Business monitoring system and method

• US 5,331,543 A
• Filed: 01/15/1991
• Issued: 07/19/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Akita, Osamu, Yajima, Hiroshi, Ushio, Tetsuya, Tomizawa, Tetsushi, Mitsumori, Sadamichi, Tabushi, Isoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tkacs, Stephen R.
• Application Number:
  US07/642,226
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 395/925, 395/926, 364/401, 364/405, 364/406, 364/408
• US Class Current: 705/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

A business monitoring system and method having a supervisory work station and a staff work station as well, having a judgment condition storage function having stored therein a condition described for selecting and extracting contents of a business process transaction, having a judgment function for extracting a transaction having contents to be processed on the basis of the condition, and having a transaction-to-mail converting function for converting the transaction to a mail form according to the judgment result before sending it as electronic mail. The system and method allow a supervisor to register his problem concerned in the judgment condition storage function in a computer language suitable for end users or delete or change the already registered problem. The transaction-to-mail converting function allows the electronic mail converted to mail form to be sent to and stored in a mail box for the supervisory work station. The supervisor can then receive a report related to business processes of concern to him in the mailbox at his convenience.

Claims

1. A business monitoring computer system in a business processing system, comprising:

a basic information system having at least judgment conditions storage means and communication control means;

a staff work station;

a supervisor work station,

a first communication path connecting said basic information system through said communication control means to said staff work station;

a second communication path connecting said basic information system through said communication control means to said supervisor work station;

means for sending a business process request in the form of a transaction from the staff work station to the basic information system;

means in said basic information system for processing the transaction;

means for sending to said staff work station a result of the transaction processing performed by said processing means, independent of operation of said supervisor work station;

said judgment conditions storage means having conditions stored therein for judging contents of said transaction and extracting means for extracting a selected transaction having contents to be processed, based upon the conditions in the judgment conditions storage means; and

,

means for selectively acquiring, by said supervisor work station, the extracted selected transaction.

2. A business monitoring computer system according to claim 1 further comprising:

transaction-to-mail converting means for converting the extracted transaction to an electronic mail format and for sending it as electronic mail;

said supervisor work station having a mail storage means for storing the electronic mail received through the second communication path; and

,

means for sending to the supervisor work station the electronic mail converted by the transaction-to-mail converting means.

3. A business monitoring computer system according to claim 2, wherein the extracting means and the transaction-to-mail converting means include means for performing processes before the basic information system processes the business process request of the transaction.

4. A business monitoring computer system according to claim 3 further comprising means for preventing the basic information system from processing a transaction not satisfying at least one condition in said judgment conditions storage means.

5. A business monitoring computer system according to claim 3 further comprising:

mail judgment condition storage means having a condition stored therein as to whether an externally received electronic mail received through one of the communication paths contains desired contents to be processed;

received mail classifying means for classifying the externally received electronic mail based on a mail judgment condition stored in the mail judgment condition storage means; and

,

electronic mail storage means for storing said electronic mail classified by the received mail classifying means.

6. A business monitoring computer system according to claim 2 further comprising:

mail judgment condition storage means having a condition stored therein as to whether externally received electronic mail received through one of the communication paths contains desired contents to be processed;

received mail classifying means for classifying the externally received electronic mail based on a mail judgment condition stored in said mail judgment condition storage means; and

,

electronic mail storage means for storing said electronic mail classified by the received mail classifying means.

7. A business monitoring computer system according to claim 2 further comprising:

mail-to-transaction converting means for converting business process contents of the electronic mail to a transaction form before sending it.

8. A business monitoring computer system according to claim 7, wherein the mail-to-transaction converting means includes means for converting the contents of the electronic mail to a transaction before the basic information system performs a process of the transaction.

9. A business monitoring computer system according to claim 7, wherein the contents of the electronic mail further includes a judgment condition used for deciding to convert to said electronic mail which is converted through said transaction-to-mail converting means.

10. A business monitoring computer system according to claim 7 further comprising:

selection judgment means for judging whether to select either one of processing performed by said mail-to-transaction converting means or processing for storing the electronic mail as it is; and

means for accomplishing said processing performed by said mail-to-transaction converting means when selected, and making the basic information system process the transaction.

11. A business monitoring computer system according to claim 7 further comprising:

selection judgment means for judging whether to select either one of processing performed by said mail-to-transaction converting means or processing for storing the electronic mail as it is; and

,

means for adding a judgment condition used by said selection judgment means for said electronic mail before sending the electronic mail to the supervisor work station.

12. A business monitoring computer system according to claim 6, wherein the basic information system further includes means for allowing the basic information system to return the results of the transaction processing to the staff work station and, in parallel, operating the extracting means and the transaction-to-mail converting means.

13. A business monitoring computer system according to claim 2, wherein the basic information system further includes means for allowing the basic information system to process the transaction sent from the staff work station and, in parallel, operating the extracting means and the transaction-to-mail converting means.

14. A business monitoring computer system in a business processing system, comprising:

a basic information system having at least judgment conditions storage means and communication control means;

a staff work station;

a supervisor work station;

a first communication path connecting said basic information system to said staff work station through said communication control means;

a second communication path connecting said basic information system to said supervisor work station through said communication control means;

means for sending a business process request in the form of a transaction from the staff work station to the basic information system;

means in said basic information system for processing the transaction;

means for sending to said staff work station, a result of the transaction processing performed by said processing means, independent of operation of said supervisor work station;

said judgment conditions storage means having stored therein conditions for judging contents of said transaction and extracting means for extracting a selected transaction having contents to be processed, based upon the conditions in the judgment conditions storage means; and

,

mailing means for converting a result of said extraction to an electronic mail format and for sending the result as electronic mail, to said supervisor work station.

15. A business monitoring and supporting computer system comprising:

a business monitoring system; and

,

a processor system;

said business monitoring system further comprising;

a basic information system having at least communication control means;

a staff work station;

a supervisor work station;

a first communication path connecting said basic information system through said communication control means to said staff work station;

a second communication path connecting said basic information system through said communication control means to said supervisor work station;

means for sending a business process request in the form of a transaction from the staff work station to the basic information system;

means in said basic information system for processing the transaction; and

means for sending to said staff work station a result of the transaction processing performed by said processing means, independent of operation of said supervisor work station; and

,

said processor system further comprising;

judgment conditions storage means having conditions stored therein for judging contents of said transaction,

extracting means for extracting a selected transaction having contents to be processed, based upon the conditions in the judgment conditions storage means; and

,

said supervisor work station having means for selectively acquiring the extracted selected transaction.

16. A business monitoring and supporting computer system, comprising:

a business monitoring system; and

,

a processor system;

said business monitoring system further comprising;

a basic information system;

a staff work station;

a supervisor work station;

a first communication path connecting said basic information system through said communication control means to said staff work station;

a second communication path connecting said basic information system through said communication control means to said supervisor work station;

means for sending a business process request in the form of a transaction from the staff work station to the basic information system;

means in said basic information system for processing the transaction; and

means for sending to said staff work station a result of the transaction processing performed by said processing means, independent of operation of said supervisor work station; and

,

said processing system further comprising;

judgment conditions storage means having conditions stored therein for judging contents of said transaction,

extracting means for extracting a selected transaction having contents to be processed, based upon the conditions in the judgment conditions storage means; and

,

mailing means for converting a result of said extraction to an electronic mail format and for sending the result as electronic mail, to said supervisor work station.

17. A business and supporting computer system according to claim 16 further comprising a mail storage means for storing mail received through the second communication path, in said supervisor work station.

18. A business monitoring method in a business processing computer system having a staff work station, a basic information system, a supervisor work station, a first communication path connecting said basic information system to said staff work station, and a second communication path connecting said basic information system to said supervisor work station, the method comprising:

a step of sending a business process request in the form of a transaction from the staff work station to the basic information system;

a step of processing the transaction in said basic information system;

a step of sending to said staff work station a result of the transaction processing performed by said processing step, independent of operation of said supervisor work station;

a step of extracting a selected transaction having contents to be processed, based upon conditions stored in a judgment conditions storage means; and

,

a step of selectively acquiring, by said supervisor work station, the extracted selected transaction.

19. A business monitoring method according to claim 18, wherein the basic information system performs the step of extracting the transaction.

20. A business monitoring method according to claim 19 further comprising:

a step of sending said result of the transaction processing performed by said processing step to the supervisor work station instead of sending the result of the transaction processing to said staff work station,

in response to said business process request in an electronic mail format.

21. A business monitoring method in a business processing computer system having a staff work station, a basic information system, a supervisor work station, a first communication path connecting said basic information system to said staff work station, and a second communication path connecting said basic information system to said supervisor work station, the method comprising:

a step of sending a business process request in the form of a transaction from the staff work station to the basic information system;

a step of processing the transaction in said basic information system;

a step of sending to said staff work station a result of the transaction processing performed by said processing step, independent of operation of said supervisor work station;

a step of extracting a selected transaction having contents to be processed, on the basis of conditions in a judgment conditions storage means; and

,

a step of converting the extracted selected transaction to an electronic mail format and for sending the result as an electronic mail, to said supervisor work station.

22. A business monitoring and supporting method according to claim 21, wherein the basic information system performs the step of extracting the transaction.