System and method for electronic data retrieval and processing

• US 6,549,906 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2001
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Waun, Scott D., Austin, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US09/683,126
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/3, 707/505, 707/506, 707/507, 707/508, 345/780, 709/246
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database

Abstract

A system and method for electronic data retrieval and processing is provided. The system includes a computer for retrieving customer-formatted data and converting the customer-formatted data into expanded data sets. The conversion may be performed by comparing the content of the customer-formatted data to supplier data, and may also include a comparison with customer profiles. The customer-formatted data sets contain incomplete requests, and the expanded data contain complete requests.

Claims

1. An electronic form processing system comprising:

one or more vendor computers adapted to communicate with at least one customer computer, and being adapted to access supplier data;

one or more first storage devices having customer-formatted data sets stored therein;

a retrieval agent for retrieving at least one customer-formatted data set representing customer electronic form information from the customer computer, said customer electronic form information comprising an incomplete request;

an expansion module adapted to convert the customer-formatted data set and generate an expanded data set at least in part by referring to supplier data;

wherein the expanded data set represents an essentially complete request.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more second storage devices having customer profile data stored therein; and

wherein the expansion module is further adapted to convert the customer-formatted data set and generate an expanded data set by referring to customer profile data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first storage devices and at least one of the second storage devices are the same.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the one or more first and second storage devices is a remote storage device accessible by at least one vendor computer to obtain one or more customer-formatted data sets.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first and second storage devices is at least partially operated by at least one customer computer.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the customer profile data comprises at least one of customer system parameters and customer system preferences.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer-formatted data sets associated with each of the one or more customer computers has a format unique to that customer computer.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic form information comprises one or more purchase orders, each comprising a list of one or more line items.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer-formatted data sets comprise high level product requests and the expanded data comprises one or more detailed product descriptions.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the expanded data further comprises at least one of manufacturing scheduling information, pricing information, and shipping information.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the retrieval agent is adapted to retrieve updated customer formatted data and at least one of the vendor computers is adapted to alter the expanded data to at least partially conform with the updated customer-formatted data.

12. A method for processing electronic form information comprising:

adapting one or more vendor computers to communicate with at least one customer computer;

adapting the one or more vendor computers to access supplier data;

retrieving at least one customer-formatted data set representing customer electronic form information from one or more first storage devices;

obtaining supplier data from one or more supplier databases;

converting the customer-formatted data set into an expanded data set at least in part by referring to the supplier data;

wherein the customer electronic form information comprises an incomplete request and the expanded data set comprises an essentially complete request.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

rDocXGoBackHereDocXGoBackHereetrieving customer profile data from one or more second storage devices; and

wherein converting the customer-formatted data set into an expanded data set further comprises referring to the customer profile data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first storage devices and at least one of the second storage devices are the same.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more first and second storage devices is a remote storage device accessible by at least one vendor computer to obtain one or more customer-formatted data sets.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first and second storage devices is at least partially operated by at least one customer computer.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the customer profile data comprises at least one of customer system parameters and customer system preferences.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the customer-formatted data sets associated with each of the one or more customer computers has a format unique to that customer computer.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic form information comprises one or more purchase orders, each comprising a list of one or more line items.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the customer-formatted data sets comprise high level product requests and the expanded data comprises one or more detailed product descriptions.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the expanded data further comprises at least one of manufacturing scheduling information, pricing information, and shipping information.

22. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

retrieving updated customer-formatted data; and

updating the expanded data to at least partially conform with the updated customer-formatted data.

23. A method for upselling a customer purchase request comprising:

adapting one or more vendor computers to communicate with a customer computer;

retrieving one or more customer-formatted data sets representing customer electronic purchase request form information from one or more storage devices;

retrieving customer profile data from one or more second storage devices;

obtaining supplier data;

converting the customer-formatted data into an expanded data set at least in part by referring to at least one of the customer profile data and the supplier data;

wherein the customer electronic form information comprises an incomplete request and the expanded data set comprises an essentially complete request having at least one optional feature.

24. An electronic form processing system comprising:

one or more vendor computers adapted to communicate with at least one customer computer, and being adapted to access supplier data;

one or more first storage devices having customer-formatted data sets stored therein;

one or more second storage devices having customer profile data stored therein;

a retrieval agent for retrieving at least one customer-formatted data set representing customer electronic form information from the customer computer, said customer electronic form information comprising an incomplete request;

an expansion module adapted to convert the customer-formatted data set and generate an expanded data set at least in part by referring to at least one of customer profile data and supplier data;

wherein the expanded data set represents an essentially complete request.