Method and system for document lineage tracking
US11537577B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 24, 2020 |
| Grant date | Dec 27, 2022 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 15, 2040 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F16/93
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and system for tracking the history of possession, activity, and changes related to an electronic document after its creation includes a document in a file system on an computing device having linked metadata which tracks hash values that update when a user performs a document action. Each hash value indicates a fixed document state. The metadata stores hash value identifiers associated with the initial document state and the document state right before the most recent document action and a list of identifiers associated with every state of the document in its history. The method and system allows for branching of multiple documents from a common state, identified by a common hash value and includes components to visualize a document's lineage. The method and system also includes the ability to store information in a document regarding similar, or near duplicate, documents that do not share the same lineage.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.