System and method for process mining

• US 7,162,458 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2000
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sky Technologies LLC (f/k/a Whitelight Technology, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Sky Technologies LLC (f/k/a Whitelight Technology, LLC)
• Inventors: Conklin, Jeffrey, Foucher, Daniel, Flanagan, William J., Foucher, David
• Primary Examiner(s): MEINECKE DIAZ, SUSANNA M
• Application Number:
  US09/702,128
• Time in Patent Office: 2,262 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 705/27, 705/37, 705/39, 705/80, 704/9, 706/55
• US Class Current: 705/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

An process mining system for analyzing the processes used to implement negotiated contracts and other agreements stored in an automated system of record. Using unique identifiers assigned by the contract authority of the invention, process mining can be done to evaluate the effectiveness of processes used to implement one or more sets of negotiations.

Claims

1. An apparatus for evaluating information about a process related to a negotiation, comprising:

a multivariate negotiations system including storage space and negotiations software, such negotiations software executing in a processor and including an automated negotiations engine for analyzing terms, the analysis of terms comprising understanding the purpose of the terms, formatting the terms according to the purpose, and placing them into user supplied context for use by a user, the automated negotiations engine being responsive to a destination terminal for a first user communicating with the multivariate negotiations system, the destination terminal including software for sending and receiving terms along a communications path which flows through the multivariate negotiations system, the automated negotiations engine also being responsive to an initiating terminal for a second user communicating with the multivariate negotiations system, the initiating terminal including software for sending and receiving terms along a communications path which flows through the multivariate negotiations system, during iterative processing the automated negotiations engine recognizing the users at the destination terminal and the initiating terminal as negotiators and recognizing one of the users as a deciding entity, such automated negotiations engine further recognizing any changes in the terms and storing in the storage space the terms each terminal proposes, and recognizing the terminal to which proposed terms are being sent as the indicated terminal, and sending terms to the indicated terminal, the automated negotiations engine indicating any changes in the terms until a set of terms is acted upon in a final manner by the deciding entity; and

a process mining function for evaluating a process related to such a negotiation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the process mining function further comprises an active template for specifying variables to be evaluated.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the active template further comprises an alert mechanism for initiating evaluation.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the active template further comprises a contract authority for assigning a unique identifier to a negotiation.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the active template further comprises predefined fields for activating a computer program to analyze the specified variables.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the specified variables include data collected during the negotiation.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the specified variables include trackable events occurring as a result of the negotiation.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the specified variables include trackable activities occurring as a result of the negotiation.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the computer program further comprises a dynamic contract manager for converting the results of an analysis into an active template for governing subsequent negotiations.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the dynamic contract manager further comprises a procedure for recommending modifications to an existing agreement as a result of an analysis performed.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the dynamic contract manager stores the results of an analysis associated with a unique identifier in the storage area.

12. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the specified variables are associated with a single user.

13. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the specified variables are associated with at least two users.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the users agree to provide access to information for purpose of an evaluation.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the dynamic contract manager further comprises a security function for validating that the results stored have appropriate access controls and privilege safeguards.

16. A method for evaluating information about a process related to a negotiation, comprising the steps of:

operating a multivariate negotiations system including storage space and negotiations software, such negotiations software including an automated negotiations engine for analyzing terms, the analysis of terms comprising understanding the purpose of the terms, formatting the terms according to the purpose, and placing them into user supplied context for use by a user, the automated negotiations engine being responsive to a destination terminal for a first user communicating with the multivariate negotiations system, the destination terminal including software for sending and receiving terms along a communications path which flows through the multivariate negotiations system, the automated negotiations engine also being responsive to an initiating terminal for a second user communicating with the multivariate negotiations system, the initiating terminal including software for sending and receiving terms along a communications path which flows through the multivariate negotiations system, during iterative processing the automated negotiations engine recognizing the users at the destination terminal and the initiating terminal as negotiators and recognizing one of the users as a deciding entity, such automated negotiations engine further recognizing any changes in the terms and storing in the storage space the terms each terminal proposes, and recognizing the terminal to which proposed terms are being sent as the indicated terminal, and sending terms to the indicated terminal, the automated negotiations engine indicating any changes in the terms until a set of terms is acted upon in a final manner by the deciding entity; and

evaluating a process related to such a negotiation by using a process mining function.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of evaluating a process further comprises the step of specifying variables to be evaluated using an active template.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of using an active template further comprises the step of initiating an evaluation using an alert mechanism.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of using an active template further comprises the step of assigning a unique identifier to a negotiation.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of using an active template further comprises the step of activating a computer program to analyze the specified variables.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of using an active template further comprises the step of including data collected during the negotiation.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of using an active template further comprises the step of including trackable events occurring as a result of the negotiation.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of using an active template further comprises the step of including trackable activities occurring as a result of the negotiation.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein activating a computer program further comprises the step of converting the results of an analysis into an active template for governing subsequent negotiations.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of converting the results of an analysis further comprises the step of recommending modifications to an existing agreement as a result of an analysis performed.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of converting the results of an analysis further comprises the step of storing the results of an analysis associated with a unique identifier in the storage area.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of specifying variables further comprises the step of associating them with a single user.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of specifying variables further comprises the step of associating them with at least two users.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of associating them with at least two users further comprises obtaining the users'"'"' agreement to accessing information for purposes of an evaluation.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of converting the results of an analysis further comprises the step of validating that the results stored have appropriate access controls and privilege safeguards.

31. An apparatus for evaluating information about a process related to automatically processing at least one negotiation between first and second users who are communicating over a network to each other negotiation terms that include a plurality of variables, comprising:

negotiations software executing in a processor and configured to process such a negotiation by;

responding to and recognizing the first and second users as negotiators,

designating one of the users as a deciding entity;

receiving a negotiation term from one of the users;

analyzing the negotiation term to understand its purpose;

formatting the negotiation term according to the understood purpose;

placing the formatted negotiation term into a context supplied by at least one of the users;

indicating a detected change in a negotiation term to at least one of the users;

sending the negotiation term to one of the users;

storing the negotiation term;

repeating the above processing until a signal is received from the deciding entity to stop negotiations; and

a process mining program executing in a processor and configured to evaluate a process related to such a negotiation.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the process mining program further comprises an active template for specifying variables to be evaluated.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the active template further comprises an alert mechanism for initiating evaluation.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the active template further comprises a contract authority for assigning a unique identifier to a negotiation.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the active template further comprises predefined fields for activating a computer program to analyze the specified variables.

36. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the specified variables include data collected during the negotiation.

37. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the specified variables include trackable events occurring as a result of the negotiation.

38. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the specified variables include trackable activities occurring as a result of the negotiation.

39. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the computer program further comprises a dynamic contract manager for converting the results of an analysis into an active template for governing subsequent negotiations.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the dynamic contract manager further comprises a procedure for recommending modifications to an existing agreement as a result of an analysis performed.

41. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the dynamic contract manager stores the results of an analysis associated with a unique identifier in the storage area.

42. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the specified variables are associated with a single user.

43. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the specified variables are associated with at least two users.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the users agree to provide access to information for purposes of an evaluation.

45. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the dynamic contract manager further comprises a security function for validating that the results stored have appropriate access controls and privilege safeguards.

46. A method for evaluating information about a process related to automatically processing at least one negotiation between first and second users who are communicating to each other negotiation terms that include a plurality of variables, comprising the steps of:

responding to and recognizing the first and second users as negotiators,

designating one of the users as a deciding entity;

receiving a negotiation term from one of the users;

analyzing the negotiation term to understand its purpose;

formatting the negotiation term according to the understood purpose;

placing the formatted negotiation term into a context supplied by at least one of the users;

indicating a detected change in a negotiation term to at least one of the users;

sending the negotiation term to one of the users;

storing the negotiation term;

repeating the above processing until a signal is received from the deciding entity to stop negotiations; and

evaluating a process related to such a negotiation by using a process mining program.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the step of evaluating a process further comprises the step of specifying variables to be evaluated using an active template.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the step of using an active template further comprises the step of initiating an evaluation using an alert mechanism.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the step of using an active template further comprises the step of assigning a unique identifier to a negotiation.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the step of using an active template further comprises the step of activating a computer program to analyze the specified variables.

51. The method of claim 47, wherein the step of using an active template further comprises the step of including data collected during the negotiation.

52. The method of claim 47, wherein the step of using an active template further comprises the step of including trackable events occurring as a result of the negotiation.

53. The method of claim 47, wherein the step of using an active template further comprises the step of including trackable activities occurring as a result of the negotiation.

54. The method of claim 50, wherein activating a computer program further comprises the step of converting the results of an analysis into an active template for governing subsequent negotiations.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the step of converting the results of an analysis further comprises the step of recommending modifications to an existing agreement as a result of an analysis performed.

56. The method of claim 54, wherein the step of converting the results of an analysis further comprises the step of storing the results of an analysis associated with a unique identifier in the storage area.

57. The method of claim 47, wherein the step of specifying variables further comprises the step of associating them with a single user.

58. The method of claim 47, wherein the step of specifying variables further comprises the step of associating them with at least two users.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the step of associating them with at least two users further comprises obtaining the users'"'"' agreement to accessing information for purposes of an evaluation.

60. The method of claim 56, wherein the step of converting the results of an analysis further comprises the step of validating that the results stored have appropriate access controls and privilege safeguards.