Ensured workflow system and method for editing a consolidated file

A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, the product comprising a plug-in application for use with a host application for editing a PDF file in one or more editing sessions of an edit chain in which one or more users edit and save successive versions of the PDF file, the PDF file comprising at least one component file converted from a native-application, non-PDF format into and stored in PDF format, the product comprising:

• means for storing a marker within the PDF file indicating that the PDF file was edited using the ensured workflow system;
• means for optionally storing information within the PDF file identifying the at least one component file converted from the native-application, non-PDF format into the PDF format, the identifying information comprising one or more of:
• file name, file type, relative path, absolute path, creation date, modification date, and checksum data;
• and
• means for optionally storing a preflight profile within the PDF file to be used for preflighting the document;
• means for optionally preflighting the edited PDF file in accordance with the preflight profile;
• means for storing an edit log within the PDF, the edit log comprising edit information corresponding to a history of edits made to the document in each editing session of the edit chain, the edit information comprising:
• an edit log listing of one or more edits made during the session, user information relating to the user who conducted the edit, comment data optionally entered by the user relating to the session, and one or more preflight results, if preflighting has been performed;
• means for displaying the history of edits for the edited PDF file, including means for comparing a first document version saved after a first session with a second document version saved after a second session;
• and
• means for saving a snapshot of a previous document version saved after a selected editing session;
• and
• means for reviewing the preflight profile stored within the PDF file, reviewing whether the preflight profile stored within the PDF file matches a database preflight profile having an identical name, reviewing whether the PDF file has been preflighted with the preflight profile stored within the PDF file, and reviewing whether the preflight results indicate any errors in the PDF file.

A computer-implemented method for verifying responsibility for edits made to a consolidated document in one or more editing sessions of an edit chain in which one or more users edit and save successive versions of the consolidated document using an ensured workflow software program embodied on a computer readable medium, the consolidated document comprising at least one component file converted from a native application format into and stored in a non-native application format different from the native application format, the non-native application format comprising a format accepted by an output processing system, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) storing a marker within the consolidated document indicating the at the document was edited using the ensured workflow software package;
• (b) storing an edit log within the consolidated document, the edit log comprising edit information corresponding to a history of edits made to the document in each editing session of the edit chain, the edit information comprising:
• a listing of one or more edits made during the session, user information relating to the user who conducted the edit, any comments entered by the user relating to the session, and one or more preflight results, if preflighting has been performed;
• (c) storing identifying information within the consolidated document sufficient to identify the at least one component file that was converted into the consolidated document, the identifying information comprising one or more of:
• file name, file type, relative path, absolute path, creation date, modification date, and checksum data;
• and
• (d) storing a preflight profile within the consolidated document to be used for preflighting the document;
• (e) preflighting the edited document in accordance with the preflight profile and storing one or more preflight results related to the preflighting step as edit information in the edit log.