User interface with inbox mode and document mode for single input work flow routing

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

• receive a document at a portable computing device, the document including at least a first page and a second page;
• display a list of documents in an inbox view of a two-mode user interface, wherein the inbox view includes a status of the document indicating a current step of the document in the document workflow;
• receive a selection of the document from the list of documents;
• transition from the inbox view of the two-mode user interface to a form view of the two-mode user interface;
• display the document in the form view of the two-mode user interface;
• capture input strokes and add the input strokes to the document to create an annotated document;
• receive a submit command;
• compute differences between the first page of the annotated document and the first page of the document received at the portable computing device and differences between the second page of the annotated document and the second page of the document received at the portable computing device, wherein the differences include changes made to the document received at the portable computing device due to the addition of the input strokes;
• and
• automatically send the differences to a server in response to receiving the submit command, the annotated document including page metadata associated with each of the first and second pages, wherein the server determines a first location and a first workflow step for the first page of the annotated document by retrieving the first location and the first workflow step from the page metadata associated with the first page and determines a second location and a second workflow step for the second page of the annotated document by retrieving the second location and the second workflow step from the page metadata associated with the second page.

An apparatus for processing a document workflow, the apparatus comprising:

• one or more processors;
• a document transfer module stored in a memory and executable by the one or more processors, the document transfer module for receiving a document, the document including at least a first page and a second page, receiving a submit command, computing differences between the first page of the annotated document and the first page of the document received at the portable computing device and differences between the second page of the annotated document and the second page of the document received at the portable computing device, wherein the differences include changes made to the document received at the portable computing device due to the addition of the input strokes, and automatically sending the differences to a server in response to receiving the submit command, the annotated document including page metadata associated with each of the first and second pages, wherein the server determines a first location and a first workflow step for the first page of the annotated document by retrieving the first location and the first workflow step from the page metadata associated with the first page and determines a second location and a second workflow step for the second page of the annotated document by retrieving the second location and the second workflow step from the page metadata associated with the second page;
• a presentation module stored in a memory and executable by the one or more processors, the presentation module coupled to the document transfer module for displaying a list of documents in an inbox view of a two-mode user interface, wherein the inbox view includes a status of the document indicating a current step of the document in the document workflow, transitioning from the inbox view of the two-mode user interface to a form view of the two-mode user interface in response to a selection of the document from the list of documents, displaying the received document in a two-mode user interface;
• and
• a stroke capture module stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors, the stroke capture module coupled to the document transfer module for capturing input strokes and adding the input strokes to the received document to create the annotated document.