comprise:

a mode in which signature authority is delegated according to authority delegation policies;

a mode in which signature authority is delegated by an originator of the collaborative email document; and

a mode in which one or more collaborators are authorized to delegate signature authority to at least one signatory.

28. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for establishing time parameters for writing the collaborative email document;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing alerts and reminders in accordance with the established time parameters; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for forwarding copies of the collaborative email document to delegated backup collaborators in accordance with the established time parameters.

29. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing for at least one collaborator authority to delegate the authority to view and edit the collaborative email document.

30. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying editable portions of the email document; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for specifying that only certain collaborators are authorized to view and edit one or more portions of the document;

wherein authority to view and edit one or more portions of the document includes authority to delegate to another collaborator the authority to view and edit one or more portions of the document.