Order tracking system and method using trigger events

• US 8,117,086 B1
• Filed: 05/04/2006
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rbs Lynk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rbs Lynk, Inc.
• Inventors: Utz, Karl, Sanford, Sharon, Cliche, Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zukanovich, Brandy A
• Application Number:
  US11/381,656
• Time in Patent Office: 2,112 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.1, 705/26.81, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.81
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

An order tracking system comprising an interface to an order tracking database for users such as sales agents and sales managers to quickly find orders and track them as they progress. The order tracking system may track merchant orders for payment processing equipment to be installed in one or more business locations and the initiation of related payment processing services using the installed equipment. Trigger events within multiple internal computerized business applications are communicated to the order tracking system where they are stored in the order tracking database. The computerized applications that are used to manage internal business may track many activities and events, some of which are trigger events, that result in updates to the order tracking database. The trigger events from the various internal business applications allow a user of the present invention to obtain a comprehensive view of the status of an order for a payment processing solution.

Claims

1. A computerized method for providing status information for an order for a product or service comprising:

developing a plurality of computerized business applications, each of said computerized business applications comprising functionality for recording data related to a plurality of order completion activities for an order for a product or service;

modifying each of said plurality of computerized business applications to execute a stored procedure upon suspension of one of said plurality of activities for said order for said product or service recorded by said computerized business application;

communicating data related to suspension of one of said plurality of activities to an order tracking database;

adding to said order tracking database a suspend event record for said activity, said suspend event record comprising;

(1) an activity identifier identifying said activity related to said order;

(2) a suspended activity identifier providing a description of a suspended activity related to said order; and

(3) a suspended reason identifier for recording a resolution to said suspended activity; and

providing an interface to said order tracking database to obtain suspension status data for said order for said product or service according to said suspended activity; and

displaying for a user of said interface;

(1) suspension status data comprising suspended activities for said order for said product or service from said order tracking database; and

(2) for each suspended activity, said description and said resolution for said suspended activity.

2. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein communicating data related to said suspension comprises communicating data in response to a system generated action.

3. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein communicating data related to said suspension comprises communicating data in response to a user generated action.

4. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein displaying for a user of said interface suspension status data for said order for said product or service comprises organizing said status data in steps for said order.

5. The computerized method of claim 4 wherein said steps for said order comprise an order entry step, an order approval step, an order fulfillment step, a shipping step, and an installation step.

6. The computerized method for claim 4 further comprising associating a status indicator with each of said steps.

7. The computerized method of claim 6 wherein said status indicator is selected from the group consisting of “

in process,”

“

complete,”

“

pend,” and

“

cancel.”

8. The computerized method of claim 1 wherein said product or service is a payment processing system.

9. A computerized system for providing status information for an order for a product or service comprising:

an order tracking database for storing trigger event data related to order completion activities for said product or service;

a queue processor for evaluating and adding trigger event data to said order tracking database;

at least one computer executing a plurality of computerized business applications, each of said computerized business applications comprising functionality for recording order completion activity data for an order for a product or service;

at least one stored procedure for use by each of said plurality of computerized business applications to transmit suspend trigger event data to said queue processor, said suspend trigger event data related to a suspension of said order completion activity data for said order for said product or service recorded by said computerized business applications and comprising;

(1) an activity identifier identifying said activity related to said order;

(2) a suspended activity identifier providing a description of a suspended activity related to said order; and

(3) a suspended reason identifier for recording a resolution to said suspended activity; and

an interface to said order tracking database for presenting to a user suspension status data for said order for said product or service, said suspension status data related to said trigger event data in said order tracking database and comprising;

(1) suspension status data comprising suspended activities for said order for said product or service from said order tracking database; and

(2) for each suspended activity, said description and said resolution for said suspended activity.

10. The computerized system of claim 9 wherein said trigger event data comprises data related to a system generated action.

11. The computerized system of claim 9 wherein trigger event data comprises data related to a user generated action.

12. The computerized system of claim 9 wherein said interface for presenting to a user suspension status data for said order organizes said status data in steps for said order.

13. The computerized system of claim 12 wherein said steps for said order comprise an order entry step, an order approval step, an order fulfillment step, a shipping step, and an installation step.

14. The computerized system of claim 9 further comprising associating a status indicator with each of said steps.

15. The computerized system of claim 14 wherein said status indicator is selected from the group consisting of “

in process,”

“

complete,”

“

pend,” and

“

cancel.”

16. The computerized system of claim 9 wherein said product or service is a payment processing system.

17. A computerized method for displaying order status information for an order comprising:

(a) storing in an order tracking database order data for said order, said order data comprising;

(i) an order identifier;

(ii) step data for a plurality of steps to be completed to process said order;

(iii) activity data for a plurality of activities to be completed for each step wherein each activity comprises a plurality of events to be completed;

(b) receiving at computer server in a queue processor executing at said server at least one suspend trigger from a business application for processing said order, said suspend event comprising;

(i) an activity identifier identifying an activity within a step for said order; and

(ii) a suspended activity identifier identifying a suspended activity related to said activity;

(c) storing in said order tracking database for said order a suspend event record comprising said activity identifier and said suspended activity identifier; and

(d) receiving at said computer server a user request to access status data for said order;

(e) in response to receiving said request to access status data for said order, providing to said user status data comprising;

(i) said order identifier; and

(ii) a suspended activity indicator related to said suspend event record for said order.

18. The computerized method of claim 17 further comprising receiving at said computer server a user request to view details of said suspend event record, said details comprising:

(1) said activity identifier identifying an activity within a step for said order; and

(2) said suspended activity identifier identifying a suspended activity related to said activity.

19. The computerized method of claim 18 wherein said suspended activity identifier comprises a reason for suspending said step within said order.

20. The computerized method of claim 17 wherein status data for said order comprises said suspended activity indicator until status data is updated with a resolution for said suspended activity.