System and method for interactive EDI transactions

• US 6,516,353 B1
• Filed: 04/02/1999
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Change Healthcare Holdings, LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Frederick R. Richards
• Inventors: Richards, Frederick R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Application Number:
  US09/285,371
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 709/246, 709/310, 707/500, 707/501, 707/506, 707/507, 707/508, 707/513, 707/515, 705/36-56
• US Class Current: 719/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method for performing interactive EDI transactions across an Internet/Web based communications platform. The Web-based system and method of the present invention facilitates the communication of data between organizations that use EDI standards. A script for processing EDI data associated with a transaction is executed at a server to process EDI transaction data from another computer. A script execution component processes the EDI transaction data according to instructions provided in the script. The component that executes the script is located in accordance with a uniform resource locator.

Claims

1. A system for performing an EDI transaction across an Internet communications platform, comprising:

a first computer for collecting data for an unprocessed EDI transaction;

a second computer for accepting said unprocessed EDI transaction;

a communication link between said first computer and said second computer for transmitting said unprocessed EDI transaction from said first computer to said second computer in accordance with a uniform resource locator;

a first script execution component at said first computer adapted to execute a script selected in accordance with a name and comprising said uniform resource locator and transmit said unprocessed EDI transaction comprising said collected data across said communication link to a web page component at said uniform resource locator and receive processed EDI transaction data;

a second script execution component at said second computer, said script execution component associated with said web page component at said uniform resource locator and adapted to process said collected data for said unprocessed EDI transaction and return said processed EDI transaction to said web page component at said uniform resource locator.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said processed EDI transaction is transmitted from said second computer to said first computer using said communication link.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising an application at said first computer adapted to accept said processed EDI transaction for further processing.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said first script execution component and said second script execution component is an ActiveX control.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said first script execution component and said second execution script is a Java applet.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a first script adapted for execution by said first script execution component and a second script adapted for execution by said second script execution component.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said scripts are built using a graphical user interface tool.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said first script execution component at said first computer is adapted to collect said unprocessed EDI transaction data.

9. A method for performing an EDI transaction across an Internet communications platform, comprising the steps of:

a) collecting unprocessed EDI transaction data at a first computer;

b) executing at said first computer a first script execution component using a first script selected in accordance with a name and that comprises said uniform resource locator associated with a second computer;

c) transmitting in accordance with said first script said unprocessed EDI transaction data to a web page component at said uniform resource locator;

d) executing at said second computer a second script in accordance with a second script execution component to process said unprocessed EDI transaction data;

e) transmitting processed EDI transaction data to said web page component at said uniform resource locator;

f) returning processed EDI transaction data from said web page component at said uniform resource locator to said first script execution component at said first computer.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of executing at said first computer a first script execution component using a script that comprises said uniform resource locator comprises the step of executing an ActiveX control with a web page component identified by said uniform resource locator.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of executing at said first computer a first script execution component using a script that comprises said uniform resource locator comprises the step of executing a Java applet with a web page identified by said uniform resource locator.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said first and second scripts are developed using a graphical user interface tool.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of collecting unprocessed EDI transaction data comprises the step of executing a script to collect said unprocessed EDI transaction data.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of transmitting said unprocessed EDI transaction data comprises the step of establishing a communication link between said first and second computers in accordance with the TCP/IP protocol.

15. A system for interactive processing of EDI transactions, comprising:

a first computer with a first script execution component adapted to transmit unprocessed EDI transaction data in accordance with a script selected in accordance with a name and that identifies a uniform resource locator and receive processed EDI transaction data from a web page component associated with a uniform resource locator;

a second computer adapted to accept said unprocessed EDI transaction data in accordance with said uniform resource locator;

a second script execution component at said second computer for processing said unprocessed EDI transaction data, said second script execution component associated with said uniform resource locator and adapted to process said unprocessed EDI transaction data and return processed EDI transaction data to said first computer through said web page component associated with said uniform resource locator.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said second script execution component is adapted to perform EDI translation functions.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein said second script execution component is adapted to perform file manipulation functions.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein said first and second script execution components are components selected from the group of consisting of ActiveX controls and Java applets.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein said EDI transaction data comprises data for processing healthcare eligibility and benefit information, claims processing, referrals, authorizations, remittance, and first reports of injury.