System for selecting document recipients as determined by technical content of document and for electronically corroborating receipt of document

• US 5,276,869 A
• Filed: 09/10/1990
• Issued: 01/04/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Forrest, Bradley A., Rose, Curtis G., Hager, Dean J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Orzech, Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US07/580,336
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 395/275, 395/200, 395/100, 395/600, 395/650, 340/721, 364/419
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• 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: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A selective review and electronic corroboration of invention disclosure documents within a distributed data processing system. A selected document is identified and a document profile is created, including at least an identification of the technical or functional area disclosed within that document. Thereafter, the document and document profile are transmitted to an evaluation facility where a unique identifier is assigned to the document and the document is then automatically distributed to a preselected list of users, in accordance with the technical or administrative area information contained within the document profile. Each recipient of the document is then prompted to enter an indication of having read and understood the document at his or her computer terminal. Positive responses to this prompt are then stored in association with the uniquely identified document so that the document may be electronically corroborated at a subsequent time by a reference thereto. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, this method and apparatus may be utilized to electronically "witness" an invention disclosure document to corroborate the date of conception of an invention.

Claims

1. A method in a distributed data processing system for selective review and electronic corroboration of invention disclosure documents by multiple users enrolled in said distributed data processing system, said method comprising the steps of:

creating at least one invention disclosure document within said distributed data processing system;

creating a document profile in association with said at least one invention disclosure document, said document profile including an identification of a technical area relating to said at least one invention disclosure document;

transmitting said at least one invention disclosure document to an invention disclosure evaluation facility enrolled within said distributed data processing system;

automatically assigning a unique identifier to said invention disclosure document upon receipt of said invention disclosure document at said evaluation facility and thereafter automatically distributing said uniquely identified invention disclosure document to a preselected list of users enrolled within said distributed data processing system, said preselected list of users determined in response to said identification of said technical area within said document profile;

prompting each of said preselected list of users to enter an indication of having read and understood said uniquely identified invention disclosure document; and

automatically storing only each positive response to said prompting in association with said uniquely identified invention disclosure document wherein said uniquely identified disclosure document may be electronically corroborated at a subsequent time by a reference thereto.

2. A data processing system for selective review and electronic corroboration of invention disclosure documents by multiple users enrolled in a distributed data processing system, said data processing system comprising:

means for permitting a user to create at least one invention disclosure document within said distributed data processing system;

means for creating a document profile in association with said at least one invention disclosure document, said document profile including an identification of a technical area relating to said at least one invention disclosure document;

means for transmitting said at least one invention disclosure document to an invention disclosure evaluation facility enrolled within said distributed data processing system;

means for automatically assigning a unique identifier to said invention disclosure document upon receipt of said invention disclosure document at said evaluation facility and thereafter automatically distributing said uniquely identified invention disclosure document to a preselected list of users enrolled within said distributed data processing system, said preselected list of users determined in response to said identification of said technical area within said document profile;

means for prompting each of said preselected list of users to enter an indication of having read and understood said uniquely identified invention disclosure document; and

means for automatically storing only each positive response to said prompting in association with said uniquely identified invention disclosure document wherein said uniquely identified disclosure document may be electronically corroborated at a subsequent time by a reference thereto.