Mobile solution for signing and retaining third-party documents

• US 8,838,980 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DocuSign Incorporated
• Original Assignee: DocuSign Incorporated
• Inventors: Gonser, Thomas H., Peterson, Donald G.
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, HARRIS C
• Application Number:
  US13/595,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

Techniques for signer-initiated electronic document signing via an electronic signature service using a mobile or other client device are described. Example embodiments provide an electronic signature service (“ESS”) configured to facilitate the creation, storage, and management of documents and corresponding electronic signatures. In some embodiments, when a signer user receives an electronic signature document on a mobile device, the signer may use a client module executing on the mobile device to import the document into the ESS. Once the document is imported into the ESS, the signer can access, review, and sign the document at the ESS via the mobile device. After signing the document, the signer can use the mobile device to cause the ESS to provide the signed document to one or more recipients.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating electronic signatures on a client device operated by a signer, comprising in the client device:

importing, by the client device, documents obtained from an email client of the client device into a remote electronic signature service, by;

receiving an electronic signature document;

in response to an input received from the signer, causing the received electronic signature document to be stored at the remote electronic signature service;

providing access to the electronic signature document stored at the remote electronic signature service; and

causing an electronic signature of the signer to be stored in association with the electronic signature document stored at the remote electronic signature service;

wherein the electronic signature document is initially received by the email client,

wherein the input received from the signer is received via a user interface of the email client, as modified by a plug-in module of the email client,

wherein causing the received electronic signature document to be stored includes transmitting, by the plug-in module, the received electronic signature document to the remote electronic signature service, where the electronic signature document is converted into a standard format, and

wherein providing access to the electronic signature document includes automatically causing, by the plug-in module, the electronic signature document to be displayed in a Web browser of the client device, such that the signer can review, modify, and sign the electronic signature document, and further comprising;

after causing the electronic signature of the signer to be stored in association with the electronic signature document, automatically causing, by the plug-in module, the email client to prepare an outgoing email message that includes an attached file that represents the electronic signature document including the electronic signature of the signer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the remote electronic signature service to provide the stored electronic signature document to a recipient.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein causing the remote electronic signature service to provide the stored electronic signature document to a recipient includes transmitting from the remote electronic signature service to the recipient a copy of the stored electronic signature document as an attachment to an email.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein causing the remote electronic signature service to provide the stored electronic signature document to a recipient includes transmitting from the remote electronic signature service to the recipient a copy of the stored electronic signature document as a fax.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein causing the remote electronic signature service to provide the stored electronic signature document to a recipient includes transmitting from the remote electronic signature service to the recipient an email including an identifier of the stored electronic signature document, the identifier configured to facilitate access to the stored electronic signature document at the remote electronic signature service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is a mobile device and includes an email client that is configured to, in response to the input received from the signer, transmit the electronic signature document to the remote electronic signature service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a Web browser executing on the client device to access the electronic signature document stored at the remote electronic signature service and to cause the electronic signature of the signer to be stored in association with the electronic signature document.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically populating form fields in the electronic signature document based on prior form entries made by the signer.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising installing a code module on the client device, the code module configured to perform the importing documents obtained from the email client of the client device into the remote electronic signature service.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having contents that, when executed by a client device, facilitate electronic signatures via the client device by performing a method comprising in the client device:

importing, by the client device, documents obtained from an email client of the client device into a remote electronic signature service, by;

receiving an electronic signature document;

in response to an input received from the signer, causing the received electronic signature document to be stored at the remote electronic signature service;

providing access to the electronic signature document stored at the remote electronic signature service; and

causing an electronic signature of the signer to be stored in association with the electronic signature document stored at the remote electronic signature service;

wherein the electronic signature document is initially received by the email client,

wherein the input received from the signer is received via a user interface of the email client, as modified by a plug-in module of the email client,

wherein causing the received electronic signature document to be stored includes transmitting, by the plug-in module, the received electronic signature document to the remote electronic signature service, where the electronic signature document is converted into a standard format, and

wherein providing access to the electronic signature document includes automatically causing, by the plug-in module, the electronic signature document to be displayed in a Web browser of the client device, such that the signer can review, modify, and sign the electronic signature document, and further comprising;

after causing the electronic signature of the signer to be stored in association with the electronic signature document, automatically causing, by the plug-in module, the email client to prepare an outgoing email message that includes an attached file that represents the electronic signature document including the electronic signature of the signer.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein providing access to the electronic signature document includes, after the electronic signature document is stored at the remote electronic signature service, automatically causing a Web browser of the client device to access an electronic signature service application hosted by the remote electronic signature service, the application configured to facilitate review, modification, and signature by the signer of the electronic signature document.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising in response to the storage of the electronic signature of signer, automatically causing an email client of the client device to prepare an outgoing email message that includes an attached file that represents electronic signature document including the electronic signature of the signer.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein receiving the electronic signature document includes receiving an email message that includes the electronic signature document, and further comprising:

determining an email address based on a source address field of the received email message; and

including the email address in a destination address field of the outgoing email message.

14. A computing system configured to facilitate electronic signatures, comprising:

a client device having a processor and memory; and

a module stored on the memory that is configured, when executed by the processor, to import documents obtained from an email client of the client device into a remote electronic signature service, by;

receiving an electronic signature document;

in response to an input received from the signer, causing the received electronic signature document to be stored at the remote electronic signature service;

providing access to the electronic signature document stored at the remote electronic signature service; and

causing an electronic signature of the signer to be stored in association with the electronic signature document stored at the remote electronic signature service;

wherein the electronic signature document is initially received by the email client,

wherein the input received from the signer is received via a user interface of the email client, as modified by a plug-in module of the email client,

wherein causing the received electronic signature document to be stored includes transmitting, by the plug-in module, the received electronic signature document to the remote electronic signature service, where the electronic signature document is converted into a standard format, and

wherein providing access to the electronic signature document includes automatically causing, by the plug-in module, the electronic signature document to be displayed in a Web browser of the client device, such that the signer can review, modify, and sign the electronic signature document, and further comprising;

after causing the electronic signature of the signer to be stored in association with the electronic signature document, automatically causing, by the plug-in module, the email client to prepare an outgoing email message that includes an attached file that represents the electronic signature document including the electronic signature of the signer.

15. The computing system of claim 14, wherein the module includes software instructions for execution in the memory of the computing system.

16. The computing system of claim 14, further comprising an electronic signature service that is remote from the client device and that is configured to perform electronic signature management functions and to provide access to the electronic signature management functions via a Web browser executing on the client device.

17. The computing system of claim 14, wherein the client device is a smart phone or a tablet computer.

18. The computing system of claim 14, wherein the client device does not include PDF conversion or manipulation software.

19. The computing system of claim 14, wherein the module is configured to, after storage of the electronic signature of the signer, transmit a signed copy of the electronic signature document via email to an originator of the electronic signature document.