Method and system of routing requests for authorized approval

• US 6,832,202 B1
• Filed: 08/29/1997
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stone, David E., Tara, Marisa S., Schuyler, Paula D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Application Number:
  US08/921,130
• Time in Patent Office: 2,664 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 705/44, 705/26, 705/38, 395/683, 395/200.31, 395/200.32, 706/10, 706/42, 706/46, 706/48, 706/47
• US Class Current: 705/7.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

A method and system for routing requests for authorization may comprise automatically determining approvals required for authorization of a request (72). A valid agent to provide one of the approvals required for authorization of the request (72) may be automatically determined. The requests (72) may be automatically routed to the valid agent for approval. After approval, it may be automatically determined if the approvals required for authorization of the requests (72) have been obtained.

Claims

1. An automated method for authorized approval processing, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a user a request for approval;

in response to receiving the request, automatically determining a type of the request;

automatically determining a designated number of approvals required for authorization of the request based on the type of the request;

automatically determining a valid agent to provide one of the designated number of approvals required for authorization of the request;

automatically routing the request to the valid agent for the approval; and

automatically determining if the designated number of approvals required for authorization of the request have been obtained.

2. The automated method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the designated number of approvals required for authorization of the request has not been obtained, automatically determining a next valid agent to provide one of the designated number of approvals required for authorization of the request; and

automatically routine the request to the next valid agent for the approval.

3. The automated method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically determining an approval level required for authorization of the request based on the type of the request;

automatically determining if the approval level required for authorization of the request has been obtained;

if the approval level required for authorization of the request has not been obtained, automatically determining a next valid agent to provide the level of approval required for authorization of the request; and

automatically routing the request to the next valid agent.

4. An automated method of claim 3, the approval level comprising monetary limit.

5. The automated method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the valid agent comprises automatically determining a position of the user in a hierarchy and determining the valid agent based on the position of the user in the hierarchy.

6. The automated method of claim 5, wherein determining the valid agent based on the position of the user in the hierarchy comprises determining a manager of a user for the position.

7. The automated method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically determining if country specific approval processing is required for authorization of the request based on the type of the request; and

automatically interrogating a set of country rules to determine country specific approval processing information for authorization of the request if country specific approval processing is required.

8. The automated method of claim 7, wherein automatically interrogating the set of country rules comprises automatically determining country specific approvals required for authorization of the request.

9. The automated method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically determining if contract specific approval processing is required for authorization of the request based on the type of the request; and

automatically interrogating a set of contract rules to determine contract specific approval processing information for authorization of the request if contract specific approval processing is required.

10. The automated method of claim 9, wherein automatically interrogating the set of contract rules comprises automatically determining contract specific approvals required for authorization of the request.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein automatically interrogating the set of contract rules comprises automatically determining if special agent processing is required for authorization of the request.

12. The automated method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

automatically retrieving data associated with the request based on the type of the request; and

automatically storing the associated data with the request.

13. The automated method of claim 1, receiving the request further comprising the steps of:

receiving a prompt in a work flow engine from an application; and

generating the request for authorized approval based on the data entered into the application by the user.

14. The automated method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

automatically determining if special agent processing is required for authorization of the request based on the type of the request; and

if special agent processing is required for authorization of the request, automatically determining a special agent for approval of the request.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising automatically routing the request to the special agent for approval of the request.

16. An automated method for authorized approval processing, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a user a request for approval;

automatically determining a type of the request;

automatically interrogating a set of rules based on the type of the request, to determine approval processing information for authorization of the request; and

automatically routing the request in accordance with the approval processing information for authorization of the request.

17. The automated method of claim 16, wherein the rules comprise a set of country rules.

18. The automated method of claim 16, wherein the set of rules comprise a set of contract rules.

19. A system for authorized approval processing, comprising;

a workflow engine operable to receive from a user a request for authorization, the workflow engine further operable to determine a type of the request;

a validation module operable to determine a designated number of approvals required for authorization of the request based on the type of the request;

the workflow engine operable to automatically determine a valid agent to provide one of the designated number of approvals required for authorization of the request; and

the workflow engine operable to automatically route the request to the valid agent for the approval.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a decision module operable to determine if country specific approval processing is required for the type of the request.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the decision module is further operable to determine if special agent processing is required for the type of the request.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the validation module is further operable to determine a special agent for approval of the request if special agent processing is required.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the validation module is further operable to determine a designated approval level for authorization of the request, the validation module operable to determine if the approval level has been obtained.