Dynamic Contract Model Updates Through Dependency Graphs for Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maintaining consistency and correctness in contract fields and updating corresponding fields during collaboration or negotiation between contracting parties is difficult, leading to an expensive, time-consuming, and error-prone task in manually updating digitally stored contracts.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented system that automatically updates a digitally stored contract model by creating a graph of answer data and variables, removing edges and nodes that are no longer relevant, and using interactive interviews to ensure consistency and correctness in contract metadata.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual updating of contract fields is performed during negotiation, then contract parties can collaborate and negotiate terms, but consistency and correctness among fields become difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects changes in contract fields and triggers recalculations of dependent fields. When a field value changes during negotiation, the system computes updated values for related fields and presents them to users for review, ensuring consistency is maintained through automated feedback loops rather than manual tracking
Solution Approach 2:
The contract model performs self-updating through automated field calculations. When base fields change during negotiation, the system automatically computes and updates derived fields based on predefined relationships, allowing the contract data model to maintain itself without requiring manual intervention for consistency
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual extraction and updating of contract data is performed, then contract negotiation can occur, but the process becomes expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical processes of data extraction and updating with automated computational processes. Software algorithms automatically track field changes, compute dependencies, and update the contract model, substituting human effort with automated digital processing that maintains negotiation flexibility while dramatically improving efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary contract management system that sits between the negotiation process and the contract data model. This intermediary automatically manages field relationships and updates, mediating between user negotiations and data consistency requirements without requiring direct manual intervention in the data model
3Ease of operation
If manual updating of contract fields is performed, then contract negotiations can proceed, but errors are more likely to occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides automated feedback validation when fields are updated during negotiation. Before accepting field changes, the system checks for consistency with other fields and predefined business rules, alerting users to potential errors and preventing inaccurate data from being committed to the contract model
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides for a method of automatically updating a digitally stored model of an electronic contract over the lifetime of a contract, including a step of receiving an update to an attribute of a digitally stored contract model. Further, retrieving, from a digital data store, model description data and a plurality of answer values. Based on the model description data and answer values, creating a graph of answer data and variables required in the electronic contract as nodes and edges, where nodes represent the answer data and variables, and edges represent dependencies of the nodes. Next, removing edges that are determined from first variables to second variables that the first variables had been declared as using. From the update to the attributes of the contract model, removing one or more nodes corresponding to the one or more variables that are not directly referenceable by the document.