Benefit management system and method
First Claim
1. A method for use in providing employee benefit management services, the method comprising:
- providing an application operable to perform one or more employee benefit functions using an associated relational database configured to store employee benefits management plan data, wherein the employee benefits management plan data comprises at least one benefit plan derived from at least one benefit plan design creation template, wherein the at least one benefit plan design creation template comprises at least a plurality of selectable benefit plan details quotable by more than one benefit provider of a plurality of benefit providers, and further wherein the application comprises a plurality of presentation panels for use in providing information to a user, wherein the presentation panels are configured to provide at least one of user perceivable graphical elements and user interaction graphical elements, and further wherein the at least one benefit plan design creation template is configured as at least one presentation panel;
providing at least one application portal to allow at least one authorized user access to the application, wherein the at least one application portal is extendable to one or more additional authorized users by the at least one authorized user to permit the one or more additional authorized users access to all or a limited portion of at least one of the presentation panels and the employee benefits management plan data; and
accessing, by an authorized user, the application such that the authorized user through a plan creator user interface provided by the at least one presentation panel can create a benefit plan using the benefit plan design creation template, wherein at least a plurality of the selectable benefit plan details of the benefit plan design creation template are provided to the authorized user in a dynamic, multi-level format such that selection by the authorized user of one or more of a plurality of options associated with at least one selectable benefit plan detail displayed to the authorized user determines a plurality of selectable benefit plan details and one or more associated benefit plan options to be subsequently displayed to the authorized user.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A benefit management system and method provides a portal-based information management and collaborative business process application. Preferably, the system and method is focused at the benefit broker/consultant and is configured to capture employee benefit management data, such as demographic data and plan data. Further, preferably, one or more users are provided with customized user access to the centralized application for use in performing one or more various benefit plan management functions, such as, for example, marketing, plan design; enrollment; administration; and communication between one or more application users.
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Citations
69 Claims
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1. A method for use in providing employee benefit management services, the method comprising:
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providing an application operable to perform one or more employee benefit functions using an associated relational database configured to store employee benefits management plan data, wherein the employee benefits management plan data comprises at least one benefit plan derived from at least one benefit plan design creation template, wherein the at least one benefit plan design creation template comprises at least a plurality of selectable benefit plan details quotable by more than one benefit provider of a plurality of benefit providers, and further wherein the application comprises a plurality of presentation panels for use in providing information to a user, wherein the presentation panels are configured to provide at least one of user perceivable graphical elements and user interaction graphical elements, and further wherein the at least one benefit plan design creation template is configured as at least one presentation panel;
providing at least one application portal to allow at least one authorized user access to the application, wherein the at least one application portal is extendable to one or more additional authorized users by the at least one authorized user to permit the one or more additional authorized users access to all or a limited portion of at least one of the presentation panels and the employee benefits management plan data; and
accessing, by an authorized user, the application such that the authorized user through a plan creator user interface provided by the at least one presentation panel can create a benefit plan using the benefit plan design creation template, wherein at least a plurality of the selectable benefit plan details of the benefit plan design creation template are provided to the authorized user in a dynamic, multi-level format such that selection by the authorized user of one or more of a plurality of options associated with at least one selectable benefit plan detail displayed to the authorized user determines a plurality of selectable benefit plan details and one or more associated benefit plan options to be subsequently displayed to the authorized user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for use in providing employee benefit management services, the method comprising:
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providing an application operable to perform one or more employee benefit functions using an associated relational database configured to store employee benefits management plan data;
allowing one or more users access to the application via one or more user portals, wherein the one or more users comprise at least one of a benefit/broker consultant, an employer/client, an employee, and a benefit provider, wherein allowing one or more users access to the application comprises providing customized access through the one or more user portals such that at least one user has different access rights relative to another user; and
opening at least one user portal such that at least one of the one or more users through a plan creation user interface can create a benefit plan using the employee benefits management plan data. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method for use in providing employee benefit management services, the method comprising:
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providing a central application operable to perform one or more employee benefit functions using an associated relational database configured to store employee benefits management plan data;
providing a benefit provider via a user portal with access to all or certain portions of the employee benefits management plan data;
providing a benefit/broker consultant via a user portal access to all or certain portions of employee benefits management data; and
allowing the benefit/broker consultant to provide one or more employer/clients via a user portal access to all or certain portions of the employee benefits management data. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. A method for use in providing employee benefit management services, the method comprising:
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providing an application operable to perform one or more employee benefit functions using an associated relational database configured to store employee benefits management plan data, wherein the application comprises a plurality of presentation panels for use in providing information to a user, wherein the presentation panels are configured to provide at least one of user perceivable graphical elements and user interaction graphical elements, wherein the application is accessible via one or more user portals customizable to permit one or more users access to all or a limited portion of at least one of the presentation panels and/or employee benefits management plan data; and
personalized image branding of one or more presentation panels used to provide one or more user interfaces with the one or more users, wherein personalized image branding comprises selection of one or more characteristics of one or more of the user interfaces displayed to the one or more users. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51)
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52. A method for use in providing employee benefit management services, the method comprising:
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providing an application operable to perform one or more employee benefit functions using an associated relational database configured to store employee benefits management plan data, wherein the application comprises a plurality of presentation panels for use in providing information to a user, wherein the presentation panels are configured to provide at least one of user perceivable graphical elements and user interaction graphical elements;
providing a benefit broker/consultant portal to allow at least one benefit broker/consultant access to the application;
providing at least one extension of the benefit broker/consultant portal as at least one satellite portal, wherein the at least one satellite portal is separately configurable by the benefit broker/consultant to extend certain rights to one or more employer/clients for access to the application; and
providing security authorization to control access of at least one of the benefit broker/consultant and the employer/clients to one or more portions of at least one of the presentation panels and/or employee benefits management plan data. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54)
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- 55. A computer implemented system for use in providing employee benefit management services, the system comprising a central application operable to perform one or more employee benefit functions using an associated relational database configured to store employee benefits management plan data, wherein the central application is accessible via one or more user portals by a benefit provider and a benefit/broker consultant, and further wherein the central application allows the benefit/broker consultant via a user interface to provide one or more employer/clients access to all or certain portions of the employee benefits management data.
Specification