Forecasting discovery costs based on complex and incomplete facts
First Claim
1. A system for forecasting discovery costs comprising:
- a memory; and
a processor, the processor configured to implement instructions stored in the memory, the memory storing executable instructions, the processor comprising;
a trend engine that receives historical facts relating to past and current discovery and generates at least one model based on quantities and qualities of the historical facts;
an expert review user interface (UI) that receives user input and that transmits the user input to a forecasting engine, wherein the user input includes input of a degree of progress within a matter lifecycle for a current discovery matter; and
a forecasting engine that receives the at least one model and current facts, generates a discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter based on the at least one model and the current facts, receives the user input from the expert review UI, overwrites one or more steps of the discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter with the user input, and generates an updated discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The discovery cost forecasting system uses incomplete information to generate forecasts of discovery expenses. Models are generated with different levels of granularity depending upon the available facts and user preferences. An expert provides real-time information to improve the accuracy of the predictions. A scenario analysis is generated that evaluates how changes to the parameters of the matter could affect the forecasted cost. An estimate is generated of the degree of advancement of the matter in its lifecycle as part of the cost forecast. The cost associated with each data source and custodian is tracked and reported. A configurable and extensible cost equation is defined. A dashboard user interface is generated to monitor the entire portfolio to extract easy to understand facts, trends, and early warning signs related to discovery cost management.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A system for forecasting discovery costs comprising:
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a memory; and a processor, the processor configured to implement instructions stored in the memory, the memory storing executable instructions, the processor comprising; a trend engine that receives historical facts relating to past and current discovery and generates at least one model based on quantities and qualities of the historical facts; an expert review user interface (UI) that receives user input and that transmits the user input to a forecasting engine, wherein the user input includes input of a degree of progress within a matter lifecycle for a current discovery matter; and a forecasting engine that receives the at least one model and current facts, generates a discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter based on the at least one model and the current facts, receives the user input from the expert review UI, overwrites one or more steps of the discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter with the user input, and generates an updated discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A computer-implemented method for forecasting discovery costs on a computer comprising a processor and a memory, the processor configured to implement steps stored in the memory, comprising:
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receiving, with the computer, historical facts about past and current discovery; generating, with the computer, at least one model based on the historical facts; generating, with the computer, a discovery cost forecast for a current discovery matter based on an extrapolation of the at least one model to current facts; receiving, with the computer, input from a user that modifies a degree of progress within a matter lifecycle for the current discovery matter; overwriting, with the computer, any steps of the discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter with the input from the user; and updating, with the computer, the discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. A system for forecasting discovery costs comprising:
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a memory; and a processor, the processor configured to implement instructions stored in the memory, the memory storing executable instructions, the processor comprising; a trend engine that receives historical facts relating to past and current discovery, and generates at least one model based on the historical facts; a scenario analysis user interface (UI) that receives user input and that transmits the user input to a forecasting engine, wherein the user input includes input of a degree of progress within a matter lifecycle for a current discovery matter; and a forecasting engine that receives the at least one model and current facts, generates a discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter based on extrapolation of the at least one model to the current facts, receives the user input from the scenario analysis UI, overwrites one or more steps of the discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter with the user input, and generates a forecast scenario for the current discovery matter based on the at least one model, the current facts, and the user input. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A computer-implemented method for forecasting discovery costs on a computer comprising a processor and a memory, the processor configured to implement steps stored in the memory, comprising:
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receiving, with the computer, historical facts about past and current discovery; generating, with the computer, at least one model based on the historical facts; generating, with the computer, a discovery cost forecast for a current discovery matter based on an extrapolation of the at least one model to current facts; receiving, with the computer, user input for a scenario analysis of the current discovery matter, wherein the user input includes input of a degree of progress within a matter lifecycle for the current discovery matter; overwriting, with the computer, one or more steps of the discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter with the user input; and generating a first forecast scenario for the current discovery matter based on the at least one model, the current facts, and the user input. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for forecasting discovery costs comprising:
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a memory; and a processor, the processor configured to implement instructions stored in the memory, the memory storing executable instructions, the processor comprising; a trend engine that receives historical facts relating to past and current discovery, and generates at least one model based on the historical facts; and a forecasting engine that receives the at least one model and current facts, estimates at least one matter lifecycle key indicator that represents one or more dimensions of a level of progress of a current discovery matter in its lifecycle, and generates a discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter based on the at least one model, the current facts, and the at least one matter lifecycle key indicator. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A computer-implemented method for forecasting discovery costs on a computer comprising a processor and a memory, the processor configured to implement steps stored in the memory, comprising:
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receiving, with the computer, historical facts about current and past discovery; generating, with the computer, at least one model based on the historical facts; estimating at least one matter lifecycle key indicator that represents one or more dimensions of a level of progress of a current discovery matter in its lifecycle; and generating, with the computer, a discovery cost forecast for the current discovery matter based on the at least one model, current facts, and the at least one matter lifecycle key indicator. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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Specification