Workflow management system for generating output material based on customer input

• US 8,452,809 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nagda, Jagdish Mooljee, Nielsen, Robert Curt, Peper, Gerri Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Vital, Pierre
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Taelor
• Application Number:
  US11/697,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20070192358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,244 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/2, 707/9, 700/221, 709/206, 709/219, 709/205
• US Class Current: 707/776
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for automated creation and delivery for generating output material. A customer record is generated in a customer database to include fields specifying at least one product, customer preferences, and a selected output method to deliver generated output material on the product specified in the customer record. At least one customer record in the customer database is received to process. A template including at least one query of a content database is processed. The at least one query included in the template using at least one value from the customer record is executed against the content database to access at least one content file. The content of each accessed content file is generated into the output material. A determination is made of a selected one of a plurality of delivery options from the customer record. The output material is transmitted via the determined delivery option to the customer specified in the customer record.

Claims

1. An automated creation and delivery method for generating output material, comprising:

a computer generating a customer record in a customer database to include fields specifying at least one of a product preference, a service preference, and a customer preference;

the computer processing a template including first and second containers specifying the output material to generate, wherein the first container includes static content and the second container includes a query that uses at least one of the customer preference, the service preference and the product preference from the customer record as criteria to search a content database for one of a plurality of content files, wherein the template includes a layout indicating how the static content from the first container and content in one of the content files returned from the query are generated in the output material;

the computer executing the query using the at least one of the customer preference, the service preference, and the product preference from the customer record to search the content database to access one of the content files having metadata in the content database matching the at least one of the customer preference, the service preference and the product preference from the customer record used in the query, wherein the metadata includes values that correspond to the fields in the customer records in the customer database; and

the computer incorporating both the content of the accessed content file and the static content from the first container in the template into the output material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer record includes information on a company including a company size, company background, and services.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the template includes:

an introduction container that includes an introduction query that when executed by the computer causes the computer to use the company size and company background information in the customer record to query the content database; and

at least one paragraph container, wherein each paragraph container includes a paragraph query that uses the service information in the customer record to query the content database for a content file matching the queried service requested by the company.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the content file accessed from the content database in response to executing the introduction query includes information specific to the company operations.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the content file accessed from the content database in response to executing the paragraph query includes information on a service requested by the company in the customer record.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein executing, by the computer, the query included in the second container using at least one parameter value from the customer record against the content database to access the content file having metadata in the content database matching the used at least one parameter value from the customer record, further comprises;

accessing the at least one parameter value in a field in one customer record to include in the query against the content database; and

applying the query against the content database to determine at least one record associated the content file including fields matching the query, wherein the accessed content file is associated with the at least one determined record.

19. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and one or more computer-readable programs which are stored on the one or more storage devices and when executed by the computer of claim 1 performs the method of claim 1.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer record further indicates a selected output method to deliver output material on the product specified in the customer record, further comprising:

the computer determining a selected one of a plurality of delivery options from the customer record; and

the computer transmitting the output material via the determined delivery option to the customer specified in the customer record.

7. A computer system, comprising:

at least one database server including;

a customer database including customer records having fields specifying at least one of a product preference, a service preference, and a customer preference;

a content database including multiple content files;

a computer executed including one or more processors, one or more memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and computer-readable program instructions which are stored on the one or more storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories and when executed by the one or more processors;

process a template including first and second containers specifying output material to generate, wherein the first container includes static content and the second container includes a query that uses at least one of the customer preference, the service preference and the product preference from the customer record as criteria to search the content database for one of the content files, wherein the template includes a layout indicating how the static content from the first container and content in one of the content files returned from the query are generated in the output material;

execute the query using the at least one of the customer preference, the service preference, and the product preference from the customer record to search the content database to access one of the content files having metadata in the content database matching the at least one of the customer preference, the service preference and the product preference from the customer record, wherein the metadata includes values that correspond to files in the customer records in the customer database;

incorporating both the content of the accessed content file and the static content from the first container into the output material.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the customer record includes information on a company including a company size, company background, and services.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the template includes:

an introduction container that includes an introduction query that uses the company size and company background information in the customer record to query the content database; and

at least one paragraph container, wherein each paragraph container includes a paragraph query that uses the service information in the customer record to query the content database for a content file matching the queried service requested by the company.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the content file accessed from the content database in response to executing the introduction query includes information specific to the company operations.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the content file accessed from the content database in response to executing the paragraph query includes information on a service requested by the company in the customer record.

12. The computer system of claim 7, further comprising:

wherein the at least one or more programs stored in the one or more computer readable tangible storage devices executed by the computer, execute the query included in the second container using at least one parameter value from the customer record against the content database to access the content file having metadata in the content database matching the used at least one value from the customer record by further performing;

accessing the at least one parameter value in a field in one customer record to include in the query against the content database; and

applying the query against the content database to determine at least one record associated with the content file including fields matching the query, wherein the accessed content file is associated with the at least one determined record.

21. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the customer record further indicates a selected output method to deliver output material on the product specified in the customer record, and wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors:

determine a selected one of a plurality of delivery options from the customer record; and

transmit the output material via the determined delivery option to the customer specified in the customer record.

13. A computer program product for automatically creating and delivering output material, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and one or more computer programs stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, the one or more computer programs having program instructions comprising;

program instructions to generate a customer record in a customer database to include fields specifying at least one of a product preference, a service preference, and a customer preference;

program instructions to process a template including a first and second containers specifying the output material to generate, wherein the first container includes static content and the second container includes a query that uses at least one of the customer preference, the service preference and the product preference from the customer record as criteria to search a content database for one of a plurality of content files, wherein the template includes a layout indicating how the static content from the first container and content in one of the content files returned from the query are generated in the output material;

program instructions to execute the query using the at least one of the customer preference, the service preference, and the product preference from the customer record to search the content database to access one of the content files having metadata in the content database matching the at least one of the customer preference, the service preference and the product preference from the customer record, wherein the metadata includes values that correspond to files in the customer records in the customer database, wherein the content database includes multiple content files; and

program instructions to incorporate both the content of the accessed content file and the static content from the first container into the output material.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the customer record includes information on a company including a company size, company background, and services.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the template includes:

an introduction container that includes an introduction query that uses the company size and company background information in the customer record to query the content database; and

at least one paragraph container, wherein each paragraph container includes a paragraph query that uses the service information in the customer record to query the content database for a content file matching the queried service requested by the company.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the content file accessed from the content database in response to executing the introduction query includes information specific to the company operations.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the content file accessed from the content database in response to executing the paragraph query includes information on a service requested by the company in the customer record.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices to execute the query included in the second container using at least one parameter value from the customer record against the content database to access the content file having metadata in the content database matching the used at least one parameter value from the customer record by performing:

accessing the at least one parameter value in a field in one customer record to include in the query against the content database; and

applying the query against the content database to determine at least one record associated with the content file including fields matching the query, wherein the accessed content file is associated with the at least one determined record.

22. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the customer record further indicates a selected output method to deliver output material on the product specified in the customer record, wherein the one or more computer programs having program instructions further comprising:

program instructions to determine a selected one of a plurality of delivery options from the customer record; and

program instructions to transmit the output material via the determined delivery option to the customer specified in the customer record.