# US 12,008,501 B2 · Document workflows in a document management system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,008,501 B2 - Document ID: US12008501B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/710,712 - Filed: 2022-03-31 - Published: 2023-10-05 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2022-03-31 - Assignees: DocuSign, Inc. - Applicants: DocuSign, Inc. - Inventors: Carlos Manuel Garrido; Andre Makram; Mohamed Gomaa; John Jason Leahy; Reetika Jain; Hailey Veronica Dhanens; Praveen Alluri; Sean Smith; Jeremy Michael Turinetti; Dunja Hadzimusic; Ikwuagwu Emole; Deepinder Badesha; Dania Michele Marinshaw; Megan Elizabeth Schwarz; Michelle Lam; Chadwick Taylor Roffey; Kyle Anthony Uhelski; Iqra Anjum; Aylin Selcukoglu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12008501B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/0633: Workflow analysis - G06Q 10/06332: {using business process templates} - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Through a workflow interface, a document management system enables a user to establish a document workflow. The document workflow establishes a set of document actions for the document management system to perform automatically in response to a request from the user. The user defines the document workflow by selecting from a set of workflow operations and specifying parameters for the selected workflow operation. The user additionally defines an approval workflow operation and a rejection workflow operation that designate document actions in the event that a document is approved or rejected, respectively. The document management system performs at least a portion of the document workflow in an order determined from the workflow interface. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method, comprising: generating, using at least one processor, a document workflow interface comprising one or more workflow interface elements, each workflow interface element in the one or more workflow interface elements includes a field; presenting one or more workflow operations in response to a selection of at least one workflow interface element in the one or more workflow interface elements; modifying, using the at least one processor, the document workflow interface by modifying the at least one workflow interface element based on a selected workflow operation in the one or more workflow operations, the modified at least one workflow interface element includes a field having a field value in a plurality of field values populated based on a tag in the plurality of tags associated with the at least one workflow interface element; including a first workflow branch corresponding to an approval workflow operation; and including a second workflow branch corresponding to a rejection workflow operation; generating, using the at least one processor, based on the approval workflow operation and the rejection workflow operation, a document workflow defining an ordered set of operations including the selected workflow operation, the approval workflow operation, and the rejection workflow operation; and executing, using the at least one processor, at least a portion of the ordered set of operations on a target document. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying a type of the target document; and determining the one or more workflow operations based on the type of the target document. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising identifying, using a machine learned model, the type of target document. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the type of target document is identified via a selection. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the ordered set of operations includes at least one of: the approval workflow operation in response to an approval action on the target document, and the rejection workflow operation in response to a rejection action on the target document. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the portion of the ordered set of operations includes a time-based workflow operation executed after a passage of a threshold period of time without at least one of: the approval action and the rejection action. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the portion of the ordered set of operations includes a signature workflow operation executed after the approval workflow operation. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the portion of the ordered set of operations includes a routing workflow operation comprising sending the target document for signature. ### Claim 9 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by a hardware processor, cause the hardware processor to: generate a document workflow interface comprising one or more workflow interface elements, each workflow interface element in the one or more workflow interface elements includes a field; present one or more workflow operations in response to a selection of at least one workflow interface element in the one or more workflow interface elements; modify the document workflow interface by modifying the at least one workflow interface element based on a selected workflow operation in the one or more workflow operations, the modified at least one workflow interface element includes a field having a field value in a plurality of field values populated based on a tag in the plurality of tags associated with the at least one workflow interface element; including a first workflow branch corresponding to an approval workflow operation; and including a second workflow branch corresponding to a rejection workflow operation; generate, based on the approval workflow operation and the rejection workflow operation, a document workflow defining an ordered set of operations including the selected workflow operation, the approval workflow operation, and the rejection workflow operation; and execute at least a portion of the ordered set of operations on a target document. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to: identify a type of the target document; and determine the one or more workflow operations based on the type of the target document. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to identify, using a machine learned model, the type of target document. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the type of target document is identified via a selection. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the portion of the ordered set of operations includes at least one of: the approval workflow operation in response to an approval action on the target document, and the rejection workflow operation in response to a rejection action on the target document. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the portion of the ordered set of operations includes a time-based workflow operation executed after a passage of a threshold period of time without at least one of: the approval action and the rejection action. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the portion of the ordered set of operations includes a signature workflow operation executed after the approval workflow operation. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the portion of the ordered set of operations includes a routing workflow operation comprising sending the target document for signature. ### Claim 17 A document management system comprising: a hardware processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the hardware processor to: generate a document workflow interface comprising one or more workflow interface elements, each workflow interface element in the one or more workflow interface elements includes a field; present one or more workflow operations in response to a selection of at least one workflow interface element in the one or more workflow interface elements; modify the document workflow interface, wherein modification of the document workflow interface comprises modifying the at least one workflow interface element based on a selected workflow operation in the one or more workflow operations, the modified at least one workflow interface element includes a field having a field value in a plurality of field values populated based on a tag in the plurality of tags associated with the at least one workflow interface element; including a first workflow branch corresponding to an approval workflow operation; and including a second workflow branch corresponding to a rejection workflow operation; generate, based on the approval workflow operation and the rejection workflow operation, a document workflow defining an ordered set of operations including the selected workflow operation, the approval workflow operation, and the rejection workflow operation; and execute at least a portion of the ordered set of operations on a target document. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The document management system of claim 17, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to identify a type of the target document; and determine the one or more workflow operations based on the type of the target document. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The document management system of claim 18, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to identify, using a machine learned model, the type of target document. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The document management system of claim 18, wherein the type of target document is identified via a selection.