System and method of using human resources data to generate printed products

• US 7,113,959 B1
• Filed: 01/10/2000
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ImageX Inc. (FedEx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ImageX Inc. (FedEx Corporation)
• Inventors: Klatt, Cory, Krum, Brent
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US09/479,669
• Time in Patent Office: 2,451 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/7, 707/1, 707/10, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Information stored in a corporate database is monitored and used to determine when certain business-related events have occurred. Event information is transmitted over the Internet to a print production facility, where it is used to fire one or more event rules, which in turn automatically generate print requisitions or print production orders. In one variation, print requisitions are routed through an existing and commercially available procurement system before a print production order is generated. The system can monitor and handle events from multiple corporations, each having its own business-related event rules, and each potentially having its own procurement approval system.

Claims

1. A method for producing a printed product in response to changes to a corporate human resources database, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) monitoring the human resources database to detect changes corresponding to a human resources event;

(2) in response to detecting a change in step (1), generating event data comprising information that describes the human resources event; and

(3) in a print processing facility, receiving the event data, comparing the event data to one or more predefined event rules that determine whether the printed product should be produced and, in response to a positive determination, automatically generating a print order for the printed product using information extracted from the event data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (3) comprises the step of automatically generating a procurement request that requires approval by a corporate employee;

and

further comprising the step of approving the procurement request before the printed product is produced.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the procurement request to a procurement system located at a corporate facility.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of transmitting the approval to the print processing facility which, in response thereto, produces the printed product.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the print order comprises a print production request that is directly fulfilled by a print production system without further approvals.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of checking one or more print criteria that must be satisfied before the printed product is actually produced.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of notifying a corporate employee via e-mail of the print order.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the corporate employee is specified in one of the predefined event rules.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting over the Internet the event data to the print processing facility.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of retrieving corporate-specific information in addition to the event data and using the corporate-specific information to generate a print production request.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the corporate-specific information comprises a corporate logo that is not stored in the corporate database.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein step (3) comprises the step of generating a print production request to produce the printed product without any human intervention at the corporate facility and without any human intervention at the print production facility.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of translating at least some of the event data into a common print production request based on a schema mapping between fields in the corporate database and fields stored in the print processing facility.

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

(4) monitoring a second corporate human resources database to detect changes corresponding to a second human resources event;

(5) in response to detecting a change in step (4), generating second event data comprising information that describes the second human resources event; and

(6) in the print processing facility, receiving the second event data, comparing the second event data to one or more predefined event rules that determine whether the printed product should be produced and, in response to a positive determination, automatically generating a second print order for the printed product using information extracted from the second event data.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the human resources event comprises the addition of a new employee to the corporation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the print order comprises an order to print business cards for the new employee.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of creating the one or more event rules by specifying parameters on a computer screen.

18. A system producing a printed product in response to changes in a corporate human resources database, the system comprising:

a computer-implemented database monitor located at a corporate facility, wherein the database monitor detects changes to the corporate human resources database corresponding to a human resources event and, in response thereto, generates event data comprising information that describes the human resources event; and

a print processing facility, located at a geographic location different from the corporate location and coupled to the database monitor over a network, wherein the print processing facility receives the event data, compares the event data to one or more predefined event rules that determine whether the printed product should be produced and, in response to a positive determination, automatically generates a print order for the printed product using information extracted from the event data.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the print order comprises a procurement request that requires further approval by a corporate employee before the printed product is produced.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the procurement request is approved in a procurement system located at the corporate facility, and wherein the print processing facility transmits the procurement request to the procurement system for approval by the corporate employee.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the procurement system transmits the approval to the print processing facility which, in response thereto, produces the printed product.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the print order comprises a print production request that is directly fulfilled by a print production system without further approvals.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the print order comprises one or more print criteria that must be satisfied before the printed product is actually produced.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the print processing facility notifies a corporate employee via e-mail of the print order.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the corporate employee is specified in one of the predefined event rules.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the database monitor and the print processing facility communicate over the Internet.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein the print processing facility retrieves corporate-specific information in addition to the event data and uses the corporate-specific information to generate a print production request.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the corporate-specific information comprises a corporate logo that is not stored in the corporate database.

29. The system of claim 18, wherein the print processing facility generates a print production request to produce the printed product without any human intervention at the corporate facility and without any human intervention at the print production facility.

30. The system of claim 18, wherein the print processing facility translates at least some of the event data into a common print production request based on a schema mapping between fields in the corporate human resources database and fields stored in the print processing facility.

31. The system of claim 18, wherein the printed product comprises business cards for a new employee.

32. A print processing facility coupled to a plurality of corporate locations each comprising a human resources database, wherein the print processing facility receives from each of the plurality of corporate locations event data describing a human resources event, compares the event data to one or more predefined event rules that determine whether a printed product should be produced and, in response to a positive determination, automatically generates a print order for the printed product using information extracted from the event data.

33. The print processing facility of claim 32, wherein the human resources event comprises the addition of a new employee, and wherein the printed product comprises business cards for the new employee.