METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR COMMUNICATING PRESERVATION NOTICES AND SURVEYS

• US 20100250644A1
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Toomey, Brian L., Hobart, Eric B., Whalen, John N. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

In general, embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and apparatuses for managing electronic discovery, and more particularly, for communicating a preservation notice and/or a survey to and/or from a custodian in an enterprise. For example, in some embodiments, a method for electronic discovery management is provided, where the method includes: (1) creating an electronic discovery matter; (2) adding a custodian to the electronic discovery matter; (3) creating a preservation notice and/or a survey; and (4) communicating, via a network, information associated with the preservation notice and/or the survey to the custodian at a data storage device accessible to the custodian.

Claims

1. A method for electronic discovery management, the method comprising:

creating an electronic discovery matter;

adding a custodian to the electronic discovery matter; and

communicating, via a network, information associated with a preservation notice to the custodian at a data storage device accessible to the custodian.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein communicating, via the network, information associated with the preservation notice further comprises communicating, via the network, the preservation notice to the custodian at the data storage device.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating, via the network, information associated with a survey to the custodian at the data storage device.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising creating the survey.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein communicating, via the network, information associated with the survey further comprises communicating, via the network, the survey to the custodian at the data storage device.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising creating the preservation notice.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, via the network, information associated with an acknowledgement from the custodian.

8. The method according to claim 3, further comprising receiving, via the network, information associated with a survey response from the custodian.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating, via the network, information associated with a reminder notice to the custodian at the data storage device, wherein the information associated with the reminder notice comprises a reminder for the custodian to acknowledge the preservation notice.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information associated with the preservation notice comprises information associated with a status of one or more preservation notices or one or more surveys.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information associated with the preservation notice further comprises a link to the preservation notice.

12. The method according to claim 1, the information associated with the preservation notice comprises functionality configured to permit the custodian to identify one or more other custodians to add to the electronic discovery matter or to receive the preservation notice.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising linking the preservation notice to the custodian in the electronic discovery matter, and wherein linking the preservation notice to the custodian further comprises automatically triggering communicating, via the network, the information associated with the preservation notice to the custodian at the data storage device.

14. The method according to claim 3, further comprising linking the survey to the custodian in the electronic discovery matter, and wherein linking the survey to the custodian further comprises automatically triggering communicating, via the network, the information associated with the survey to the custodian at the data storage device.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating, via the network, the preservation notice to a holds portal accessible to the custodian.

16. An electronic discovery management system, the system comprising:

a communication interface operatively connected to a network; and

a processor operatively connected to the communication interface and configured to;

create an electronic discovery matter;

add a custodian to the electronic discovery matter; and

instruct the communication interface to communicate, via the network, information associated with a preservation notice to the custodian at a data storage device accessible to the custodian.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to instruct the communication interface to communicate, via the network, information associated with a survey to the custodian at the data storage device.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to create a survey.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to create the preservation notice.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the communication interface is further configured to receive, via the network, information associated with an acknowledgement from the custodian.

21. The system according to claim 16, wherein the communication interface is further configured to receive, via the network, information associated with a survey response from the custodian.

22. The system according to claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to instruct the communication interface to communicate, via the network, information associated with a reminder notice to the custodian at the data storage device, wherein the information associated with the reminder notice comprises a reminder for the custodian to acknowledge the preservation notice.

23. The system according to claim 16, wherein the information associated with the preservation notice comprises information associated with a status of one or more preservation notices or one or more surveys.

24. The system according to claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to link the preservation notice to the custodian in the electronic discovery matter, and wherein linking the preservation notice to the custodian automatically triggers the processor to instruct the communication interface to communicate, via the network, the information associated with the preservation notice to the custodian at the data storage device.

25. The system according to claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to link the survey to the custodian in the electronic discovery matter, and wherein linking the survey to the custodian automatically triggers the processor to instruct the communication interface to communicate, via the network, the information associated with the survey to the custodian at the data storage device.

26. The system according to claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to instruct the communication interface to communicate, via the network, the preservation notice to a holds portal accessible to the custodian.

27. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein, wherein the computer-executable program code portions comprise:

a first program code portion configured to create an electronic discovery matter;

a second program code portion configured to add a custodian to the electronic discovery matter; and

a third program code portion configured to communicate, via a network, information associated with a preservation notice to the custodian at a data storage device accessible to the custodian.

28. The computer program product according to claim 27, further comprising a fourth program code portion configured to communicate, via the network, information associated with a survey to the custodian at the data storage device.

29. The computer program product according to claim 27, further comprising a fourth program code portion configured to create a survey.

30. The computer program product according to claim 27, further comprising a fourth program code portion configured to create the preservation notice.

31. The computer program product according to claim 27, further comprising a fourth program code portion configured to receive, via the network, information associated with an acknowledgement from the custodian.

32. The computer program product according to claim 27, further comprising a fifth program code portion configured to receive, via the network, information associated with a survey response from the custodian.

33. The computer program product according to claim 27, further comprising a fourth program code portion configured to communicate, via the network, information associated with a reminder notice to the custodian at the data storage device, wherein the information associated with the reminder notice comprises a reminder for the custodian to acknowledge the preservation notice.

34. The computer program product according to claim 27, wherein the information associated with the preservation notice comprises information associated with a status of one or more preservation notices or one or more surveys.

35. The computer program product according to claim 27, further comprising a fourth program code portion configured to link the preservation notice to the custodian in the electronic discovery matter, and wherein the fourth program code portion automatically triggers the third program code portion.

36. The computer program product according to claim 28, further comprising a fifth program code portion configured to link the survey to the custodian in the electronic discovery matter, and wherein the fifth program code portion automatically triggers the fourth program code portion.

37. The computer program product according to claim 27, further comprising a fourth program code portion configured to communicate, via the network, the preservation notice to a holds portal accessible to the custodian.

38. A method of using an electronic discovery management system, the method comprising:

establishing a network connection between the electronic discovery management system and a data storage device accessible to a custodian;

creating an electronic discovery matter; and

transmitting information associated with a survey from the electronic discovery management system to the custodian at the data storage device.

39. The method according to claim 38, further comprising communicating, via the network, information associated with a preservation notice to the custodian at the data storage device.

40. The method according to claim 38, further comprising creating the survey.

41. The method according to claim 38, further comprising receiving, via the network, information associated with a survey response from the custodian.

42. The method according to claim 38, further comprising communicating, via the network, information associated with a reminder notice to the custodian at the data storage device, wherein the information associated with the reminder notice comprises a reminder for the custodian to provide a survey response to the survey.

43. The method according to claim 38, further comprising linking the survey to the custodian in the electronic discovery matter, and wherein linking the survey to the custodian further comprises automatically triggering communicating, via the network, the information associated with the survey to the custodian at the data storage device.

44. The method according to claim 38, further comprising communicating, via the network, the survey to a holds portal accessible to the custodian.