Multi-user electronic document authoring system with prompted updating of shared language

• US 6,065,026 A
• Filed: 06/13/1997
• Issued: 05/16/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Merrill Ventures Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Document Command Incorporated (LegalZoom.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karasic, Neal J., Fine, Benjamin, Jacobs, Jonathan D., Cornelia, Edward J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Application Number:
  US08/874,262
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501, 707/505, 707/511, 707/512, 707/513, 707/514, 707/515, 707/530, 707/531, 707/539, 707/540, 707/8, 707/104
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

An electronic document authoring system and method that feature maintaining a library of textual components, displaying a document including some of them in a word processor window, responding to user input to an interface of the word processor to edit the document while it is displayed in the window, and maintaining a database of marks identifying each of the components within the document displayed in the window. The system and method also feature responding to user input to edit another document including components, updating some of the components that belong to both documents, and generating a second version of the documents that include updated components.

Claims

1. A method of generating electronic documents, comprising:

maintaining a library of textual components,

displaying a first textual document including a first plurality of the textual components in a word processor window,

responding to user input by a first user to an interface of the work processor to edit the first textual document while the document is displayed in the word processor window,

maintaining a database of marks identifying each of the components within the document displayed in the word processor window,

displaying a second textual document including a second plurality of the textual components in a word processor window,

responding to user input by a second user to the interface of the word processor to edit the second textural document including a second plurality of the textual components the first plurality including one or more textual components from the second plurality,

detecting when one of the textual components that belongs to both the first plurality of textual components and the second plurality of textual components is updated in one of the first and second textual documents,

prompting the user of the other of the first and second textual documents to accept or reject changes made to the one of the textual components, in response to the step of updating,

generating in response to user input to the interface of the word processor a second version of the first textual document that includes textual components that were updated in the step of updating, and

generating in response to user input to the interface of the word processor a second version of the second textual document that includes textual components that were updated in the step of updating.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of generating each include a step of prompting the user to accept or reject component updating for each of the components to be updated.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of prompting includes prompting the user to accept or reject each updated component to include in the first and second documents.

4. The method of claim 1 further including the step of automatically prompting the user to save changes to the components in the first document made during editing to the library upon detection of a user command to save the first document.

5. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of generating questionnaires, receiving user input to complete the questionnaires, and wherein the step of updating is responsive to the input to update at least a portion of the textual components in the ones of the records.

6. The method of claim 5 further including the step of generating, in response to user input, a report on when the questionnaires were last completed.

7. The method of claim 1 further including the step of generating, in response to user input, a report on which of the documents includes a particular one of the textual components in the library.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of generating, in response to user input, a report on which portions of the documents include flagged compliance text.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the system maintains revision history and comments associated with the components in the library, and further including the step of displaying the revision history and comments in response to user input related to a particular one of the textual components in the library.

10. The method of claim 1 further including the step of displaying boundaries of the components in the first plurality in the word processor window.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of maintaining the library maintains ones of the textual components in the library that include a plurality of variation fields, and further including the step of updating the variation fields in response to a user command.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of maintaining the library maintains an indication of whether the updates to each of the components require review.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of maintaining the library maintains a classification field, and further including the step of identifying to the user new components that may be relevant to one of the documents based on the classification field.

14. The method of claim 1 further including a step of responding to user input to the interface of the word processor to flag text in the documents.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of maintaining the library maintains an expiration date field, and further including the step of preventing textual components associated with expired dates in their date fields from being included in the documents.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of word processing commands and a plurality of commands related to the components in the library are available to the user simultaneously.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of maintaining the library maintains a draft field to indicate whether textual information is in draft or final form.

18. The method of claim 1 further including the step of responding to a user copy command to create a third document from the first plurality of the components that make up the first document.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of maintaining the library maintains information on each of the component'"'"'s name, description, and classifications.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of maintaining the library maintains information on each of the component'"'"'s regulatory information, revision, comments, and its read only and review required status.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the library communicates with the user interface over a computer network.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the library communicates with the user interface over a global computer network.

23. The method of claim 1 further including the step of managing the documents in a document management system.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of updating includes updating of components by a plurality of users using different computers.

25. The method of claim 1 further including the step of storing document prototypes including a plurality of components, and further including the step of creating the first document based on one of the document prototypes.

26. A textual document authoring system, comprising:

means for storing in storage a library of textual components and a database of marks identifying each of the components that is part of a first textual document,

means for displaying in a word processor window on a display responsive to the storage the first textual document including a first plurality of the textual components, and

a user interface for responding to user input by a first user to an interface of the word processor to edit the first textual document while the document is displayed by the means for displaying in the word processor window;

for responding to user input by a second user to the interface of the word processor to edit a second textual document including a second plurality of the textual components, the first plurality including one or more textual components from the second plurality;

for detecting when one of the textual components that belongs to both the first plurality and the second plurality is updated in one of the first and second textual documents;

for prompting the user of the other of the first and second textual documents to accept or reject changes made to the one of the textual components, in response to updating of the one of the textual components;

for responding to user input to the interface of the word processor to generate a second version of the first textual document that includes updated textual components; and

means for responding to user input to the interface of the word processor to generate a second version of the second textual document that includes updated textual components.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the user interface further includes means for prompting the user to accept or reject component updating for each of the components to be updated.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the means for prompting includes means for prompting the user to accept or reject each updated component to include in the first and second documents.

29. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for automatically prompting the user to save changes to the components in the first document made during editing to the library upon detection of a user command to save the first document.

30. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for generating questionnaires, for receiving user input to complete the questionnaires, and for updating at least a portion of the textual components based on the questionnaires.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 further including the step of generating, in response to user input, a report on when the questionnaires were last completed.

32. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for generating, in response to user input, a report on which of the documents includes a particular one of the textual components in the library.

33. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for generating, in response to user input, a report on which portions of the documents include flagged compliance text.

34. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for maintaining revision history and comments associated with the components in the library, and further including means for displaying the revision history and comments in response to user input related to a particular one of the textual components in the library.

35. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for displaying boundaries of the components in the first plurality in the word processor window.

36. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for maintaining ones of the textual components in the library that include a plurality of variation fields, and means for updating the variation fields in response to a user command.

37. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for maintaining an indication of whether the updates to each of the components require review.

38. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for maintaining a classification field, and further including menus for identifying to the user new components that may be relevant to one of the documents based on the classification field.

39. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for responding to user input to the interface of the word processor to flag text in the documents.

40. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for maintaining an expiration date field, and further including means for preventing textual components associated with expired dates in their date fields from being included in the documents.

41. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein a plurality of word processing commands and a plurality of commands related to the components in the library are available to the user simultaneously.

42. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for maintaining a draft field to indicate whether textual information is in draft or final form.

43. The apparatus of claim 26 further including further including means for responding to a user copy command to create a third document from the first plurality of the components that make up the first document.

44. The apparatus of claim 26 further including means for maintaining information on each of the component'"'"'s name, description, and classifications.

45. The apparatus of claim 44 further including means for maintaining information on each of the component'"'"'s regulatory information, revision, comments, and its read only and review required status.

46. The apparatus of claim 43 further including a document management system to manage the documents.

47. The apparatus of claim 43 further including a plurality of workstations for updating the components by different users.

48. The method of claim 26 further including means for storing document prototypes including a plurality of components, and further including means for creating the first document based on one of the document prototypes.