Benefit plans

• US 20060020501A1
• Filed: 07/22/2004
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: FMR LLC
• Original Assignee: FMR LLC
• Inventors: Greene, John Morrison, Cooksey, Rachael Anne, Leicht, Howard Jay, Johnson, Glenn G., Govender, Vanessa Govindasamy, Willmuth, Caroline Foster
• Application Number:
  US10/896,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020501A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1057 Benefits or employee welfare, e.g. insurance, holiday or retirement packages

Abstract

A computerized system for dynamically generating an on-line questionnaire for collecting operational parameters of an employee benefit plan includes a component development module for developing application components with multiple attributes, a subset of which collectively effect the functionality of other components, a business rule parser for translating business rules into executable software code describing the effects of the components on each other, an application definition module for creating an on-line questionnaire definition relating to the operational parameters of the employee benefit plan using the components and a compiler for dynamically generating the questionnaire based on the components and the executable software code.

Claims

1. A computerized system for dynamically generating an on-line questionnaire for collecting operational parameters of an employee benefit plan, the system comprising:

a component development module for developing application components, the application components comprising multiple attributes, a subset of which collectively effect the functionality of other application components;

a business rule parser for translating business rules into executable software code describing the collective effects of the application components on each other;

an application definition module for creating an on-line questionnaire definition relating to the operational parameters of the employee benefit plan using the application components; and

a compiler for dynamically generating the questionnaire based on the questionnaire definition and the executable software code.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the application components are one or more of an input form, a menu item, an implementation stage, a template, a table, a question, a system location, and an answer set.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein a first application component can be comprised of one or more other application components.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the application component is a system location and the system location comprises instructions for performing a data processing task.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the multiple attributes are multiple answers to a single question.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the collective effects of the multiple answers is to render other application components non-functional.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the other application components are questions, and the collective effect of the multiple answers comprises defining one or more permissible answers to the questions.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the defining one or more permissible answers to the questions comprises one or more of:

limiting the permitted answers to a defined set, eliminating answers, limiting the possible answers to a permitted dollar amount range, and limiting the possible answers to a permitted date range.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the employee benefit plan is one of a defined contribution plan, a defined benefit plan, and a health and welfare plan.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined contribution plan and the defined contribution plan is one of a 401(k) plan, a 403(b) plan, an employee stock option plan, and a 457 plan.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined benefit plan, and the defined contribution plan is a pension plan.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined contribution plan and the operational parameters describe investment options available to participants in the defined contribution plan.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined benefit plan and the operational parameters describe investment options available to participants in the defined benefit plan.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the employee benefit plan is health and welfare plan and the health and welfare plan is one of a medical insurance plan, a dental insurance plan, and a life insurance plan.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the employee benefit plan is a health and welfare plan and the operational parameters describe healthcare options available to participants in the health and welfare plan.

16. The system of claim 1 further comprising a component storage module for storing the developed application components.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the executable software code is written in javascript.

18. A computerized system for implementing an employee benefit plan, the system comprising:

an application server for constructing an input form from application components comprising;

one or more questions relating to operational parameters of the employee benefit plan, at least one of the questions allowing for a response comprising multiple answers, and

one or more instructions for dynamically modifying the forms based on the response; and

a web server in communication with the application server for transmitting the forms to and receiving the forms from a user of the system.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the application components are one or more of a menu item, a question, a system location, an implementation stage, a template, a table, a business rule, and an answer set.

20. The system of claim 18 further comprising a data transmission module in communication with the web server for providing responses received on the forms to one or more external systems.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the responses are provided using direct transmission over a communications network.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the responses are provided using web services.

23. The system of claim 18 wherein the employee benefit plan is one of a defined contribution plan, a defined benefit plan, and a health and welfare plan.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined contribution plan and the defined contribution plan is one of a 401(k) plan, a 403(b) plan, an employee stock option plan, and a 457 plan.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined benefit plan and the defined benefit plan is a pension plan.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined contribution plan and the operational parameters describe investment options available to participants in the defined contribution plan.

27. The system of claim 23 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined benefit plan and the operational parameters describe investment options available to participants in the defined benefit plan.

28. The system of claim 23 wherein the employee benefit plan is health and welfare plan and the health and welfare plan is one of a medical insurance plan, a dental insurance plan, and a life insurance plan.

29. The system of claim 23 wherein the employee benefit plan is a health and welfare plan and the operational parameters describe healthcare options available to participants in the health and welfare plan.

30. The system of claim 18 wherein the instructions to modify the input form comprise rendering one or more questions on the form non-functional.

31. The system of claim 18 wherein the instructions to modify the input form comprises defining one or more permissible answers to the questions.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein defining one or more permissible answers to the questions comprises one or more of:

limiting the permitted answers to a defined set, eliminating answers, limiting the possible answers to a permitted dollar amount range, and limiting the possible answers to a permitted date range.

33. The system of claim 18 further comprising a component storage module for storing the application components, the questions, and the instructions.

34. The system of claim 18 further comprising a business rule parser for building the instructions from a set of business rules.

35. The system of claim 34 further providing an auditing module for confirming that the received forms contain answers consistent with the set of business rules.

36. The system of claim 18 wherein the instructions are written in javascript.

37. A computerized method for collecting the operational parameters of an employee benefit plan, the method comprising:

dynamically constructing a data input form from a set of application components, the form comprising;

one or more questions relating to operational parameters of the employee benefit plan, at least one of the questions allowing a response comprising multiple answers; and

one or more instructions for dynamically modifying the input form based at least in part on a response comprising multiple answers;

transmitting the data input form to a user; and

receiving a modified version of the input form from the user, the modifications being determined by the instructions and comprising the operational parameters of an employee benefit plan.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the application components are one or more of a menu item, a question, a system location, a template, a table, a business rule, and an answer set.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein the input form is generated using HTML.

40. The method of claim 37 wherein the instructions are created from a set of business rules describing the relationships among the questions.

41. The method of claim 40 further comprising confirming that the received modified input form contains data consistent with the business rules.

42. The method of claim 40 wherein the instructions are written in javascript.

43. The method of claim 37 wherein the employee benefit plan is one of a defined contribution plan, a defined benefit plan, and a health and welfare plan.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined contribution plan and the defined contribution plan is one of a 401(k) plan, a 403(b) plan, an employee stock option plan, and a 457 plan.

45. The method of claim 43 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined benefit plan, and the defined benefit plan is a pension plan.

46. The method of claim 43 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined contribution plan and the operational parameters describe investment options available to participants in the defined contribution plan.

47. The method of claim 43 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined benefit plan and the operational parameters describe investment options available to participants in the defined benefit plan.

48. The system of claim 43 wherein the employee benefit plan is health and welfare plan and the health and welfare plan is one of a medical insurance plan, a dental insurance plan, and a life insurance plan.

49. The system of claim 43 wherein the employee benefit plan is a health and welfare plan and the operational parameters describe healthcare options available to participants in the health and welfare plan.

50. The method of claim 37 wherein the instructions to modify the input form comprise rendering one or more questions on the form non-functional.

51. The method of claim 37 wherein the instructions to modify the input form comprises defining one or more permissible answers to the questions.

52. The method of claim 51 wherein defining one or more permissible answers to the questions comprises one or more of:

limiting the permitted answers to a defined set, eliminating answers, limiting the possible answers to a permitted dollar amount range, and limiting the possible answers to a permitted date range.

53. A computerized method for providing the operational parameters of an employee benefit plan, the method comprising:

receiving a first instance of an input form at a web browser, the input form comprising;

one or more questions relating to operational parameters of the employee benefit plan at least one of the questions allowing a response comprising multiple answers; and

one or more instructions for modifying the input form based on multiple answers to one of the questions;

providing multiple answers that define the operational parameters of an employee benefit plan as a response to one of the questions, thereby causing the web browser to dynamically create a second instance of the input form based on the instructions; and

submitting the second instance of the form to a server.

54. The method of claim 53 wherein the instructions are written in javascript.

55. The method of claim 54 wherein the javascript is derived from a set of business rules describing the relationships among the questions.

56. The method of claim 53 wherein the employee benefit plan is one of a defined contribution plan, a defined benefit plan, and a health and welfare plan.

57. The method of claim 56 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined contribution plan and the defined contribution plan is one of a 401(k) plan, a 403(b) plan, an employee stock option plan, and a 457 plan.

58. The method of claim 56 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined benefit plan, and the defined benefit plan is a pension plan.

59. The method of claim 56 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined contribution plan and the operational parameters describe investment options available to participants in the defined contribution plan.

60. The method of claim 56 wherein the employee benefit plan is a defined benefit plan and the operational parameters describe investment options available to participants in the defined benefit plan.

61. The method of claim 56 wherein the employee benefit plan is health and welfare plan and the health and welfare plan is one of a medical insurance plan, a dental insurance plan, and a life insurance plan.

62. The method of claim 56 wherein the employee benefit plan is a health and welfare plan and the operational parameters describe healthcare options available to participants in the health and welfare plan.

63. The method of claim 53 wherein the instructions to modify the input form comprise rendering one or more questions on the form non-functional.

64. The method of claim 53 wherein the instructions to modify the input form comprise defining one or more permissible answers to the questions.

65. The method of claim 64 wherein defining one or more permissible answers to the questions comprises one or more of:

limiting the permitted answers to a defined set, eliminating answers, limiting the possible answers to a permitted dollar amount range, and limiting the possible answers to a permitted date range.

66. An apparatus for collecting the operational parameters of an employee benefit plan, the apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processing system that executes the instructions to;

transmit to a user a data input form comprising;

one or more questions relating to operational parameters of the employee benefit plan, at least one of the questions allowing a response comprising multiple answers; and

one or more instructions for dynamically modifying the input form based on a response comprising multiple answers; and

receive responses to at least a subset of the questions.