Systems and methods for establishing auditable records of the process of agreement to a contract

• US 20030163409A1
• Filed: 10/02/2002
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Simpson, Shell Sterling, Carroll, Jeremy John, Fischer, Todd A.
• Application Number:
  US10/263,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20030163409A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A network interface configured to monitor communications between an e-customer and an e-vendor coupled to a network; and an auditable record engine, the auditable record engine including an identity discriminator configured to receive the communications and identify the e-customer and the e-vendor; a communication discriminator configured to receive the communications, extract information indicative of a stage of a e-service transaction; and a record formatter configured to generate an independent summary of the communication session. A representative method includes recognizing that a communication session has been established between at least two parties, identifying one of the parties as the source of the communication, extracting information from a message sent from the source to a destination party to form a communication summary, and appending the communication summary in an independent log.

Claims

1. A method of establishing an auditable record of communications over a network, the method comprising:

recognizing that a communication session has been established between at least two parties, the communication session being operable over a network;

identifying a first of the parties as a source of the communication session;

extracting information from a message sent from the source to a destination party to form a communication summary, the communication summary including an indication of the phase of a service transaction;

formatting the communication summary; and

appending the communication summary in an independent log.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein appending comprises maintaining an auditable record.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein formatting comprises adding a timestamp to the communication summary.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein formatting comprises at least one of a proposed term, a changed term, and an agreed to term.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein formatting further comprises the identity of the party responsible for at least one of the proposed term, the changed term, and the agreed to term.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein formatting comprises identifying an e-service transaction contemplated by the first of the parties and the destination party.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein formatting further comprises at least an e-service transaction and a proposed term.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein formatting comprises identifying a stage of an e-service transaction contemplated by the first of the parties and the destination party.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein formatting further comprises identifying a stage of an e-service transaction selected from the group consisting of formation and execution.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein recognizing is performed independently of the source party and the destination party.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding a copy of the communication summary.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein forwarding comprises communicating with a data storage device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein forwarding comprises communicating with at least one the source party and the destination party.

14. A computer-readable medium having a program for establishing an independent record of communications between parties to an e-service transaction, the program comprising:

logic configured to recognize when a first party and a second party have established a communication session, the communication session for negotiating the terms of the e-service transaction;

logic configured to generate a communication summary responsive to the logic configured to realize and the content transferred between the first party and the second party; and

logic configured to associate a plurality of communication summaries.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the logic configured to recognize is operable on a communication device coupled to a network.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the logic configured to recognize is responsive to at least one the first and the second parties.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the logic configured to generate comprises a record formatter.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the logic configured to generate comprises an identity discriminator.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the logic configured to generate comprises a communication discriminator.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the logic configured to associate appends the communication summary to an auditable record.

21. An e-service system, comprising:

means for monitoring communications between proposed parties to an e-service transaction, the communications operative on a network;

means for generating a communication summary responsive to the means for monitoring; and

means for integrating the communication summary in a log.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for monitoring is responsive to at least one of the proposed parties to the e-service transaction.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for monitoring comprises a contract manager coupled to the network.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for monitoring comprises an e-service transaction identifier.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for generating comprises an auditable record engine.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for integrating comprises a record formatter.

27. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for forwarding the communication summary.

28. A contract manager, comprising:

a network interface configured to monitor communications between an e-customer and an e-vendor coupled to a network; and

an auditable record engine, the auditable record engine comprising;

an identity discriminator configured to receive the communications and identify the e-customer and the e-vendor;

a communication discriminator configured to receive the communications, extract information indicative of a stage of a e-service transaction; and

a record formatter configured to receive information from the identity discriminator and the communication discriminator, the record formatter further configured to generate an independent summary of the communication session.

29. The contract manager of claim 28, wherein the identity discriminator is configured to identity which of the e-customer and the e-vendor initiated a communication session between the e-customer and the e-vendor.

30. The contract manager of claim 28, wherein the communication discriminator extracts information indicative of a stage selected from at least formation and execution.

31. The contract manager of claim 28, wherein the communication discriminator is further configured to extract at least one of a proposed term, a modified term, and an agreed term.

32. The contract manager of claim 28, wherein the record formatter forwards the independent summary of the communication session to at least one of the e-vendor and the e-customer.

33. The contract manager of claim 28, wherein the record formatter appends the independent summary of the communication session to an auditable record.