• comes with pre-designed matter specifications for patents, trademarks and general matters
• firms can easily create new matter types and design data entry windows without program modification (e.g. litigation matters, domain names, etc.)
• supports various numbering schemes for client and matter files
• all types of matters are stored in a common table to enable searching of all matters in one operation
• finding matters and companies is easy with powerful, yet simple, "Find" windows
• records can be viewed in either detail (full-screen) or table (chart) window formats
• matter structure accommodates one primary contact per matter and unlimited other contacts in user-defined categories
• contacts are organized and retrievable by both individual and company names
• supports multiple addresses for each company or person without duplication of person or company name
• ample user-definable fields provide multiple ways to categorize companies and contacts for setting up mailing lists and reports
• contents of each matter is virtually unlimited as multiple records of the following types can be attached or linked: actions (events, reminders and due dates – see below), contacts, letters (program-generated documents), and references (reference numbers, text, related files, images and other external documents).
• attached files can be conveniently opened for viewing in their native application (.doc, .xls, .pdf and graphics files are currently supported).

• information about both past events and future deadlines and reminder dates are recorded in the Actions window of the each matter
• base actions (events upon which reminders or deadlines are based) are listed chronologically to present a concise history of the matter
• non-base actions are designed to track one or more dates pertaining to the action, including due dates, extensions, bring-forwards and other reminder dates
• actions are quickly entered through predefined action codes and descriptions and automatically calculated dates
• further details for each action can be entered in the action's Comments field
• when due date actions are completed, the date done is recorded and subsequent actions are automatically added to the matter
• date entries may trigger new actions and letters, update the status of the matter, or delete previously entered actions
• dates are reported in master list format or separately to each person in charge of the matter through the customizable due date reports module
• all due date calculations and items generated can be reviewed in a comprehensive Action Rule Report and modified within the application
• IP4 supports various numeric formats for entering dates including mm/dd/yyyy, dd/mm/yyyy and yyyy-mm-dd.
• Dates are confirmed on-screen and in printed reports using words for the month (e.g. Jan 01, 2004) to avoid error-causing misinterpretations of dates.

• integrates with Microsoft Word to produce documents automatically
• history of document generation is recorded on each matter
• documents can be produced individually by matter or in batches based on matter or due date criteria
• supports multiple versions of documents depending on type of client or matter through userdefined rules
• generated document content is highly flexible through the use of program snippets or calculated fields within document text
• documents can be automatically generated upon entry of action dates

• system log records date and time of any user signing on to IP4
• records date, time and user name for all modifications to database records
• data verification report confirms database integrity; automatically detects and reports data corruption or modifications made outside of IP4
• user access can be restricted by an administrator to selected parts of the database
• all input windows provide an "out" to cancel any changes made to a record before saving

5. Database Engine

• compiled with Microsoft Visual FoxPro 6.0
• easily scalable from single-user to multi-user
• supports up to 100 million records in each table
• requires no third party software license, only IP4 and MS Windows
• runs on any Windows version
• fully ODBC compliant database
• FoxPro database (DBF) files can be opened with other applications such as Excel, Access and Visual Basic
• includes the Visual FoxPro Report Designer for modifying report formats
• IP4 is easy to install, update and administer