INITIATING COLLECTION OF DATA IN AN ELECTRONIC DISCOVERY SYSTEM BASED ON STATUS UPDATE NOTIFICATION

• US 20100250308A1
• Filed: 03/24/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Andersen, David M., Mayer, Michael J., Miller, Emerson D.
• Application Number:
  US12/730,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250308A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/325 Hash tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to systems, methods, and computer program products for improved electronic discovery. More specifically, embodiments relate to initiating collection of data from electronic discovery custodians and/or devices associated with the custodian based on status update notification. The status update may include, but are not limited to, changes/updates in employment status of a custodian and/or changes/updated in the use status of a device associated with the custodian. As such, present embodiments of the method monitor status update on timely predetermined schedule, such as once every business day or the like, to insure that status updates/changes are recognized within the electronic discovery system as they occur or immediately thereafter. Once status changes are recognized that affect a custodian, embodiments of the present invention, provide for automated initiation of data collection.

Claims

1. A method for initiating collection of data in an electronic discovery system, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, notification of a status update associated with a custodian assigned to a case in an enterprise-implemented electronic discovery system; and

initiating, at a computing device, collection of data associated with the custodian in automatic response to the notification of status update.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving further comprises, receiving, at the computing device, on a predetermined schedule, notification of status update for at least a portion of the enterprise and determining, at the computing device, that the notification of status update includes the custodian.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving further comprises, receiving at the computing device, at least daily, notification of status update for at least a portion of the enterprise.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving further comprises receiving, at the computing device, notification of a status update associated with the custodian, wherein the status update is an employment status update.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving further includes receiving, at the computing device, notification of an employment status update associated with the custodian, wherein the employment status update is one of a change to active status, a change to inactive status, a change to leave-of-absence status, a change to terminated status, or a change to resigned status.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving further comprises receiving, at the computing device, notification of a status update associated with the custodian, wherein the status update is a device status update for a device associated with the custodian.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving further comprises receiving, at the computing device, notification of a status update associated with the custodian, wherein the status update is a network access status update for associated with the custodian.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating further comprises generating and communicating, at the computing device, an electronic communication to one or more predetermined electronic discovery associates, wherein the electronic communication notifies the one or more electronic associates of the status update.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein generating and communicating further comprises generating and communicating, at the computing device, the electronic communication to the one or more predetermined electronic discovery associates, wherein the one or more predetermined electronic discovery associates are predetermined based on one or more types of status updates designated by the electronic discovery associates.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein generating and communicating further comprises, generating, at the computing device, the electronic communication, wherein the electronic communication includes a link to a electronic discovery database of electronic discovery associates having an association with the custodian.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating further comprises collecting, at the computing device, data associated with the custodian in automatic response to the receipt of the notification of status update.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein collecting further comprises, collecting, at the computing device, active email data associated with the custodian in automatic response to the receipt of the notification of status update.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein collecting further comprises, collecting, at the computing device, local data at one or more devices associated with the custodian in automatic response to the receipt of the notification of status update.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein collecting further comprises collecting, at the computing device, local data if local data has not been collected within a predetermined period of time.

15. The method of claim 11, collecting further comprises, collecting, at the computing device, shared drive data associated with the custodian in automatic response to the receipt of the notification of status update.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein collecting further comprises collecting, at the computing device, shared data if shared drive data has not been collected within a predetermined period of time.

17. An apparatus for initiating collection of data in an electronic discovery system, the apparatus comprising:

a computing platform including at least one processor and a memory; and

an electronic discovery application stored in the memory, executable by the at least one processor and including;

a status monitoring routine configured to receive notification of one or more status updates associated with one or more custodians assigned to one or more active cases in an enterprise-implemented electronic discovery system, and

a data collection initiation routine configured to initiate collection of data associated with the custodian in automatic response to the notification of status update.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the status monitoring routine is further configured to receive, on a predetermined schedule, notification of the one or more status updates for at least a portion of the enterprise.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the electronic discovery application further includes a custodian determining routine configured to determine that the notification of status update includes one or more custodians assigned to one or more active cases.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the status monitoring routine is further configured to receive, at least daily, the notification of status update for at least a portion of the enterprise.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the status monitoring routine is further defined as an employment status monitoring routine configured to receive notification of employment status updates associated with the one or more custodians.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the employment status monitoring routine is further configured to receive notification of the employment status update associated with the one or more custodians, wherein the employment status update is one of a change to active status, a change to inactive status, a change to leave-of-absence status, a change to terminated status, or a change to resigned status.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the status monitoring routine is further defined as a device status monitoring routine configured to receive notification of one or more device status updates, wherein a device in the device status updates is associated with at least one custodian.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the status monitoring routine is further defined as a network access status monitoring routine configured to receive notification of one or more network access status updates associated with at least one custodian.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the data collection initiation routine further comprises an electronic communication generator configured to generate and initiate communication to one or more predetermined electronic discovery associates, wherein the electronic communication notifies the one or more electronic associates of the status update for one or more custodians.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the electronic communication generator is further configured to generate the electronic communication and initiate the communication to one or more predetermined electronic discovery associates, wherein the one or more predetermined electronic discovery associates are predetermined based on one or more types of status updates designated by the electronic discovery associates.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the electronic communication generator is further configured to generate the electronic communication that includes a link to an electronic discovery database of electronic discovery associates having an association with the one or more custodians.

28. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the data collection initiation routine further comprises a data collector configured to collect data associated with the one or more custodians in automatic response to receipt of the notification of one or more status updates.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the data collector is further configured to collect active email data associated with the one or more custodians in automatic response to the receipt of the notification of one or more status updates.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the data collector is further configured to collect local data at one or more devices associated with the one or more custodian in automatic response to the receipt of the notification of one or more status update.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the data collector is further configured to determine if local data has been collected for one or more of the custodians within a predetermined period of time and collect the local data if local data has not been collected within a predetermined period of time.

32. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the data collector is further configured to collect shared drive data associated with the one or more custodians in automatic response to the receipt of the notification of one or more status updates.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the data collector is further configured to determine if shared drive data has been collected for the one or more custodians within a predetermined period of time and collect the shared data if shared drive data has not been collected within a predetermined period of time.

34. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

a first set of codes for causing a computer to receive notification of a status update associated with a custodian assigned to a case in an enterprise-implemented electronic discovery system; and

a second set of codes for causing a computer to initiate collection of data associated with the custodian in automatic response to the notification of status update.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the first set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to receive, on a predetermined schedule, notification of status update for at least a portion of the enterprise and determine that the notification of status update includes the custodian.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the first set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to receive, at least daily, notification of status update for at least a portion of the enterprise.

37. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the first set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to receive the notification of the status update associated with the custodian, wherein the status update is an employment status update.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the first set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to receive notification of an employment status update associated with the custodian, wherein the employment status update is one of a change to active status, a change to inactive status, a change to leave-of-absence status, a change to terminated status, or a change to resigned status.

39. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the first set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to receive notification of a status update associated with the custodian, wherein the status update is a device status update for a device associated with the custodian.

40. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the first set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to receive notification of a status update associated with the custodian, wherein the status update is a network access status update associated with the custodian.

41. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to generate and communicate an electronic communication to one or more predetermined electronic discovery associates, wherein the electronic communication notifies the one or more electronic associates of the status update.

42. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to generate and communicate the electronic communication to the one or more predetermined electronic discovery associates, wherein the one or more predetermined electronic discovery associates are predetermined based on one or more types of status updates designated by the electronic discovery associates.

43. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to generate the electronic communication, wherein the electronic communication includes a link to an electronic discovery database of electronic discovery associates having an association with the custodian.

44. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to collect data associated with the custodian in automatic response to the receipt of the notification of status update.

45. The computer program product of claim 44, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to collect active email data associated with the custodian in automatic response to the receipt of the notification of status update.

46. The computer program product of claim 44, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to collect local data at one or more devices associated with the custodian in automatic response to the receipt of the notification of status update.

47. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to collect local data if local data has not been collected within a predetermined period of time.

48. The computer program product of claim 44, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to collect shared drive data associated with the custodian in automatic response to the receipt of the notification of status update.

49. The computer program product of claim 48, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to collect shared data if shared drive data has not been collected within a predetermined period of time.