Systems and methods for performing data collection

• US 7,698,159 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2004
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacific Life Insurance Company (Pacific Mutual Holding Company)
• Original Assignee: Genworth Financial Incorporated
• Inventors: Russell, Diane M., Perry, Timothy Patrick Jon, Metzger, Michael David
• Primary Examiner(s): Koppikar; Vivek D
• Application Number:
  US10/777,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20050182667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,251 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 4, 707/104.1, 707/100, 715221-226, 715/780
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for performing data collection of insurance related submitted data provided by an applicant for insurance on a submitted form. The system may comprise a data input portion that inputs the submitted form so that the submitted data on the submitted form is available to a data entry operator; and a data collector tool, which processes entered data that is entered by the data entry operator, onto an internal electronic form, based on the submitted data submitted by the applicant. The data collector may include a form flow portion that presents the data entry operator with a series of form flows for collection of the submitted data, the form flows progressing through various user interface screens in collection of the submitted data, the form flows using content sensitive logic; and a metadata portion that generates metadata, the metadata containing information about the entered data, the metadata being progressively generated during progression of the form flows through the various user interface screens.

Claims

1. A system that performs data collection of insurance related submitted data provided by an applicant for insurance on a submitted form, the system comprising:

a data input portion that inputs the submitted form so that the submitted data on the submitted form is available to a data entry operator, the submitted data containing insurance related data; and

a data collector tool, which processes entered data that is entered by the data entry operator, onto an internal electronic form, based on the submitted data submitted by the applicant, the data collector including;

a form flow portion that presents the data entry operator with a series of form flows for collection of the submitted data, the form flows progressing through various user interface screens in collection of the submitted data, the form flows using content sensitive logic; and

a metadata portion that generates metadata, the metadata containing information about the entered data, the metadata being progressively generated during progression of the form flows through the various user interface screens, the metadata portion being in the form of a tangibly embodied processing machine, the information contained in the metadata including a characteristic of the entered data; and

the system performing subsequent processing of the entered data based on the characteristic; and

wherein the metadata being progressively generated is constituted by metadata being generated in conjunction with presentment of each of a plurality of the various user interface screens during the progression of a form flow.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the metadata is based on input by the data entry operator.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the metadata portion presents the data entry operator with a plurality of metadata to choose from so as to capture information about the entered data.

4. The system of claim 3, data collector tool provides the data entry operator with the ability to reflect deficient information on the submitted form in conjunction with identifying the deficient information with metadata.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the deficient information includes at least one of altered information, blank information, and unreadable information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the metadata portion presents the metadata to the data entry operator using labels that are each associated with at least one field on the internal electronic form.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the metadata portion presents the metadata to the data entry operator using labels by modifying the labels using font attributes.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the font attributes include one of color, bold, underline and italics.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the data entry operator controls the operation of the metadata portion using hotkeys, such that the data entry operator controls the labeling of fields using metadata as the data entry operator desires, the hotkeys comprising a series of keystrokes.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein a single label containing the metadata is associated with a single field on the internal electronic form.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein a single label containing the metadata is associated with a plurality of fields on the internal electronic form.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collector tool further includes a validation portion, the validation portion performing validation checks on the entered data entered on the internal electronic form.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the validation portion performs a validation process on a field upon exiting the field.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the internal electronic form is arranged based on pages of the internal electronic form, the validation portion performs a validation process on a page upon exiting the page.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the data tool collector allows a subsequent user to vary the metadata of the internal electronic form after initial entry by the data entry operator and to properly reflect that correction.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the data input portion processes a scanned version of the submitted form and presents the scanned version of the submitted form to the data entry operator via the user interface.

17. A computer-implemented method that performs data collection of insurance related submitted data provided by an applicant for insurance on a submitted form, the method comprising:

inputting, by a tangibly embodied processing machine, the submitted form so that the submitted data on the submitted form is available to a data entry operator, the submitted data containing insurance related data;

performing, by the tangibly embodied processing machine, a data collection process by which entered data is entered by the data entry operator onto an internal electronic form, based on the submitted data submitted by the applicant, the performing a data collection process including;

generating a form flow progression that presents the data entry operator with a series of form flows for collection of the submitted data, the form flows progressing through various user interface screens in collection of the submitted data, the form flows using content sensitive logic;

selectively generating metadata associated with the entered data, the metadata containing information about the entered data, the metadata being progressively generated during progression of the form flows through the various interface screens, the information contained in the metadata including a characteristic of the entered data; and

the method including performing subsequent processing of the entered data based on the characteristic; and

wherein the metadata being progressively generated is constituted by metadata being generated in conjunction with presentment of each of a plurality of the various user interface screens during the progression of a form flow.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the metadata is based on input by the data entry operator.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the data entry operator is presented with a plurality of metadata to choose from so as to capture information about the entered data.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the metadata is presented in the form of labels that are each associated with at least one field on the internal electronic form.

21. A computer readable medium that performs data collection of insurance related submitted data provided by an applicant for insurance on a submitted form, the computer readable medium being tangibly embodied, the computer readable medium comprising:

a first portion that inputs the submitted form so that the submitted data on the submitted form is available to a data entry operator;

a second portion, which processes entered data that is entered by the data entry operator, onto an internal electronic form, based on the submitted data submitted by the applicant, the second portion including;

a third portion that presents the data entry operator with a series of form flows for collection of the submitted data, the form flows progressing through various user interface screens in collection of the submitted data, the form flows using content sensitive logic;

a fourth portion that generates metadata, the metadata containing information about the entered data, the metadata being progressively generated during progression of the form flows through the various user interface screens, the information contained in the metadata including a characteristic of the entered data; and

a fifth portion that performs subsequent processing of the entered data based on the characteristic; and

wherein the metadata being progressively generated is constituted by metadata being generated in conjunction with presentment of each of a plurality of the various user interface screens during the progression of a form flow.

22. A system that performs data collection of insurance related submitted data provided by an applicant for insurance on a submitted form, the system comprising:

a data input portion that inputs the submitted form so that the submitted data on the submitted form is available to a data entry operator;

a data collector tool, being in the form of a tangibly embodied processing machine, which processes entered data that is entered by the data entry operator, onto an internal electronic form, based on the submitted data submitted by the applicant, the data collector including;

a form flow portion that presents the data entry operator with a series of form flows for collection of the submitted data, the form flows progressing through various user interface screens in collection of the submitted data, the form flows using content sensitive logic, and the form flows using content sensitive logic including;

determining whether first information or second information is in a field of a user interface screen;

the form flow portion being provided to, upon detecting that the first information is entered into the field, generate a first set of questions based on the detecting of the first information; and

the form flow portion being provided to, upon detecting that the second information is entered into the field, generate a second set of questions based on the detecting of the second information;

a metadata portion that generates metadata, the metadata containing information about the entered data, the metadata being progressively generated during progression of the form flows through the various user interface screens, the metadata being progressively generated is constituted by metadata being generated in conjunction with presentment of each of a plurality of the various user interface screens during the progression of a form flow, the information contained in the metadata including a characteristic of the entered data; and

the system performing subsequent processing of the entered data based on the characteristic;

wherein the metadata portion presents the data entry operator with a plurality of metadata to choose from so as to capture information about the entered data, and the data collector tool provides the data entry operator with the ability to reflect deficient information on the submitted form in conjunction with identifying the deficient information with metadata; and

wherein the metadata portion presents the metadata to the data entry operator using labels that are each associated with at least one field on the internal electronic form.