Method for processing electronic documents

• US 20090083612A1
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Allen F. Baker
• Original Assignee: Allen F. Baker
• Inventors: Baker, Allen F.
• Application Number:
  US11/901,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083612A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation

Abstract

The illustrative embodiments provide a method and computer usable program product for processing an electronic document. A process parses the document and identifies a set of first data components which may be located anywhere in the document. The process also identifies a relationship between two or more first data components and validates the relationship. The process transforms the document into a set of second documents and a subset of data components of the second documents into a third document. The various operations are performed in accordance with a set of rules. A rule for parsing includes a specification of a data component including data component'"'"'s identifier and attribute, a directive to proceed to a second specification based on a condition, a rule identifier, and a directive to proceed to a second rule based on a second condition.

Claims

1. A method for processing a document, the method comprising:

parsing the document;

identifying a set of first data components forming the document;

identifying a relationship between two or more first data components in the set of first data components;

validating the relationship between the two or more first data components;

transforming the document into a set of second documents, each second document in the set of second documents using a subset of the set of the first data components;

selecting a set of second data components from one or more of the set of second documents;

generating a third document from the set of second data components; and

delivering the set of second documents and the third document to a set of destinations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

validating a subset of the set of the first data components.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the document is an X.12 document, wherein a first data component in the set of first data components is one of a data element of the X.12 document and a data segment of the X.12 document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a second document in the set of second documents is one of an XML document, a document based on a transaction defined by a standard, and a document based on a transaction having a non-standard definition.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the third document is one of displayed to a user and reported in the form of a report.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the parsing, the identifying, the validating, the transforming, the selecting, and the generating is performed in accordance with a set of rules.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a rule for parsing in the set of rules comprises:

a specification of a data component, the specification including;

a data component identifier;

a data component attribute; and

a directive to proceed to a second specification of a second data component.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the directive to proceed to the second specification of the second data component is based on a condition.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the rule further comprises:

a rule identifier; and

a directive to proceed to a second rule.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the directive to proceed to the second rule is based on a second condition.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the data component identifier and the rule identifier is a state in the processing of the document, wherein each of the directive to proceed to the second specification and the directive to proceed to the second rule is a state transition in the processing of the document.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein a data component associated with the data component identifier in a specification maybe located anywhere in the document.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein a rule for transforming in the set of rules comprises:

an identification associated with the document;

an identification associated with the second document; and

a logic, wherein the logic is usable for determining a number of second documents present in the set of second documents, and one or more attributes of each second document in the set of second documents.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the attributes of each second document include one or more of a type of the second document and a destination of the second document.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein a rule for sending in the set of rules comprises one or more of an indication of a method of communication to use with the destination of the second document, a fourth document to send to a source of the document, and a fifth document to receive from the destination of the second document.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein a rule in the set of rules may apply to any combination of the parsing, identifying, validating, transforming, selecting, and generating.

17. A computer usable program product in a computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for processing a document that, when executed, cause a data processing system to:

parse the document;

identify a set of first data components forming the document;

identify a relationship between two or more first data components in the set of first data components;

validate the relationship between the two or more first data components;

validate a subset of the set of the first data components;

transform the document into a set of second documents, each second document in the set of second documents using a subset of the set of the first data components, and wherein a second document in the set of second documents is one of an XML document, a document based on a transaction defined by a standard, and a document based on a transaction having a non-standard definition;

select a set of second data components from one or more of the set of second documents;

generate a third document from the set of second data components wherein the third document is one of displayed to a user and reported in the form of a report; and

deliver the set of second documents and the third document to a set of destinations.

18. The computer usable program product of claim B17, wherein the document is an X.12 document, wherein a first data component in the set of first data components is one of a data element of the X.12 document and a data segment of the X.12 document.

19. The computer usable program product of claim B17, wherein the parsing, the identifying, the validating, the transforming, the selecting, and the generating is performed in accordance with a set of rules.

20. The computer usable program product of claim 19, wherein a rule for parsing in the set of rules comprises:

a specification of a data component, the specification including;

a rule identifier;

a data component identifier;

a data component attribute;

a directive to proceed to a second specification of a second data component based on a condition; and

a directive to proceed to a second rule based on a second condition.

21. The computer usable program product of claim 20, wherein each of the data component identifier and the rule identifier is a state in the processing of the document, wherein each of the directive to proceed to the second specification and the directive to proceed to the second rule is a state transition in the processing of the document.

22. The computer usable program product of claim 19, wherein a data component associated with the data component identifier in a specification may be located anywhere in the document.

23. The computer usable program product of claim 19, wherein a rule for transforming in the set of rules comprises:

an identification associated with the document;

an identification associated with the second document; and

a logic, wherein the logic is usable for determining a number of second documents present in the set of second documents, and one or more attributes of each second document in the set of second documents including one or more of a type of the second document and a destination of the second document.

24. The computer usable program product of claim 23, wherein a rule for sending in the set of rules comprises one or more of an indication of a method of communication to use with the destination of the second document, a fourth document to send to a source of the document, and a fifth document to receive from the destination of the second document.

25. The computer usable program product of claim 19, wherein a rule in the set of rules may apply to any combination of the parsing, identifying, validating, transforming, selecting, and generating.