Electronic document routing system

• US 6,327,611 B1
• Filed: 11/04/1998
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Netscape Communications Corporation (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Everingham, James
• Primary Examiner(s): WILEY, DAVID ARMAND
• Application Number:
  US09/186,474
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/206, 709/219, 709/224, 709/227-230, 709/300, 707/10, 345/329
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

An electronic document routing system in a computer network environment integrates into the existing framework of the Internet browser using a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) type. An ordered list with optional rules is placed in a MIME attachment, describes the route, document movement, time allotments, and options for each recipient. An originator creates a document, an ordered list of recipients, and specifies tasks and time allotments for each recipient The originator sends the document to the first recipient; each recipient performs a required task. Upon completion or expiration of the allotted time, the message is routed to the next recipient and a status report containing the current version of the document is sent to the originator. When all recipients have completed their tasks or the route has completed, the final document is sent to the originator. Thus, the originator receives a final document and intermediate versions of the document.

Claims

1. A process for electronic document routing to an ordered list of recipients using a client-based system in a computer network environment, the process comprising:

an orignator creating a document;

the originator creating the ordered list of recipients;

optionally creating an internal timer;

the originator optionally selecting a timeout and edit option for each recipient in the ordered list;

the originator defining a task for each recipient in the ordered list;

attaching the options and the tasks to the document;

the originator sending the document to a first recipient in the ordered list; and

monitoring the timeout option, if provided, for each recipient in the ordered list using the internal timer.

2. The process of claim 1, the process further comprising preprocessing the document before sending.

3. The process of claim 1, the process further comprising:

notifying the originator when a timeout occurs for a recipient; and

allowing the originator to manually reroute the document or, alternatively, automatically rerouting the document if the originator selects an appropriate option.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein allowing rerouting moves a timed out recipient to the end of the ordered list.

5. The process of claim 1, the process further comprising:

receiving the document;

notifying the originator that the document has been received;

displaying the document to the recipient;

allowing the recipient to modify the document according to the options; and

notifying the recipient of the remaining time of the recipient'"'"'s timeout option.

6. The process of claim 5, the process further comprising:

determining a current route position;

sending a current document version to a next recipient in the ordered list; and

sending a status message containing the current document version to the originator.

7. The process of claim 5, the process further comprising:

monitoring the recipient'"'"'s timeout;

notifying the recipient that a timeout has occurred; and

re-routing the document according to the options set by the originator.

8. The process of claim 1, the process further comprising:

receiving status updates containing a current document version from each recipient in the ordered list;

placing the status updates into a status folder;

allowing the originator to examine and edit versions of the document in the status folder; and

displaying a status of a route to the originator.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein the recipient to adding comments only to the document.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein the edit options allow the recipient to edit the entire document.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein the process is implemented using a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) type.

12. An apparatus for electronic document routing to an ordered list of recipients using a client-based system in a computer network environment, the apparatus comprising:

a module for creating a document;

a module for creating an ordered list of recipients;

an optional internal timer;

an optional module for selecting a timeout and edit option for each recipient in the ordered list;

a module for defining a task for each recipient in the ordered list;

a module for attaching the options and the tasks to the document;

a module for sending the document to the first recipient in the ordered list;

a module for monitoring the timeout option for each recipient in the ordered list using the internal timer.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, the apparatus further comprising:

a module for preprocessing the document before it is presented to the sending module.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, the apparatus further comprising:

a module for notifying a document originator when timeout occurs for a recipient; and

a module for allowing the document originator to manually reroute the document or, alternatively, for automatically rerouting the document if the document originator selects an appropriate option.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the allowing rerouting module moves the timed out recipient to the end of the ordered list.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, the apparatus further comprising:

a module for receiving the document;

a module for notifying an originator that the document has been received;

a module for displaying the document to the recipient;

a module for allowing the recipient to modify the document according to the options; and

a module for notifying the recipient of the remaining time of the recipient'"'"'s timeout option.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, the apparatus further comprising:

a module for determining a current route position;

a module for sending a current document version to a next recipient in the ordered list; and

a module for sending a status message containing the current document version to the originator.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, the apparatus further comprising:

a module for monitoring the recipient'"'"'s timeout;

a module for notifying the recipient that a timeout has occurred; and

a module for re-routing the document according to the options set by the originator.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, the apparatus further comprising:

a module for receiving status updates containing a current document version from each recipient in the ordered list;

a module for placing the status updates into a status folder;

a module for allowing the originator to examine and edit versions of the status folder; and

a module for displaying the status of the route to the originator.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the edit options limit the recipient to adding comments only to the document.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the edit options allow the recipient to edit the entire document.

22. In a tangible recording medium, a program for implementing a computer implemented process for electronic document routing to an ordered list of recipients using a client-based system in a computer network environment, the program comprising:

creating a document;

creating the ordered list of recipients;

optionally creating an internal timer;

optionally selecting a timeout and edit option for each recipient in the ordered list;

defining a task for each recipient in the ordered list;

attaching the options and the tasks to the document;

sending the document to the first recipient in the ordered list; and

monitoring the timeout option, if provided, for each recipient in the ordered list using the internal timer.

23. A program to execute in an originator computer to support routing of a document on a computer network, the program comprising:

a designation program configured to designate a plurality of recipient computers, connected to the computer network, to which the document is to be routed;

a sending program configured to send, to a first of the recipient computers, the document and, appended thereto, an indication of the designation such that the document is nominally routed from the first recipient computer to each other recipient computer;

a status receiving program configured to receive status data from at least some of the designated recipient computers, status data received from the recipient computers indicating a status of transfer of the document; and

a status handling program configured to detect and handle an error condition in the document routing in response to an indication thereof based at least partially on the status data.

24. The program of claim 23, wherein the status handling program includes:

an error recovery program configured to handle the error condition by causing the document to be routed to a next designated recipient computer when the status data indicates that the next designated recipient computer has not received the document.

25. The program of claim 23, wherein the status handling program includes:

an alternate routing program configured to cause the document to be routed to a computer not originally designated, in place of a designated recipient computer indicated by the status data as not having acted on the document.

26. The program of claim 24, wherein the status handling program includes a detection program configured to detect whether a particular designated recipient computer has received the document by detecting whether a status message has been received from that designated recipient computer prior to deadline time.

27. The program of claim 26, wherein the deadline time for the particular designated computer is based upon status data received from another one of the designated recipient computers.

28. The program of claim 23, wherein the designation program includes:

an interface program configured to provide a user interface to a user to designate the recipient computers; and

an appending program configured to append the indication of the designation of the recipient computers to the document.

29. The program of claim 28 wherein the appending program appends the designation to the document to form at least a portion of a MIME-type document;

and

the sending program is configured to send the MIME-type document.