System and method for converting information on paper forms to electronic data
First Claim
1. A computer implemented method for converting forms to electronic format in a system adapted to process multiple different types of forms, comprising:
- (a) receiving forms, the forms including form code identifiers on the forms, the form code identifiers being provided by the form provider and not by an applicant completing the form;
(b) reading the forms into electronic format based on computer-implemented character recognition;
(c) determining the form code identifiers for the forms, the form code identifiers identifying a plurality of different types of forms corresponding to different financial products available to applicants;
(d) assigning priorities to the forms based on the determination of the form code identifiers, wherein at least some of the assigned priorities for some forms are different from the assigned priorities for other forms;
(e) routing the forms to different validation and repair systems based on the determined form code identifiers;
(f) processing the forms for validation and repair according to a contingent workflow, the contingent workflow being based at least in part on priorities assigned to forms; and
(g) making the form data available to a subsequent process.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention is a system and method for converting paper forms to electronic data. More specifically, a special purpose system and technique are described for performing the conversion in a manner that is advantageous in terms of overall cost and cycle time. The approach is applicable to many different form types; the forms may be credit card applications, license applications, or tax returns, for example. Because present day scanners and character recognition algorithms still result in read errors, manual data correction is required. One technique described in the invention is how to efficiently use both internal and external data entry operators as part of an overall conversion process. The invention also illustrates how to apply contingent workflow management concepts to the data conversion process. The result is a more efficient and effective business process.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A computer implemented method for converting forms to electronic format in a system adapted to process multiple different types of forms, comprising:
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(a) receiving forms, the forms including form code identifiers on the forms, the form code identifiers being provided by the form provider and not by an applicant completing the form; (b) reading the forms into electronic format based on computer-implemented character recognition; (c) determining the form code identifiers for the forms, the form code identifiers identifying a plurality of different types of forms corresponding to different financial products available to applicants; (d) assigning priorities to the forms based on the determination of the form code identifiers, wherein at least some of the assigned priorities for some forms are different from the assigned priorities for other forms; (e) routing the forms to different validation and repair systems based on the determined form code identifiers; (f) processing the forms for validation and repair according to a contingent workflow, the contingent workflow being based at least in part on priorities assigned to forms; and (g) making the form data available to a subsequent process. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification