SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR MONITORING THE FILLING IN OF REMOTE FORMS

• US 20100261458A1
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Ortensi, Carlo, Del Gallo, Ulisse, Zampini, Francesco
• Granted Patent: US 8,554,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

The invention relates to a system and a method for monitoring the filling of remote forms (10) with at least one electronic writing means (11), with at least one mobile station (12) and with a monitoring station (13). The electronic writing means (11) is equipped to read information written by said writing means (11) on a surface of a form (10), wherein the surface preferably is structured to comprise at least one predefined area (14), (15), (16) covered with a positioning coding pattern. The writing means (11) particularly is further equipped to convert the read information into digital data and to send said digital data to the mobile station (12) with a first transceiver (20). The mobile station (12) includes output means (21) for generating an output, a second transceiver (22) for receiving data and for sending the digital data received to the monitoring station (13) preferably substantially immediately after their receipt or shortly after (such as within few seconds to few minutes). The monitoring station (13) includes a third transceiver (27) and processing means (28). When the third transceiver (27) receives the digital data sent from the second transceiver (22), the processing means (28), on the bases of said received digital data, monitors (particularly checks or verifies) that the form is correctly filled in and, if at least one of first predefined areas (14) of the form (10) is incorrectly filled in, the third transceiver (27) sends a notification to the mobile station (12), whose output means (21) generates an output after receiving said notification by the second transceiver (22).

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the filling in of remote forms comprising:

at least one electronic writing device;

at least one mobile station; and

a monitoring station separate from the mobile station;

wherein the electronic writing device comprises a detector operable to detect information while the electronic writing device is moved on the form in a position corresponding to at least one predefined area of the form, and a first transceiver for sending said detected data to the mobile station;

wherein the mobile station includes an output for generating an output signal, a second transceiver for receiving the detected data from the writing means and for at least partly sending the received detected data to the monitoring station;

wherein the monitoring station includes a third transceiver for receiving the detected data from the mobile station, and a processing device for checking on the basis of said received detected data that the form has been correctly filled in, and

wherein, if at least a first predefined area is incorrectly filled in, the third transceiver sends a notification to the mobile station, whose output generates the output signal after receipt of said notification by the second transceiver.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic writing device comprises a writing tip for writing information on a surface of the form by moving the writing tip over the surface, wherein the detector detects the information while it is written by the writing tip into at least one predefined area of the surface covered with a positioning coding pattern.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic writing device comprises a processor for processing the read information and at least partly converting it into digital data before or while the first transceiver sends said digital data to the mobile station.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic writing device and the mobile station are connected by Bluetooth for transmission of the digital data.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile station and the monitoring station are connected by the Internet and/or by UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) and/or by GPRS (General Packet Radio System) and/or by MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) for sending the digital data and/or for sending the notification.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the notification is sent by SMS (Short Message Service), by MMS and/or by email.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile station is a cell phone.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the output is an optical and/or acoustical output.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring station comprises storage for storing the digital data, wherein the stored digital data are at least partly replaced by newly generated digital data, when the form is amended and/or filled in.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the processing device at least partly processes the detected data such as to substantially reflect the information written by the electronic writing device in a facsimile format and making available said information preferably on-line.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein, if at least one of second predefined areas of the form is incorrectly filled, the monitoring station generates an error report.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile station comprises an interface for receiving data, and storage for storing data received through the interface, and where the output comprise a display for displaying said data, wherein the interface preferably comprises an USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface and/or a Bluetooth interface.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring station includes a database for storing mailing addresses.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the mobile station has access to the database for at least partly amending, preferably updating mailing addresses stored in the database, wherein changes of mailing addresses preferably can be manually input into the mobile station.

15. A system according to claim 13, wherein the mobile station has access to the database via the Internet.

16. A system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring station and/or the mobile station have access to GPS (Global Positioning System) for determining the an addressee route, preferably comprising a shortest route to a mailing address and/or the shortest route which connects several mailing addressees.

17. A system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile station has access to GPS and where the mobile station determines its current position based on data received from GPS, and sends information about its current position to the monitoring station.

18. A system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile station supports the performance of online payments.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the mobile station sends information regarding online payments and/or cash payments to the monitoring station.

20. A system according to claim 18, wherein the mobile station comprises storage for storing data regarding payments made.

21. A system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic writing device sends the digital data to the mobile station only when a default area of the predefined areas is marked with the electronic writing device.

22. A method for monitoring the filling in of remote forms comprising the following steps:

(a) providing at least one remote form comprising at least one predefined area;

(b) writing of information into the predefined area by means of an electronic writing device while electronically detecting it;

(c) at least partly sending the detected data from the electronic writing device to a mobile station;

(d) sending said detected data from the mobile station to a monitoring station;

(e) on the basis of said detected data, monitoring, preferably checking that the form is correctly filled in;

(f) if at least a first predefined area of the form is incorrectly filled in, sending a notification from the monitoring station to the mobile station; and

(g) after receiving said notification at the mobile station, generating an output signal with an output of the mobile station.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the remote form has a structured surface such that the at least one predefined area comprises or is at least partly covered with a positioning coding pattern.

24. A method according to claim 22, wherein the steps (a)-(e) are repeated until in step (f) it is confirmed that all of the first predefined areas of the form are substantially correctly filled in.

25. A method according to claim 22, wherein after step (d) the detected data is at least partly stored in the monitoring station.

26. A method according to claim 24, wherein the stored detected data are at least partly replaced by the latest generated detected data.

27. A method according to claim 25, wherein after step (d) the detected data is processed such as to substantially reflect the information written by the electronic writing device in a facsimile format and said information is made available preferably on-line.

28. A method according to claim 22 wherein an error report is generated when at least a second predefined area of the form is incorrectly filled in.

29. A method according to claim 22, wherein data are fed into and/or transmitted to the mobile station and wherein the data are displayed by the output of the mobile station.

30. A method according to claim 22, further comprising a step of determining an addressee route, preferably comprising a shortest route to a mailing address and/or a shortest route which connects several mailing addressees.

31. A method according to claim 22, wherein in step (c) the detected data is only sent when in step (b) a default area of the predefined areas is marked with the electronic writing device.

32. A method according to claim 22, wherein the notification information about incorrectly filled in predefined areas are sent to and output signal by the output.

33. (canceled)

34. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer readable storage; and

computer-readable instructions stored on the computer readable storage that cause a processor to;

(a) provide at least one remote form comprising at least one predefined area;

(b) write information into the predefined area using data detected from an electronic writing device;

(c) at least partly send the detected data from the electronic writing device to a mobile station;

(d) send said detected data from the mobile station to a monitoring station;

(e) on the basis of said detected data, monitor, preferably checking that the form is correctly filled in;

(f) if at least a first predefined area of the form is incorrectly filled in, send a notification from the monitoring station to the mobile station; and

(g) after receiving said notification at the mobile station, generate an output with output means of the mobile station.