Client account and information management system and method

• US 7,328,186 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2000
• Issued: 02/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Enrique, Shore, Sandra Sue, Washington, Terry Varon, Brattain, Joseph Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi; Hani M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akintola; Olabode
• Application Number:
  US09/735,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20020073011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,611 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/14, 705 35- 40, 705/26, 707/1, 707/100, 709/201
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

An information repository and management system for data regarding a client base which integrates a plurality of information types including database records, word processor files, e-mail, other hyperlinked documents, web pages and web sites. Implemented as a database application on a web-enabled database server, sales and marketing team members may access the system through an intranet or remotely through an Internet. Portions of the database may be extracted and placed on a portable computing device for traveling purposes. The extracted database can be later synchronized with the central database upon return of a sales and marketing team member from a meeting or business trip. Links and expandable subforms are provided to web sites for stock quoting and client home pages, allowing sales team members to quickly gather information regarding a company'"'"'s latest news announcements, stock performance, and financial status. Client relationship documents, such as meeting summaries, previous meeting briefing packages, and action item tracking sheets are organized and accessible through the system.

Claims

1. A method for organizing briefing packages for presentation to a sales account executive regarding client business entities managed by said sales account executive, said method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of client records relating to one or more client business entities, each client record containing a plurality of fields in at least one client account database, at least one of said fields containing a link to data, documents or information external to said database;

parsing a portion of an electronic mail message according to a predetermined format to determine a client record to which the message is to be linked;

integrating information to form a briefing package by linking said electronic mail message and at least one other external data item to at least one client record, said other external data item being selected from the list of a stock share price quote server, a business plan document, a marketing strategy document, a note from a previous meeting with said client, a previously presented presentation document and an action item list;

subsequently showing a first set of information for a selected client account on a main screen view on a user display by selecting a client record associated with a specific client business entity; and

providing in said first set of shown information one or more user-selectable expandable subforms, wherein at least one subform retrieves and shows at least one of said linked external data items when expanded.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of parsing a portion of said electronic mail message according to a predetermined format comprises parsing a subject field for a client name indicator.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of showing a first set of information comprises showing a stock share trading symbol for a selected client account.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of providing comprises providing at least one hyperlink to a word processor document.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of providing comprises providing at least one hyperlink to a computer-readable presentation file.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of providing comprises providing at least one hyperlink to an action item list.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of providing comprises providing at least one hyperlink to a biographical account of an employee for a selected client account.