Document component management and publishing system

• US 20030144982A1
• Filed: 01/30/2002
• Published: 07/31/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Benefitnation
• Original Assignee: Benefitnation
• Inventors: Reulein, William B., Gioscia, Walter W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,035,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/83 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A document component management system for automatically generating customized documents for a number of individuals or entities based upon rules. Each customized document is customized for one of the individuals or entities based upon the applicable set of business rules. Users interface with the document component management system through a presentation layer. A data layer contains repositories for document components and published documents in one or more formats. An application layer interfaces the presentation layer with the data layer to create and maintain document components. User requests entered at the presentation layer are fulfilled by the application layer, which automatically retrieves document components, assembles documents in response to user requests and publishes assembled documents to the individuals. A copy of published documents are stored in the data layer.

Claims

1. A document component management system for automatically generating customized documents for a plurality of individuals, each customized document being customized according to an applicable set of rules, said document component management system comprising:

a presentation layer, users interfacing with said document component management system through said presentation layer;

a data layer containing a plurality of repositories, ones of said repositories storing document components and published documents in one or more formats; and

an application layer interfacing said presentation layer with said data layer to create and maintain document components, user requests entered at said presentation layer being fulfilled by said application layer, said application layer retrieving document components responsive to user requests and assembling documents therefrom, assembled documents being published to respective ones of a plurality of individuals, a copy of published documents being stored in said data layer.

2. A document component management system as in claim 1 wherein ones of said plurality of repositories contain document specific data, archival information and statistical data.

3. A document component management system as in claim 2 wherein said plurality of repositories include a variable data repository, rules repository, an XML component repository, a published document repository and a word processor workflow staging repository.

4. A document component management system as in claim 3 wherein a plurality of published documents are in portable document format (PDF).

5. A document component management system as in claim 1 wherein the application layer issues database calls to the data and receives data from the data layer through an application program interface.

6. A document component management system as in claim 5 wherein the application layer comprises:

a batch file handler receiving batch order requests and automatically selecting variable data and document rules from said data layer responsive to received said batch order requests, documents being generated from selected variable data and rules,

a conversion unit receiving document components from said application layer and passing received said document components through to said presentation layer;

an assembly unit receiving document requests from said batch file handler, said assembly unit retrieving document specific data, document rules and document components from said data layer responsive to document requests, said assembly unit assembling documents responsive to said retrieved document rules;

a repository unit managing document components and published documents archived in said repositories in data layer; and

a publishing unit publishing assembled documents to identified individuals.

7. A document component management system as in claim 6 wherein said batch file handler receives batch order requests from said presentation layer.

8. A document component management system as in claim 6 wherein said batch file handler receives batch order requests from an application program interface.

9. A document component management system as in claim 6 wherein the conversion unit further receives assembled documents from said application layer and passes received said assembled documents to the presentation layer.

10. A document component management system as in claim 6 wherein said repository unit further comprises a workflow unit managing document component creation and editing existing components.

11. A document component management system as in claim 1 wherein a user searching through components contained in said repositories is presented with a list of documents containing components identified in said search.

12. A document component management system as in claim 1 wherein a user searching through documents contained in said repositories is presented with a list of components contained in documents identified in said search.

13. A document component management system receiving document components from individual authors and storing received components for inclusion in published individually customized documents, said document component management system comprising:

an user interface interfacing system users with said system;

a mark-up language conversion unit selectively converting document component files to mark-up language files and mark-up language files to document component files;

an application unit applying document specific rules to document components and to variable data and text from said repository, said application unit selecting and collecting components and variable information for assembly into individual documents responsive to applied said document specific rules;

an assembly unit assembling collected said document components and variable information into a complete document for publication; and

a publication unit publishing said assembled documents.

14. A document component management system as in claim 13 wherein the repositories includes document type definitions, workflow tracking information, rights management information, audit information, and reporting data.

15. A document component management system as in claim 14 wherein the repositories further include schemas.

16. A document component management system as in claim 15 wherein the publication unit further comprises a local print facility for publishing individual said documents in a fixed documentation format.

17. A document component management system as in claim 16 wherein said print facility prints a document to a computer readable media.

18. A computer program product for receiving document components from individual authors and storing received components for inclusion in published individually customized documents, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, said computer readable program code comprising:

computer program code means for interfacing system users with a document component management system, ones of said system users being component authors;

computer program code means for sending document components, published documents and document publication information to storage;

computer program code means for selectively converting document component files to mark-up language files and mark-up language files to document component files;

computer program code means for applying document specific rules to stored document components and to stored variable data and text and for selecting and collecting components and variable information for assembly into individual documents responsive to applied said document specific rules;

computer program code means for assembling collected said document components and variable information into a complete document for publication; and

computer program code means for publishing said assembled documents.

19. A computer program product as in claim 18 wherein the computer program code means for sending to storage sends document type definitions, schemas, workflow tracking information, rights management information, audit information, and reporting data to storage.

20. A computer program product as in claim 19 wherein the computer program code means for publishing further comprises:

computer program code means for publishing individual said documents in a fixed documentation format.

21. A computer program product as in claim 20 wherein said computer program code means for publishing prints documents to a computer readable media.

22. A computer program product as in claim 18 further comprising:

computer program code means for listing components included in a selected document.

23. A computer program product as in claim 18 further comprising:

computer program code means for listing for documents a selected component, listed said documents containing said selected component.