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Automatic data update

  • US 7,058,663 B2
  • Filed: 03/13/2001
  • Issued: 06/06/2006
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2001
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A process for automatically updating data elements in a form document being used by a first software application, the process comprising:

  • accessing data elements stored in a common database that correspond to the form document being used by the first software application, wherein the data elements of the database can be common to more than one different form documents of more than one different software applications having access to the common database, further wherein each data element includes at least (i) a field and (ii) data in the field;

    inputting the accessed data elements into the form document, wherein the first software application is responsive to a first user input for making changes to the accessed data elements within the form document;

    using the first software application for making changes to the inputted accessed data elements within the form document in response to input by the first user;

    monitoring the common database to detect changes to the accessed data elements that may have been changed (i) by the first software application or (ii) by a second software application different from the first software application in response to input of a second user, while the form document is being used by the first software application in response to input by the first user; and

    updating the accessed data elements in the form document while the form document is being used by the first software application in response to input of the first user, wherein the updating occurs in accordance with rules corresponding to the detected changes, further wherein the monitoring of the common database and the updating of the data elements in the form document comprise (i) a program segment of the first software application or (ii) a software process implemented as a thread executing in a multi-tasking operating system environment, wherein the program segment or software process implemented as a thread (a) periodically checks the common database for available updates to the accessed data elements, (b) retrieves new records from the common database in response to an availability of updates, the new records corresponding to the accessed data elements that have changed, and (c) processes the new records corresponding to the changed data elements as an array of new records for updating the accessed data elements in the form document while the form document is being used by the first software application, further wherein processing the array of new records includes adding new records to the array of new records or deleting new records from the array of new records in response to one or more comparisons against old records of the form document, the old records corresponding to records existing as of a last time the accessed data elements of the form document were updated or as of a time the form document was opened, the adding or deleting to the array of new records further being in accordance with the rules corresponding to the detected changes, wherein the rules are based upon(I) a characteristic of the change to the accessed data elements by the second software application, wherein the characteristic of the change comprises the accessed data elements having been electronically signed by the second user in which the electronically signed data elements require a password to edit the corresponding data elements, and(II) a characteristic of the accessed data elements used by the first software application, wherein the characteristic of the accessed data elements comprises(i) a change to a field of the accessed data elements while the form document has remained open by the first software application,(ii) fields of the accessed data elements having been updated from the common database while the form document has remained open by the first software application,(iii) fields of the accessed data elements that have not changed since the form document was opened by the first software application, and(iv) the accessed data elements having been electronically signed by the first user in which the electronically signed data elements require a password to edit the corresponding data elements.

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