Importance

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Abstract

In a system for controlling the flow of paper work of a multiplicity of documents by a multiplicity of individuals, the documents are stored electronically in the memory of a central data processor and are electronically transmitted to remote processors to be displayed by display devices of terminals connected to the remote processors when the paper work tasks are performed. Schedules of tasks are stored in the memory of the central data processor, each schedule comprising a plurality of data packets and each data packet containing the identification of a document, the task to be performed on the document, the individual who is to perform the task, whether the task has been completed, whether the task must await the completion of a preceding task identified in the data packet in the schedule and, if so, which preceding data packets have tasks which must be first completed. The central data processor processes the data in the data packets of the schedules and transmits the data packets to the remote data processors when the data packets do not await the completion of an uncompleted task of a preceding data packet. When an individual indicates he wishes to perform a task in a packet which has been transmitted to a data processor, the document of the task will be electronically transmitted from the central data processor memory to the remote data processor and be displayed on the cathode ray tube display device of a terminal connected to the remote processor. The individual will then be able to perform his assigned task on the displayed document. When he has completed his task, the document is electronically transmitted back to the memory of the central data processor and an indication is stored in the corresponding data packet of the stored schedules that the task of the data packet has been completed.

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First Claim