Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-24
2002-05-07
Feild, Joseph H. (Department: 2176)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C709S201000, C709S246000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06385627
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the data processing field, and more particularly, relates to a method, apparatus and computer program product implemented in a computer system for providing a digital document user role indication.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
In today's computer systems, some known applications or computer software products include an electronic signature. People often have multiple different roles. For example, individuals having businesses at their homes need to respond to business and personal communications. When a person writes letters, they close their letters and sign their name different ways. Known electronic mail (E-mail) software automatically appends a digital signature without requiring an individual computer user to provide user information. However, it is cumbersome and time consuming to change the signature utilizing known software.
A need exists for a mechanism for providing different signatures for electronic or digital documents, while maintaining the productivity of automatically appending the signature. It is desirable to provide a method and computer program product for providing a digital document user role indication that efficiently and effectively facilitates automated generation of an appropriate digital document user role indication.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A principal object of the present invention is to provide an intelligent method, apparatus and computer program product for providing a digital document user role indication. Other important objects of the present invention are to provide such methods, apparatus and computer program product for providing a digital document user role indication that efficiently and effectively facilitates automated generation of an appropriate digital document user role indication; to provide such method, apparatus and computer program product substantially without negative effect; and that overcome many of the disadvantages of prior art arrangements.
In brief, an intelligent method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for providing a digital document user role indication. A user role profile for a user is stored. Selecting rules are utilized for identifying one of the plurality of roles from the stored user role profile. Responsive to the applying the selecting rules, a selected user role indication is appended to a digital document.
In accordance with features of the invention, the user role indication can be selected based upon document content, a time of day value, and/or send lists for the digital document. Multiple user selected settings can be selected for the role from a group of enviromental values including name, icon, selection sound, header, footer, opening, closing, background, encryption, signature key, and priority.
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Bashore William L.
Feild Joseph H.
Gamon Owen J.
Pennington Joan
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