Process and system for providing and managing offline input of field documentation to a complex project workflow system

• US 9,898,462 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2002
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wellogix Technology Licensing LLC (Wellogix Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wellogix Technology Licensing LLC (Wellogix Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cope, Warren Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Gurkanwaljit
• Application Number:
  US10/251,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 5,632 Days
• Field of Search: 705 8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 : Recoverability

Abstract

A process for transferring a field document between an online environment of a complex project workflow system and an offline environment is provided. The workflow process is controlled by a processing system and is designed to facilitate the preparation for and performance of the complex project. The process creates a copy of the field document to be transferred from the workflow process on the processing system to the offline environment. The copy of the field document is then transmitted to a particular user on a party'"'"'s system via a communication network. The process further provides controlled access to the field document on the processing system during a period that the copy of the field document is in the offline environment beyond the control of the processing system.

Claims

1. A process for transferring a field document between an online environment of a workflow process that manages a complex project and an offline environment, the workflow process controlled by a processing system, the workflow process designed to facilitate the preparation for and performance of the complex project conducted between parties, wherein the parties are connected to the processing system via a communication network, the field document comprising one of a collection of related field documents together documenting the performance of the at least one component of the complex project, the field document transmitted to and from the workflow process via the communication network by at least one of the parties by utilizing a user interface, the process comprising:

providing a memory electronically accessible to at least one processor via the communication network, the memory storing the field document in a server in the online environment; and

executing a user interface on said at least one processor, said user interface providing a user-selectable choice of sending the field document online or offline, wherein a selection in said user interface of sending the field document online causes said at least one processor to transmit a link to said field document in said server in the online environment to a particular user on a party'"'"'s remote system, and wherein a selection in said user interface of sending the field document offline causes said at least one processor to;

create a copy of the field document within an offline component for use in the offline environment,

transmit the offline component including the copy of the field document to the particular user on the party'"'"'s remote system via the communication network,

control access to the field document on the processing system during a period that the copy of the field document is in the offline environment beyond the control of the processing system,

when at least one user attempts to access the field document in the online environment, automatically provide an indication to said at least one user that the copy of the field document is in the offline environment and that access to the field document on the processing system is controlled,

configure the offline component including the copy of the field document as a web page that is accessible by the party'"'"'s remote system and operable to allow the particular user to enter information into and/or make selections within the copy of the field document, at a time in which the party'"'"'s remote system is not connected to a communication network and thus unable to establish a connection to the server, and

configure the offline component to;

locally store data of the entered information and/or made selections in the party'"'"'s remote system; and

automatically upload said data of the entered information and/or made selections to the server through the communication network when the party'"'"'s remote system is reconnected to the online environment of the workflow process via the communication network, and update the field document in the online environment according to the uploaded data.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said at least one processor executes steps comprising:

canceling the copy of the field document upon a direction of the party;

releasing control of the access to the field document on the processing system; and

preventing receipt of the copy of the field document from the party'"'"'s remote system via the communication network.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein said at least one processor executes steps comprising:

receiving the copy of the field document from the party'"'"'s remote system via the communication network, wherein the copy of the field document is populated with said data of the entered information and/or made selections;

synchronizing the copy of the field document with the field document in the workflow process;

transferring said data of the entered information and/or made selections from the copy of the field document to a memory location of the field document for storing said data of the entered information and/or made selections with the field document;

deleting the copy of the field document from the workflow process; and

releasing control of the access to the field document on the processing system.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the field document comprises an actual cost of goods, services, or both provided in the performance of the at least one component of the complex project.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the field document comprises an actual accounting of goods, services, or both provided in the performance of the at least one component of the complex project.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the field document comprises a measurement of a technical specification defining the complex project.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the complex project is defined in terms of at least one parameter and at least one measurement of the at least one parameter documenting the performance of the at least one component of the complex project.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein the at least one parameter is selected from a group comprising the following:

physical, functional, temporal, financial, transactional, and geographical parameters.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein the communication network is selected from a group comprising the following:

the Internet, an intranet, a cable network, a telephone network, a wireless network, a voice network, a frame-relay broadband network, a local area network, a wide area network, a public network, and a private network.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein the communication network operates over at least one of the transmission mediums selected from a group comprising the following:

telephony, wireless telephony, digital subscriber line, two-way cable, fiber optic, radio, point-to-point microwave, and satellite.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein the complex project further comprises one of a type selected from a group comprising the following:

oil and gas exploration and production, construction, manufacture of complex products, and provision of specialized services.

15. The process of claim 1, wherein the copy of the field document is created while the particular user on the party'"'"'s remote system is in the offline environment beyond the control of the processing system.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein the copy of the field document is created without receiving any direction from the particular user.

12. A system for transferring a field document between an online environment of a workflow process that manages a complex project and an offline environment, the workflow process controlled by the system, the workflow process designed to facilitate the preparation for and performance of the complex project conducted between parties, the field document comprising one of a collection of related field documents together documenting the performance of the at least one component of the complex project, the system comprising:

a memory electronically accessible to at least one processor via the communication network, the memory storing the field document in a server in the online environment and the processor controlling an interface and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to;

execute a user interface providing a user-selectable choice of sending the field document online or offline, wherein a selection in said user interface of sending the field document online causes said at least one processor to transmit a link to said field document in said server in the online environment to a particular user on a party'"'"'s remote system, and wherein a selection in said user interface of sending the field document offline causes said at least one processor to;

create a copy of the field document within an offline component for use in the offline environment,

transmit the offline component including the copy of the field document to a particular user on the party'"'"'s remote system via the communication network,

control access to the field document in the online environment during a period that the copy of the field document is in the offline environment beyond the control of the processor,

when at least one user attempts to access of the field document in the online environment, automatically provide an indication to said at least one user that the field document is in the offline environment and that access to the field document on the processing system is controlled,

configure the offline component including the copy of the field document as a web page that is accessible by the party'"'"'s remote system and operable to allow the particular user to enter information into and/or make selections within the copy of the field document, at a time in which the party'"'"'s remote system is not connected to a communication network and thus unable to establish a connection to the sever, and

configure the offline component to

locally store data of the entered information and/or made selections in the party'"'"'s remote system; and

automatically upload said data of the entered information and/or made selections to the server through the communication network when the party'"'"'s remote system is reconnected to the online environment of the workflow process via the communication network, and update the field document in the online environment according to the uploaded data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor further:

cancels the copy of the field document upon direction by the party;

releases control of the access to the field document on the processing system; and

prevents receipt of the copy of the field document from the party'"'"'s system via the communication network.

14. The system of claim 12 further comprising a memory, wherein the server receives the copy of the field document from the party'"'"'s remote system via the communication network, wherein the copy of the field document is populated with said data of the entered information and/or made selections;

and

the processor further;

synchronizes the copy of the field document with the field document in the workflow process;

transfers said data of the entered information and/or made selections from the copy of the field document to a memory location of the field document for storing said data of the entered information and/or made selections with the field document;

deletes the copy of the field document from the workflow process; and

releases control of the access to the field document on the processing system.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the copy of the field document is created by said at least one processor while the party'"'"'s remote system is in the offline environment beyond the control of the processor.

18. The process of claim 17, wherein the copy of the field document is created without receiving any direction from the particular user.