Extensible object oriented framework for general ledger

• US 6,684,384 B1
• Filed: 03/28/1997
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bohrer, Kathryn Ann, Porter, Steven, Salt, David Dennis, Bickerton, Matthew John, Kenworthy, Edward William, Hughes, Emma Suzanne, Musgrove, Rupert Jeremy, Scattergood, Duncan Keith, Patterson, LindaMay Rose
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US08/827,285
• Time in Patent Office: 2,496 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/30, 705/38, 395/701, 395/704, 707/10, 707/6, 717/108
• US Class Current: 717/108
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4488 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

An object oriented framework provides a set of objects that perform general ledger functioning and permits a framework user to add extensions to the framework for specific processing features, thereby producing a general ledger application program for managing business financial data of a company. The framework includes an Application category of classes that contains company information for general ledger processing, a Posting Combinations category of classes that define valid posting combinations for the general ledger, a Journals category of classes that create, process, validate, and post general ledger journals, a Bank Transactions category of classes that process bank statements, a Bank Statements and Reconciliation category of classes that reconcile bank statements with bank accounts, and a Closing category of classes that validate and close the current accounting period. These classes provide the base framework upon which a general ledger application program is developed by the framework user.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a central processing unit;

a user interface; and

a main memory having an operating system that supports an object oriented programming environment containing an object oriented framework that provides an extensible business financial general ledger system, the object oriented framework comprising a set of object oriented classes including at least one user-extensible class that a user of the framework extends using object oriented principles of inheritance to define a business financial general ledger application, the main memory further including an Application category of cooperating objects that contain business financial data and the framework enables performing general ledged operations on the business financial data, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects includes a Chart of Account Attributes object class that specifies an analysis group, account types, and account attributes of the business financial data.

2. A computer system as defined in claim 1, wherein the general ledger Application category of cooperating objects includes a Create Journal object class that creates, processes, validates, and posts General Ledger Journal account attributes of the business financial data.

3. A computer system as defined in claim 2, wherein the Create Journal object class uses a Posting Combinations object class that assigns and validates combinations of the created General Ledger Journal accounts.

4. A computer system as defined in claim 3, further including a Closing category of cooperating objects that contain accounting period data and retrieve the General Ledger Journal account data and the account balances data and validate and close accounts in accordance with the accounting period end.

5. A computer system as defined in claim 2, wherein the General Ledger Journal object class references a Tax Item object class that associates General Ledger Journal account attributes with reportable tax information of the business financial data.

6. A computer system as defined in claim 1, wherein the general ledger Application category of cooperating objects includes a Dissection object class that spreads the impact of a General Ledger Journal account entry attribute across multiple accounts.

7. A computer system as defined in claim 6, further including a Revaluation category of cooperating objects that contain data defining a base currency and retrieve the Dissection account data such that the cooperating objects convert Dissection account data in one currency into the base currency and determine a variance due to currency exchange gain or loss.

8. An object oriented extensible business financial general ledger framework for use in a computer system having an operating system that supports an object oriented programming environment and includes a memory in which cooperating objects comprising object classes can be stored, the framework comprising a set of object oriented classes including at least one user-extensible class that a user of the framework extends using object oriented principles of inheritance to define a business financial general ledger application, the framework comprising an Application category of cooperating objects that contain business financial data and perform general ledger operations on the business financial data, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects further includes a Chart of Account Attributes object class that specifies an analysis group, account types, and account attributes of the Application category business financial data.

9. A framework as defined in claim 8, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects includes a Create Journal object class that creates, processes, validates, and posts General Ledger Journal account attributes of the business financial data.

10. A framework as defined in claim 9, wherein the Create Journal object class uses a Posting Combinations object class that assigns and validates combinations of the created General Ledger Journal accounts.

11. A framework as defined in claim 9, further including a Closing category of cooperating objects that contain accounting period data and retrieve the General Ledger Journal account data and the account balances data and validate and close accounts in accordance with the accounting period end.

12. A framework as defined in claim 8, wherein the General Ledger Journal object class references a Tax Item object class that associates General Ledger Journal account attributes with reportable tax information of the business financial data.

13. A framework as defined in claim 8, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects includes a Dissection object class that spreads the impact of a General Ledger Journal account entry attribute across multiple accounts.

14. A framework as defined in claim 13, further including a Revaluation category of cooperating objects that contain base currency data and retrieve the Dissection account data such that the cooperating objects convert Dissection account data in one currency into the base currency and determine a variance due to currency exchange gain or loss.

15. A program product storage device, tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a computer system having an operating system that supports an object oriented programming environment, the program product comprising:

a recordable media; and

an object oriented framework recorded on the recordable media, the framework comprising a set of object oriented classes including at least one user-extensible class that a user of the framework extends using object oriented principles of inheritance to define a business financial general ledger application, the framework having an Application category of cooperating objects that contain business financial data and perform general ledger operations on the business financial data, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects includes a Chart of Account Attributes object class that specifies an analysis group, account types, and account attributes of the Application category business financial data.

16. A program product as defined in claim 15, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects includes a Create Journal object class that creates, processes, validates, and posts General Ledger Journal account attributes of the business financial data.

17. A program product as defined in claim 16, wherein the Create Journal object class uses a Posting Combinations object class that assigns and validates combinations of the created General Ledger Journal accounts.

18. A program product as defined in claim 15, further including a Closing category of cooperating objects that contain accounting period data and retrieve the General Ledger Journal account data and the account balances data and validate and close accounts in accordance with the accounting period end.

19. A program product as defined in claim 15, wherein the General Ledger Journal object class references a Tax Item object class that associates General Ledger Journal account attributes with reportable tax information of the business financial data.

20. A program product as defined in claim 15, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects includes a Dissection object class that spreads the impact of a General Ledger Journal account entry attribute across multiple accounts.

21. A program product as defined in claim 20, further including a Revaluation category of cooperating objects that contain base currency data and retrieve the Dissection account data such that the cooperating objects convert Dissection account data in one currency into the base currency and determine a variance due to currency exchange gain or loss.

22. A method of distributing a program product, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection between a first computer system and a second computer system; and

transmitting the program product from the first computer system to the second computer system, wherein the program product comprises an object oriented framework, the object oriented framework comprising a set of object oriented classes including at least one user-extensible class that a user of the framework extends using object oriented principles of inheritance to define a business financial general ledger application, the framework having an Application category of cooperating objects that contain business financial data and perform general ledger operations on the business financial data, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects includes a Chart of Account Attributes object class that specifies an analysis group, account types, and account attributes of the Application category business financial data.

23. A method of distributing a program product as defined in claim 22, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects includes a Create Journal object class that creates, processes, validates, and posts General Ledger Journal account attributes of the business financial data.

24. A method of distributing a program product as defined in claim 23, wherein the Create Journal object class uses a Posting Combinations object class that assigns and validates combinations of the created General Ledger Journal accounts.

25. A method of distributing a program product as defined in claim 22, further including a Closing category of cooperating objects that contain accounting period data and retrieve the General Ledger Journal account data and the account balances data and validate and close accounts in accordance with the accounting period end.

26. A method of distributing a program product as defined in claim 22, wherein the General Ledger Journal object class references a Tax Item object class that associates General Ledger Journal account attributes with reportable tax information of the business financial data.

27. A method of distributing a program product as defined in claim 22, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects includes a Dissection object class that spreads the impact of a General Ledger Journal account entry attribute across multiple accounts.

28. A method of distributing a program product as defined in claim 27, further including a Revaluation category of cooperating objects that contain base currency data and retrieve the Dissection account data such that the cooperating objects convert Dissection account data in one currency into the base currency and determine a variance due to currency exchange gain or loss.

29. A method of executing a software build process in a computer system having a central processing unit that controls processing in the computer system, a user interface, and a main memory having an operating system that supports an object oriented programming environment, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an object oriented framework, the object oriented framework comprising a set of object oriented classes including at least one user-extensible class that a user of the framework extends using object oriented principles of inheritance to define a business financial general ledger application, the object oriented framework having an Application category of cooperating objects that contain business financial data and perform general ledger operations on the business financial data, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects includes a Chart of Account Attributes object class that specifies an analysis group, account types, and account attributes of the Application category business financial data; and

extending the framework using object oriented principles of inheritance and producing an application program.

30. A method as defined in claim 29, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects includes a Create Journal object class that creates, processes, validates, and posts General Ledger Journal account attributes of the business financial data.

31. A method as defined in claim 30, wherein the Create Journal object class uses a Posting Combinations object class that assigns and validates combinations of the created General Ledger Journal accounts.

32. A method as defined in claim 30, further including a Closing category of cooperating objects that contain accounting period data and retrieve the General Ledger Journal account data and the account balances data and validate and close accounts in accordance with the accounting period end.

33. A method as defined in claim 29, wherein the General Ledger Journal object class references a Tax Item object class that associates General Ledger Journal account attributes with reportable tax information of the business financial data.

34. A method as defined in claim 29, wherein the Application category of cooperating objects includes a Dissection object class that spreads the impact of a General Ledger Journal account entry attribute across multiple accounts.

35. A method as defined in claim 34, further including a Revaluation category of cooperating objects that contain base currency data and retrieve the Dissection account data such that the cooperating objects convert Dissection account data in one currency into the base currency and determine a variance due to currency exchange gain or loss.