Completeness in Dependency Networks

• US 20070050383A1
• Filed: 08/22/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH (The Woodbridge Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Business Integrity Ltd. (The Woodbridge Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Vasey, Philip
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

The invention improves document generation systems in which data is collected to enable automated, customised document generation. initially, a questionnaire which defines a dataset is completed. The system then determines which variables are relevant, and then determines whether all relevant variables are in the dataset. Finally, the system generates a fully customised document if the dataset is complete.

Claims

1. A method for determining whether a dataset is complete comprising the steps of determining which variables are relevant;

and determining whether all relevant variables are in the dataset.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the variables form a well-formed dependency network comprising two or more nodes each node representing a variable, and one or more arcs, each arc connecting one or more source nodes with a target node and representing the dependency between the source nodes and the target node, the dependency being specified as a condition which evaluates to true, false or indefinite.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the step of determining which variables are relevant comprises the step of determining that a variable represented by a node is relevant if:

(i) the node is not the target node of any arcs, or

(ii) the node is the target node of an arc, and all the variables represented by the source nodes of the arc are relevant, and the condition represented by the arc evaluates to true or indefinite.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the values of the variables determine which items of information are incorporated into a customised document.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the customised document is a legal document.

6. An electronic document generation system arranged to determine whether a dataset is complete using the method of claim 1.

7. A computer program product having software recorded thereon which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to undertake the method of claim 1.

8. A method for producing a customised document comprising the steps of completing a questionnaire to define a dataset;

determining which variables are relevant;

determining whether all relevant variables are in the dataset; and

generating a fully customised document if the dataset is complete.