WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR GENERATING OUTPUT MATERIAL BASED ON CUSTOMER INPUT

• US 20070192358A1
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nielsen, Robert, Peper, Gerri, Nagda, Jagdish
• Granted Patent: US 8,452,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for automated creation and delivery for generating output material. A customer record is generated in a customer database to include fields specifying at least one product, customer preferences, and a selected output method to deliver generated output material on the product specified in the customer record. At least one customer record in the customer database is received to process. A template including at least one query of a content database is processed. The at least one query included in the template using at least one value from the customer record is executed against the content database to access at least one content file. The content of each accessed content file is generated into the output material. A determination is made of a selected one of a plurality of delivery options from the customer record. The output material is transmitted via the determined delivery option to the customer specified in the customer record.

Claims

1. An automated creation and delivery method for generating output material, comprising:

generating a customer record in a customer database to include fields specifying at least one product, customer preferences, and a selected output method to deliver generated output material on the product specified in the customer record;

receiving at least one customer record in the customer database to process;

processing a template including at least one query of a content database;

executing the at least one query included in the template using at least one value from the customer record against the content database to access at least one content file;

generating the content of each accessed content file into the output material;

determining a selected one of a plurality of delivery options from the customer record; and

transmitting the output material via the determined delivery option to the customer specified in the customer record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the template includes a plurality of containers, where each container includes one query that uses values from the customer table to query the content database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein customer record includes information on a company including a company size, company background, and services.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the template includes:

an introduction container that includes an introduction query that uses the company size and company background information in the customer record to query the content database; and

at least one paragraph container, wherein each paragraph container includes a paragraph query that uses the service information in the customer record to query the content database for a content file matching the queried service requested by the company.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the content file accessed from the content database in response to executing the introduction query includes information specific to the company operations.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the content file accessed from the content database in response to executing the paragraph query includes information on a service requested by the company in the customer record.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein executing the at least one query included in the template using the at least one value from the customer record against the content database to access the at least one content file further comprises;

(i) accessing at least one value in a field in one customer record to include in the at least one query against the content database; and

(ii) applying the at least one query against the content database to determine at least one record associated with at least one content file including fields matching the query, wherein the accessed at least one content is associated with the at least one determined record, and wherein generating the at least one content file into the output material comprises generating the at least one content file into the template, which forms the output material.

8. A system, comprising:

a customer database including customer records having fields specifying at least one product, customer preferences, and a selected output method to deliver generated output material on the product specified in the customer record;

a content database;

an output constructor enabled to cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising;

receiving at least one customer record in the customer database to process;

processing a template including at least one query of a content database;

executing the at least one query included in the template using at least one value from the customer record against the content database to access at least one content file;

generating the content of each accessed content file into the output material;

determining a selected one of a plurality of delivery options from the customer record; and

transmitting the output material via the determined delivery option to the customer specified in the customer record.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the template includes a plurality of containers, where each container includes one query that uses values from the customer table to query the content database.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein customer record includes information on a company including a company size, company background, and services.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the template includes:

an introduction container that includes an introduction query that uses the company size and company background information in the customer record to query the content database; and

at least one paragraph container, wherein each paragraph container includes a paragraph query that uses the service information in the customer record to query the content database for a content file matching the queried service requested by the company.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the content file accessed from the content database in response to executing the introduction query includes information specific to the company operations.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the content file accessed from the content database in response to executing the paragraph query includes information on a service requested by the company in the customer record.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

wherein executing the at least one query included in the template using the at least one value from the customer record against the content database to access the at least one content file further comprises;

(i) accessing at least one value in a field in one customer record to include in the at least one query against the content database; and

(ii) applying the at least one query against the content database to determine at least one record associated with at least one content file including fields matching the query, wherein the accessed at least one content is associated with the at least one determined record, and wherein generating the at least one content file into the output material comprises generating the at least one content file into the template, which forms the output material.

15. An article of manufacture implementing code to cause operations to provide an automated creation and delivery method for generating output material, wherein the operations comprise:

generating a customer record in a customer database to include fields specifying at least one product, customer preferences, and a selected output method to deliver generated output material on the product specified in the customer record;

receiving at least one customer record in the customer database to process;

processing a template including at least one query of a content database;

executing the at least one query included in the template using at least one value from the customer record against the content database to access at least one content file;

generating the content of each accessed content file into the output material;

determining a selected one of a plurality of delivery options from the customer record; and

transmitting the output material via the determined delivery option to the customer specified in the customer record.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the template includes a plurality of containers, where each container includes one query that uses values from the customer table to query the content database.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein customer record includes information on a company including a company size, company background, and services.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the template includes:

an introduction container that includes an introduction query that uses the company size and company background information in the customer record to query the content database; and

at least one paragraph container, wherein each paragraph container includes a paragraph query that uses the service information in the customer record to query the content database for a content file matching the queried service requested by the company.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the content file accessed from the content database in response to executing the introduction query includes information specific to the company operations.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the content file accessed from the content database in response to executing the paragraph query includes information on a service requested by the company in the customer record.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

wherein executing the at least one query included in the template using the at least one value from the customer record against the content database to access the at least one content file further comprises;

(i) accessing at least one value in a field in one customer record to include in the at least one query against the content database; and

(ii) applying the at least one query against the content database to determine at least one record associated with at least one content file including fields matching the query, wherein the accessed at least one content is associated with the at least one determined record, and wherein generating the at least one content file into the output material comprises generating the at least one content file into the template, which forms the output material.