Abstract:
A system and method for verification and/or acceptance of an electronic employment contract. According to an embodiment, a notification is sent or otherwise transmitted to a candidate, and the notification includes a link for accessing a landing or web page. The page is configured to authenticate the candidate&#39;s credentialed and once logged on, the candidate is presented with a page that is configured to allow the candidate to review and/or verify the employment contract presented in an electronic form or rendering. The page is also configured with a confirmation control thereby allowing the candidate to confirm acceptance of the employment contract in its electronic form. The acceptance by the candidate is confirmed to the candidate and the electronic employment contract as accepted is archived and the acceptance parameters are logged.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to computer systems, and more particularly, to a computer-implemented method and system for verification and acceptance of an electronic contract or e-contract, such as an employment contract or a consulting contract. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Technological developments continue to reshape how individuals communicate and work. Traditional physical offices and workplace infrastructure have been replaced with virtual offices. Technological developments have created a workforce with greater mobility. 
         [0003]    While the way people work has changed, the terms of employment and engagement typically comprise paper-based contracts. Paper-based contracts require obtaining physical signatures, which can be time-consuming, for example both for the initial new contract and subsequent contract renewals. In addition, the use of paper-based contracts is not easily scalable, and an employee agency (e.g. account executives) will spend considerable resources and time chasing paper contracts, which increases the sales cycle and reduces the number of hours available for selling and account management. 
         [0004]    Further disadvantages or shortcomings with paper-based contracts include the need for candidates (e.g. employees or consultants) to have access to a scanner in order to submit their signed contracts. The tracking, storage and archiving of both hard and electronic copies of paper-based contracts. The verification or review of submitted scanned copies. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, there remains a need for improvement in the art of contracting for services or employment. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention is directed to embodiments of a method and system for acceptance and/or verification of an electronic contract for employment or consulting or other contracted services. 
         [0007]    According to an embodiment, the present invention provides a system for acceptance and verification of an employment contract created online. 
         [0008]    According to another embodiment, the present invention provides a system for verifying an electronic contract accepted by a consultant. 
         [0009]    According to another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for generating and verifying an electronic contract for employment. 
         [0010]    According to one aspect or embodiment, the present invention comprises a method for generating and verifying an electronic contract for employment by an employee, said method comprising the steps of: transmitting a notification to the employee, said notification including a link to access a graphical user interface based login page; confirming credentials inputted by the employee at said login page; presenting the employee with a graphical user interface based page including an electronic copy of the employment contract; receiving a confirmation input from the employee at said graphical user interface page; in response to said confirmation input storing a copy of said electronic copy of the employment contract; and in response to said confirmation input issuing a notification of acceptance of the employment contract. 
         [0011]    According to another aspect or embodiment, the present invention comprises a system for confirming acceptance of an employment contract by an employee, said system comprising: a server operatively coupled to one or more computers associated with one or more users; a component configured for transmitting a notification to the computer associated with the employee; said notification being configured with a link, and said server being responsive to actuation of said link by the employee for downloading a login page to the computer associated with the employee; said login page being configured to initiate a login procedure requiring one or more credentials for authenticating the employee; in response to an authenticated login, said server having a component configured for downloading a review contract page to the computer associated with the employee, said review contract page being configured with a window responsive to the employee for viewing an electronic copy of the employment contract, and said review contract page including an acceptance control responsive to an input from the employee; said server having a component configured for receiving confirmation of acceptance of the employment contract by the employee and generating a notification of acceptance. 
         [0012]    According to another aspect or embodiment, the present invention comprises a computer program product for performing an acceptance procedure for an electronic employment contract, said computer program product comprising: a storage medium for storing computer executable instructions, said instructions comprising, generating a graphical user interface page configured for a browser, said page including a scrollable window for displaying said employment contract in an electronic form or rendering and an acceptance control responsive to an input from an employee; generating a contract acceptance state; storing a copy of said electronic contract and logging said contract acceptance state. 
         [0013]    Other aspects and features according to the present application will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example, embodiments according to the present invention, and in which: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  shows in block diagram form a system for generating and verifying an electronic contract according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  shows in flowchart form a method or process for accepting and verifying an electronic contract according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a screen shot of a page or window configured to send an electronic contract to an employment candidate according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a screen shot of a page or window or graphical user interface screen configured for composing an email and reviewing an E-Contract according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  a screen shot of a page or window or graphical user interface screen configured for reviewing the notification or email to be sent to a candidate for the verification process according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a screen shot of a page or window or graphical user interface screen configured to display the form of a typical E-Contract, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a screen shot of a “Review Summary of Terms” page generated according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is a screen shot of a “Review E-Contract” page or window according to an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  is a screen shot of a pages or window configured for a candidate to confirm acceptance of an E-Contract according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 10  is a screen shot of an “Acceptance Acknowledgement” page or window generated according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 11  is a screen shot of a page or window configured for a candidate to confirm declination or refusal of an E-Contract according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 12  is a screen shot of a “Declination Acknowledgement” page or window generated according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0027]    Like reference numerals indicate like or corresponding elements in the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0028]    Reference is first made to  FIG. 1 , which shows in block diagram form a system for accepting and/or verifying an electronic contract (i.e. E-Contract) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system is indicated generally by reference  100  and comprises an E-contracting system or module  110 . According to an embodiment, the E-Contracting system  110  comprises a Web server and is configured to communicate with a plurality of candidate computers  120 , indicated individually by references  120   a ,  120   b  . . .  120   n , and with one or more client computers  130 , indicated individually by references  130   a ,  130   b  . . .  130   m . In the context of the present description, a candidate computer  120  corresponds to a computer or other type of processing or communication device (e.g. personal computer, mobile phone, table, netbook, etc.) associated with a candidate (e.g. a potential employee, consultant, existing employee or consultant). Similarly, a client computer  130  corresponds to a computer or other type of processing or communication device (e.g. personal computer, mobile phone, table, netbook, etc.) associated with a client (e.g. a potential employer or an existing employer). The server  110  is operatively coupled to a program module  112  and a database  114 . The program module  112  may comprise a separate module or a logical module configured to run/store the programs, applications, webpages, graphical user interfaces, and any other executable or static components associated with the server  110  and the system  100  as described herein. The database  114  comprises a mass storage or memory device and is configured to store candidate data, contracts, client data, logged data, archived data and other information or data associated with the system  100 . The particular implementation details will be within the understanding of one skilled in the art. 
         [0029]    Reference is next made to  FIG. 2 , which shows an exemplary implementation of a verification and/or acceptance process according to an embodiment of the present invention and indicated generally by reference  200 . The exemplary process comprises modules and functional elements or components comprising both hardware or system elements (e.g. computers, servers, data storage, personal or portable computing devices) and software elements or applications (e.g. computer programs, communication software, database management software or applications). It will be appreciated that the functionality and features associated with the system according to the exemplary implementation and other embodiments described herein may be implemented using executable computer software or code in the form of code objects, functional modules, components, libraries, hardware and any combinations thereof. The particular implementation details will be within the understanding of those skilled in the art. 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , an E-Contract is created by a user using the system  110  ( FIG. 1 ) as indicated by reference  210 . The system  110  can comprise a module or application for creating employee or consultant E-Contracts indicated generally by reference  112  ( FIG. 1 ), for example, the MatchGuide™ system from S.i. Systems. According to this aspect, the contract is created and saved or stored in a database or other mass storage or memory as indicated generally by reference  114  ( FIG. 1 .). In the context of the present description, the term “user” refers to an individual or entity that has privileges and/or resources for creating an E-Contract. For instance, the user can be associated with the E-Contracting system or entity  110 , for example, an Account Executive, or the user can be associated with one of the clients  130 , for example, an outsourcing administrator at a client company or organization. Once the user has created the E-Contract, the system  110  is configured to present the user with a “Send Email” prompt as indicated by reference  212  in  FIG. 2 . In response, the system  110  is configured to display a “Send E-Contract” page or window as indicated by reference  214 . 
         [0031]    According to embodiment, the Send E-Contract page may be implemented as shown in  FIG. 3  and indicated generally by reference  300 . According to an embodiment, the Send E-Contract page  300  includes a “Send e-contract to candidate:” radio button  310 , which is defaulted to “Yes”. If the user selects the “No” button  310 , then page  300  is configured to display a “Reason” field or comment box  312 . The user enters the reason as indicated by reference  215  in  FIG. 2 . If the user selects the “No” button  310  and clicks a “Next” button  314  without inputting anything in the “Reason” field  312 , then the system is configured to display an error message, for example, “Please provide the reason why you are not sending the candidate an e-contract for acceptance at this time”. If the user selects the “Yes” button  310  and clicks the “Next” button  314 , then the system is configured to display or direct the user to a “Compose Email and Review E-Contract” page (as described in further detail below with reference to  FIG. 4  and indicated generally by reference  400 ). This processing step is indicated by reference  216  in  FIG. 2 . If the user selects the “No” button  310  and clicks the “Next” button  314 , then according to an embodiment, the system is configured to display or direct the user to a “Contract Details Confirm” page (as described in further detail below with reference to  FIG. 6  and indicated generally by reference  600 ). This processing step is indicated by reference  220  in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0032]    Reference is next made to  FIG. 4 , which shows the Review E-Contract page  400  according to an embodiment. The Review E-Contract page  400  comprises a Subject field  410  and a Body field  420 . According to an embodiment, the Subject field  410  is defaulted to “Agreement between the E-Contracting service provider and a candidate or candidate company”, and is also editable. According to an embodiment, the Body field  420  is defaulted to the following:
       Dear &lt;Candidate&#39;s Full Name&gt;,   You are invited by S.i. Systems Partnership (“SI”) to log on to its secure web portal as the representative and agent of &lt;Candidate Company Name OR Candidate Name&gt; (the “Consultant”). Once you have logged into the web portal, you will be asked to review, and if the terms are acceptable, accept the form of agreement between SI and the Consultant, pursuant to which, the Consultant will provide services to SI&#39;s client &lt;Company Name&gt;.   Click here to log into your account and accept the agreement   Please note that you can only access and view the form of agreement using the above link. Once you have accepted the agreement on behalf of the Consultant, you will receive a confirmation via email at this email address that the agreement has been entered into and a PDF copy of the agreement&#39;s terms and conditions, and will, in the future, be able to access and view a copy of the agreement&#39;s terms and conditions online through the web portal using your secure login.   Please contact me if you have any questions about the terms and conditions of the form of the agreement.   Regards,   &lt;User&#39;s Full Name&gt;
 
According to an embodiment, text or content cannot be deleted, but the user may insert text, for example, after the default paragraphs. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the Review E-Contract page  400  is configured with a PDF icon  422 . The system is configured to launch a copy of the associated e-contract in a separate browser window or tab in response to the user clicking the PDF icon  422 . According to another aspect, the Body field  420  includes an HTML or other type of active link  424  which is configured to allow a candidate to access a landing page for logging into their account as will be described in more detail below. If the user clicks a “Next” button  426 , the system is configured to display or direct the user to a “Review Email” page (as described in further detail below with reference to  FIG. 5  and indicated generally by reference  500 ).
       
 
         [0040]    Reference is made to  FIG. 5 , which shows the Review Email page  500  according to an embodiment of the invention. As described above, the system is configured to display the Review Email page  500  in step  218  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The Review Email page  500  is configured to allow the user to review an email notification (indicated generally by reference  502 ) intended to be sent to the candidate. According to an embodiment, the system is configured to the send email notification after the e-contract is created. According to this aspect, the system is configured to display the Contract Details Confirm page  600  in response to the user clicking the Next button  510 . An exemplary e-contract is depicted and displayed in the Contract Details Confirm page  600  shown in  FIG. 6 , and made available for review and/or verification by the user (e.g. Account Executive, client or other administrator). This operation corresponds to step  220  as depicted in  FIG. 2 . The Contract Details Confirm page  600  is configured with a Next button  610 . In response to the user clicking the Next button  610 , the system is configured to send the email notification (as described above) to the candidate associated with the e-contract. 
         [0041]    Reference is made back to  FIG. 2 . In response to the Next button  610  ( FIG. 6 ) being clicked in the Contract Details Confirm page  600  ( FIG. 6 ), the system is configured to execute or perform the following functions as depicted in step  222 :
       an e-contract notification is sent to the candidate&#39;s primary email address   a copy of the e-contract is posted to the candidate&#39;s web profile (for example, stored in memory ( FIG. 1 ))   time and date information when the e-contract was sent to the candidate is captured/logged in a contract activities field or file   time and date information when the notification email was sent to the candidate is captured/logged in a contract activities field or file
 
It will be appreciated that step  222  can include other or additional logging and/or archiving functions.
       
 
         [0046]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the candidate logs into their email account (indicated by step  230 ) and opens the notification email received from the system (i.e. the E-Contracting service  110 ). As indicated by step  232  in  FIG. 2 , the notification email includes an embedded link  424  (for example, as depicted in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , and also described above). The candidate clicks the embedded link  424  ( FIG. 4 ) and the system downloads a landing page, e.g. a login page, on the web browser running on the candidate&#39;s computer  120  ( FIG. 1 ), or other type of computing device or communication device, such as, a tablet, a mobile phone or handheld communication device, or a plug-in or an application, for example, configured for a tablet or for a mobile phone or smart phone. The login page is configured a secure page requiring the candidate to enter credentials, such as email and password, as indicated by step  234  in  FIG. 2 . According to an embodiment, the system is configured to log or track the time and date that a candidate logged onto the system and/or attempts to log on. 
         [0047]    Referring still to  FIG. 2  and as indicated by step  236 , the system is configured to display a “Review Summary of Terms” page or window after the candidate has been authenticated on the Login page. According to an embodiment, the system is configured to generate a “Review Summary of Terms” page having a form as depicted in  FIG. 7  and indicated generally by reference  700 . According to an embodiment, the content of the Review Summary page can include the following attributes:
       if the contract is with an incorporated candidate, &lt;Candidate Company Name OR Candidate Name&gt; displays the candidate&#39;s company name   if the contract with a term employee, &lt;Candidate Company Name OR Candidate Name&gt; displays the candidate&#39;s full name.   if the contract is with an incorporated candidate, &lt;agreement type&gt; displays ‘consulting and confidentiality agreement’   if the contract is with a term employee, &lt;agreement type&gt; displays ‘fixed term employment agreement’   if the contract is with a term employee, the “Consultant Company” field is not displayed   if there are multiple rates, they are displayed in the Rate(s) field separated by a comma
 
According to one aspect, if the link to the Review Summary of Terms page  700  has expired, the system is configured to display a message directing the candidate to contact their Account Executive. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the Review Summary of Terms page  700  is configured with a Next button  710 . In response to the candidate clicking the Next button  710 , the system is configured to display a “Review E-Contract” page or window as shown in  FIG. 8  and indicated generally by reference  800 . The Review E-Contract page  800  is configured with a scrollable window  802  which displays the contract in an uneditable form, e.g. in PDF, and provides the candidate with the capability to review and/or verify the contract in its fixed electronic form. The Review E-Contract page  800  also includes an “I Do Not Accept” radio button  810  and an “I Accept” radio button  812  and a “Next” button  820 . According to an embodiment, the “I Do Not Accept” radio button  810  is the default. According to another aspect, the system is configured to initially disable the radio buttons  810  and  812 , and the radio buttons are enabled after the user has scrolled to the bottom of the contract in the scrollable window  802 . If the candidate has selected, i.e. clicked, the “I Accept” button  810 , then the system is configured to display a “Confirm Acceptance” page such as shown in  FIG. 9  and indicated generally by reference  900 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , the Acceptance page  900  is configured with a “CAPTCHA” input field indicated generally by reference  910 , and a “Confirm” button indicated generally by reference  920 . If the user clicks the Confirm button  920  without inputting a value in the CAPTCHA input field  910 , the system is configured to display an error message, such as, “The characters that you entered didn&#39;t match the verification code. Please try again” (i.e. step  240  in  FIG. 2 ). If the user clicks Confirm button  920  and the characters that they inputted don&#39;t match the CAPTCHA characters, the system is configured to display an error message, for example, “The characters that you entered didn&#39;t match the verification code. Please try again” (i.e. step  240  in  FIG. 2 ). If the user doesn&#39;t pass the CAPTCHA challenge, the system is configured to display new characters when the page is refreshed. If the inputted characters match the verification code (i.e. step  240  in  FIG. 2 ) and the candidate clicks the “Confirm” button  920 , the system is configured to display an “Acceptance Acknowledgement” page, for example, having a form as shown in  FIG. 10  and indicated generally by reference  1000 , and corresponding to step  242  in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the Acceptance Acknowledgement page  1000  includes a “View Accepted Contracts” button as indicated by reference  1010 . According to an embodiment, the system is configured to display a “My Accepted Contracts” page showing the contracts for the candidate in response to the View Accepted Contracts button  1010  being clicked.
       
 
         [0054]    Reference is made back to  FIG. 2 . In response to the Confirm button  920  ( FIG. 9 ) being clicked in the Confirm Acceptance page  900  ( FIG. 9 ), the system is configured to execute or perform the following functions as depicted in step  242 :
       the candidate&#39;s acceptance is acknowledged, e.g. the Acceptance Acknowledgement Page  1000  ( FIG. 10 ) is generated and displayed   the acceptance by the candidate is captured or logged/archived   the logged activities associated with the contract are updated with the acceptance state or status   a “consultant verified” status is recorded or logged   the Account Executive is notified of the acceptance   the candidate receives an acknowledgment email
 
It will be appreciated that step  222  can include other or additional logging and/or archiving functions.
       
 
         [0061]    Reference is made to  FIG. 2 . In step  236 , if the candidate elects not to accept the e-contract, i.e. the candidate clicks the “I Do Not Accept” button  810  in the Review E-Contract page  800 , then the system is configured to display a “Confirm Declination” page for example as shown in  FIG. 11  and indicated generally by reference  1100 . 
         [0062]    As shown in  FIG. 11 , the Confirm Declination page  1100  is configured with a “CAPTCHA” input field indicated generally by reference  1110 , and a “Confirm” button indicated generally by reference  1120 . If the user clicks the Confirm button  1120  without inputting a value in the CAPTCHA input field  1110 , the system is configured to display an error message such as, “The characters that you entered didn&#39;t match the verification code. Please try again” (i.e. step  252  in  FIG. 2 ). If the user clicks Confirm and the characters that they inputted don&#39;t match the CAPTCHA characters, the system is configured to display an error message: “The characters that you entered didn&#39;t match the verification code. Please try again” (i.e. step  252  in  FIG. 2 ). If the user doesn&#39;t pass the CAPTCHA challenge, the system is configured to display new characters when the page is refreshed. If the inputted characters match the verification code (i.e. step  252  in  FIG. 2 ) and the candidate clicks the “Confirm” button  1120 , the system is configured to display a “Declination Acknowledgement” page, for example, having a form as shown in  FIG. 12  and indicated generally by reference  1200 , and corresponding to step  254  in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , the Declination Acknowledgement page  1200  includes a “View Accepted Contracts” button as indicated by reference  1210 . According to an embodiment, the system is configured to display a “My Accepted Contracts” page showing the previously accepted contracts for the candidate in response to the View Accepted Contracts button  1210  being clicked. 
         [0063]    In operation and according to an exemplary embodiment, the verification or acceptance process and system is configured to allow an employment agency (e.g. an account executive) to post an electronic copy of an employment contract for a potential employee (e.g. a consultant) to the a web portal for review and acceptance by the consultant. Once the contract is posted (e.g. available), the system is configured to notify the consultant, for example, by way of an email. The notification includes a link for accessing a web page, and the link is credentialed or secured requiring authentication by the consultant, so that only the consultant can access their contract. The consultant reviews/verifies the contract and the system is configured to receive an acceptance or a declination/refusal by the consultant. If the consultant accepts the contract, the system is configured to store or archive a copy of contract (e.g. a PDF copy) in a database and also log/store the time of the consultant&#39;s acceptance. The system is also configured to notify the account executive of the consultant&#39;s acceptance. The system is also configured to send the consultant a copy of the accepted contract (e.g. a PDF copy). According to another aspect, the system is configured to allow the consultant to view a copy of the accepted contract in their web portal or page. 
         [0064]    It will be appreciated that the system and process according to the present invention can reduce the amount of time required of an account executive to track signatures on contracts, reduce the amount of time required in an accounting or other administrative department verifying the contracts (e.g. formal and/or substantive provisions, such as, duration, renewal, pay rate, signatures, start date, end date, etc.), increase the number of contracts that verified by candidates (e.g. consultants), provide consistent storing/archiving and/or management of executed contracts. 
         [0065]    While embodiments according to the present invention are described in the context of employment placement and contracting services, it will be appreciated that the embodiments have wider application to other types of services or applications having or requiring the generation, verification or acceptance of contracts. 
         [0066]    The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Certain adaptations and modifications of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the presently discussed embodiments are considered to be illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.