Transmission of Messages Related to Electronic Documents

• US 20100077348A1
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kircher, Stefan, Dauscher, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,036,989 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/803
• 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

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer program product tangibly embodied in computer-readable memory storage medium, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a computer-implemented method for providing a display on a display device of information about a stored electronic business document, the method comprising:

providing within a computing system an electronic business document stored in computer-readable memory medium, the electronic business document having an identifier that is unique to the electronic business document so as to distinguish the electronic business document from other electronic business documents; and

in response to the receipt of a user input indicating a request by a user to access the electronic business document having the unique identifier, accessing the electronic business document having the unique identifier, extracting from the electronic document the unique identifier, and displaying the following in a common graphical user interface (GUI) of a display device;

(1) in a first area of the GUI, content extracted from the electronic business document;

(2) in a second area of the GUI that is distinct from the first area, user interface controls for creating and sending new electronic messages pertaining to the electronic business document for which content is being displayed in the first area of the GUI, and

(3) in a third area of the GUI that is distinct from both the first area and the second area, a list view that identifies stored electronic messages that were previously created and sent and that are stored in computer-readable memory medium, each of the electronic messages identified in the list view having stored in association with the electronic message in the memory medium the unique identifier that was extracted from the electronic business document upon being accessed and that distinguishes the electronic business document from other electronic business documents.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the unique identifier is an electronic document number, and wherein the electronic document number is a number uniquely associated with the electronic business document.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the unique identifier is not visible to a user viewing the GUI.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises receiving user input under the control of the user interface controls of the second area of the GUI to create a new message pertaining to the business document, and inserting into the new message the unique identifier of the business document.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the method further comprises sending the new message including the unique identifier contained within the message.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the third area of the GUI includes an identification of the new message in the list view.

27. A computer-implemented method for providing a display on a display device of information about a stored electronic business document, the method comprising:

providing within a computing system an electronic business document stored in computer-readable memory medium, the electronic business document having an identifier that is unique to the electronic business document so as to distinguish the electronic business document from other electronic business documents; and

in response to the receipt of a user input indicating a request by a user to access the electronic business document having the unique identifier, accessing the electronic business document having the unique identifier, extracting from the electronic document the unique identifier, and displaying the following in a common graphical user interface (GUI) of a display device;

(1) in a first area of the GUI, content extracted from the electronic business document;

(2) in a second area of the GUI that is distinct from the first area, user interface controls for creating and sending new electronic messages pertaining to the electronic business document for which content is being displayed in the first area of the GUI, and

(3) in a third area of the GUI that is distinct from both the first area and the second area, a list view that identifies stored electronic messages that were previously created and sent and that are stored in computer-readable memory medium, each of the electronic messages identified in the list view having stored in association with the electronic message in the memory medium the unique identifier that was extracted from the electronic business document upon being accessed and that distinguishes the electronic business document from other electronic business documents.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the method further comprises receiving user input under the control of the user interface controls of the second area of the GUI to create a new message pertaining to the business document, and inserting into the new message the unique identifier of the business document.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises sending the new message including the unique identifier contained within the message.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the third area of the GUI includes an identification of the new message in the list view.

31. A computing system that is programmed to perform the following computer-implemented operations:

provide within a computing system an electronic business document stored in computer-readable memory medium, the electronic business document having an identifier that is unique to the electronic business document so as to distinguish the electronic business document from other electronic business documents;

in response to the receipt of a user input indicating a request by a user to access the electronic business document having the unique identifier, access the electronic business document having the unique identifier, extract from the electronic document the unique identifier, and display the following in a common graphical user interface (GUI) of a display device;

(1) in a first area of the GUI, content extracted from the electronic business document;

(2) in a second area of the GUI that is distinct from the first area, user interface controls for creating and sending new electronic messages pertaining to the electronic business document for which content is being displayed in the first area of the GUI, and

(3) in a third area of the GUI that is distinct from both the first area and the second area, a list view that identifies stored electronic messages that were previously created and sent and that are stored in computer-readable memory medium, each of the electronic messages identified in the list view having stored in association with the electronic message in the memory medium the unique identifier that was extracted from the electronic business document upon being accessed and that distinguishes the electronic business document from other electronic business documents.

32. The computing system of claim 31, wherein the system is further programmed to receive user input under the control of the user interface controls of the second area of the GUI to create a new message pertaining to the business document, and insert into the new message the unique identifier of the business document.

33. The computing system of claim 32, wherein the system is further programmed to send the new message including the unique identifier contained within the message.

34. The computing system of claim 33, wherein the third area of the GUI includes an identification of the new message in the list view.