System, Method And Computer Program Product For Electronically Responding To Requests For Product Related Data

• US 20080250013A1
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Gruskin, Michael A., Ciaramitaro, Barbara L., Wolfe, Edward C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,145,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method for electronically responding to requests for product related data, the method includes: collecting product related data from feeder systems; organizing the collected product related data into digital libraries within a document management system; receiving a discovery request from legal counsel to identify related documents; searching the product related data for documents; tagging documents identified in the search and placing copies of the documents in a holding queue; and importing the documents in the holding queue to a litigation support system.

Claims

1. A computer program product for electronically responding to requests for product related data, the computer program product comprising a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for facilitating a method comprising:

collecting product related data from feeder systems;

organizing the collected product related data into digital libraries within a document management system;

receiving a discovery request from legal counsel to identify related documents;

searching the product related data for documents;

tagging documents identified in the search and placing copies of the documents in a holding queue; and

exporting the documents in the holding queue to a litigation support system;

wherein when the discovery request is received, a request management module groups requests together hierarchically in response to request group, individual request details, and question;

wherein a first level denotes the request group, a second level denotes request details and a third level denotes actual questions to be answered for each request;

wherein documents are linked to a question to create a relationship between the question and documents;

wherein documents contained in the export are maintained and grouped with all exports for that question.

2. A method for electronically responding to requests for product related data, the method comprising:

collecting product related data from feeder systems;

organizing the collected product related data into digital libraries within a document management system;

receiving a discovery request from legal counsel to identify related documents;

searching the product related data for documents;

tagging documents identified in the search and placing copies of the documents in a holding queue; and

exporting the documents in the holding queue to a litigation support system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein collecting product related data from feeder systems includes collecting product related data in either paper or electronic format.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising foldering documents into at least one of a source folder, collection folder, and user folder.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein documents are foldered into the source folder upon loading documents into the document management system.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein documents are foldered into the collection folder using a categorization method defined by the document management system.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein documents are foldered into the user folder using a categorization method defined by a user base of a particular installation of the document management system.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein when the discovery request is received, a request management module groups requests together.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the request management module groups requests together hierarchically in response to request group, request details, and question;

wherein a first level denotes the request group, a second level denotes request details and a third level denotes a question to be answered for each request.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein documents are linked to a question to create a relationship between the question and documents.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein exporting documents in the holding queue to a litigation support system includes generating a record of the exporting;

wherein documents contained in the export are maintained and grouped with all exports for that question.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a report of documents associated to specific questions.

13. A system for electronically responding to requests for product related data, the system comprising:

a data storage device storing product related data;

a host system executing a program to implement a product development information system;

a user system;

a network establishing communications between the data storage device, the user system and the host system;

the host system performing;

collecting product related data from feeder systems;

organizing the collected product related data into digital libraries within the data storage device;

receiving a discovery request from a user system to identify related documents;

searching the product related data in the data storage device for documents;

tagging documents identified in the search and placing copies of the documents in a holding queue; and

exporting the documents in the holding queue to the user system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein collecting product related data from feeder systems includes collecting product related data electronic format.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising the host system foldering documents into at least one of a source folder, collection folder, and user folder.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein documents are foldered into the source folder upon loading documents into the document management system.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein documents are foldered into the collection folder using a categorization method defined by the document management system.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein documents are foldered into the user folder using a categorization method defined by a user base of a particular installation of the document management system.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein when the discovery request is received, a request management module executed by the host system groups requests together.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the request management module groups requests together hierarchically in response to request group, request details, and question;

wherein a first level denotes the request group, a second level denotes request details and a third level denotes a question to be answered for each request.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein documents are linked to a question to create a relationship between the question and documents.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein exporting documents in the holding queue to a litigation support system includes generating a record of the exporting;

wherein documents contained in the export are maintained and grouped with all exports for that question.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising generating a report of documents associated to specific questions.