Apparatus and process for distributing information using an electronic package representation
US5870089A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 24, 1997 |
| Grant date | Feb 9, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 24, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F3/04817
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and a method are both described for transferring data throughout computer systems, computer networks, data transmission facilities, and the like from an originating location to destination devices (50) at various physical locations. An electronic package data structure (10) is also described that includes document references (14), destination references (16), and package attributes (18, 28, 40). The document references (14) may be document names and locations or actual document contents. Destination references (16) identify printers, e-mail addresses, facsimile machines, electronic pagers and the like. A graphical user interface or GUI (140) serves to allow a user (52) to select documents, destinations, and additional package attributes that create the electronic package data structure (10). Once the components and attributes are assembled, the GUI is used to send the package (10) to a delivery service (12). The delivery service (12) receives the package (10) and operates on instructions and data in the package to interpret the instructions and actually deliver the documents in the package to the desired destinations.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.