cs) United States «2 Patent Application Publication (io) pub. No.: US 2002/0082857 Al Skordin et al US 20020082857 1 (43) Pub. Date: Jun. 27, 2002 G4) (78) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING AN ONLINE DOCUMENT AND. INPUT FORM CREATION AND STORAGE SYSTEM Inventors: Val Skordin, San Francisco, CA (US); Keith Lightbody, Los Gatos, CA (US Debbie Thompson, Monte S (Us) Correspondence Address: OPPENHEIMER WOLFF & DONNELLY P.O. BOX 10356 PALO ALTO, CA 94303 (US) Appl. No 09/948,295 Publication Classification (51) Int. cl? GO6F 17/60 2) US.Ch "705/1; 707/500 » 67) ABSTRACT Sereno, CA’ Amethodl and apparatus are afforded for providing aa online document and input form ereation and siorage system, Online tools enabling users to develop documents including fixed data and variable data and a worksheet relating to the variable data are provided. A library in which documents developed by the users are stored, the library being remotely accessible. A particular user is allowed to select a document from the library. A worksheet corresponding to the document Filed Sep. 6, 2001 selected is than provided and the user is allowed to input variable data into the Worksheet, The user input data from Related U.S. Application Data the worksheet is then merged with the fixed data from the document selected to develop a document file and) the Non-provisional of provisional application No. document file is used 10 display to the user completed {60/231,055, fled on Sep. 8, 2000, document including the menged data. PROVIDING ONLINE TOOLS ENABLING USERS TO DEVELOP DOGUMENTS INCLLIOING FIXED DATA AND VARIAB VVIORKSHEET RELATING TO THE VARIABLE PROVIDING A LIBRARY IN Wt THEUSERS ARE STORED, THE LIBRARY BEING REHO} DATAAND AJ 4 — - ‘ACCESSIBLE Po 2 [ALLOWING A PARTICULAR USER TO SELECT A DOCUMENT FROM |) ‘THE LIBRARY PROVIDING TO THE PARM ‘CORRESPONDING TO THE DOCUMENT SELECTED ICULAR USER A WORKSHEET {SER TO INPUT VARIABLE DATAINTO THE _) C __ MERGING THE USER INPUT DATA FROM THE WORKSHEET WITH | 18 {THE FIXED DATA FROM THE DOCUMENT SELECTED TO DEVELOP 7 [A DOCUNENT FILE LUnUZING THE DOCUMENT FILE TO DISPLAY TO THE USER A L/ ‘COWPLETED DOCUMENT I INCLUDING THE MERGED OATAPatent Application Publication Jun. 27,2002 Sheet 1 of 13 US 2002/0082857 AL PROVIDING ONLINE TOOLS ENABLING USERS TO DEVELOP 10 DOCUMENTS INCLUDING FIXED DATA AND VARIABLE DATA AND A|_/ WORKSHEET RELATING TO THE VARIABLE DATA oh) PROVIDING A LIBRARY IN WHICH DOCUMENTS DEVELOPED BY THE USERS ARE STORED, THE LIBRARY BEING REMOTELY ACCESSIBLE —______— —___»— | ALLOWING A PARTICULAR USER TO SELECT A DOCUMENT FROM _) THE LIBRARY ¥ a 14 PROVIDING TO THE PARTICULAR USER A WORKSHEET Ly CORRESPONDING TO THE DOCUMENT SELECTED —1___ —__ [ 15 ALLOWING THE USER TO INPUT VARIABLE DATA INTO THE |_/ WORKSHEET —EEeaere MERGING THE USER INPUT DATA FROM THE WORKSHEET WITH | 18 THE FIXED DATA FROM THE DOCUMENT SELECTED TO DEVELOP |-7 | A DOCUMENT FILE to 18 | UTILIZING THE DOCUMENT FILE TO DISPLAY TO THE USER A V COMPLETED DOCUMENT INCLUDING THE MERGED DATA — FIG. 1Patent Application Publication Jun. 27,2002 Sheet 2 of 13 US 2002/0082857 AL 34 ny DOCUMENT NAME, COMPANY DOCUMENT > | CODE, SHOT DESCRPTON GLA) DESCRIPTION Te GAN DOCUMENT HAVE MULTIPLY DOCUMENT INSTANCES, ATTACHMENTS? TO CATALOG (4M DICUNENT ATAHED TO. ANOTHER DOCUME DOCUMENT INTL AT TYP. NTERVAL TERMINATION (08YS) FROM INTIAL DATE TO SYSTEM “ORION ONE EC 1 p84 ADMINISTRATOR 24 DEFINE TERMINATION] TYPES, KEY DATES, CRIT OF DOCUMENT, MP TEAT STEPS LOGIN TO TEMNAMTT a | PRAT eu ADMIN SITE EXPIRATION REQUIREMENTS, CONTINGENCY T 56 GENERATION, ETC. La DOCUMENT ; ACCESS See eT | compuenon |_| tnesoonmeur we pr REQUIREMENTS |"|__ REQURED FELDS? 58 28x 7 48 DEFINE ACCESS AND ROLES setecr oocumenr| eS OF USERS CLASSIFICATION: } | CATEGORY 162 Do 60 “ADD NEW a DOCUMENT CONTINGENCY DOCUMENT TO Seo DOCUMENT TO DATABASE Tree CATEGORY 66 qs SELECT + conmINGeNciES FOR DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION = DATABASE TABLES | Cen) FIG. 2