SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR GENERATING PRO-FORMA BASED UPON INPUT PROVIDED VIA A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

• US 20080263145A1
• Filed: 04/21/2008
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Jebson, Leslie
• Application Number:
  US12/106,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20080263145A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202

Abstract

A system and related methods and procedures are provided for gauging the financial and operational implications of various types of investment decisions. Among the various applications of the invention, the invention can be used to conveniently and efficiently assess employment decisions, including, for example, the hiring of a new physician by a medical group or hospital and the hiring of an additional attorney to expand a legal practice, in any type of practice setting.

Claims

1. An electronic data processing method for generating a pro-forma, the method comprising:

providing a network-connected server, wherein the server is accessed by a user through a data communications network when the user is remotely located from the server, and wherein the server is configured to present to the user a series of prompts prompting the user to supply a predetermined set of information;

automatically accessing at least one database if in response to one or more of the prompts the user elects to have at least a portion of the predetermined set of information be supplied from the at least one database; and

generating a user-requested pro-forma based upon the predetermined set of information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user accesses the network-connected server through at least one of a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), and the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is prompted to supply the predetermined set of information by presenting to the user at least one graphical image on a remotely-located device display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of automatically accessing at least one database further comprises performing an electronic search of a plurality of network-connected databases remotely-located from the server to identify at least one database that can supply at least a portion of the predetermined set of information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the predetermined set of information includes at least one numerical estimation, the method further comprising supplying at least a portion of the predetermined set of information by obtaining data from the at least one database and automatically generating the at least one numerical estimation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user supplies at least a portion of the predetermined set of information as a spoken utterance or electronic data using a mobile communications device wirelessly linked to the data communications network through an access point.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting at least a portion of the generated proforma into a speech output using a text-to-speech engine and conveying the speech output to the user.

8. An electronic data processing system for generating a pro-forma, the system comprising:

a network-connected server that is accessed by a user through a data communications network when the user is remotely located from the server;

an electronic processor residing on the network-connected server;

a prompting module incorporated in or executing on the server to present to the user a series of prompts prompting the user to supply a predetermined set of information;

a database accessing module incorporated in or executing on the server to automatically access at least one database if in response to one or more of the prompts the user elects to have at least a portion of the predetermined set of information be supplied from the at least one database; and

a pro-forma generating module incorporated in or executing on the server to generate a user-requested pro-forma based upon the predetermined set of information.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the network-connected server is accessible through at least one of a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), and the Internet.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the prompting module is configured to prompt the user to supply the set of predetermined by presenting to the user at least one graphical image on a remotely-located device display.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the database accessing module is configured to perform an electronic search of a plurality of network-connected databases remotely-located from the server to identify at least one database that can supply at least a portion of the predetermined set of information.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the predetermined set of information includes at least one numerical estimation, the method further comprising supplying at least a portion of the predetermined set of information by obtaining data from the at least one database and automatically generating the at least one numerical estimation.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising a speech-recognition engine, wherein the speech-recognition engine is configured to convert voice utterances received via a network interface.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the speech-recognition engine is configured to convert voice utterances received from a telephony device connected to the system through a circuit-switched telephony network or a packet-switched network.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the speech recognition engine is configured to convert voice utterances received from a wireless communications device via a connection between the system and a wireless cellular or mobile network.

16. The system of claim 8, further comprising an electronic tablet communicatively linked to the processor to convert written data entered into the electronic tablet into an electronic data format.

17. The system of claim 8, further comprising a text-to-speech engine for converting the generated pro-forma into a speech output that is conveyed to the user.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having embedded therein computer code for generating a pro-forma, the computer code comprising instructions for:

presenting to a user a series of prompts prompting the user to supply a predetermined set of information;

automatically accessing at least one database if in response to one or more of the prompts the user elects to have at least a portion of the predetermined set of information be supplied from the at least one database; and

generating a user-requested pro-forma based upon the predetermined set of information.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the computer code instruction for automatically accessing at least one database further comprises computer code for performing an electronic search of a plurality of network-connected databases remotely-located from the server to identify at least one database that can supply at least a portion of the predetermined set of information.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein at least a portion of the predetermined set of information includes at least one numerical estimation, and wherein the computer code further comprises an instruction supplying at least a portion of the predetermined set of information by obtaining data from the at least one database and automatically generating the at least one numerical estimation.