Management Data Processing System and Method

• US 20140173401A1
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CRM Excel Template LLC
• Original Assignee: CRM Excel Template LLC
• Inventors: Oshlag, David A., Wagner, Justin R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,400,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

A data management system operating within a third-party spreadsheet application environment includes a plurality of template worksheets within the third-party spreadsheet application. The plurality of template worksheets comprise at least a dashboard interface worksheet, and at least one settings interface, generated by at least one processor, comprising at least one worksheet within the third-party spreadsheet application. The at least one settings interface further comprising a plurality of selectable settings options configured to modify at least one parameter of the dashboard interface worksheet, wherein the dashboard interface worksheet comprises a plurality of selectable dashboard options comprising at least one of the following: a choose columns to display option, an insert contact option, a delete contact option, a sort ascending option, a sort descending option, a hide averages option, a hide totals option, an import contacts option, an export contacts option, and/or a clear sorting option.

Claims

1. A data management system operating within a third-party spreadsheet application environment, comprising:

a plurality of template worksheets within the third-party spreadsheet application, the plurality of template worksheets comprising at least a dashboard interface worksheet; and

at least one settings interface, generated by at least one processor, comprising at least one worksheet within the third-party spreadsheet application, the at least one settings interface further comprising a plurality of selectable settings options configured to modify at least one parameter of the dashboard interface worksheet,

wherein the dashboard interface worksheet comprises a plurality of selectable dashboard options that are not part of the third-party spreadsheet application, the plurality of selectable dashboard options comprising at least one of the following;

a choose columns to display option, an insert contact option, a delete contact option, a sort ascending option, a sort descending option, a hide averages option, a hide totals option, an import contacts option, an export contacts option, a clear sorting option, or any combination thereof.

2. The data management system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of selectable dashboard options comprise the insert contact option, and wherein the insert contact option, when selected, displays an insert contact interface configured to:

receive user input comprising contact information, wherein a portion of the contact information is defined by a user; and

generating a unique value based at least partially on the contact information.

3. The data management system of claim 2, wherein the unique value is generated by hashing at least a portion of the user input and a current time value obtained from the computer executing the third-party spreadsheet application.

4. The data management system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of selectable dashboard options comprise a sort option including at least one of the sort ascending option and the sort descending option, and wherein the sort option, when selected, causes the system to:

determine a particular column of a plurality of columns based on a selected cell in the particular column; and

sort the particular column.

5. The data management system of claim 4, further comprising a master worksheet, the master worksheet comprising a sort option not provided by the third-party spreadsheet application, the sort option configured to:

determine a column of a currently selected cell in the master worksheet;

sort the column based on a function not provided by the third-party spreadsheet application; and

adding a selected sort to a list of currently active sorts.

6. The data management system of claim 1, further comprising a master worksheet including a last contact date column and a follow up date column, wherein colors of the last contact date column and the follow up date column are determined by conditional formatting rules set by a user.

19. The data management system of claim 1, wherein the at least one settings interface comprises a return option, the return option configured to display an interface from which the at least one settings interface was accessed.

20. The data management system of claim 1, wherein the dashboard interface worksheet is arranged based at least partially based on the choose columns to display option.

7. A method for managing data within a third-party spreadsheet application environment, comprising:

importing, into the third-party spreadsheet application environment, a plurality of template worksheets comprising at least a dashboard interface worksheet, and a plurality of software functions not provided with the third-party spreadsheet application;

displaying an add contacts option on at least one template worksheet of the plurality of template worksheets, wherein the add contacts option causes the third-party spreadsheet application to display an add-contacts interface not natively provided by the third-party spreadsheet application;

receiving, through the add-contacts interface, contact information for a new contact to be added; and

generating a unique identifier based at least partially on a current time and at least a portion of the contact information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the add-contacts interface comprises a template contact worksheet, the method further comprising:

generating a unique copy of the template contact worksheet; and

renaming the copy of the template contact worksheet based at least partially on the unique identifier.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying a master worksheet comprising a plurality of contacts; and

automatically inserting a new row comprising a plurality of pointers pointing to data values on the copy of the template contact worksheet.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying a settings interface in response to a user selection of a settings option on the dashboard interface worksheet, the settings interface configured to facilitate a user to customize at least three of the following;

home page title, user column names, category names, new contact height, new note height, font style, status codes, priority codes, last contact date column color, follow up date column color, or any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a master worksheet comprising a sort option not provided by the third-party spreadsheet application;

determining, in response to user selection of the sort option, a column of a currently selected cell in the master worksheet;

sorting the column based on a function not provided by the third-party spreadsheet application; and

adding a selected sort to a list of currently active sorts.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

provide a master worksheet comprising a last contact date column and a follow up date column;

shading a plurality of cells of the last contact date column with a color, the color determined by a conditional formatting rule set by a user; and

shading a plurality of cells of the follow up date column with a color, the color determined by a conditional formatting rule set by a user.

13. A computer program product for managing data within a third-party spreadsheet application, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

import, into the third-party spreadsheet application environment, a plurality of template worksheets comprising at least a dashboard interface worksheet, and a plurality of software functions not provided with the third-party spreadsheet application;

display an add contacts option on at least one template worksheet of the plurality of template worksheets, wherein the add contacts option causes the third-party spreadsheet application to display an add-contacts interface not natively provided by the third-party spreadsheet application;

receive, through the add-contacts interface, contact information for a new contact to be added; and

generate a unique identifier based at least partially on a current time and at least a portion of the contact information.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the add-contacts interface comprises a template contact worksheet, the program instructions further configured to cause the at least one processor to:

generate a unique copy of the template contact worksheet; and

rename the copy of the template contact worksheet based at least partially on the unique identifier.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, the program instructions further configured to cause the at least one processor to:

display a master worksheet comprising a plurality of contacts; and

automatically insert a new row comprising a plurality of pointers pointing to data values on the copy of the template contact worksheet.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, the program instructions further configured to cause the at least one processor to:

display a settings interface in response to a user selection of a settings option on the dashboard interface worksheet, the settings interface configured to facilitate a user to customize at least three of the following;

home page title, user column names, category names, new contact height, new note height, font style, status codes, priority codes, last contact date column color, follow up date column color, or any combination thereof.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, the program instructions further configured to cause the at least one processor to:

provide a master worksheet comprising a sort option not provided by the third-party spreadsheet application;

determine, in response to user selection of the sort option, a column of a currently selected cell in the master worksheet;

sort the column based on a function not provided by the third-party spreadsheet application; and

add a selected sort to a list of currently active sorts.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, the program instructions further configured to cause the at least one processor to:

provide a master worksheet comprising a last contact date column and a follow up date column;

shade a plurality of cells of the last contact date column with a color, the color determined by a conditional formatting rule set by a user; and

shade a plurality of cells of the follow up date column with a color, the color determined by a conditional formatting rule set by a user, wherein the conditional formatting rule for the color of the last contact date comprises a color to indicate a current date, a color to indicate a specified time period for future reminder, and a color to indicate a past reminder.