MULTIPLEXED FORMS

• US 20100299389A1
• Filed: 05/19/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Manning, David F., Mansell, Michael C., Boyer, John M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,639,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

A system for presenting and executing a multiplicity of interactive forms as a single document includes a server having one or more copies of a multi-form package and configured to deliver a copy of the package to a requesting device upon request. The system also includes a client computing device configured to request and receive the multi-form package, the first computing device including an application program and a multi-form document engine configured to receive commands from the application program and, in response, cause forms from the multi-form package to be presented and executed.

Claims

1. A method for presenting, on a client computing device, a plurality of interactive forms as a single document, the method comprising:

receiving at a server a request from the client computing device for a multi-form document;

creating at the server in response to the request a package containing some or all of the portions of the multi-form document, the package including instructions for navigating from one portion to the multi-form document to another portion of the multi-form document;

transmitting the package to the client computing device;

providing a first form from the package to a form processor resident on the client computing device; and

sequentially providing at least one other form from the package to the form processor, the sequence being determined by at least one of navigation instructions in the package and data collected by the form processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the form processor is transmitted to the client computing device as part of the package.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the package includes at least one form configured to prompt a user to enter information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein information received by at least one form is stored in at least one data instance contained in the package.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the package includes at least one data model representing at least one business rule to be adhered to in preparation of at least one form in the package.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the package includes an interaction controller configured to determine the next page to load based on at least one of a data model business rule and a piece of information received from the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

loading a first form from the package into memory;

receiving information from a user;

storing the information in at least one data instance; and

based on the information, loading a second form from the package into memory.

8. The method claim 7, wherein only one form in the package is loaded into memory at any time.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein a digital signature generated by processing one form in the package may be stored in the package and applied to a plurality of forms and data instances in the package.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the client computing device is comprised of two computing devices connected by a network, one of the computing device being equipped with the multi-form document engine and the other computing device being equipped with the general application and form processor.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-form document engine is configured to serialize some or all portions of the package and transmit the serialization of the multi-form document to the server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the multi-form document engine is configured to serialize some or all portions of the package and store the serialization of the multi-form document at the client computing device.

13. A system representing and executing a multiplicity of interactive forms as a single document, the system comprising:

a server having one or more copies of a multi-form package and configured to deliver a copy of the package to a requesting device upon request; and

a client computing device configured to request and receive the multi-form package, the first computing device including a form processor, an application program and a multi-form document engine configured to receive commands from the application program and, in response, cause forms from the multi-form package to be loaded into memory.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the multi-form package includes a form processor that is loaded onto the client computing device when the package is received.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the package includes at least one form configured to prompt a user to enter information.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein information received by at least one form is stored in at least one data instance contained in the package.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the package includes at least one data model representing at least one business rule to be adhered to in preparation of at least one form in the package.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein a digital signature generated by processing one form may be stored in the package and applied to a plurality of forms and data instances in the package.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the multi-form document engine is configured to serialize some or all portions of the package and transmit the serialization of the multi-form document to the server.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the multi-form document engine is configured to serialize some or all portions of the package and store the serialization of the multi-form document at the client computing device.