System automating delivery of professional services

• US 5,895,468 A
• Filed: 10/07/1996
• Issued: 04/20/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WhitServe LLC
• Original Assignee: Wesley W Whitmyer Jr (Wesley W. Whitmyer)
• Inventors: Whitmyer, Wesley W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Application Number:
  US08/726,999
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9, 707/10, 707/513, 707/505-508, 707/501, 705/26, 705/1-9, 705/27, 395/200.33, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.49
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A device for automatically delivering professional services to a client is provided. The device includes a computer and a database containing a plurality of client reminders. The device also includes software executing on the computer for automatically querying the database by date to retrieve a client reminder, for automatically generating a client response form based on the retrieved client reminder, and for automatically transmitting the client response form to the client through a communication link between the computer and the Internet.

Claims

1. A device for automatically delivering professional services to a client comprising:

a computer;

a database containing a plurality of client reminders, each of the client reminders comprising a date field having a value attributed thereto;

software executing on said computer for automatically querying said database by the values attributed to each client reminder date field to retrieve a client reminder;

software executing on said computer for automatically generating a client response form based on the retrieved client reminder;

a communication link between said computer and the Internet;

software executing on said computer for automatically transmitting the client response form to the client through said communication link; and

,

software executing on said computer for automatically receiving a reply to the response form from the client through said communication link.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising software executing on said computer for automatically generating a response based on the reply, and for automatically transmitting the response to a third party.

3. The device of claim 2 further comprising software executing on said computer for automatically updating said database based on the reply.

4. The device of claim 3 further comprising software executing on said computer for automatically generating a confirmation based on the reply, and for automatically transmitting the confirmation to the client through said communication link.

5. A device for automatically delivering professional services to a client comprising:

a computer;

a docket database containing a plurality of client reminders, each client reminder including a matter identification number and a type of reminder identification, each of the client reminders also comprising a date field having a value attributed thereto;

software executing on said computer for automatically querying said database by the values attributed to each client reminder date field to retrieve a client reminder;

a client information database containing a plurality of client information;

software executing on said computer for automatically querying said client information database by the matter identification number to retrieve client information;

a forms database containing a plurality of response forms;

software executing on said computer for automatically querying said forms database by the type of reminder identification to retrieve a response form;

software executing on said computer for automatically merging the date and the client information with the response form;

a communication link between said computer and the Internet;

software executing on said computer for automatically transmitting the client response form to the client through said communication link; and

,

software executing on said computer for automatically receiving a reply to the response form from the client through said communication link.

6. The device of claim 5 further comprising software executing on said computer for automatically generating a response based on the reply, and for automatically transmitting the response to a third party.

7. The device of claim 6 further comprising software executing on said computer for automatically updating said database based on the reply.

8. The device of claim 7 further comprising software executing on said computer for automatically generating a confirmation based on the reply, and for automatically transmitting the confirmation to the client through said communication link.

9. A device for automatically delivering professional services to a client comprising:

a computer;

a database containing a plurality of client reminders each of the client reminders comprising a date field having a value attributed thereto;

software executing on said computer for automatically querying said database by the values attributed to each client reminder date field to retrieve a client reminder;

software executing on said computer for automatically generating a client response form and a notice based on the retrieved client reminder, the notice containing a URL;

a web server;

software executing on said computer for automatically transmitting the client response form to said web server and for automatically transmitting the notice to the client; and

,

software executing on said web server for automatically transmitting the response form to the client when the URL is activated and for automatically receiving a reply to the response form from the client.

10. The device of claim 9 further comprising software executing on said web server for automatically generating a response based on the reply, and for automatically transmitting the response to a third party.

11. The device of claim 10 further comprising software executing on said web server for automatically updating said database based on the reply.

12. The device of claim 11 further comprising software executing on said web server for automatically generating a confirmation based on the reply, and for automatically transmitting the confirmation to the client.

13. The device of claim 9 further comprising:

software executing on said web server for automatically generating a notice of reply based on the reply, and for automatically transmitting the notice of reply to said computer; and

software executing on said computer for automatically receiving the notice of reply from said web server.

14. The device of claim 13 further comprising software executing on said computer for automatically generating a response based on the notice of reply, and for automatically transmitting the response to a third party.

15. The device of claim 14 further comprising software executing on said computer for automatically updating said database based on the notice of reply.

16. The device of claim 15 further comprising software executing on said computer for automatically generating a confirmation based on the notice of reply, and for automatically transmitting the confirmation to the client.

17. The device of claim 9 wherein said database comprises a docket database containing a plurality of client reminders, each of the client reminders including a matter identification number and a type of reminder identification, and wherein said software executing on said computer for automatically generating a client response form and a notice based on the retrieved client reminder, the notice containing a URL comprises:

a client information database containing a plurality of client information;

software executing on said computer for automatically querying said client information database by the matter identification number to retrieve client information;

a response forms database containing a plurality of response forms;

software executing on said computer for automatically querying said response forms database by the type of reminder identifier to retrieve a response form;

software executing on said computer for automatically merging the date and the client information with the response form; and

,

software executing on said computer for automatically merging the date and the client information with a notice, the notice containing a URL.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the reply to the response form contains an action type and an action request, and further comprising;

an action forms database containing a plurality of action forms;

software executing on said web server for automatically querying said action forms database by the action type to retrieve an action form, for automatically merging the action request with the action form, and for automatically transmitting the action form to a third party.

19. The device of claim 18 further comprising software executing on said web server for automatically updating said docket database based on the reply.

20. The device of claim 19 further comprising software executing on said web server for automatically generating a confirmation based on the reply, and for automatically transmitting the confirmation to the client.

21. The device of claim 17 further comprising:

software executing on said web server for automatically generating a notice of reply, the notice of reply containing an action type and an action request, and for automatically transmitting the notice of reply to said computer;

an action forms database containing a plurality of action forms;

software executing on said computer for automatically receiving the notice of reply from said web server, for automatically querying said action forms database by the action type to retrieve an action form, for automatically merging the action request with the action form, and for automatically transmitting the action form to a third party.

22. The device of claim 21 further comprising software executing on said computer for automatically updating said docket database based on the notice of reply.

23. The device of claim 22 further comprising software executing on said computer for automatically generating a confirmation based on the notice of reply, and for automatically transmitting the confirmation to the client.

24. A method for automatically delivering professional services to a client comprising the steps of:

providing a computer;

providing a database containing a plurality of client reminders, each of the client reminders comprising a date field having a value attributed thereto;

querying said database by the values attributed to each client reminder date field to retrieve a client reminder;

generating a client response form from the retrieved client reminder;

establishing a communication link between said computer and the Internet;

transmitting said client response form to the client through said communication link; and

,

receiving a reply to the response form from the client through said communication link.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising the steps of:

generating a response based on the reply; and

transmitting the response to a third party.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of updating said database based on the reply.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising the steps of:

generating a confirmation based on the reply; and

transmitting the confirmation to the client through said communication link.