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EP0475868A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method and apparatus for electronic corroboration of documents in a data processing system

Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
•
Filing: 1991-07-31
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-07-31
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Abstract

Abstract The method and apparatus of the present invention permit the electronic corroboration of the existence of a document within a data processing system. A selected document is identified and a document profile is created, including at least an identification of the technical or functional area disclosed within that document. Thereafter, the document and document profile are transmitted to an evaluation facility where a unique identifier is assigned to the document and the document is then automatically distributed to a preselected list of users, in accordance with the technical or administrative area information contained within the document profile. Each recipient of the document is then prompted to enter an indication of having read and understood the document at his or her computer terminal. Positive responses to this prompt are then stored in association with the uniquely identified document so that the document may be electronically corroborated at a subsequent time by a reference thereto. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, this method and apparatus may be utilized to electronically "witness" an invention disclosure document to corroborate the date of conception of an invention.

Inventors

  • 👤 Bradley Albert Forrest
  • 👤 Dean Joseph Hager
  • 👤 Curtis Grover Rose

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 18:21
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/10; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/90; G06F16/93; G06Q10/107; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99939

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim 94 words
A method in a data processing system for electronic corroboration of a document by multiple users enrolled in said data processing system, said method comprising the steps of: creating at least one document within said data processing system; automatically distributing said document to a preselected list of users; prompting each of said preselected list of users to enter an indication of having read and understood said document; and automatically storing each positive response to said prompting wherein said document may be corroborated at a subsequent time by a reference to said stored positive response.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 46 words
The method in a data processing system for electronic corroboration of a document according to Claim 1, further including the step of creating a document profile associated with said at least one document and storing said document profile in association with said at least one document.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 44 words
The method in a data processing system for electronic corroboration of a document according to Claim 2, wherein said step of creating a document profile associated with said at least one document comprises the step of identifying a functional area associated with said document.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 103 words
A data processing system for providing electronic corroboration of a document stored within said data processing system having a plurality of users enrolled therein, said system comprising: means for identifying a document stored within said data processing system; distribution means for automatically distributing said document to a preselected list of users enrolled in said data processing system; means for automatically prompting each of said preselected list of users to enter an indication of having read and understood said document; storage means for storing each positive response to said prompting wherein said document may be electronically corroborated by a reference to said stored response.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 55 words
The data processing system for providing electronic corroboration of a document stored within said data processing system according to Claim 4, further including means for creating a document profile associated with said document containing an identification of a technical area of said document and means for storing said document profile in association with said document.
Claim 6
Independent Claim 162 words
A method in a data processing system for electronic corroboration of invention disclosure documents by multiple users enrolled in said data processing system, said method comprising the steps of: creating at least one invention disclosure document within said data processing system; transmitting said at least one invention disclosure document to an invention disclosure evaluation facility enrolled within said data processing system; automatically assigning a unique identifier to said invention disclosure document upon receipt of said invention disclosure document at said evaluation facility and thereafter automatically distributing said uniquely identified invention disclosure document to a preselected list of users enrolled within said data processing system; prompting each of said preselected list of users to enter an indication of having read and understood said uniquely identified invention disclosure document; automatically storing each positive response to said prompting in association with said uniquely identified invention disclosure document wherein said uniquely identified disclosure document may be electronically corroborated at a subsequent time by a reference thereto
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 59 words
The method in a data processing system for electronic corroboration of invention disclosure documents by multiple users enrolled in said data processing system according to Claim 6, further including the step of creating an invention disclosure document profile associated with each invention disclosure document and storing said invention disclosure document profile in association with an associated invention disclosure document.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 57 words
The method in a data processing system for electronic corroboration of invention disclosure documents by multiple users enrolled in said data processing system according to Claim 6, wherein said step of creating an invention disclosure document profile associated with each invention disclosure document comprises the step of identifying a functional area associated with said invention disclosure document.

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