Method to manage transfer of ownership of electronic documents stored in an interactive information handling system

Claim 1

In a multi-user interactive information handling system which maintains a relatively large plurality of electronic documents in storage for users of said system, in which each electronic document of said plurality is assigned at a time said electronic document is stored, an ownership label, a document label that identifies said electronic document by document type, said criteria that is used by said system to automatically delete said electronic document from said system at some future time, said criteria including first and second expiration dates, said system periodically processing said criteria of said electronic documents relative to a current date to cause said system to automatically delete a specific electronic document if a pre-established relationship exists among said current date and said first and second expiration dates assigned to said specific electronic document, a method to selectively provide a stored electronic copy of a first said electronic document owned by a first user to a second user in response to servicing a Delayed Copy Request from said second user at a time said first electronic document is to be automatically deleted from said system, said method comprising the following steps in combination, A) assigning to said first electronic document said ownership label, said document label, and said criteria including said first and second expiration dates at the time said first electronic document is stored in said system including the interactive entry of at least one of said labels by said first user, B) entering into said system interactively by said second user a Delayed Copy Request for said first electronic document. C) periodically processing said criteria of said stored documents to determine if said pre-established relationship exists for said first electronic document. D) servicing said Request with said system only at the time said first electronic document as determined in Step C) is to be automatically deleted from said system, including the step of selectively honoring said Delayed Copy Request, and E) automatically deleting said first electronic document after said step of servicing is completed.

Claim 4

A method for managing retention and automatic deletion of documents in an interactive information handling system including a plurality of end users and a plurality of interactive interconnected end user terminals which operate to enter and selectively display electronic documents stored in said system, in which a first end user enters a Request for a copy of a first electronic document owned by a second end user, which Request is subsequently serviced by said system only in response to detecting that said first electronic document is to be automatically deleted from said system, said first electronic document having a pair of expiration dates that are assigned to said first electronic document at a time said first electronic document is stored, said method comprising the following combination of steps; A) periodically processing with said system said expiration dates assigned to said first electronic document relative to a current date to determine if a pre-established relationship exists among said dates, B) storing said Request in said system, C) determining with said system that said pre-established relationship exists among said current date and said dates assigned to said first electronic document, D) servicing said Request by providing a copy of said first electronic document to said first end user, when said pre-determined relationship exists, and E) deleting said first electronic document after said servicing step.

Claim 5

A method for managing retention and automatic deletion of documents in an interactive information handling system including a plurality of end users and a plurality of interactive interconnected end user terminals which operate to enter and selectively display electronic documents stored in said system, in which a first end user enters a Request for a copy of a first electronic document owned by a second end user, which Request is subsequently serviced by said system only in response to detecting that said first electronic document is to be automatically deleted from said system, said first electronic document having a pair of expiration dates that are assigned to said first electronic document at a time said first electronic document is stored, said method comprising the following combination of steps; A) periodically processing with said system said expiration dates assigned to said first electronic document relative to a current date to determine if a pre-established relationship exists among said dates, B) storing said Request in said system, C) determining with said system that said pre-established relationship exists among said current date and said dates assigned to said first electronic document, D) servicing said Request by providing a copy of said first electronic document to said first end user, when said pre-determined relationship exists, and E) deleting said first electronic document after said servicing step.