Business processing system employing a notice board business system database and method of processing the same

• US 7,076,440 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2001
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ogawa, Makoto, Tsusaka, Yuji, Nagayama, Akiko, Hosoda, Naofumi, Takamatsu, Eiji, Tamaki, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US09/798,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20010008998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: 705 36- 40, 705 7- 9, 235/379, 707/1, 707/10, 707/100, 707/104
• US Class Current: 705/7.13
• 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

Abstract

A notice board business system database stores therein collectively the contents of all the data heads relating to a series of business processes, and is held in common in the form of a notice board through clients by all the related persons in charge of the tasks. A status change rule sets the data head in which the data input should be completed with respect to each of the task processes. A status watcher refers to both the notice board business system database and the status change rule to make the task process change from the current task process to the next task process when the predetermined data input has been completed in the process in task so as to inform the related client of that the status change has occurred. In addition, the status watcher refers to a status change limit rule for setting the data input completion due date for each of the task processes so as to inform, when the processing due date is drawing near, the related client of that the processing due date is drawing near.

Claims

1. A business processing system, comprising:

a first memory storing a database which holds, through a workflow of a business processing including a sequence of a plurality of task processes, a plurality of data items which are inputted in the course of a business processing through terminal units by persons in charge of said task processes, said database being a notice board type database open to said persons in charge of said task processes;

a second memory storing a status change rule which defines input conditions of said data items necessary for each of said task processes to be allowed to change to another task process; and

an information processor that accesses said first memory and said second memory, receives a data input request for inputting a data item from a terminal unit to said database, updates, in response to said data input request, the corresponding data item in said database; and

judges, based on said input conditions of said data items in said status change rule, whether or not a change of a current task process to another task process is possible.

2. A business processing system according to claim 1, wherein said database has degree information indicating whether the degree of the inputted data is decided or undecided, and

wherein said information processor judges, when all the data items for which the data input should be completed by said status change rule has come decided, that a task process can change from the current task process to a next task process.

3. A business processing system according to claim 1, wherein said database further holds an identifier of the current task process, and

wherein said information processor updates the identifier from the identifier of the current task process to an identifier of process which can be newly carried out.