Linking structured database management systems with document creation and word processing tools

• US 9,747,562 B1
• Filed: 03/19/2012
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apttus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Apttex Corporation
• Inventors: Krappe, Kirk, Giri, Neehar
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US13/423,280
• Time in Patent Office: 1,989 Days
• Field of Search: 707695, 707628, 707632, 715208, 715228
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services

Abstract

Linking structured database management systems with document creation tools. Allowing the user of a document creation application to access cloud-based or behind firewall contract creation and management utilities without ever leaving the document interface itself. Inserting object templates stored in a cloud-based contract creation and management application from a native document creation application and flagging the document itself to indicate the presence of intelligent fields of structured data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

in a computation device;

configuring a word processing application with a plugin comprising instructions for linking said word processing application with a contract creation and contract lifecycle management application that runs on a cloud-based platform of a structured database management system and that stores datum in said structured database management system, wherein said plugin requires a user login, and wherein said plugin stores a session identifier each time a user logs into said plugin so that successive logins can be referenced and attributed to said user; and

configuring said plugin with a plurality of tools that, when executed, accesses utilities of said contract creation and contract lifecycle management application via said word processing application without leaving an interface of said word processing application, wherein one or more tools at least comprise each of;

an executable data-pull utility that pulls datum from the structured database management system and inserts said datum into a structured field in a document in said word processing application;

an executable data-push utility that pushes datum from a structured field in the document in said word processing application to said structured database management system and stores said datum based on a value of said structured field;

an executable document-push utility that pushes a version of a document from said word processing application to said structured database management system and enabling a user of said word processing application to stores said document as a first version type and at least one additional version type;

an executable template-pull utility that pulls one or more document templates from the structured database management system and inserts said one or more document templates in a document in said word processing application;

an executable template-push utility that pushes a user-authored template from said word processing application to said structured database management system and stores said document therein;

translation tools comprising an executable translation utility that performs language translation on user-specified document text from a first language to a second language and displays the text in said first language alongside the text in said second language within said word processing application itself;

an interactive menu for interacting with the business management application comprising a playbook to allow a user to view alternative contract clauses each representing a different degree of risk and to select one of said alternative clauses for insertion into a document and

a field definition tool that flags objects within said document as having a field value associated with said object.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said business management application comprises a business lifecycle management application configured for creating a quote for a plurality of customers, engaging and negotiating an agreement, managing customer orders, and invoicing customers.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said executable data-push utility further comprises authorization tools which require a user of said document creation application to authorize itself before said data-push utility stores said datum in said structured database management system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein storing a document as a first version type requires said user to authorize itself with a first credential, and wherein storing said document as a second version type requires said user to authorize itself with a second credential.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said document template access tools further comprises

document template access tools comprising an executable template-push utility that pushes a user-authored template from said document creation application to said structured database management system and stores said document therein.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said plug-in requires a user login, and wherein said plug-in stores a session identifier each time a user logs in to said plug-in so that successive logins can be referenced and attributed to said user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein said field definition tool associates session identifier with said flags such that changes to said objects within said document having a field value associated with said object can be detected on a successive login.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive menu facilitates an ability to view social media feeds from within the document creation application.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the user to search the playbook based on various parameters.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising inserting the selected clause into the document as one of inline text and a reference for later resolution.

11. A system comprising:

a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, having stored there on a set of instructions executable by the machine-readable medium and operable to cause a programmable processor to perform the steps comprising;

configuring a word processing application with a plugin comprising instructions for linking said word processing application with a contract creation and contract lifecycle management application that runs on a cloud-based platform of a structured database management system and that stores datum in said structured database management system, wherein said plugin requires a user login, and wherein said plugin stores a session identifier each time a user logs in to said plugin so that successive logins can be referenced and attributed to said user; and

configuring said plugin with a plurality of tools that, when executed, accesses utilities of said contract creation and contract lifecycle management application via said word processing application without leaving an interface of said word processing application, wherein one or more tools at least comprise each of;

an executable data-pull utility that pulls datum from the structured database management system and inserts said datum into a structured field in a document in said word processing application;

an executable data-push utility that pushes datum from a structured field in the document in said word processing application to said structured database management system and stores said datum based on a value of said structured field;

an executable document-push utility that pushes a version of a document from said word processing application to said structured database management system and enabling a user of said word processing application to store said document as a first version type and at least one additional version type;

an executable template-pull utility that pulls one or more document templates from the structured database management system and inserts said one or more document templates in a document in said word processing application;

an executable template-push utility that pushes a user-authored template from said word processing application to said structured database management system and stores said document therein;

translation tools comprising an executable translation utility that performs language translation on user-specified document text from a first language to a second language and displays the text in said first language alongside the text in said second language within said word processing application itself;

an interactive menu for interacting with the business management application comprising a playbook to allow a user to view alternative contract clauses each representing a different degree of risk and to select one of said alternative clauses for insertion into a document and

a field definition tool that flags objects within said document as having a field value associated with said object.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said executable data-push utility further comprises authorization tools which require a user of said document creation application to authorize itself before said data-push utility stores said datum in said structured database management system.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said field definition tool associates session identifier with said flags such that changes to said objects within said document having a field value associated with said object can be detected on a successive login.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the interactive menu facilitates an ability to view social media feeds from within the word processing application.

15. The system of claim 11, configured to allow the user to search the playbook based on various parameters.

16. The system of claim 11, configured to insert the selected clause into the document as one of inline text and a reference for later resolution.