Entity validation framework

• US 7,558,737 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Sudhi, Suraj
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischer; Andrew J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coppola; Jacob C
• Application Number:
  US11/307,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20070203851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 79, 705/38, 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/317
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A method is provided for validating one entity, say a business or job applicant, for another entity (the requesting entity), say another business, that includes the steps of, classifying the entity type to be validated based on one or more predefined classifiers of an entity, applying one or more validation rules based on the classification for the entity type to produce a validation request, providing a validation request to one or more validation entities that perform at least a portion of the validation in accordance with the validation rules, and providing a validation outcome to the requesting entity that allows the requesting entity to assess the business or job applicant based on the validation rules and the source of the validation outcomes. Such a system and framework allows businesses to perform checks in a more structured and efficient way and allows for the sharing of validation outcomes amongst like entities.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for validating one entity for another entity, comprising:

classifying an entity type of an entity to be validated based on one or more predefined entity classifiers;

selecting one or more validation rules based on the classification of the entity;

producing, by a computer of a requesting entity, a validation request including an identification of the entity to be validated and the selected one or more validation rules;

providing, by the computer, the validation request to one or more validation entities that perform at least a portion of the validation in accordance with the validation rules;

providing to the computer of the requesting entity a validation outcome of the validation; and

generating a validation request management display including an inbox icon, an outbox icon, an overview section, and a details section, wherein;

responsive to selection of the inbox icon, the overview section displays a list of validation outcomes that have been received and the details section displays detailed information regarding a selected one of the listed validation outcomes; and

responsive to selection of the outbox icon, the overview section displays a list of validation requests that have been provided to validation entities and the details section displays detailed information regarding a selected one of the listed validation requests.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the validation outcome includes one of an indication of positive and an indication of negative.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

creating one or more classifiers for determining an entity type.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

creating one or more validation rules.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the one or more validation entities, the validation request to one or more further validation entities other than the one or more validation entities.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the validation rules include a filter using predetermined criteria.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the validation rules are applied using a predetermined selection of validation criteria.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein all or a portion of the validation request can be provided from one of the one or more validation entities to another validation entity for complete or partial validation of the request.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the validation request includes at least one of (a) a minimum time to respond with at least a portion of the validation outcome and (b) a priority of the validation request.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the validation request is communicated in an eXtended Mark-up Language.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein a portion of the validation is performed by the requesting entity.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the validation entities includes a central database of validation related information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the validation outcome indicates credentials of the entity to be validated.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity type classification classifies a relationship of the entity to be validated to the requesting entity.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a display including a list of selectable validation rules associated with the entity type classification from which the one or validation rules are selected.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

saving, by the one or more validation entities, the validation outcome; and

subsequent to the computer receiving the validation outcome, the one or more validation entities using the saved validation outcome to respond to subsequent validation requests.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed detailed information regarding the selected one of the listed validation outcomes includes questions answered by the one or more validation entities when a first view button of the details section is selected and includes answers to the questions when a second view button of the details section is selected.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, when the second view button is selected, the displayed detailed information further includes an overall validation result.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the validation request management display further includes a publishing icon, responsive to selection of which, a selected one of the validation outcomes displayed in the overview section is added to a central repository for access of the validation outcomes by other validation requesting entities.

21. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more validation entities perform the at least the portion of the validation based on responses to the validation request received from the further validation entities.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the classification is received by the computer as user input.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the classification is performed by the computer.

13. A system for validating one entity for another entity, including:

a computer processor programmed to execute;

software classifying instructions for classification, via the execution of the classifying instructions, of an entity type of an entity to be validated based on one or more predefined entity classifiers;

software rule instructions for selection, via the execution of the rule instructions, of one or more validation rules based on the classification of the entity;

software request production instructions for producing a validation request from a requesting entity including an identification of the entity to be validated and the selected one or more validation rules;

software validation report instructions for providing the validation request to one or more validation entities that perform at least a portion of the validation in accordance with the validation rules;

software validation instructions for receiving by the requesting entity a validation outcome of the validation; and

software display generation instructions for generating a validation request management display including an inbox icon, an outbox icon, an overview section, and a details section;

wherein;

responsive to selection of the inbox icon, the overview section displays a list of validation outcomes that have been received and the details section displays detailed information regarding a selected one of the listed validation outcomes; and

responsive to selection of the outbox icon, the overview section displays a list of validation requests that have been provided to validation entities and the details section displays detailed information regarding a selected one of the listed validation requests.

24. A tangibly embodied computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which, when executed, cause a processor to perform a method for validating one entity for another entity, the method comprising:

classifying an entity type of an entity to be validated based on one or more predefined entity classifiers;

selecting one or more validation rules based on the classification of the entity;

producing, by a computer of a requesting entity, a validation request including an identification of the entity to be validated and the selected one or more validation rules;

providing, by the computer, the validation request to one or more validation entities that perform at least a portion of the validation in accordance with the validation rules;

receiving by the computer of the requesting entity a validation outcome of the validation; and

generating a validation request management display including an inbox icon, an outbox icon, an overview section, and a details section, wherein;

responsive to selection of the inbox icon, the overview section displays a list of validation outcomes that have been received and the details section displays detailed information regarding a selected one of the listed validation outcomes; and

responsive to selection of the outbox icon, the overview section displays a list of validation requests that have been provided to validation entities and the details section displays detailed information regarding a selected one of the listed validation requests.