EMAIL CLIENT WITH ERP TASK INTEGRATION

• US 20130073634A1
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Saiu, Joanne, Abernathy, Shawn, Pallath, Radhakrishnam, Fieldhouse, Dan
• Granted Patent: US 9,911,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Various arrangements for handling enterprise resource planning (ERP) tasks external from ERP software are presented. An email client, executed on a user computer system, may retrieve ERP tasks that are assigned to a user from an ERP computer system. The email client executed on the user computer system may integrate the ERP tasks retrieved from the ERP computer system into an email client task list such that the email client task list displays the ERP tasks assigned to the user. The email client executed on the user computer system may display the email client task list that comprises the ERP tasks retrieved from the ERP computer system.

Claims

1. A system for handling enterprise resource planning (ERP) tasks external from ERP software, the system comprising:

an ERP computer system, wherein the ERP computer system is configured to;

execute the ERP software; and

store ERP tasks, each ERP task being assigned to one or more users of a plurality of users; and

a user computer system configured to execute an email client for a user of the plurality of users, wherein the email client is configured to;

retrieve ERP tasks from the ERP computer system that are assigned to the user;

integrate the ERP tasks retrieved from the ERP computer system into an email client task list such that the email client task list displays the ERP tasks assigned to the user; and

cause the email client task list to be displayed.

2. The system for handling ERP tasks external from ERP software of claim 1, wherein the email client is further configured to:

receive a modification to an ERP task of the ERP tasks; and

cause the modification to the ERP task to be transmitted to the ERP computer system.

3. The system for handling ERP tasks external from ERP software of claim 2, wherein the ERP computer system is further configured to:

modify the ERP task based on the modification received from the email client.

4. The system for handling ERP tasks external from ERP software of claim 3, wherein modifying the ERP task comprises designating the ERP task as completed.

5. The system for handling ERP tasks external from ERP software of claim 1, wherein the email client is further configured to:

cause one or more email client tasks to be stored, wherein each of the one or more email client tasks is accessible via the email client but not the ERP computer system; and

cause the email client task list to be displayed such that the one or more email client tasks are presented concurrently with the ERP tasks assigned to the user.

6. The system for handling ERP tasks external from ERP software of claim 1, wherein:

the ERP software is further configured to require login credentials from each user of the plurality of users to permit access to the ERP computer system; and

the email client is further configured to cause the login credentials of the user to be transmitted to the ERP computer system prior to retrieving ERP tasks from the ERP computer system that are assigned to the user.

7. The system for handling ERP tasks external from ERP software of claim 1, wherein each ERP task is a user-performed activity required to be completed by a point in time.

8. A method for handling enterprise resource planning (ERP) tasks external from ERP software, the method comprising:

retrieving, by an email client executed on a user computer system, an ERP task from an ERP computer system that is assigned to a user, wherein;

the ERP computer system executes the ERP software; and

the ERP computer system stores the ERP task assigned to the user;

integrating, by the email client executed on the user computer system, the ERP task retrieved from the ERP computer system into an email client task list such that the email client task list displays the ERP task assigned to the user; and

causing, by the email client executed on the user computer system, the email client task list that comprises the ERP tasks retrieved from the ERP computer system to be displayed.

9. The method for handling ERP tasks external from ERP software of claim 8, the method further comprising:

causing, by the email client executed on the user computer system, a modification to the ERP task from the user to be received; and

causing, by the email client executed on the user computer system, the modification to the ERP task to be transmitted to the ERP computer system.

10. The method for handling ERP tasks external from ERP software of claim 9, wherein the modification to the ERP task comprises designating the ERP task as completed.

11. The method for handling ERP tasks external from ERP software of claim 8, the method further comprising:

causing, by the email client executed on the user computer system, one or more email client tasks to be stored, wherein each of the one or more email client tasks is accessible via the email client but not the ERP computer system; and

causing, by the email client executed on the user computer system, the email client task list to be displayed such that the one or more email client tasks are presented concurrently with the ERP tasks assigned to the user.

12. The method for handling ERP tasks external from ERP software of claim 8, further comprising:

causing, by the email client executed on the user computer system, login credentials of the user to be stored; and

causing, by the email client executed on the user computer system, the login credentials of the user to be transmitted to the ERP computer system prior to retrieving ERP tasks from the ERP computer system that are assigned to the user, wherein the ERP computer system is configured to require login credentials from the user to permit access to the ERP computer system and the ERP tasks assigned to the user.

13. The method for handling ERP tasks external from ERP software of claim 8, wherein each ERP task is a user-performed activity required to be completed by a point in time.

14. A computer program product residing on a non-transitory processor-readable medium and comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor to:

retrieve an ERP task from an ERP computer system that is assigned to a user, wherein;

the ERP computer system executes ERP software; and

the ERP computer system stores the ERP tasks assigned to the user;

integrate the ERP task retrieved from the ERP computer system into an email client task list of an email client such that the email client task list displays the ERP tasks assigned to the user; and

cause the email client task list that comprises the ERP task retrieved from the ERP computer system to be displayed.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the processor-readable instructions further comprise processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to:

cause a modification to the ERP task to be received from the user; and

cause the modification to the ERP task to be transmitted to the ERP computer system.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the modification to the ERP task further comprises designating the ERP task as completed.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the processor-readable instructions further comprise processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to:

cause one or more email client tasks to be stored, wherein each of the one or more email client tasks is accessible via the email client but not the ERP computer system; and

cause the email client task list to be displayed such that the one or more email client tasks are presented concurrently with the ERP tasks assigned to the user.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the processor-readable instructions further comprise processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to:

cause login credentials of the user to be stored; and

cause the login credentials of the user to be transmitted to the ERP computer system prior to retrieving ERP tasks from the ERP computer system that are assigned to the user, wherein the ERP computer system is configured to require the login credentials from the user to permit access to the ERP computer system and the ERP tasks assigned to the user.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein each ERP task is a user-performed activity required to be completed by a point in time.