Customer information management system and method

• US 7,428,531 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2003
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Ibikunle, Olutayo, Berman, Michael E., Zamalin, Marina, Jahan, Shah, Barron, Lydia, Alexion, Mary
• Primary Examiner(s): Cottingham; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIMBLIN, ROBERT M
• Application Number:
  US10/359,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20040034661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,056 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/4, 707/10, 707/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A customer information management system which enables integration of data across lines of business that classify data using distinct formats. In the system, a plurality of lines of business are in communication with one another and with a customer server. A customer information model produces a common classification format used by the customer server. Adapters at each line of business translate information between the format used by the customer server and the format used by the respective line of business. In use, the customer server may glean information from all of the lines of business and produce detailed data stores about customers. A first line of business may also obtain information from a second line of business by making a request through the customer server.

Claims

1. A customer information management system in combination with a plurality of lines of businesses, the combination comprising:

a plurality of lines of businesses, each line of business having a database that holds respective information for operation of the respective line of business;

a customer processor that inputs information from and outputs information to each of the line of businesses, the customer processor processing the information and storing information in a common database accessible to each of the plurality of lines of businesses;

a plurality of adaptors, at least one respective adaptor for each particular line of business, each line of business communicating with the customer processor through a respective one adaptor associated with a particular line of business, each adapter being unique to the particular line of business, and each adaptor being adapted to;

receive a request from its particular line of business, the request in a distinct format associated with the particular line of business, and translate the request into a common format for the customer processor, the adaptor outputs the request in the common format to the customer processor, and

receive a request, in the common format, from the customer processor and translate the request into the distinct format associated with the particular line of business, the adaptor then outputs the request in the distinct format to the particular line of business; and

the system arranged whereby each adaptor functions as a translator between the customer processor and a single line of business to which each adaptor is associated whereby each adaptor is dedicated to a particular line of business and whereby each adaptor processes data based on a respective local protocol of each respective line of business;

the distinct format, of each line of business, being respectively unique to each particular line of business in contrast to other line of businesses;

the system arranged whereby the plurality of lines of businesses communicate with each other through the customer processor;

the plurality of adaptors communicating with the customer processor over an information bus; and

the plurality of lines of businesses communicate requests for information through its own respective adaptor over the information bus for such information that is stored in another of the plurality of lines of businesses databases as well as information stored by the customer processor in the common database, wherein the response to the request comprises information from one or more of the plurality of lines of businesses individual databases as well as information from the common database, such requested information being translated through the plurality of adaptors over the information bus back to the requesting line of business.

2. The combination of claim 1, the plurality of adaptors includes at least two adaptors that are dedicated to the same line of business, whereby the particular line of business communicates with the customer processor through only the two adaptors.

3. The combination of claim 1, each adapter translates using a customer information model to translate data into a common format.

4. The combination of claim 3, the customer information model includes party, interaction, and campaign subject areas.

5. The combination of claim 4, wherein party comprises the following:

all descriptive information about a customer, wherein the descriptive information comprises one or more of name, address, financial profile, preferences, demographics.

6. The combination of claim 4, wherein interaction comprises the following:

business information structures involved in understanding interactions between the party and a company, consisting of the plurality of lines of business, wherein the interaction can be inbound which is initiated by the party or outbound which is initiated by the company or line of business.

7. The combination of claim 4, wherein campaign comprises the following:

marketing targeted at one or more parties by the company, supporting a closed-loop marketing process.

8. The combination of claim 1, the plurality of adaptors are in communication with the customer processor through a communication bus.

9. The combination of claim 1, the request is useable to request information stored in a common database, the common database including information received from a plurality of lines of businesses.

10. The combination of claim 1, wherein the lines of businesses includes at least three lines of businesses, such three lines of businesses including a credit card service, a mortgage service, and an automobile loan service, and each of the such three lines of business having its own respective adaptor associated solely to such respective line of business.

11. The combination of claim 1, wherein the plurality of adaptors is provided to handle differing definition of terms between the lines of businesses.

12. The combination of claim 1, wherein the request requests customer information.

13. The combination of claim 1, wherein the system further includes a request handler, the request handler routing messages within the customer processor and sending messages to identified line of businesses in response to a request.

14. The combination of claim 1, wherein centralized enabling services operate on the communication bus, the enabling services including campaign management, common transaction access service, rule engines, and work flow processing.

15. The combination of claim 1, wherein the customer processor includes a common customer view service and associated databases, the common customer view service and associated databases comprising:

maintaining sources of customer information among the plurality of lines of businesses including databases of customer profiles and cross line of business, cross channel activity;

maintaining business rules for managing data integrity in a database;

tracking and managing selected customer information requests from the plurality of lines of business;

managing update requests for information;

managing data aggregation for selected customer activity, comprising one or more of the following;

key contacts, offers, service treatments;

ensuring data integrity among the databases; and

serving as a source of historical information.

16. The combination of claim 15, wherein the common customer view service includes a common customer view manager, the common customer view manager locating and delivering customer related information that is maintained and managed with a plurality of business databases or in the customer processor databases.

17. A method for sharing customer information among a plurality of lines of business servers, the method comprising:

producing a request at a first line of business for customer information stored in a second line of business, the first and second line of business classifying customer data using distinct and different formats based on different protocols;

translating, using an adaptor dedicated to the first line of business, the request from a first distinct format to a common format;

transmitting the request in the common format to a customer processor via an information bus;

routing the request by a request handler located in the a central processor in response to the request from the first line of business;

processing the request by the customer processor in the common format to produce a processed request;

transmitting the request by the request handler sending messages to a second line of business in response to the request from the first line of business;

forwarding the processed request from the customer processor, in the common format, to a second adaptor, the second adaptor dedicated to the second line of business;

translating the processed request, using the second adaptor dedicated to the second line of business, into a second distinct format used to classify customer data by the second line of business to produce customer information that is used by the second line of business.

18. The method of claim 17, each adapter translates using a customer information model.

19. The method of claim 18, the customer information model includes party, interaction, and campaign subject areas.

20. The method of claim 17, the first line of business is a credit card service and the second line of business is a mortgage service.

21. A computer based system for sharing information among a plurality of lines of business, the computer based system comprising:

a first line of business application comprising a first adaptor, the first line of business application producing a request for customer information and the first adaptor translating the request from a first distinct format to a common format;

a customer processor communicatively coupled to the first line of business application via an information bus, the customer processor receiving the request from the first adapter, routing the request by a request handler in response to the request from the first line of business, and generating a processed request;

the request handler transmitting the processed request message to a second line of business in response to the request from the first line of business, communicating the processed request via the information bus;

the second line of business application comprising a second adapter and being communicatively coupled to the customer processor via the information bus,

the second line of business application receiving the processed request communicated by the customer processor via the communication bus,

the second adapter translating the processed request into a second distinct format to classify customer data to identify customer information used by the second line of business application; and

the first line of business is a credit card service and the second line of business is not a credit card service.

22. A customer information management system in combination with a plurality of lines of businesses, the combination comprising:

a plurality of lines of businesses, each line of business having a database that holds respective information for operation of the respective line of business;

a customer processor that inputs information from and outputs information to each of the line of businesses via an information bus, the customer processor processing and storing the information wherein the customer processor and a common database is accessible to each of the plurality of lines of businesses; and

a plurality of adaptors, at least one respective adaptor for each particular line of business, each line of business communicating with the customer processor through a respective one adaptor associated with a particular line of business, each adapter being unique to the particular line of business, and each adaptor being adapted to;

receive a request from its particular line of business, the request in a distinct format associated with the particular line of business, and translate the request into a common format for the customer processor, the adaptor outputs the request in the common format to the customer processor, and

receive the request, in the common format, from the customer processor and translate the request into the distinct format associated with the particular line of business, the adaptor then outputs the request in the distinct format to the particular line of business; and

translate the request using a customer information model to translate data into a common format whereby the customer information model includes party, interaction, and campaign subject areas;

the system arranged whereby each adaptor functions as a translator between the customer processor and a single line of business to which each adaptor is associated whereby each adaptor is dedicated to a particular line of business and whereby each adaptor processes data based on a respective local protocol of each respective line of business; and

the distinct format, of each line of business, being respectively unique to each particular line of business in contrast to other line of businesses;

the system arranged whereby the plurality of lines of businesses communicate with each other through the customer processor; and

the plurality of adaptors communicating with the customer processor over an information bus;

the plurality of adaptors includes at least two adaptors that are dedicated to the same line of business, whereby the particular line of business communicates with the customer processor through the two adaptors;

the plurality of adaptors are in communication with the customer processor through a communication bus;

wherein the communication with the customer processor through the information bus uses a set of centralized enabling services comprising campaign management, common transaction access service, rule engines, and work flow processing;

the request is useable to request information stored in a common database, the common database including information received from a plurality of lines of businesses;

wherein the lines of businesses includes three lines of businesses offering different services, and each of the such three line of business having its own respective adaptor associated solely to such respective line of business;

wherein the plurality of adaptors is provided to handle differing definition of terms between the line of businesses;

wherein the request requests customer information; and

wherein the system further includes a request handler, the request handler routing messages within the customer processor and transmitting messages to identified line of businesses in response to a request.

23. A method for sharing customer information among a plurality of lines of business servers, the method comprising:

producing a request for customer information at a first line of business whereby the first line of business classifies customer data using a distinct protocol;

translating, using an adaptor dedicated to the first line of business, the request for customer information from the first line of business'"'"'s distinct format to a common format;

transmitting the request for customer information from the adaptor dedicated to the first line of business in the common format to a customer processor wherein the following steps are performed;

receiving the request for customer information from the first line of business at a request handler,

routing of the request for customer information by the request handler to a business services handler wherein the request for customer information is processed to obtain a location from a cross business, cross-channel customer activity database of a set of customer information that fulfills the request for customer information from the first line of business wherein the location of the set of customer information is at a second and third line of business and in a common database that is resident at the customer processor,

formatting of at least one fulfillment message in a common format by the business services handler to send to the second and third lines of business and the common database for the set of customer information that fulfills the request for customer information from the first line of business,

transmitting the at least one fulfillment message from the business services handler to the request handler,

interfacing by the request handler with the common database to obtain the set of customer information that is located therein to fulfill a part of the at least one fulfillment message and forwarding the part of customer information obtained from the common database to the business services handler,

transmitting the at least one fulfillment message over the information bus to the second and third lines of business whereby the at least one fulfillment message is received by the second and third lines of business respective adaptors dedicated to each line of business and in which the at least one fulfillment message is translated into a distinct format associated with the second and third lines of business respectively for processing of the at least one fulfillment message,

receiving a part of the set of customer information in response to the at least one fulfillment message from the second and third lines of businesses over the information bus from the second and third lines of business respective adaptors that have translated the part of the set of customer information into the common format,

transmitting the part of the set of customer information from the request handler to the business services handler,

aggregating the part of the set of customer information received from the second and third lines of business with the part of the set of customer information received from the common database into a single message consisting of a aggregated set of customer information in the common format for transmission back to the first line of business, and

transmitting the aggregated set of customer information to the first line of business via the information bus through the request handler, and

receiving, at the first line of business, using an adaptor dedicated to the first line of business, the aggregated set of customer information fulfilling the request for customer information whereby the aggregated set of customer information consists of customer information from the second and third lines of business and the common database.

24. A method for sharing customer information among a plurality of lines of business servers, the method comprising:

receiving a request for customer information at a request handler resident in a customer processor from a first line of business via an information bus whereby the request for customer information is routed from the first line of business by way of an adaptor dedicated to the first line of business that translates data from the first line of business'"'"'s distinct format into a common format and then transmits the data in the common format over the information bus;

routing of the request by the request handler to a business services handler wherein a plurality of locations containing a set of customer information fulfilling the request for customer information is determined by accessing a cross line of business, cross channel customer activity database;

formatting a at least one fulfillment message to request the set of customer information from the plurality of locations containing the set of customer information whereby the plurality of locations consists of one or more of a common database and a plurality of businesses databases that contain the set of customer information fulfilling the request for customer information;

transmitting the at least one fulfillment message via the request handler to the plurality of locations that contain the set of customer information;

receiving the set of customer information in response to the at least one fulfillment message information via the request handler over the information bus;

routing the information to the business services handler wherein the set of customer information is aggregated and transmitted back the request handler in one aggregated set of customer data in the common format; and

transmitting the aggregated set of customer information over the information bus to the first line of business wherein the aggregated set of customer information is received and translated into the first line of business'"'"'s unique format by its respective adaptor fulfilling the request for customer information.