Controlled work flow system
First Claim
1. A computer system for improving the efficiency in carrying out a project involving the creation or modification of the multiplicity of documents by a multiplicity of individuals comprising:
- storage means to electronically store a schedule of a multiplicity of work events comprising a stored packet of data for each work event, each of said packets identifying (1) a document, (2) a task to be performed with respect to said document selected from a set of tasks including creation of the document and modification of an existing document, (3) the individual who is assigned the task to be performed on the document, (4) an indication of whether the work event corresponding to the packet is completed, and (5) whether or not the commencement of the work event corresponding to the packet must await the completion of a preceding work event in said schedule;
document storage means to electronically store existing documents identified in said stored packets of said schedule;
keyboard means to generate input signals representing data,display means to display data transmitted to said display means;
data control means (1) operable to process the data in said packets and cause said display means to display the identification of uncompleted work events in said schedule which do not await the completion of preceding uncompleted work events (2) responsive to input signals received from said keyboard means for selecting one of the work events identified by said display means to cause the document of the selected work event as stored in said document storage means to be displayed by said display means, and (3) responsive to input signals received from said keyboard means to modify or create the document of the selected work event and to store the document as modified or created in said document storage means.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a system for controlling the flow of paper work of a multiplicity of documents by a multiplicity of individuals, the documents are stored electronically in the memory of a central data processor and are electronically transmitted to remote processors to be displayed by display devices of terminals connected to the remote processors when the paper work tasks are performed. Schedules of tasks are stored in the memory of the central data processor, each schedule comprising a plurality of data packets and each data packet containing the identification of a document, the task to be performed on the document, the individual who is to perform the task, whether the task has been completed, whether the task must await the completion of a preceding task identified in the data packet in the schedule and, if so, which preceding data packets have tasks which must be first completed. The central data processor processes the data in the data packets of the schedules and transmits the data packets to the remote data processors when the data packets do not await the completion of an uncompleted task of a preceding data packet. When an individual indicates he wishes to perform a task in a packet which has been transmitted to a data processor, the document of the task will be electronically transmitted from the central data processor memory to the remote data processor and be displayed on the cathode ray tube display device of a terminal connected to the remote processor. The individual will then be able to perform his assigned task on the displayed document. When he has completed his task, the document is electronically transmitted back to the memory of the central data processor and an indication is stored in the corresponding data packet of the stored schedules that the task of the data packet has been completed.
253 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A computer system for improving the efficiency in carrying out a project involving the creation or modification of the multiplicity of documents by a multiplicity of individuals comprising:
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storage means to electronically store a schedule of a multiplicity of work events comprising a stored packet of data for each work event, each of said packets identifying (1) a document, (2) a task to be performed with respect to said document selected from a set of tasks including creation of the document and modification of an existing document, (3) the individual who is assigned the task to be performed on the document, (4) an indication of whether the work event corresponding to the packet is completed, and (5) whether or not the commencement of the work event corresponding to the packet must await the completion of a preceding work event in said schedule; document storage means to electronically store existing documents identified in said stored packets of said schedule; keyboard means to generate input signals representing data, display means to display data transmitted to said display means; data control means (1) operable to process the data in said packets and cause said display means to display the identification of uncompleted work events in said schedule which do not await the completion of preceding uncompleted work events (2) responsive to input signals received from said keyboard means for selecting one of the work events identified by said display means to cause the document of the selected work event as stored in said document storage means to be displayed by said display means, and (3) responsive to input signals received from said keyboard means to modify or create the document of the selected work event and to store the document as modified or created in said document storage means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A system for facilitating the carrying out of a project involving the performance of multiple tasks to be performed by a multiplicity of persons wherein some of said tasks must await completion of other of said tasks, said system comprising:
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information storage means storing a schedule of work events comprising a packet of data for each work event, each stored packet including; (1) the identification of the task to be performed; (2) the identification of the person responsible for performing the task; and (3) whether the work event corresponding to the packet must await the completion of a preceeding work event in said schedule; and (4) an indication of whether the work event has been completed; display means to display information in human readable form; data control means operable to process the data in the stored packets of said schedule to determine which work events in said schedule do not await the completion of a preceeding uncompleted work event in said schedule and cause said display means to display the identification of the work events which have been determined not to await the completion of a preceeding uncompleted work event in said schedule. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer system for improving the efficiency of office procedure in carrying out a project involving the performance of a multiplicity of tasks by a multiplicity of individuals wherein the commencements of some of the tasks of the project have to await completion of other preceding tasks of the project comprising:
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a first data processing means having information storage means for storing a schedule of work events, comprising a stored packet of data for each work event, each stored packet including; (1) the identification of the task to be performed; (2) the identification of the person to perform the task; (3) an indication of whether the work event corresponding to the packet is completed; and (4) an indication of whether the commencement of the work event corresponding to the packet must await the completion of a preceeding work event in said schedule; second data processing means; transmission means interconnecting said second data processing means with said first data processing means for the transmission of data between said first data processing means and said second data processing means; said first data processing means having data control means to process the data in the packets of said schedule and transmit over said transmission means to said second data processing means a copy of the packets in said schedule corresponding to work events which do not await the completion of an uncompleted preceding work event in said schedule; said second data processing means having information storage means to store the packets transmitted thereto from said first data processing means over said transmission menas, display means connected to said second data processing means to display data in human readable form, said second data processing means including data control means operable to cause said display means to display the identification of the work events corresponding to packets stored in said information storage means of said second data processing means. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system for facilitating the carrying out of a project involving the performance of multiple tasks to be performed by a multiplicity of individuals, said system comprising:
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a central data processor including information storage means to store a schedule of work events comprising a stored packet of data for each work event stored in said schedule, each packet including (1) the identification of one of said tasks, (2) the identification of the person responsible for performing the task, (3) an indication of whether the work event corresponding to the packet has been completed, and (4) whether the commencement of the work event corresponding to the packet must await the completion of a preceeding work event in said schedule, a plurality of second data processors, data transmission means connecting said second data processors to said central data processor to transmit data between said second data processors and said central data processor, said central data processor including data control means for proceessing the data in the stored packets of said schedule to determine which of said work events of said schedule do not await the completion of an uncompleted preceeeding work event in said schedule and to transmit the packets corresponding to work events determined not to await completion of an uncompleted preceding work event to said second data processors, each of said second data processors including information storage means to store the packets transmitted thereto by the data control means of said central data processor, a display means connected to each of said second data processors to display data transmitted thereto by the corresponding second data processor, each of said second data processors including data control means operable thereto by the corresponding second data processor, each of said second data processors including data control means operable to cause the display means connected thereto to display the identification of the work events corresponding to the packets stored in the information storage means of such second processor.
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16. A method of operating a computer system to coordinate the creation and modification of a multiplicity of related documents, said computer system having a central processing unit and memory means to store data comprising:
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(1) establishing in said memory means a schedule of work events, each work event being represented in said memory means by a stored packet of data identifying a document, a task to be performed with respect to said document selected from a set of tasks including creation and modification of said document, the individual who is assigned the task of the work event, and whether or not the work event must await completion of a preceding work event, and whether or not the work event has been completed; (2) maintaining a file of the existing documents identified in said packets electronically stored in said memory means; (3) initially setting the indication in each packet to indicate that the work event of such packet has not been completed, (4) changing the indication in each packet to indicate that such work event has been completed when the task of such work event has been completed, (5) displaying the documents of said work events to the respective individuals assigned the tasks of work events with the document for each packet which contains an indication that the corresponding work event must await the completion of a preceding work event being displayed to the individual assigned the task of such work event only after the indication in the packet corresponding to the preceding work event has been changed to indicate that such preceding work event has been completed, (6) carrying out the tasks identified in the packets of the work events on the documents identified in the packets of the work events when the documents are displayed at the terminals, and (7) after the completion of each work event electronically storing any document of such work event modified or created by the task of such work event in said file of existing documents.
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Specification