Systems and methods for document management transformation and security

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for dynamically rendering documents during a signing ceremony (instead of validating that signature tasks are placed appropriately on all documents). The invention establishes a visibility policy that governs how documents are rendered, based on the state of system Tabs (instructions) placed on the documents.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today, there is no programmatic way to ensure the contract signing process happens in any particular controllable fashion. Contracts are printed out and physically distributed. Signers sign where they see fit, and may or may not complete the signing correctly. Contract pages may be lost or not returned to the proper person. Using electronic systems, contracts can be routed using workflow, but these systems are complicated, hard to setup and manage, and usually do not involve the end-user signing process. The existence of a variety of pre-established document formats requires dynamic evaluation and verification of documents for signature. In addition, there is no system to readily restrict access of documents for signature to only those parties that are authorized to review and execute.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides systems and methods for dynamically rendering documents during a signing ceremony (instead of validating that signature tasks are placed appropriately on all documents). The invention establishes a visibility policy that governs how documents are rendered, based on the state of system Tabs (instructions) placed on the documents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred and alternative examples of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example system formed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an example process performed by the system shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a combined flow and system diagram.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention provides enhanced document management systems and methods for evaluating and transforming portable document format (PDF) documents and security restrictions on electronic document review and execution. FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 20 having an advisor computer system 30, an advisor Customer Relationship Management (CRM) server 32, a user services server 36 and a plurality of user systems 42.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example transform process performed by the system 20. FIG. 3 illustrates a combined system/process diagram.

PDF Document Transformation

The evaluation and transformation of PDF documents include both input and output transformations. For Static Extensible Markup Language (XML) Forms Architecture (XFA) forms and AcroForms (aka Acrobat Forms), the system 20 correlates the form fields from an input form to fields in a system template. The form field data and attributes are then reflected in a system signing ceremony in accordance with the rules defined in a system template (e.g., Editable vs. Read-Only, Required vs. Optional, Assignment to individual Recipients, placement on the signed document, etc.) One function that this process enables is for the system 20 to render data that was collected from a sender-provided input form to signing parties in an editable format. Without this transformation process, all form data from input forms is imposed on the documents in a non-editable format during the signing ceremony.

The following items are currently transferred from the input PDF into the system process:

• Field data
• On/Off values for Radio Buttons (Distinct from Display Values)

The following items are currently specified in the template, but may alternatively be included as optional characteristics or extensions of the transform process:

• Field placement
• Field rules
  • Optional vs. Required
  • Editable vs. Read-only
  • Edit masks
• List items in drop-down fields
• Display value vs. Stored value for drop-down fields
• Signature fields

The following items are currently transferred from the output PDF into the system process. The system provides the form data that is collected during the signing ceremony in the same (XML) structure that it came in. This allows the systems that consume system data (post-execution) to process the data as if it was extracted from the forms that they provided to the system.

Document Security Restrictions

Business rules currently enforced through validation by the system ensures the following behaviors:

• If any Recipient has a signature/initial task on a document, every Recipient must have a signature/initial task on the document. If there is an Envelope Recipient without a signature/initial task on a document that contains some signature/initial task, system will reject the Envelope upon creation.
• If a document does not have any signature/initial tasks for any Envelope Recipient, the document is perceived to be viewable by all Recipients, and the Envelope is allowed to be created.

The present invention dynamically renders the documents during a signing ceremony (instead of validating that signature tasks are placed appropriately on all documents). The invention establishes a visibility policy that governs how documents are rendered, based on the state of system Tabs (instructions) placed on the documents contained within the Envelope. Preferably, the system behavior is as follows:

• If a document has a system Tab for a Recipient, the document will be visible for the Recipient.
• If a document has a system Tab for one Recipient but not another, the document will not be visible to the Recipient that lacks the system Tab.
• If the document does not have any system Tabs, the document will be visible to all Recipients.
• If a Recipient chooses to download a copy of their documents through the system web interface, only the documents that were viewable during the signing ceremony will be downloaded.
• Predetermined CertifiedDelivery and CarbonCopy Recipients will see all documents in the Envelope.

The system preferably allows the following additional configuration options:

• Dynamically suppress access to the Certificate of Completion and Envelope History for all Signers, Certified Delivery, and Carbon Copy Recipients. (These documents/screens display a list of all signers).
• Ability to specify system behavior as an Account-level setting or on an Envelope-basis. In one embodiment, the setting is not available for Account Administrators to manage; i.e., the Account-level setting could be specified for system users who would themselves not have the ability to change the setting.
• Ability to reflect in the Envelope History the system visibility setting. This information is available for human readability as well as programmatic access.
• Ability to make all documents visible to the Envelope Sender.
• Ability to designate whether Members of the sending Account can see all documents, or whether they are subject to the visibility policy.

The invention methodology is better understood by reference to the following example. In this scenario, there are two signers, S1 and S2, and four documents subject to the system process, D1, D2, D3 and D4. S1 is asked to sign D1 and D2. S2 is asked to sign D1 and enter data on D4. The resulting behavior in this scenario, according to one embodiment of the present invention, is that S1 will see documents D1, D2 and D3, while S2 will see documents D1, D3 and D4.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A method in a server computer connected to a recipient computer system via a network connection, the method comprising: establishing a visibility policy that governs access to electronic documents associated with a signing ceremony, by: allowing a recipient to view an electronic document, if the document includes an instruction for that recipient to view the electronic document;allowing all recipients to view an electronic document, if the document does not include any viewing instructions;receiving at the server computer a request from a recipient to download a copy of the electronic documents associated with the recipient; anddownloading to the recipient computer system only electronic documents that were identified as viewable during the signing ceremony.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising disallowing a first recipient to view an electronic document, if the document includes an instruction for a second recipient to view the document but does not include an instruction for the first recipient to view the document.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising rejecting creation of an envelope for an electronic document that contains a signature/initial task for a first recipient, if the envelope includes a second recipient without a signature/initial task on the document.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing creation of an envelope for an electronic document, if the document does not contain any signature/initial tasks for any recipients.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing predetermined certified delivery recipients and/or carbon copy recipients to view all electronic documents in an envelope.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically suppressing access to a certificate of completion and/or envelope history for one or more of: document signers, certified delivery recipients, and carbon copy recipients.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing a sender of an envelope to view all documents in the envelope.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising designating whether all members of a sending account can view all of the electronic documents associated with the signing ceremony or whether the members of the sending account are subject to the visibility policy.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the visibility policy is based on tabs placed on the electronic documents associated with the signing ceremony.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the electronic documents associated with the signing ceremony are represented in portable document format.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein downloading to the recipient computer system only electronic documents that were identified as viewable during the signing ceremony includes downloading the electronic documents via a web interface.

12. A system comprising: a server computer connected to a recipient computer system via a network connection, the server computer configured to establish a visibility policy that governs access to electronic documents associated with a signing ceremony, by: allowing a recipient to view an electronic document, if the document includes an instruction for that recipient to view the electronic document;allowing all recipients to view an electronic document, if the document does not include any viewing instructions;receiving at the server computer a request from a recipient to download a copy of the electronic documents associated with the recipient; anddownloading to the recipient computer system only electronic documents that were identified as viewable during the signing ceremony.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the server computer is further configured to: reject creation of an envelope for an electronic document that contains a signature/initial task for a first recipient, if the envelope includes a second recipient without a signature/initial task on the document; andallow creation of an envelope for an electronic document, if the document does not contain any signature/initial tasks for any recipients.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the server computer is further configured to based on the visibility policy, suppress access to a certificate of completion and/or envelope history for one or more of: document signers, certified delivery recipients, and carbon copy recipients.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the server computer includes a web interface for downloading the electronic documents associated with a signing ceremony, wherein the electronic documents associated with the signing ceremony are represented in portable document format, and wherein the visibility policy is based on tabs placed on the electronic documents associated with the signing ceremony.