Workflow management system for generating output material based on customer input

• US 7,302,430 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1999
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nielsen, Robert Curt, Nagda, Jagdish Mooljee, Peper, Gerri Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali; Mohammad
• Application Number:
  US09/388,261
• Time in Patent Office: 3,010 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707/501, 707/517, 707200-205, 709/203, 709/217, 709/250, 709/201, 709/231, 705/14, 705/79, 705/27, 705/80, 705/34, 705/52, 705/54, 705/26, 705/41, 705/412, 705/51, 455/3.04
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Disclosed is a method, system, and program for an automated creation and delivery system for generating customer output information. A customer record in a first database table is interactively generated to include fields specifying at least one product, preferences, and a selected output method to deliver output material on the product specified in the customer record. At least one customer record in the first database is received and at least one content file is accessed by processing a second database table using values in one received customer record. The content of each accessed file is then generated into the output material. A selected one of a plurality of delivery options is determined from the customer record and the output material is transmitted via the determined delivery option to the customer specified in the customer record.

Claims

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

generating a customer record in a first database table 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;

receiving at least one customer record in the first database table to process;

processing a template including queries of records in a second database table;

accessing at least one value in a field in one customer record to include in at least one query in the template against the second database table;

applying the at least one query from the template including the at least one value from the customer record against the second database table to determine at least one record associated with at least one content file including fields matching the query;

accessing the at least one content file associated with the at least one determined record;

generating the content of the accessed at least one content file into the template to form the output material;

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

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

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer records in the first database table are generated by a human operator interacting with a customer to determine customer and preferences.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the customer records comprises executing a mining program against a database including customer information to determine information to populate at least one customer record from the customer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein there are multiple content files for each query, wherein the records associated with the content files for each query have different values in at least one field, wherein determining the record comprises determining the record from the content files associated with the query that matches search criteria of the query.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each query is maintained in a container in the template, wherein the content file having the associated record that matches the query is generated into the container, further comprising resizing the appearance of the content file content generated into the containers in the output material.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising accessing data from the customer record to insert into text generated into the container from the accessed content file generated into the container.

4. The method of claim one 1, wherein the delivery options are members of the set of delivery options consisting of:

electronic mail, facsimile, and postal mail.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising automatically transforming the output material to a format compatible with the selected delivery option, wherein a different format is used for each delivery option, wherein the transformed output is transmitted to the customer via the selected delivery option.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein multiple customer records are processed, and wherein the output generated from the customer records differs for at least two customers and the delivery option used to transmit the output differs for at least two customers.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the output material is automatically transmitted using one of the selected delivery options after generating the output material and further automatically printed for subsequent postal mailing to a customer street address.

11. An automated creation and delivery system for generating output material, comprising:

means for generating a customer record in a first database table 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;

means for receiving at least one customer record in the first database table to process;

means for processing a template including queries of records in a second database table;

means for accessing at least one value in a field in one customer record to include in at least one query in the template against the second database table;

means for applying the at least one query from the template including the at least one value from the customer record against the second database table to determine at least one record associated with at least one content file including fields matching the query;

means for accessing the at least one content file associated with the at least one determined record;

means for generating the content of the accessed at least one content file into the template to form the output material;

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

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

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for allowing a human operator to enter the data for the customer records in the first database table when interacting with a customer to determine customer preferences.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for generating the customer records comprises executing a mining program against a database including customer information to determine information to populate at least one customer record from the customer.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the delivery options are members of the set of delivery options consisting of:

electronic mail, facsimile, and postal mail.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for automatically transforming the output material to a format compatible with the selected delivery option, wherein a different format is used for each delivery option, wherein the transformed output is transmitted to the customer via the selected delivery option.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising means to batch process multiple customer records, wherein the output generated from the customer records differs for at least two customers and the delivery option used to transmit the output differs for at least two customers.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

means for automatically transmitting the output material using one of the selected delivery options after generating the output material; and

means for automatically printing the output material for subsequent postal mailing to a customer street address.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein there are multiple content files for each query, wherein the records associated with the content files for each query have different values in at least one field, wherein the means for determining the record comprises determining the record from the content files associated with the query that matches a search criteria of the query.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein each query is maintained in a container in the template, wherein the content file having the associated record that matches the query is generated into the container, further comprising means for resizing the appearance of the content file content generated into the containers in the output material.

20. An article of manufacture for providing an automated creation and delivery system for generating output material, the article of manufacture comprising a computer usable media including at least one computer program embedded therein that is capable of causing at least one computer to perform:

generating a customer record in a first database table 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;

receiving at least one customer record in the first database table to process;

processing a template including queries of records in a second database table;

accessing at least one value in a field in one customer record to include in at least one query in the template against the second database table;

applying the at least one query from the template including the at least one value from the customer record against the second database table to determine at least one record associated with at least one content file including fields matching the query;

accessing the at least one content file associated with the at least one determined record;

generating the content of the accessed at least one content file into the template to form the output material;

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

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

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein the customer records in the first database table are generated by a human operator interacting with a customer to determine customer and preferences.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein generating the customer records comprises executing a mining program against a database including customer information to determine information to populate at least one customer record from the customer.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein the delivery options are members of the set of delivery options consisting of:

electronic mail, facsimile, and postal mail.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 23, further comprising automatically transforming the output material to a format compatible with the selected delivery option, wherein a different format is used for each delivery option, wherein the transformed output is transmitted to the customer via the selected delivery option.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein multiple customer records are processed, and wherein the output generated from the customer records differs for at least two customers and the delivery option used to transmit the output differs for at least two customers.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the output material is automatically transmitted using one of the selected delivery options after generating the output material and further automatically printed for subsequent postal mailing to a customer street address.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein there are multiple content files for each query, wherein the records associated with the content files for each query have different values in at least one field, wherein determining the record comprises determining the record from the content files associated with the query that matches a search criteria of the query.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein each query is maintained in a container in the template, wherein the content file having the associated record that matches the query is generated into the container, further comprising resizing the appearance of the content file content generated into the containers in the output material.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 28, further comprising accessing data from the customer record to insert into text generated into the container from the accessed file generated into the container.