Method and apparatus for court date calculation engine

• US 20030182169A1
• Filed: 07/22/2002
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aderant CompuLaw LLC (Varnum LLP)
• Original Assignee: Compulaw LLC
• Inventors: Rains, Ricky J., Kalmick, David J., Manners, Alexander J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,171,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating court dates. A Date Calculation Engine (DCE) is coupled to a court date server and a court rule database for generation of court dates. The court rule database includes formulas written in a Date Calculation Scripting Language (DCSL) for calculating the court dates. The court rules further include instructions for generating a Jurisdiction Selection Expert (JSE) and an Event Selection Expert (ESE) that enable a user to quickly select a jurisdiction and an event using hierarchal data structures. The DCE is combined with other software components to build a complete court date server system.

Claims

1. A method for calculating a court date, comprising:

receiving event data for an event;

receiving a court rule for the court date, the court rule including event date calculation instructions for calculating the court date; and

calculating the court date using the event date calculation instructions and the event data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event is a trigger event, the method further comprising calculating a plurality of court dates related to the trigger event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the trigger event is related to a branching trigger event, the method further comprising calculating a plurality of additional court dates for the branching trigger event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the date calculation instructions are included in a formula including a date calculation expression written in a Date Calculation Scripting Language (DCSL).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a date a specified number of units in a specified direction.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a date to a specified day of the week.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a specified date to a next court workday.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a specified date to a previous court workday.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a specified date to a date defined at a matter level.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a date to the end of a week.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a date to the beginning of a week.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes an assignment statement for assigning a value to a variable.

13. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to calculate a date based on another date.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to complete a date using a specified formula.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to find a difference in days between two dates.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to delete a date calculated using a specified formula.

17. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to retrieve a date of an event whose calculation is based on a specified formula.

18. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a date conditional statement.

19. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a conditional statement testing the existence of a date.

20. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to return a latest date from a set of dates.

21. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to mark a date so that the date is no longer calculated.

43. The method of claim 4, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to return an earliest date from a set of dates.

22. A data processing system for generating a court date by a date calculation engine, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and having program instructions stored therein, the processor being operable to execute the program instructions, the program instructions including;

receiving event data for an event;

receiving a court rule for the court date, the court rule including event date calculation instructions for calculating the court date; and

calculating the court date using the event date calculation instructions and the event data.

23. The data processing system of claim 22, wherein the event is a trigger event, the method further comprising calculating a plurality of court dates related to the trigger event.

24. The data processing system of claim 23, wherein the trigger event is related to a branching trigger event, the method further comprising calculating a plurality of additional court dates for the branching trigger event.

25. The data processing system of claim 22, wherein the date calculation instructions are included in a formula including a date calculation expression written in a Date Calculation Scripting Language (DCSL).

26. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a date a specified number of units in a specified direction.

27. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a date to a specified day of the week.

28. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a specified date to a next court workday.

29. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a specified date to a previous court workday.

30. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a specified date to a date defined at a matter level.

31. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a date to the end of a week.

32. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to adjust a date to the beginning of a week.

33. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes an assignment statement for assigning a value to a variable.

34. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to calculate a date based on another date.

35. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to complete a date using a specified formula.

36. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to find a difference in days between two dates.

37. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to delete a date calculated using a specified formula.

38. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to retrieve a date of an event whose calculation is based on a specified formula.

39. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a date conditional statement.

40. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a conditional statement testing the existence of a date.

41. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to return a 1 date from a set of dates.

42. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to mark a date so that the date is no longer calculated.

44. The data processing system of claim 25, wherein the DCSL includes a statement to return an earliest date from a set of dates.