Patent Publication Number: US-2020304313-A1

Title: Electronic signature and acknowledgement approaches

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates generally to electronic signature (e-signature) and acknowledgment implementations, including in a mobile environment. 
     This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. 
     Organizations, regardless of size, rely upon access to information technology (IT) and data and services for their continued operation and success. A respective organization&#39;s IT infrastructure may have associated hardware resources (e.g. computing devices, load balancers, firewalls, switches, etc.) and software resources (e.g. productivity software, database applications, custom applications, and so forth). Over time, more and more organizations have turned to cloud computing approaches to supplement or enhance their IT infrastructure solutions. 
     Cloud computing relates to the sharing of computing resources that are generally accessed via the Internet. In particular, a cloud computing infrastructure allows users, such as individuals and/or enterprises, to access a shared pool of computing resources, such as servers, storage devices, networks, applications, and/or other computing based services. By doing so, users are able to access computing resources on demand that are located at remote locations, which resources may be used to perform a variety of computing functions (e.g., storing and/or processing large quantities of computing data). For enterprise and other organization users, cloud computing provides flexibility in accessing cloud computing resources without accruing large up-front costs, such as purchasing expensive network equipment or investing large amounts of time in establishing a private network infrastructure. Instead, by utilizing cloud computing resources, users are able redirect their resources to focus on their enterprise&#39;s core functions. 
     One aspect of operating in such a computerized environment, whether on a cloud platform or otherwise, is that conventional, paper-based signature and/or acknowledgment approaches may difficult or impossible to implement in view of the reliance on electronic forms or documents. This may be further exacerbated in view of the continued adoption of mobile or handheld devices to view documents or forms. 
     SUMMARY 
     A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below. 
     The present approach relates to techniques for facilitating acquisition of electronic signatures (e-signatures) and/or acknowledgements in the context of electronic forms or documents. In one aspect, a designer may be used to configure tasks corresponding to signature or acknowledgment tasks that may be added to a person&#39;s to-do list or task management application or portal. Interaction with the task (e.g., selecting the signature or acknowledgement task from a list of tasks) to complete may result in a set of options being provided to the user via an interface to allow the task to be completed in accordance with the guidance programmed by the designer, such as to acquire a signature or acknowledgment. Completion of the signature or acknowledgement task via the interface access through the task list may also allow the task to be automatically marked as completed on the list and removed from pending tasks. In certain aspects, the signature or acknowledgement tasks may be configured for display and completion on a mobile device (e.g., a handheld device such as a phone or tablet computer). Further, signature and/or acknowledgement functionality may be provided as part of an application plug-in or module, such that the electronic signature and/or acknowledgement functionality may be used in different application contexts (such as human resources, customer service, event or incident management, legal department, and/or accounting or finance contexts) without having to separately program this functionality into each context separately. 
     Various refinements of the features noted above may exist in relation to various aspects of the present disclosure. Further features may also be incorporated in these various aspects as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For instance, various features discussed below in relation to one or more of the illustrated embodiments may be incorporated into any of the above-described aspects of the present disclosure alone or in any combination. The brief summary presented above is intended only to familiarize the reader with certain aspects and contexts of embodiments of the present disclosure without limitation to the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various aspects of this disclosure may be better understood upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an embodiment of a cloud architecture in which embodiments of the present disclosure may operate; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a multi-instance cloud architecture in which embodiments of the present disclosure may operate; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a computing device utilized in a computing system that may be present in  FIG. 1 or 2 , in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a virtual server supports and enables the client instance, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  depicts an interface of a designer for configuring a signature or acknowledgement task, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  depicts the interface of  FIG. 5  showing further aspects related to selection of documents and configuration of acknowledgements, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  depicts an implementation of a task list and a submission task on a desktop computer and display, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  depicts an implementation of an electronic signature task on a desktop computer and display, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 9  depicts another implementation of an electronic signature task on a desktop computer and display, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 10  depicts a further implementation of an electronic signature task, in the form of a credential task, on a desktop computer and display, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 11  depicts an implementation of an electronic acknowledgement task on a desktop computer and display, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 12  depicts an implementation of a combined electronic signature and acknowledgment task on a desktop computer and display, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 13  depicts an implementation of an task list on a mobile device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 14  depicts an implementation of a submission task on a mobile device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 15  depicts an implementation of an electronic signature task initiation interface on a mobile device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 16  depicts an implementation of an electronic signature task on a mobile device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 17  depicts another implementation of an electronic signature task on a mobile device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 18  depicts a further implementation of an electronic signature task, in the form of a credential task, on a mobile device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 19  depicts an implementation of an electronic acknowledgement task initiation interface on a mobile device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 20  depicts an implementation of an electronic acknowledgement task on a mobile device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 21  depicts an implementation of a combined electronic signature and acknowledgment task initiation interface on a mobile device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 22  depicts an implementation of a combined electronic signature and acknowledgment task on a mobile device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 23  depicts further aspects of the implementation of the combined electronic signature and acknowledgment task of  FIG. 22 , in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 24  depicts locale aspects of an implementation of a combined electronic signature and acknowledgment task on a mobile device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and enterprise-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     As used herein, the term “computing system” refers to an electronic computing device such as, but not limited to, a single computer, virtual machine, virtual container, host, server, laptop, and/or mobile device, or to a plurality of electronic computing devices working together to perform the function described as being performed on or by the computing system. As used herein, the term “medium” refers to one or more non-transitory, computer-readable physical media that together store the contents described as being stored thereon. Embodiments may include non-volatile secondary storage, read-only memory (ROM), and/or random-access memory (RAM). As used herein, the term “application” refers to one or more computing modules, programs, processes, workloads, threads and/or a set of computing instructions executed by a computing system. Example embodiments of an application include software modules, software objects, software instances and/or other types of executable code. As used here-in a “plug-in” is a software component that adds a specific feature or functionality to other applications or routines when associated. In this manner, a respective plug-in may be associated with different applications or routines to add a common functionality in a modular fashion to the different applications or routines. 
     As used herein, a “signature” encompasses a task or the object of a task involving capturing the name of an individual (either representing themselves, another, or an entity or organization) in typed or written (e.g., drawn) form. A “credential”, in accordance with the discussion herein, may be considered a type or subset of signature corresponding to non-name identifying information (e.g., a password, security code, and so forth) provided by an individual for verification or other purposes. As used herein, an “acknowledgement” encompasses an indication that a term, condition, informational passage, or other statement has been read and acknowledged by an individual. 
     With the preceding in mind, the present approach relates to techniques for facilitating acquisition of electronic signatures (e-signatures) and/or acknowledgements in the context of electronic forms or documents. In one aspect, an application (e.g., an interface design application) may be used to configure signature or acknowledgment tasks that may be added to a person&#39;s to-do list or task management application or portal. Interaction with the task on the task list, such as to complete the task, may then be in accordance with the guidance programmed by the interface design application, such as to acquire a signature or acknowledgment before closing the task or proceeding to a next task. In certain aspects, the signature or acknowledgement tasks may be configured for display and completion on a mobile device (e.g., a handheld device such as a phone or tablet computer). 
     Further, the signature and/or acknowledgment functionality described herein, including design aspects and task list integration, may be provided as a plug-in, so as to allow incorporation (e.g., as a module, extension, or plug-in) into various different applications or routines, such as human resources applications, legal department applications, accounting and/or finance applications, customer service applications, event or incident management applications, and so forth. In this manner, a plug-in may be associated with different applications or routines to add a common functionality (e.g., electronic signature and/or acknowledgement functionality) in a modular fashion to the different applications or routines. 
     With the preceding in mind, the following figures relate to various types of generalized system architectures or configurations that may be employed to provide services to an organization in a multi-instance framework and on which the present approaches may be employed. Correspondingly, these system and platform examples may also relate to systems and platforms on which the techniques discussed herein may be implemented or otherwise utilized. Turning now to  FIG. 1 , a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a cloud computing system  10  where embodiments of the present disclosure may operate, is illustrated. The cloud computing system  10  may include a client network  12 , a network  14  (e.g., the Internet), and a cloud-based platform  16 . In some implementations, the cloud-based platform  16  may be a configuration management database (CMDB) platform. In one embodiment, the client network  12  may be a local private network, such as local area network (LAN) having a variety of network devices that include, but are not limited to, switches, servers, and routers. In another embodiment, the client network  12  represents an enterprise network that could include one or more LANs, virtual networks, data centers  18 , and/or other remote networks. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the client network  12  is able to connect to one or more client devices  20 A,  20 B, and  20 C so that the client devices are able to communicate with each other and/or with the network hosting the platform  16 . The client devices  20  may be computing systems and/or other types of computing devices generally referred to as Internet of Things (IoT) devices that access cloud computing services, for example, via a web browser application or via an edge device  22  that may act as a gateway between the client devices  20  and the platform  16 .  FIG. 1  also illustrates that the client network  12  includes an administration or managerial device, agent, or server, such as a management, instrumentation, and discovery (MID) server  24  that facilitates communication of data between the network hosting the platform  16 , other external applications, data sources, and services, and the client network  12 . Although not specifically illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the client network  12  may also include a connecting network device (e.g., a gateway or router) or a combination of devices that implement a customer firewall or intrusion protection system. 
     For the illustrated embodiment,  FIG. 1  illustrates that client network  12  is coupled to a network  14 . The network  14  may include one or more computing networks, such as other LANs, wide area networks (WAN), the Internet, and/or other remote networks, to transfer data between the client devices  20  and the network hosting the platform  16 . Each of the computing networks within network  14  may contain wired and/or wireless programmable devices that operate in the electrical and/or optical domain. For example, network  14  may include wireless networks, such as cellular networks (e.g., Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) based cellular network), IEEE 802.11 networks, and/or other suitable radio-based networks. The network  14  may also employ any number of network communication protocols, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP). Although not explicitly shown in  FIG. 1 , network  14  may include a variety of network devices, such as servers, routers, network switches, and/or other network hardware devices configured to transport data over the network  14 . 
     In  FIG. 1 , the network hosting the platform  16  may be a remote network (e.g., a cloud network) that is able to communicate with the client devices  20  via the client network  12  and network  14 . The network hosting the platform  16  provides additional computing resources to the client devices  20  and/or the client network  12 . For example, by utilizing the network hosting the platform  16 , users of the client devices  20  are able to build and execute applications for various enterprise, IT, and/or other organization-related functions. In one embodiment, the network hosting the platform  16  is implemented on the one or more data centers  18 , where each data center could correspond to a different geographic location. Each of the data centers  18  includes a plurality of virtual servers  26  (also referred to herein as application nodes, application servers, virtual server instances, application instances, or application server instances), where each virtual server  26  can be implemented on a physical computing system, such as a single electronic computing device (e.g., a single physical hardware server) or across multiple-computing devices (e.g., multiple physical hardware servers). Examples of virtual servers  26  include, but are not limited to a web server (e.g., a unitary Apache installation), an application server (e.g., unitary JAVA Virtual Machine), and/or a database server (e.g., a unitary relational database management system (RDBMS) catalog). 
     To utilize computing resources within the platform  16 , network operators may choose to configure the data centers  18  using a variety of computing infrastructures. In one embodiment, one or more of the data centers  18  are configured using a multi-tenant cloud architecture, such that one of the server instances  26  handles requests from and serves multiple customers. Data centers  18  with multi-tenant cloud architecture commingle and store data from multiple customers, where multiple customer instances are assigned to one of the virtual servers  26 . In a multi-tenant cloud architecture, the particular virtual server  26  distinguishes between and segregates data and other information of the various customers. For example, a multi-tenant cloud architecture could assign a particular identifier for each customer in order to identify and segregate the data from each customer. Generally, implementing a multi-tenant cloud architecture may suffer from various drawbacks, such as a failure of a particular one of the server instances  26  causing outages for all customers allocated to the particular server instance. 
     In another embodiment, one or more of the data centers  18  are configured using a multi-instance cloud architecture to provide every customer its own unique customer instance or instances. For example, a multi-instance cloud architecture could provide each customer instance with its own dedicated application server and dedicated database server. In other examples, the multi-instance cloud architecture could deploy a single physical or virtual server  26  and/or other combinations of physical and/or virtual servers  26 , such as one or more dedicated web servers, one or more dedicated application servers, and one or more database servers, for each customer instance. In a multi-instance cloud architecture, multiple customer instances could be installed on one or more respective hardware servers, where each customer instance is allocated certain portions of the physical server resources, such as computing memory, storage, and processing power. By doing so, each customer instance has its own unique software stack that provides the benefit of data isolation, relatively less downtime for customers to access the platform  16 , and customer-driven upgrade schedules. An example of implementing a customer instance within a multi-instance cloud architecture will be discussed in more detail below with reference to  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a multi-instance cloud architecture  100  where embodiments of the present disclosure may operate.  FIG. 2  illustrates that the multi-instance cloud architecture  100  includes the client network  12  and the network  14  that connect to two (e.g., paired) data centers  18 A and  18 B that may be geographically separated from one another. Using  FIG. 2  as an example, network environment and service provider cloud infrastructure client instance  102  (also referred to herein as a client instance  102 ) is associated with (e.g., supported and enabled by) dedicated virtual servers (e.g., virtual servers  26 A,  26 B,  26 C, and  26 D) and dedicated database servers (e.g., virtual database servers  104 A and  104 B). Stated another way, the virtual servers  26 A- 26 D and virtual database servers  104 A and  104 B are not shared with other client instances and are specific to the respective client instance  102 . In the depicted example, to facilitate availability of the client instance  102 , the virtual servers  26 A- 26 D and virtual database servers  104 A and  104 B are allocated to two different data centers  18 A and  18 B so that one of the data centers  18  acts as a backup data center. Other embodiments of the multi-instance cloud architecture  100  could include other types of dedicated virtual servers, such as a web server. For example, the client instance  102  could be associated with (e.g., supported and enabled by) the dedicated virtual servers  26 A- 26 D, dedicated virtual database servers  104 A and  104 B, and additional dedicated virtual web servers (not shown in  FIG. 2 ). 
     Although  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate specific embodiments of a cloud computing system  10  and a multi-instance cloud architecture  100 , respectively, the disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . For instance, although  FIG. 1  illustrates that the platform  16  is implemented using data centers, other embodiments of the platform  16  are not limited to data centers and can utilize other types of remote network infrastructures. Moreover, other embodiments of the present disclosure may combine one or more different virtual servers into a single virtual server or, conversely, perform operations attributed to a single virtual server using multiple virtual servers. For instance, using  FIG. 2  as an example, the virtual servers  26 A,  26 B,  26 C,  26 D and virtual database servers  104 A,  104 B may be combined into a single virtual server. Moreover, the present approaches may be implemented in other architectures or configurations, including, but not limited to, multi-tenant architectures, generalized client/server implementations, and/or even on a single physical processor-based device configured to perform some or all of the operations discussed herein. Similarly, though virtual servers or machines may be referenced to facilitate discussion of an implementation, physical servers may instead be employed as appropriate. The use and discussion of  FIGS. 1 and 2  are only examples to facilitate ease of description and explanation and are not intended to limit the disclosure to the specific examples illustrated therein. 
     As may be appreciated, the respective architectures and frameworks discussed with respect to  FIGS. 1 and 2  incorporate computing systems of various types (e.g., servers, workstations, client devices, laptops, tablet computers, cellular telephones, and so forth) throughout. For the sake of completeness, a brief, high level overview of components typically found in such systems is provided. As may be appreciated, the present overview is intended to merely provide a high-level, generalized view of components typical in such computing systems and should not be viewed as limiting in terms of components discussed or omitted from discussion. 
     By way of background, it may be appreciated that the present approach may be implemented using one or more processor-based systems such as shown in  FIG. 3 . Likewise, applications and/or databases utilized in the present approach may be stored, employed, and/or maintained on such processor-based systems. As may be appreciated, such systems as shown in  FIG. 3  may be present in a distributed computing environment, a networked environment, or other multi-computer platform or architecture. Likewise, systems such as that shown in  FIG. 3 , may be used in supporting or communicating with one or more virtual environments or computational instances on which the present approach may be implemented. 
     With this in mind, an example computer system may include some or all of the computer components depicted in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 3  generally illustrates a block diagram of example components of a computing system  200  and their potential interconnections or communication paths, such as along one or more busses. As illustrated, the computing system  200  may include various hardware components such as, but not limited to, one or more processors  202 , one or more busses  204 , memory  206 , input devices  208 , a power source  210 , a network interface  212 , a user interface  214 , and/or other computer components useful in performing the functions described herein. 
     The one or more processors  202  may include one or more microprocessors capable of performing instructions stored in the memory  206 . Additionally or alternatively, the one or more processors  202  may include application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and/or other devices designed to perform some or all of the functions discussed herein without calling instructions from the memory  206 . 
     With respect to other components, the one or more busses  204  include suitable electrical channels to provide data and/or power between the various components of the computing system  200 . The memory  206  may include any tangible, non-transitory, and computer-readable storage media. Although shown as a single block in  FIG. 1 , the memory  206  can be implemented using multiple physical units of the same or different types in one or more physical locations. The input devices  208  correspond to structures to input data and/or commands to the one or more processors  202 . For example, the input devices  208  may include a mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, keyboard and the like. The power source  210  can be any suitable source for power of the various components of the computing device  200 , such as line power and/or a battery source. The network interface  212  includes one or more transceivers capable of communicating with other devices over one or more networks (e.g., a communication channel). The network interface  212  may provide a wired network interface or a wireless network interface. A user interface  214  may include a display that is configured to display text or images transferred to it from the one or more processors  202 . In addition and/or alternative to the display, the user interface  214  may include other devices for interfacing with a user, such as lights (e.g., LEDs), speakers, and the like. 
     With the preceding in mind,  FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a virtual server  300  supports and enables the client instance  102 , according to one or more disclosed embodiments. More specifically,  FIG. 4  illustrates an example of a portion of a service provider cloud infrastructure, including the cloud-based platform  16  discussed above. The cloud-based platform  16  is connected to a client device  20  (here depicted as a mobile or handheld device (e.g., cellular telephone or tablet computer)) via the network  14  to provide a user interface to network applications executing within the client instance  102  (e.g., via a web browser or application running on the client device  20 ). Client instance  102  is supported by virtual servers  26  similar to those explained with respect to  FIG. 2 , and is illustrated here to show support for the disclosed functionality described herein within the client instance  102 . Cloud provider infrastructures are generally configured to support a plurality of end-user devices, such as client device  20 , concurrently, wherein each end-user device is in communication with the single client instance  102 . Also, cloud provider infrastructures may be configured to support any number of client instances, such as client instance  102 , concurrently, with each of the instances in communication with one or more end-user devices. As mentioned above, an end-user may also interface with client instance  102  using an application that is executed within a web browser. 
     As discussed herein, the present approach relates to techniques for facilitating acquisition of electronic signatures (e-signatures) and/or acknowledgements in the context of electronic forms or documents. In one aspect, an application (e.g., an interface design application) may be used to configure signature or acknowledgment tasks that may be added to a person&#39;s to-do list or task management application or portal. Interaction with the task on the task list, such as to complete the task, may then be in accordance with the guidance programmed by the interface design application, such as to acquire a signature or acknowledgment before closing the task or proceeding to a next task. In certain aspects, the signature or acknowledgement tasks may be configured for display and completion on a mobile device (e.g., a handheld device such as a phone or tablet computer). 
     Further, the signature and/or acknowledgment functionality described herein, including design aspects and task list integration, may be provided as a plug-in, so as to allow incorporation (e.g., as a module, extension, or plug-in) into various different applications or routines, such as human resources applications, legal department applications, accounting and/or finance applications, customer service applications, event or incident management applications, and so forth. In this manner, a plug-in may be associated with different applications or routines to add a common functionality (e.g., electronic signature and/or acknowledgement functionality) in a modular fashion to the different applications or routines. 
     Turning to the figures,  FIG. 5  depicts a user interface  350  of an application (e.g., an interface design application) that may be used to create and/or configure a signature or acknowledgement task. Such a user interface  350  may be used to identify or otherwise specify content for which signature and/or acknowledgement tasks may be generated. In the depicted example, the user interface  350  provides a name field  354  in which a user may input a name for the task being created or modified (e.g., Form 21-B Signature, Termination Paperwork Acknowledgement, Disciplinary Acknowledgement and Signature, and so forth). A selectable option (e.g., checkbox  358 ) may be provided to toggle the task being created or modified between an active and inactive state. 
     In the depicted user interface  350 , the task being created or modified may be associated with user selectable or specified content. For example, a task table field  362  may be used to specify (such as via free text entry or a pull down list) a task table referenced or linked to the task in question (e.g., a human resources task table, an accounting task table, a legal task table, and so forth). Likewise, a signature type field  366  may be provided to allow a user to specify (such as via free text entry or a pull down list) the type of signature (e.g., a typed signature, a drawn signature, a credential, and so forth) to be collected by the task that is being created or modified. The task may also be associated with a certain type of document or form via a document type field  370 . 
     As discussed herein, the tasks created may additionally or alternatively request or require an acknowledgement by an individual, which is distinct from a signature or credential. With that in mind, the user interface  350  may also provide a selectable option (e.g., checkbox  374 ) that may be selected (e.g., checked) to toggle the addition of an acknowledgment between an active and inactive state for the task being created or modified. As discussed in example below, the example of a user interface  350  being described may be used to create or modify tasks that require only a signature, only an acknowledgment, or both a signature and acknowledgment. 
     Turning to  FIG. 6 , the example of a user interface  350  is shown with additional fields that may be displayed in response to the content of certain of the fields shown in  FIG. 5 . In particular, in response to the content selected or otherwise entered for the document type field  370 , a document selection field  378  may be displayed that allows the user to further specify a specific document with which to associate the task. In this example, the user has selected a document type of “Knowledge Article” in document type field  370 , which spawns the display of a document selection field  378  specific to that document type (here a knowledge article selection field) that the user may use to select (such as via a drop down list or menu) the specific document of that type to associate with the task being created or modified. 
     In addition, the example of a user interface  350  shown in  FIG. 6  also illustrates that upon a selection to add an acknowledgment, such as via a checkbox  374 , an acknowledgement text entry field  382  may be displayed in which the user may enter or paste the text which an individual is to affirmatively acknowledge when completing the task in question. Examples, of such text may include, but is not limited to, liability or confidentiality waivers, agreements to release information or documents, agreements to retain information or documents in confidence, acknowledgments that documents or information has been received, and so forth. 
     With the preceding in mind,  FIGS. 7-25  depicts examples of implementations of signature and/or acknowledgement task implementations on both desktop and mobile devices, in accordance with the present approach. In these examples,  FIGS. 7-12  correspond to desktop display examples while  FIGS. 13-25  correspond to implementations on a mobile device. 
     Turning to the desktop display examples,  FIG. 7 , as a starting point, an example of a “to-do list” (i.e., a task list  400 ) that may be displayed on a user interface of an individual associated with an organization (e.g., a company, government, facility, and so forth). By way of example, the task list  400  may be displayed as part of a user portal or interface accessed as part of a client instance in a cloud computing environment. In the depicted example, the task list  400  includes a task  402  corresponding to accepting an agreement. As part of performing this task, information  404  about the task and an electronic form or document  406  corresponding to the agreement are displayed in a main pane of the interface when the task  402  is selected. In this baseline example, no specific signature or acknowledgement task has been defined for the task  402 , so instead of a signature or acknowledgement, the task  402  may be completed simply by accepting (e.g., pressing “accept and complete” button  410 ) the electronic document  406  without providing an affirmative acknowledgement, signature, or credential. 
     Turning to  FIG. 8 , in this example, the task  402  has been configured so as to require a signature. In the depicted example, requiring the signature to complete the task  402  prompts the display of a text entry box  420  as well as selectable tabs corresponding to a typed signature  424  or a drawn signature  422 . In addition, a save signature box  426  is provided which, if selected, allows a user to save an entered signature for future signature tasks. A “Save signature” option  426 , if provided, may be inactive until a signature is entered into the provided signature field  420 . In practice, the “accept and complete” button  410  may be inactivated or otherwise not selectable until text is typed into the text entry box  420 . In this manner, the task  402  related to completing the electronic document  406  may be completed upon entry of a typed signature and an affirmative indication of acceptance (i.e., selecting the “accept and complete” button  410 ). 
     Turning to  FIG. 9 , an alternative is illustrated in which a drawn signature is instead selected via drawn signature tab  422 . In response to this selection, a drawn signature entry box  430  may be displayed which may receive an input from an electronic writing implement (e.g., a stylus), finger (in a touch screen context), or entry of a saved image file of a drawn signature. A “Save signature” option  426  and/or “Clear signature” option  432 , if provided, may be inactive until a signature is entered into the provided signature field  430 . As with the typed signature, the “accept and complete” button  410  may be inactivated or otherwise not selectable until an entry is made into drawn signature entry box  430 . In this manner, the task  402  related to completing the electronic document  406  may be completed upon entry of a drawn signature and an affirmative indication of acceptance (i.e., selecting the “accept and complete” button  410 ). 
     While the preceding two example involve capture of a signature (either written or typed) corresponding to the name of an individual, in other contexts a credential of the signer may instead be captured in addition to or instead of a name-based signature. An example of this is illustrated in  FIG. 10  where a password entry box  440  is provided so that a user may enter a password or other authenticating credential (which may be masked when entered) as an identifier and to signify acceptance and signing of the document  406 . As in the preceding examples, in practice the “accept and complete” button  410  may be inactivated or otherwise not selectable until text is typed into the password entry box  440 . In this manner, the task  402  related to completing the electronic document  406  may be completed upon entry of a typed credential other than a name-based signature and an affirmative indication of acceptance (i.e., selecting the “accept and complete” button  410 ). 
     Turning to  FIG. 11 , an example is illustrated in which the task  402  related to acceptance of the document  406  instead involves obtaining an affirmative acknowledgement of the document  406  (e.g., an acknowledgement the document has been read or reviewed). In this example, a statement  452  as to the terms being acknowledged by the user is displayed. A selectable or Tillable field (e.g., checkbox  450 ) may be provided in conjunction with the statement  452  so as to allow a reviewer to indicate acknowledgment of the terms of the statement  452  by selection of or entry of data into the field (e.g., checkbox  450 ). Thus, a user of the application may review the document  406  and the statement  452  and indicate acknowledgment of and/or agreement with the terms in the statement  452  by selecting the checkbox  450 . Upon indicating their acknowledgement, the user may select the “accept and complete” button  410 . As in preceding examples, the “accept and complete” button  410  may be inactivated or otherwise not selectable until the user affirmatively indicates their acknowledgement. In this manner, the task  402  may be completed upon entry of an indication of acknowledgment of the terms present in statement  452  and an affirmative indication of acceptance (i.e., selecting the “accept and complete” button  410 ) of that acknowledgment. 
     Turning to  FIG. 12 , an example of a combination of the signature and acknowledgement concepts is depicted as part of a task  402 . In this example, the user may review the document  406  and the statement  452  and indicate acknowledgment of and/or agreement with the terms in the statement  452  by selecting the checkbox  450 . In addition, the reviewer provides a signature in the form of a credential or name-based signature (here a typed signature is shown by way of example) in a provided field (here text entry box  420 ). In practice, the signature area (typed or drawn) may be inactive or unavailable until a reviewer provides an affirmative acknowledgement (such as via checkbox  450 ). As in preceding example, the “accept and complete” button  410  may be inactivated or otherwise not selectable until a signature is provided and the user affirmatively indicates their acknowledgement with respect to the statement  452 . In this manner, the task  402  related to completing the electronic document  406  may be completed upon entry by the reviewer of an acknowledgment of the stated terms specified in statement  452 , entry of a signature (or credential), and an affirmative indication of acceptance (i.e., selecting the “accept and complete” button  410 ) of the signature and acknowledgment. As noted above, upon completion of the signature and/or acknowledgement and affirmative acceptance, the task  402  may be indicated as completed and removed from the task list  400 . 
     Turning to an example of the present approach in the context of a mobile device,  FIGS. 13-24  illustrate certain of the aspects described above as they may be implemented as part of a mobile application. In this example, a mobile device screen (e.g., a cellular telephone or tablet computer screen) is depicted on which a task list  400  configured for the mobile device screen is displayed. As shown, the task list  400  may be displayed on a mobile device user interface of an individual associated with an organization (e.g., a company, government, facility, and so forth). The task list  400  may be displayed as part of a user portal or interface accessed by the mobile device when connected to a client instance in a cloud computing environment. Unlike in the desktop display implementation, additional information such as summary information  404  or the electronic document  406  are not displayed in conjunction with the task list  400  on the mobile device due to space limitations. 
     Instead, upon selection of a task on the task list  400 , the interface may change or be updated to remove the task list  400  and display the summary information  404  and the electronic document  406 , as shown in  FIG. 14 . As illustrated,  FIG. 14  depicts a non-signature example as a base-line for discussion. In this baseline example, no specific signature or acknowledgement task has been defined for the task  402 , so instead of a signature or acknowledgement, the task  402  may be completed simply by accepting (“accept and complete” button  410 ) the electronic document  406  without providing an affirmative acknowledgement, signature, or credential. 
     Turning to  FIG. 15 , in an example of a mobile implementation certain functions may be split between different screens so as to accommodate the form factor and size of a mobile device screen. With this in mind,  FIG. 15  illustrates an implementation in which the task  402  (the information  404  of which is shown in conjunction with the electronic document  406 ) has been configured so as to require a signature. In the depicted example, requiring the signature to complete the task prompts the display of a “sign document” button  470  that, when selected, causes a signing screen to be displayed on the mobile device, as shown in  FIG. 16 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 16 , the signing screen on a mobile device displays a text entry box  420  as well as selectable tabs corresponding to a typed signature  424  or a drawn signature  422 . In addition, a save signature box  426  is provided which, if selected, allows a user to save an entered signature for future signature tasks. A “Save signature” option  426 , if provided, may be inactive until a signature is entered into the provided signature field  420 . In practice, the “accept and complete” button  410  may be inactivated or otherwise not selectable until text is typed into the text entry box  420 . In this manner, the task  402  related to completing the electronic document  406  may be completed upon entry of a typed signature on the mobile device and an affirmative indication of acceptance (i.e., selecting the “accept and complete” button  410 ). 
     Turning to  FIG. 17 , in this example, an alternative is illustrated in which a drawn signature is instead selected via drawn signature tab  422  on the mobile device. In response to this selection, a drawn signature entry box  430  may be displayed which may receive an input from an electronic writing implement (e.g., a stylus), finger (in a touch screen context), or entry of a saved image file of a drawn signature. A “Save signature” option  426  and/or “Clear signature” option  432 , if provided, may be inactive until a signature is entered into the provided signature field  430 .As with the typed signature, the “accept and complete” button  410  may be inactivated or otherwise not selectable until an entry is made into drawn signature entry box  430 . In this manner, the task  402  related to completing the electronic document  406  may be completed upon entry of a drawn signature and an affirmative indication of acceptance (i.e., selecting the “accept and complete” button  410 ). 
     Turning to  FIG. 18 , a further alternative is illustrated on the mobile device in which, a credential of the signer may instead be captured in addition to or instead of a name-based signature. In this example, a password entry box  440  is provided so that a user may enter a password or other authenticating credential (which may be masked when entered) as an identifier and to signify acceptance and signing of the document  406 . As in the preceding examples, in practice the “accept and complete” button  410  may be inactivated or otherwise not selectable until text is typed into the password entry box  440 . In this manner, the task  402  related to completing the electronic document  406  may be completed upon entry of a typed credential other than a name-based signature and an affirmative indication of acceptance (i.e., selecting the “accept and complete” button  410 ). 
     As in the desktop display examples described herein, the mobile application implementations may also be designed and/or configured to acquire acknowledgments (e.g., an acknowledgement the document has been read or reviewed) in addition to or instead of signatures (or credentials). With this in mind,  FIG. 19  illustrates an implementation in which the task  402  (the information  404  of which is shown in conjunction with the electronic document  406 ) has been configured so as to require an acknowledgement. In the depicted example, requiring the acknowledgment to complete the task prompts the display of an “acknowledge document” button  480  that, when selected, causes an acknowledgement screen to be displayed on the mobile device, as shown in  FIG. 20 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 20 , the acknowledgement screen on the mobile device displays a statement  452  as to the terms being acknowledged by the reviewer. A selectable or fillable field (e.g., checkbox  450 ) may be provided in conjunction with the statement  452  so as to allow a reviewer to indicate acknowledgment of the terms of the statement  452  by selection of or entry of data into the field (e.g., checkbox  450 ). Thus, a user of the mobile application may review the document  406  and the statement  452  and indicate acknowledgment of and/or agreement with the terms in the statement  452  by selecting the checkbox  450  using an input method suitable for a mobile device. Upon indicating their acknowledgement, the user may select the “accept and complete” button  410 . As in preceding examples, the “accept and complete” button  410  may be inactivated or otherwise not selectable until the user affirmatively indicates their acknowledgement. In this manner, the task  402  may be completed upon entry of an indication of acknowledgment of the terms present in statement  452  and an affirmative indication of acceptance (i.e., selecting the “accept and complete” button  410 ) of that acknowledgment. 
     Turning to  FIG. 21 , an example of a combination of the signature and acknowledgement concepts as implemented on a mobile device is depicted. In this example, the user may review the document  406 . Upon reviewing the document, the user may interact with (e.g., press) an “acknowledge and sign” button  490  that, when selected, causes an acknowledgement and signature screen to be displayed on the mobile device, as shown in  FIG. 22 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 22 , the acknowledgement and signature screen on the mobile device displays a statement  452  as to the terms being acknowledged by the reviewer. The reviewer may review the statement  452  and indicate acknowledgment of and/or agreement with the terms in the statement  452  by selecting the checkbox  450 . In addition, the reviewer provides a signature in the form of a credential or name-based signature (here a typed signature is shown by way of example) in a provided field (here text entry box  420 ). In practice, the signature area (typed or drawn) may be inactive or unavailable until a reviewer provides an affirmative acknowledgement (such as via checkbox  450 ). As in preceding example, the “accept and complete” button  410  may be inactivated or otherwise not selectable until a signature is provided and the user affirmatively indicates their acknowledgement with respect to the statement  452 . In this manner, the task  402  related to completing the electronic document  406  may be completed upon entry by the reviewer of an acknowledgment of the stated terms specified in statement  452 , entry of a signature (or credential), and an affirmative indication of acceptance (i.e., selecting the “accept and complete” button  410 ) of the signature and acknowledgment. As noted above, upon completion of the signature and/or acknowledgement and affirmative acceptance, the task  402  may be indicated as completed and removed from the task list  400 . 
     As noted above, implementation of signature and/or acknowledgment functionality on a mobile device may present certain issues with respect to display space and form factor constraints. With this in mind,  FIG. 23  illustrates a further adaptation with respect to providing acknowledgment functionality on a mobile device. In this example, a user may interact with the displayed interface to cause the display of a full acknowledgment passage  452 , as opposed to a truncated passage that may be displayed by default to avoid spilling over the screen boundary. This may be useful to allow a reviewer to read the entire acknowledgment passage before providing an acknowledgement. A scroll bar  484  may be provided, as needed, to allow a reviewer to proceed through a lengthy passage and/or to allow the reviewer to access functionality provided beneath the passage, such as signature and acknowledgement options. 
     In addition, turning to  FIG. 24 , it should be appreciated that the various signature and acknowledgment functionality described herein may be adapted or translated, such as based on user provided language preferences, locale information known for the user (such as from employment or personnel records, geo-location based on IP address, GPS signal, or cell signal), and so forth. With this in mind,  FIG. 24  depicts an example of an acknowledgment and signature screen adapted or translated to a different language (here, German) relative to other examples herein. In this example, translated passages are indicated with an “A” suffix to the corresponding reference number. Such locale or preference-based translation may be provided in conjunction with either desktop display or mobile applications. 
     Further, as noted herein the signature and/or acknowledgment functionality described herein, including design aspects and task list integration, may be provided as a plug-in, so as to allow incorporation (e.g., as a module, extension, or plug-in) into various different applications or routines, such as human resources applications, legal department applications, accounting and/or finance applications, customer service applications, event or incident management applications, and so forth. In this manner, a plug-in may be associated with different applications or routines to add a common functionality (e.g., electronic signature and/or acknowledgement functionality) in a modular fashion to the different applications or routines. 
     The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should be further understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. 
     The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and applied to material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claims appended to the end of this specification contain one or more elements designated as “means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ” or “step for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ”, it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claims containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).