Document management system and method

A system for managing documents at an electronic data repository, where the documents relate to a transaction involving a plurality of parties having different roles in the transaction, the system comprising:

• an electronic data repository;
• and
• a computer program configured to
• receive documents from parties that are involved in the transaction and that are remote from the repository and from each other,
• store the received documents in the repository,
• define, responsively to instructions from a remote party, one or more document sets corresponding to the remote party,
• permit each remote party access only to those documents within the sets corresponding to the remote party,
• prohibit any remote party from modifying any document in the repository, and from deleting any document from the repository, while the document is part of a document set of another remote party, and
• permit a first remote party access to documents in a set corresponding to a second remote party, responsively to the second remote party.

A system for collecting data items at an electronic data repository from a plurality of parties, with each of the parties having access to the data items from the repository, the system comprising:

• means for storing data items in an electronic format;
• means for receiving data items from parties remote from the repository and from each other;
• means for storing the received data items in the repository;
• means for providing each remote party access only to those data items within one or more data item sets corresponding to the remote party;
• means for prohibiting any remote party from modifying any data item in, and from deleting any data item from, the repository while the data item is part of a data item set of another remote party;
• and
• means for permitting a first remote party access to data items in a set corresponding to a second remote party, responsively to the second remote party.

A computerized method for managing data items at an electronic data repository with respect to a plurality of parties, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving data items from parties remote from the repository and from each other;
• storing the data items in the repository in an electronic format;
• providing each remote party access only to those data items within one or more data item sets corresponding to the remote party;
• prohibiting any remote party from modifying any data item in the repository, and from deleting any data item from the repository, while the data item is part of a data item set of another remote party;
• and
• permitting a first remote party access to data items in a set of a second remote party, responsively to the second remote party.

Within a transaction involving a plurality of parties having different roles in the transaction, a computerized method for managing documents related to the transaction and controlling access to the documents, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving documents relating to the transaction;
• storing the documents in an electronic data repository, wherein the parties are remote from the repository and from each other and wherein the documents are applied to one or more sets corresponding to each remote party;
• providing the remote parties access only to those documents within the one or more sets corresponding to the remote party;
• prohibiting the remote parties from modifying any document in, and from deleting any document from, the repository while the document is part of a document set of another remote party;
• and
• permitting a first remote party access to documents defined in a set corresponding to a second remote party, responsively to the second remote party.

Within a transaction involving a plurality of parties having different roles in the transaction, a computerized method for managing documents related to the transaction and controlling access to the documents, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an electronic data repository;
• (b) receiving documents relating to the transaction from a plurality of parties remote from the repository and from each other and having a role in the transaction;
• (c) storing the documents in electronic form in the repository;
• (d) for each remote party, defining a set of the documents corresponding to the remote party, wherein each remote party defines a categorization of document types within the set;
• (e) providing each remote party access only to those documents within one or more document sets corresponding to the remote party, wherein each remote party is provided access to the documents in its one or more document sets organized by the categorization defined by the remote party;
• (f) prohibiting the remote parties from modifying the documents in, and from deleting any document from, the repository while the document is part of a document set of another remote party;
• (g) applying a map between the document types of a first remote party's categorization and the document types of a second remote party's categorization;
• and
• (h) following step (g) and responsively to the first remote party, applying one or more documents covered by the first remote party's set to the second remote party's set according to the map.

A computerized method of sharing documents relating to a mortgage transaction involving a plurality of parties having different roles in the transaction, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an electronic data repository;
• (b) receiving documents relating to the mortgage and prepared by respective parties that are remote from the repository, are remote from each other and have a role in the mortgage transaction;
• (c) wherein each remote party defines types of documents applicable to a document set corresponding to the remote party;
• (d) wherein each remote party stores documents in electronic form in the repository;
• (e) applying each document to one or more document sets according to the document types defined step (c);
• (f) prohibiting the remote parties from deleting any document from the repository while the document is part of a document set of another remote party;
• (g) providing access to the documents from the repository to each remote party, wherein each remote party is provided access only to those documents within the set corresponding to the remote party;
• (h) responsively to a first remote party, applying one or more documents covered by the first remote party's set to a set corresponding to a second remote party.

A computer readable carrier including a computer program that causes a computer to manage and control access to documents at an electronic data repository used by a plurality of parties to a transaction, the computer program causing the computer to perform the steps of:

• (a) receiving documents from parties remote from the repository and from each other;
• (b) storing the documents in the repository in an electronic format;
• (c) providing each remote party access only to those documents within one or more document sets corresponding to the remote party;
• (d) prohibiting any remote party from modifying any document in the repository, and from deleting any document from the repository, while the document is part of a document set of another remote party;
• and
• (e) permitting a first remote party access to documents in a set of a second remote party, responsively to the second remote party.