Nature of business, basis of presentation and summary of significant accounting policies	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of business, basis of presentation and summary of significant accounting policies	1. Nature of business and summary of significant accounting policies Basis of Presentation The financial information contained herein should be read in conjunction with the Company's consolidated audited financial statements and notes thereto included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Communication Intelligence Corporation and its subsidiary (the "Company" or "CIC") have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") for complete consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this quarterly report reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that the Company considers necessary for a fair presentation of its financial position at the dates presented and the Company's results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. The Company's interim results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire year. The Company is a leading supplier of electronic signature products and the recognized leader in biometric signature verification. CIC enables companies to achieve truly paperless workflow in their electronic business processes by providing multiple signature technologies across virtually all applications. CIC's solutions are available both in software as a service ("SaaS") and on-premise delivery models and afford "straight-through-processing," which can increase customer revenue by enhancing user experience and can also reduce costs through paperless and virtually error-free electronic transactions that can be completed significantly quicker than paper-based procedures. To date, the Company primarily has delivered biometric and electronic signature solutions to channel partners and end-user customers in the financial services industry. The Company's research and development activities have given rise to numerous technologies and products. The Company's core technologies can be referred to as "transaction-enabling" technologies. These technologies include various forms of electronic signatures, such as handwritten biometric, click-to-sign and others, as well as signature verification, cryptography and the logging of audit trails to show signers' intent. These technologies can enable secure, legal and regulatory compliant electronic transactions that can enhance customer experience at a fraction of the time and cost required by traditional, paper-based processes. The Company's products include SignatureOne® Ceremony® Server™, SignatureOne® Console, Sign-it® and the iSign® suite of products. Going Concern The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As of September 30, 2012, the Company's accumulated deficit was approximately $114,215. The Company also has a working capital deficit at September 30, 2012. The Company has primarily met its working capital needs through the sale of debt and equity securities. As of September 30, 2012, the Company's cash balance was approximately $566. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Historically, the Company raised needed capital through debt and equity financings and converted short-term notes payable to equity. The Company sold, for cash in a private placement, 1,440 additional shares of Series B Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $1.00 per share (Note 6 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements). In December 2010 the stockholders approved the issuance of a Series C Participating Convertible Preferred Stock and the Company sold, for cash in a private placement, 2,211 shares of Series C Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $1.00 per share (Note 6 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements). In March 2011, the Company sold for cash in a private placement an additional 800 shares of Series C Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $1.00. In September 2011, the Company borrowed $100 at 10% per annum in the form of two demand notes which were repaid in September 2012, and borrowed an additional $500 at 10% per annum in the form of an unsecured convertible promissory note due September 20, 2012, which was subsequently amended to extend the due date through December 31, 2012. In December 2011, the Company borrowed $500 at 10% per annum in the form of unsecured convertible promissory notes due December 2, 2012, which was subsequently amended to extend the due date through December 31, 2012 (Note 4 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements). In February 2012, the Company borrowed $25 at 10% per annum in the form of a demand note and in March 2012, the Company borrowed $100 at 10% per annum in the form of a demand note. The February and March notes were repaid in September 2012. In April 2012 the Company borrowed $1,000 at 10% per annum in the form of convertible notes which are due in April 2013. In September 2012, the Company borrowed $1,103 at 10% per annum in the form of convertible notes. The Company is seeking shareholder approval to increase its authorized capital to complete a financing and issuance of Series D Preferred Shares. The above referenced convertible notes will be exchanged for shares of the Series D Preferred. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in securing adequate capital resources to fund planned operations or that any additional funds will be available to the Company when needed, or if available, will be available on favorable terms or in amounts required by the Company. If the Company is unable to obtain adequate capital resources to fund operations, it may be required to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of its operations, which may have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, results of operations and ability to operate as a going concern. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Comprehensive Income On January 1, 2012, the Company adopted an accounting standard that modifies the presentation of comprehensive income in the consolidated financial statements. The standard requires an entity to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. The Company elected the latter presentation option upon adopting this accounting standard. The adoption of this guidance did not have a significant effect on the consolidated financial statements. Revenue recognition For products sold under perpetual license, the Company recognizes revenue upon shipment, provided that persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, collection is determined to be probable, all non-recurring engineering work necessary to enable the Company's product to function within the customer's application has been completed and the Company's product has been delivered according to specifications. For software sold under a term license, the Company recognizes revenue over the term of the license granted. Revenue from customization of software is recognized when all engineering work necessary to enable the Company's products to function within the customer's application has been completed, and the Company has delivered its product according to specifications. Software license agreements may contain multiple elements, including upgrades and enhancements, products deliverable on a when and if available basis and post contract support. For arrangements with multiple deliverables the Company allocates consideration at the inception of an arrangement to all of its deliverables based on their relative selling prices. In the absence of the vendor-specific objective evidence or third-party evidence of the selling prices, Management's best estimate of the selling prices is used. For the Company's tangible products containing software and hardware elements that function together and deliver the tangible products' essential functionality, the Company allocates revenue under the multiple-element arrangements revenue recognition guidance discussed above. Maintenance revenue is recorded for post-contract support and upgrades or enhancements, which is paid for in addition to license fees, and is recognized as costs are incurred or over the support period whichever is longer. For undelivered elements where objective and reliable evidence of fair value does not exist, revenue is deferred and subsequently recognized when delivery has occurred and when fair value has been determined. Treasury Stock Shares of common stock returned to, or repurchased by, the Company are recorded at cost and are included as a separate component of stockholders' equity. The Company received 6,500 shares of its Common Stock having a fair value under the cost method of $325 in January 2012, in settlement of a 16b suit brought by a shareholder against Phoenix Venture Fund, LLC. At September 30, 2012, the total value of treasury stock was $325. Under the cost method, the gross cost of the shares reacquired is charged to a contra equity account entitled treasury stock. The equity accounts that were credited for the original share issuance (common stock, paid-in capital in excess of par, etc.) remain intact. When the treasury shares are reissued, proceeds in excess of cost are credited to a paid-in capital account. Any deficiency is charged to retained earnings (unless paid-in capital from previous treasury share transactions exists, in which case the deficiency is charged to that account, with any excess charged to retained earnings). Accounting Changes and Recent Accounting Pronouncements Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Adopted Other accounting standards that have been issued or proposed by the FASB or other standards-setting bodies are not expected to have a material impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows. In the first nine months of 2012, the adoption of other accounting standards had no material impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Nature of business, basis of presentation and summary of significant accounting policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Nature of business, basis of presentation and summary of significant accounting policies

1. Nature of business and summary of significant accounting policies

Basis of Presentation

The financial information contained herein should be read in conjunction with the Company's consolidated audited financial statements and notes thereto included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Communication Intelligence Corporation and its subsidiary (the "Company" or "CIC") have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") for complete consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this quarterly report reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that the Company considers necessary for a fair presentation of its financial position at the dates presented and the Company's results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. The Company's interim results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire year.

The Company is a leading supplier of electronic signature products and the recognized leader in biometric signature verification. CIC enables companies to achieve truly paperless workflow in their electronic business processes by providing multiple signature technologies across virtually all applications. CIC's solutions are available both in software as a service ("SaaS") and on-premise delivery models and afford "straight-through-processing," which can increase customer revenue by enhancing user experience and can also reduce costs through paperless and virtually error-free electronic transactions that can be completed significantly quicker than paper-based procedures. To date, the Company primarily has delivered biometric and electronic signature solutions to channel partners and end-user customers in the financial services industry.

The Company's research and development activities have given rise to numerous technologies and products. The Company's core technologies can be referred to as "transaction-enabling" technologies. These technologies include various forms of electronic signatures, such as handwritten biometric, click-to-sign and others, as well as signature verification, cryptography and the logging of audit trails to show signers' intent. These technologies can enable secure, legal and regulatory compliant electronic transactions that can enhance customer experience at a fraction of the time and cost required by traditional, paper-based processes. The Company's products include SignatureOne® Ceremony® Server™, SignatureOne® Console, Sign-it® and the iSign® suite of products.

Going Concern

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As of September 30, 2012, the Company's accumulated deficit was approximately $114,215. The Company also has a working capital deficit at September 30, 2012. The Company has primarily met its working capital needs through the sale of debt and equity securities. As of September 30, 2012, the Company's cash balance was approximately $566. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Historically, the Company raised needed capital through debt and equity financings and converted short-term notes payable to equity. The Company sold, for cash in a private placement, 1,440 additional shares of Series B Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $1.00 per share (Note 6 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements). In December 2010 the stockholders approved the issuance of a Series C Participating Convertible Preferred Stock and the Company sold, for cash in a private placement, 2,211 shares of Series C Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $1.00 per share (Note 6 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements). In March 2011, the Company sold for cash in a private placement an additional 800 shares of Series C Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $1.00.

In September 2011, the Company borrowed $100 at 10% per annum in the form of two demand notes which were repaid in September 2012, and borrowed an additional $500 at 10% per annum in the form of an unsecured convertible promissory note due September 20, 2012, which was subsequently amended to extend the due date through December 31, 2012. In December 2011, the Company borrowed $500 at 10% per annum in the form of unsecured convertible promissory notes due December 2, 2012, which was subsequently amended to extend the due date through December 31, 2012 (Note 4 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements). In February 2012, the Company borrowed $25 at 10% per annum in the form of a demand note and in March 2012, the Company borrowed $100 at 10% per annum in the form of a demand note. The February and March notes were repaid in September 2012. In April 2012 the Company borrowed $1,000 at 10% per annum in the form of convertible notes which are due in April 2013. In September 2012, the Company borrowed $1,103 at 10% per annum in the form of convertible notes. The Company is seeking shareholder approval to increase its authorized capital to complete a financing and issuance of Series D Preferred Shares. The above referenced convertible notes will be exchanged for shares of the Series D Preferred.

There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in securing adequate capital resources to fund planned operations or that any additional funds will be available to the Company when needed, or if available, will be available on favorable terms or in amounts required by the Company. If the Company is unable to obtain adequate capital resources to fund operations, it may be required to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of its operations, which may have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, results of operations and ability to operate as a going concern. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Comprehensive Income

On January 1, 2012, the Company adopted an accounting standard that modifies the presentation of comprehensive income in the consolidated financial statements. The standard requires an entity to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. The Company elected the latter presentation option upon adopting this accounting standard. The adoption of this guidance did not have a significant effect on the consolidated financial statements.

Revenue recognition

For products sold under perpetual license, the Company recognizes revenue upon shipment, provided that persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, collection is determined to be probable, all non-recurring engineering work necessary to enable the Company's product to function within the customer's application has been completed and the Company's product has been delivered according to specifications. For software sold under a term license, the Company recognizes revenue over the term of the license granted. Revenue from customization of software is recognized when all engineering work necessary to enable the Company's products to function within the customer's application has been completed, and the Company has delivered its product according to specifications.

Software license agreements may contain multiple elements, including upgrades and enhancements, products deliverable on a when and if available basis and post contract support.

For arrangements with multiple deliverables the Company allocates consideration at the inception of an arrangement to all of its deliverables based on their relative selling prices. In the absence of the vendor-specific objective evidence or third-party evidence of the selling prices, Management's best estimate of the selling prices is used. For the Company's tangible products containing software and hardware elements that function together and deliver the tangible products' essential functionality, the Company allocates revenue under the multiple-element arrangements revenue recognition guidance discussed above.

Maintenance revenue is recorded for post-contract support and upgrades or enhancements, which is paid for in addition to license fees, and is recognized as costs are incurred or over the support period whichever is longer. For undelivered elements where objective and reliable evidence of fair value does not exist, revenue is deferred and subsequently recognized when delivery has occurred and when fair value has been determined.

Treasury Stock

Shares of common stock returned to, or repurchased by, the Company are recorded at cost and are included as a separate component of stockholders' equity. The Company received 6,500 shares of its Common Stock having a fair value under the cost method of $325 in January 2012, in settlement of a 16b suit brought by a shareholder against Phoenix Venture Fund, LLC. At September 30, 2012, the total value of treasury stock was $325.

Under the cost method, the gross cost of the shares reacquired is charged to a contra equity account entitled treasury stock. The equity accounts that were credited for the original share issuance (common stock, paid-in capital in excess of par, etc.) remain intact. When the treasury shares are reissued, proceeds in excess of cost are credited to a paid-in capital account. Any deficiency is charged to retained earnings (unless paid-in capital from previous treasury share transactions exists, in which case the deficiency is charged to that account, with any excess charged to retained earnings).

Accounting Changes and Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Adopted

Other accounting standards that have been issued or proposed by the FASB or other standards-setting bodies are not expected to have a material impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

In the first nine months of 2012, the adoption of other accounting standards had no material impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations or cash flows.