Token-based deadline enforcement system for electronic document submission
US6182124A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 10, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jan 30, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 10, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L69/329
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In a token-based deadline enforcement system for electronic document submission, a submission requirements centre collects information on submission requirements (eg., deadlines for submitting bids in response to commercial tenders), from the processing environments that generate the requirements. A gateway to a network of potential submitters polls the information collected in the submission requirements centre, and generates tokens corresponding to current submission time limits. These tokens are available to all potential submitters until expiry of the corresponding time limit for the submission. On receiving a request for electronic submission from a submitting program, the gateway searches its records for the token corresponding to the submission type. If the token is located, it is returned to the submitting program for packaging with the submission. If the token is not located, an electronic message, such as an error flag, is returned to the submitting program, and the submitter knows immediately that the submission did not meet the deadline. When a submission packaged with a valid token is received at the gateway, it can be routed directly to the processing environment that…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.