Just in Time Workflow Construction

• US 20130167020A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Farmer Brian, Joseph Ternasky, Matthew A. Wormley, Vijay Sadanand Ghaskadvi
• Inventors: Farmer, John L., Ternasky, Joseph, Wormley, Matthew A., Ghaskadvi, Vijay Sadanand
• Granted Patent: US 9,760,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products for handling a workflow within an electronic document. Participants are chosen for the workflow and the activities are assigned to the workflow participants. Workflow information is obtained from an electronic document, where the workflow information pertains to activities assigned to a user. The user can consult on or delegate the assigned activities, in which case the electronic document is sent to the consultant or delegate. Alternatively the user can reassign future activities. If it is detected that the workflow has been completed, the user can indicate the continuing of the workflow by identifying additional workflow participants, and the electronic document is sent to one of the additional workflow participants.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving user input to initiate a workflow with an electronic document;

receiving user input to choose one or more activities for the workflow, wherein each of the one or more activities is of a kind that can be performed on the electronic document;

receiving user input to choose one or more workflow participants;

receiving user input to assign the activities to the workflow participants; and

incorporating a schedule of the assigned activities and the workflow participants into the electronic document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein choosing activities and choosing workflow participants comprises reusing a workflow from an archived electronic document.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving user input to choose activities and receiving user input to choose workflow participants comprises:

receiving confirmation from the user to automatically reuse the workflow from the archived electronic document if the electronic document is similar to the archived electronic document.

4. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving directly or indirectly an electronic document from an initiating workflow participant;

obtaining workflow information from an electronic document, the workflow information pertaining to one or more activities assigned to one or more workflow participants;

receiving user input to reassign one of the assigned activities to a different workflow participant; and

writing workflow information to the electronic document indicating that the user reassigned an activity.

5. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving directly or indirectly an electronic document from an initiating workflow participant;

obtaining workflow information from the electronic document, the workflow information pertaining to one or more activities assigned to a user;

detecting that the one or more assigned activities have been completed;

updating the workflow information to indicate that the one or more assigned activities have been performed;

receiving user input indicating ending a workflow or continuing the workflow;

if the user input indicates ending the workflow, sending the electronic document to the initiating workflow participant; and

if the user input indicates continuing the workflow, receiving user input to identify one or more additional workflow participants, and sending the electronic document to at least one of the additional workflow participants.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the workflow information is participant declarations and activity declarations stored as embedded routing metadata in the electronic document.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising presenting the workflow information to the user.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the user is a past workflow participant.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein:

at least one of the past workflow participants is one or more executing computer programs; and

at least one computer program is operable to integrate information from the electronic document into a back-end system comprising a database.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the electronic document is a form;

at least one of the assigned activities is accepting data for the form; and

performing the assigned activities comprises accepting data for the form.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein:

at least one of the assigned activities is attaching a second electronic document; and

performing the assigned activities comprises attaching the second electronic document.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein:

at least one of the assigned activities is receiving user input indicating approval of the electronic document; and

performing the assigned activities comprises receiving user input indicating approval of the electronic document.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein:

at least one of the assigned activities is receiving user input comprising comments on the electronic document; and

performing the assigned activities comprises receiving user input comprising comments on the electronic document.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the additional workflow participants are identified by one or more corresponding e-mail addresses.

15. A computer program product, encoded on a computer-readable medium, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving user input to initiate a workflow with an electronic document;

receiving user input to choose one or more activities for the workflow, wherein each of the one or more activities is of a kind that can be performed on the electronic document;

receiving user input to choose one or more workflow participants;

receiving user input to assign the activities to the workflow participants; and

incorporating a schedule of the assigned activities and the workflow participants into the electronic document.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions for choosing activities and choosing workflow participants comprise instructions for reusing a workflow from an archived electronic document.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions for receiving user input to choose activities and receiving user input to choose workflow participants comprise instructions for:

receiving confirmation from the user to automatically reuse the workflow from the archived electronic document if the electronic document is similar to the archived electronic document.

18. A computer program product, encoded on a computer-readable medium, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving directly or indirectly an electronic document from an initiating workflow participant;

obtaining workflow information from an electronic document, the workflow information pertaining to one or more activities assigned to one or more workflow participants;

receiving user input to reassign one of the assigned activities to a different workflow participant; and

writing workflow information to the electronic document indicating that the user reassigned an activity.

19. A computer program product, encoded on a computer-readable medium, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving directly or indirectly an electronic document from an initiating workflow participant;

obtaining workflow information from the electronic document, the workflow information pertaining to one or more activities assigned to a user;

detecting that the one or more assigned activities have been completed;

updating the workflow information to indicate that the one or more assigned activities have been performed;

receiving user input indicating ending a workflow or continuing the workflow;

if the user input indicates ending the workflow, sending the electronic document to the initiating workflow participant; and

if the user input indicates continuing the workflow, receiving user input to identify one or more additional workflow participants, and sending the electronic document to at least one of the additional workflow participants.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the workflow information is participant declarations and activity declarations stored as embedded routing metadata in the electronic document.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising instructions for presenting the workflow information to the user.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the user is a past workflow participant.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein:

at least one of the past workflow participants is one or more executing computer programs; and

at least one computer program is operable to integrate information from the electronic document into a back-end system comprising a database.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein:

the electronic document is a form;

at least one of the assigned activities is accepting data for the form; and

the instructions for performing the assigned activities comprise instructions for accepting data for the form.

25. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein:

at least one of the assigned activities is attaching a second electronic document; and

the instructions for performing the assigned activities comprise instructions for attaching the second electronic document.

26. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein:

at least one of the assigned activities is receiving user input indicating approval of the electronic document; and

the instructions for performing the assigned activities comprise instructions for receiving user input indicating approval of the electronic document.

27. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein:

at least one of the assigned activities is receiving user input comprising comments on the electronic document; and

the instructions for performing the assigned activities comprise instructions for receiving user input comprising comments on the electronic document.

28. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the additional workflow participants are identified by one or more corresponding e-mail addresses.

29. A system comprising:

means for receiving user input to initiate a workflow with an electronic document;

means for receiving user input to choose one or more activities for the workflow, wherein each of the one or more activities is of a kind that can be performed on the electronic document; and

means for receiving user input to choose one or more workflow participants;

means for receiving user input to assign the activities to the workflow participants;

means for incorporating a schedule of the assigned activities and the workflow participants into the electronic document.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the means for choosing activities and choosing workflow participants comprises means for reusing a workflow from an archived electronic document.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the means for receiving user input to choose activities and receiving user input to choose workflow participants comprises:

means for receiving confirmation from the user to automatically reuse the workflow from the archived electronic document if the electronic document is similar to the archived electronic document.

32. A system comprising:

means for receiving directly or indirectly an electronic document from an initiating workflow participant;

means for obtaining workflow information from an electronic document, the workflow information pertaining to one or more activities assigned to one or more workflow participants;

means for receiving user input to reassign one of the assigned activities to a different workflow participant; and

means for writing workflow information to the electronic document indicating that the user reassigned an activity.

33. A system comprising:

means for receiving directly or indirectly an electronic document from an initiating workflow participant;

means for obtaining workflow information from the electronic document, the workflow information pertaining to one or more activities assigned to a user;

means for detecting that the one or more assigned activities have been completed;

means for updating the workflow information to indicate that the one or more assigned activities have been performed;

means for receiving user input indicating ending a workflow or continuing the workflow;

means for, if the user input indicates ending the workflow, sending the electronic document to the initiating workflow participant; and

means for, if the user input indicates continuing the workflow, receiving user input to identify one or more additional workflow participants, and sending the electronic document to at least one of the additional workflow participants.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the workflow information is participant declarations and activity declarations stored as embedded routing metadata in the electronic document.

35. The system of claim 33, further comprising means for presenting the workflow information to the user.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the user is a past workflow participant.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein:

at least one of the past workflow participants is one or more executing computer programs; and

at least one computer program is operable to integrate information from the electronic document into a back-end system comprising a database.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein:

the electronic document is a form;

at least one of the assigned activities is accepting data for the form; and

means for performing the assigned activities comprises means for accepting data for the form.

39. The system of claim 33, wherein:

at least one of the assigned activities is attaching a second electronic document; and

means for performing the assigned activities comprises means for attaching the second electronic document.

40. The system of claim 33, wherein:

at least one of the assigned activities is receiving user input indicating approval of the electronic document; and

means for performing the assigned activities comprises means for receiving user input indicating approval of the electronic document.

41. The system of claim 33, wherein:

at least one of the assigned activities is receiving user input comprising comments on the electronic document; and

means for performing the assigned activities comprises means for receiving user input comprising comments on the electronic document.

42. The system of claim 33, wherein the additional workflow participants are identified by one or more corresponding e-mail addresses.