Case management for a personal injury plaintiff's law office using a relational database

• US 6,098,070 A
• Filed: 06/09/1998
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hipersoft Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hipersoft Corporation
• Inventors: Maxwell, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JUNG, DAVID YIUK
• Application Number:
  US09/094,203
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

An electronic case manager for a personal injury plaintiffs law office in which client and defendant level data related to an injury incident are collected and organized in an efficient manner. The electronic case manager include a relational database having a number of tables, and a database management program.

Claims

1. An electronic case manager for a personal injury plaintiffs law office in which client and defendant level data related to an injury incident are collected, the electronic case manager including a computer having a storage device, an output device, and system software for inputting, managing and outputting case data comprising:

(a) a data structure programmed and arranged for classifying data in a relational structure comprising a plurality of tables, the tables comprising plural records relating to personal injury-causing incidents, each record comprising at least one field, the tables comprising;

(i) a clients table for storing information about clients in client records,

(ii) a defendants table for storing information about prospective and actual defendants for claims by law office clients for personal injuries in defendant records,

(iii) an insurers table for storing information about insurers in insurer records,

(iv) an attorneys table for storing information storing about defense and insurance attorneys in attorney records,

(v) an incidents table for storing information about injury-causing incidents in incidents records,

(vi) a property damage table for storing information about property damage in property damage records,

(vii) a loss of earning table for storing information about loss of earnings in loss of earnings records,

(viii) a medical bills table for storing information about medical bills in medical bills records,

(ix) a witnesses table for storing information about witnesses in witness records,

(x) an expert witnesses table for storing information about expert witnesses in expert witness records,

(xi) an evidence table for storing information about evidence in evidence records,

(xii) a litigation table for storing information about litigation in litigation records,

(xiii) a depositions table for storing information about depositions in deposition records,

(xiv) a discovery table for storing information about discovery in discovery records,

(xv) a motions table for storing information about motions in motion records,

(xvi) a costs table for storing information about court costs in costs records,

(xvii) an arbitrations table for storing information about arbitrations in arbitration records,

(xviii) a police reports table for storing information about police reports in police report records

wherein the tables are linked through certain identical fields, the linkages comprising;

a file number field is included in and required in the records of the clients table, the defendants table, the insurers table, the attorneys table, the incidents table, the property damage table, the loss of earning table, the medical bills table, the witnesses table, the expert witnesses table, the evidence table, the litigation table, the depositions table, the discovery table, the motions table, the costs table, the arbitrations table and the police reports table, the file number field comprising a unique reference number for referencing incidents,

a client name field is included in and required in the records of the clients table, the loss of earning table, the medical bills table, the discovery table and the costs table, the client name field comprising a client'"'"'s name and is unique in each table for each file number,

(b) a database manager programmed and arranged for managing the data structure to allow users to generate documents on the output device,

(i) the database manager including instructions for merging data stored in records in the tables with document templates in accordance with predefined merge rules,

(ii) the database manager managing the data structure in accordance with predefined structure rules, the structure rules including;

1) for each incident there will be at least one client record,

2) for each incident there will be at least one defendant record,

3) for each incident there will be at least one insurer record,

4) for each incident there may be one or more attorney records,

5) for each incident there will be only one incident record,

6) for each incident there may be one or more property damage records,

7) for each incident there may be one or more loss of earnings records,

8) for each incident there may be one or more medical bills records,

9) for each incident there may be one or more witness records,

10) for each incident there may be one or more expert witness records,

11) for each incident there may be one or more evidence records,

12) for each incident there may be one litigation record,

13) for each incident there may be one or more deposition records,

14) for each incident there may be one or more discovery records,

15) for each incident there may be one or more motion records,

16) for each incident there may be one or more costs records.

2. The electronic case manager for a personal injury plaintiffs law office set forth in claim 1, the client records comprising:

(a) a file number field for storing the file number associated with the given incident,

(b) a name field for storing a name of a given client having an injury arising from the given incident,

(c) an address field for storing the given client'"'"'s mailing address,

(d) a date of birth field for storing the given client'"'"'s date of birth,

(e) a first government identification field for storing the given client'"'"'s drivers licence number,

(f) a second government identification field for storing the given client'"'"'s social security number,

(g) a salutation field for a salutation to the given client,

(h) an event type field for storing a type of event which led to the given client'"'"'s injury,

(i) an assigned attorney field for storing a name of a law office attorney assigned to represent the given client,

wherein the table includes pre-defined, standard types with filled-in values such that when product components and product component specifications are added, a user may choose from a list of common components to copy thereby promoting efficiency and data integrity.

3. The electronic case manager for a personal injury plaintiffs law office set forth in claim 1, the defendant records comprising:

(a) a file number field for storing the file number associated with the given incident,

(b) a name field for storing a name of a given prospective or actual defendant in the given incident,

(c) an address field for storing the given defendant'"'"'s mailing address,

(d) a date of birth field for storing the given defendant'"'"'s date of birth,

(e) a first government identification field for storing the given defendant'"'"'s drivers licence number,

(f) a defendant entity type field for storing whether the given defendant is male, female or corporate,

(g) a service date field for storing a date when the given defendant was served with a complaint.

4. The electronic case manager for a personal injury plaintiffs law office set forth in claim 1, the insurer records comprising:

(a) a file number field for storing the file number associated with the given incident,

(b) an insured name field for storing a name of a party having insurance coverage relating to the given incident,

(c) an adjuster name field for storing a name of an insurance adjuster assigned to represent an insurer in the given incident with respect to the insured whose name is in the insured name field,

(d) an insurance policy number field for storing an insurance policy number for the insurance policy of the insured whose name is in the insured name field,

(e) a claim number field for storing a claim number used by the insurer with respect to the incident,

(f) a policy limits field for storing the monetary limits of the insurance policy of the insured whose name is in the insured name field,

(g) a medical payments field,

(h) a reimbursement field,

(i) a rental car field for storing whether the insurance policy provides for payment for a rental car,

(j) an uninsured motorist field for storing whether the insurance policy provides for payment for uninsured motorist claims,

(k) an uninsured motorist limits field for storing an amount of coverage for uninsured motorist claims.

5. The electronic case manager for a personal injury plaintiffs law office set forth in claim 1, the incident records comprising:

(a) a file number field for storing the file number associated with the given incident,

(b) an incident date field for storing the date of the given incident,

(c) an accident type field for storing the type of incident,

(d) a location field for storing the location of the incident,

(e) a description field for storing a narrative description of the incident,

(f) a code violation field for storing references to governmental rules, regulations and laws under which a citation was issued for the given incident,

(g) a conditions field for storing a description of any environmental conditions relevant to the given incident,

(h) a prior accidents field.

6. The electronic case manager for a personal injury plaintiffs law office set forth in claim 1, the tables further comprising:

(a) a body shops table for storing information about body shops in body shop records,

(b) an attorney information table for storing information about attorneys in attorney name records,

(c) an adjusters table for storing information about insurance adjusters,

(d) a medical providers table for storing information about medical care providers;

wherein the tables are linked through identical fields, the linkages comprising;

a body shop name field is included in and required in the records of the body shops table and the property damage table, the body shop name field comprising a unique key for referencing a body shop,

an attorney name field is included in and required in the records of the attorneys table and the attorney names table, the attorney name field comprising a unique key for referencing an attorney,

an adjuster field is included in and required in the records of the adjusters table and the insurance table, the adjuster field comprising a unique key for referencing an insurance adjuster,

a medical provider name field is included in and required in the records of the medical providers table and the medical bills table, the medical provider name field comprising a unique key for referencing a medical care provider;

the structure rules including;

there may be one or more body shops records for each property damage record, and multiple property damage records may have identical data in their body shop name fields,

there will be one attorney name record for each attorney record, and multiple attorney records may have identical data in their attorney name fields,

there will be one adjuster record for each insurance record, and multiple insurance records may have identical data in their adjuster name fields,

there will be one medical provider record for each medical bill record, and multiple medical bill records may have identical data in their medical provider name fields.