Agreement Document Models for Faster Queries and Direct Validation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Electronic agreement documents face challenges in processing efficiency due to unstructured data, memory wastage from redundant content, and inefficient validation and editing processes.

Innovation Solution

A document management system utilizing structured document models for querying, validating, and customizing electronic agreement documents, enabling efficient searching, direct data access for validation, and memory-efficient storage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If unstructured data is used to store agreement document content, then flexibility in document format is maintained, but processing resources are excessively consumed when querying documents

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedocument query efficiencyVSAvoidprocessing resources
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments agreement documents into structured components with defined fields (e.g., party names, dates, obligations) that can be independently queried. This segmentation allows the system to search only relevant fields rather than scanning entire unstructured documents, significantly reducing processing resources while maintaining query flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms document content from unstructured text into structured data with specific parameters and data types. By changing the organizational parameter from free-text to structured fields with defined schemas, the system enables efficient querying without sacrificing document flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If unstructured data format is used for agreement documents, then document creation flexibility is preserved, but validation of information becomes complex and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation validationVSAvoidvalidation time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary validation rules and constraints defined in the structured document schemas. Validation checks are performed automatically as documents are created or modified, rather than requiring separate manual validation steps. This preliminary action ensures data reliability while minimizing validation time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The structured document format enables self-validating documents where the schema definitions automatically enforce data types, required fields, and format constraints. The system validates information inherently through its structure rather than requiring external validation processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Ease of operation

If unstructured data is used in agreement documents, then document format flexibility is maintained, but editing specific information becomes challenging and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedocument editingVSAvoidediting time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting documents into distinct structured fields (e.g., separate fields for start date, end date, parties, obligations), users can directly edit specific fields without searching through entire documents. This segmentation makes editing operations intuitive and time-efficient while preserving document flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The structured document model provides universal editing capabilities across different document types through consistent field definitions. The same editing interface and methods work for various agreement types, making the editing process universally easy regardless of document complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Reliability

If redundant standard language is stored in each electronic agreement document, then document completeness is ensured, but memory resources are unnecessarily wasted

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedocument completenessVSAvoidmemory usage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a nested structure where standard language templates are stored once at a higher level and referenced by multiple documents. Documents contain references to these templates rather than duplicating the actual text, enabling complete documents to be generated while minimizing stored data quantity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of storing redundant copies of standard language in each document, the system creates lightweight references or pointers to the master template. When documents are generated, the system copies only the necessary portions dynamically, ensuring document completeness without wasting memory on redundant storage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS12373474B2Querying agreement document models in a document management system
Publication Date: 2025.07.29 DOCUSIGN INC
  • US12373474B2 patent drawing
  • US12373474B2 patent drawing
  • US12373474B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A document management system utilizes document models for querying, validating, and customizing electronic agreement documents. Document models can be a data structure including document attributes that represent an agreement document. Examples of document attributes include customizable data values, conditions related to the operation of the agreement document and satisfiable by certain values of the customized data values, and rendering parameters for the appearance of the electronic agreement document. The document management system enables a user to create custom document models for generating electronic agreement documents that can be queried, validated, and customized through querying, validating, and customizing the corresponding document models.