Method and apparatus for creating and filing forms

• US 20070124665A1
• Filed: 01/26/2007
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aatrix Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aatrix Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Jensen, Arthur, Lunseth, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 8,984,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/226 Validation

Abstract

A method for designing, creating, and importing, on a digital computer having a memory and a processor executing a stored program, data into a viewable form viewable by the user of a data processing system, the viewable form duplicating the paper form, comprising the steps of: executing the stored program to convert the paper form into a viewable image that duplicates the paper form, the viewable image having a data field for receiving data; importing data into the data field; performing calculations on the imported data in the data field; allowing the user to review and change the data; and printing and/or electronic filing the viewable form.

Claims

1. A method for designing, creating, and importing, on a digital computer having a memory and a processor executing a stored program, data into, a viewable form viewable by the user of a data processing system, the viewable form duplicating the paper form, comprising the steps of:

(a) executing the stored program to convert the paper form into a file that duplicates the paper form, the file having a data field for receiving data;

(b) importing data into the data field;

(c) performing calculations on the imported data in the data field;

(d) allowing the user to review and change the data; and

(e) printing the viewable form.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of saving the viewable form as an editable web page.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of converting the viewable form to plain text and exporting the plain text to another computer system.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of encrypting the plain text.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting the viewable form from a client computer to a server computer and storing the viewable form in a database on the server computer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the viewable form is transmitted from the client computer to the server computer over a network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of converting the viewable form into an efile form suitable for electronic filing.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of electronically filing the efile form.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of electronically filing the efile form is performed by storing the efile form on a floppy diskette.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of electronically filing the efile form is performed by submitting the efile form over a network by means of the File Transfer Protocol.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of electronically filing the efile form is performed by submitting the efile form by email.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the efile form may be filed by submitting the efile form by the file transfer program (FTP), electronic mail, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), fax machine or other form of network data transfer.

13. A data processing system for designing, creating, and importing, on a digital computer having a memory and a processor executing a stored program, data into, a viewable form viewable by the user of a data processing system, the viewable form duplicating a paper form, comprising:

(a) a computer having a memory and a processor;

(b) a form designer program executing in the memory and directing the processor to create a form file having fields that specify the physical representation of the form and calculations and rule conditions required to fill in the form;

(c) a program executing in the memory and directing the processor to import data from an end user application program into a data file; and

(d) a program executing in the memory and directing the processor to merge data in the data file with specific fields in the form file, allow a user of the data processing system to review and change the data, perform calculations on the data, and generate a viewable form that duplicates the original paper form.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, further comprising a program executing in the memory and directing the processor to convert the viewable form into an efile form suitable for electronic filing and to electronically file the efile form.

15. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein the efile form may be filed by submitting the efile form by floppy diskette, CD/DVD-ROM, the file transfer program (FTP), electronic mail, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), fax machine or other form of network data transfer.

16. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the viewable form is printed to duplicate the original paper form.

17. A computer-readable disk memory having a surface formed with a plurality of binary patterns constituting application programs executable by a computer having a memory, a central processing unit, an input/output unit, and means for loading said applications into a defined address space in said memory, said application programs executing in the memory and directing the processor to allow a form designer to create a form file having fields that specify the physical representation of the form and calculations and rule conditions required to fill in the form;

to import data from an end user application program into a data file;

to merge data in the data file with specific fields in the form file; and

to allow a user of the application programs to review and change the data, perform calculations on the data, and generate a form that duplicates the original paper form.

18. An article of manufacture comprising a propagated signal encoded with machine-readable information comprising application programs executable by a computer having a memory, a central processing unit, an input/output unit, and means for loading said applications into a defined address space in said memory, said application programs executing in the memory and directing the processor to allow a form designer to create a form file having fields that specify the physical representation of the form and calculations and rule conditions required to fill in the form;

to import data from an end user application program into a data file; and

to allow a user of the application programs to review and change the data, perform calculations on the data, and generate a form that duplicates the original paper form.