Condition component framework for reinsurance

• US 7,359,863 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Computer Sciences Corporation (DXC Technology Company)
• Original Assignee: Computer Sciences Corporation (DXC Technology Company)
• Inventors: Evenshaug, Bjornar, Sverdrup-Thygeson, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): GILLIGAN, CHRISTOPHER L
• Application Number:
  US09/676,018
• Time in Patent Office: 2,755 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/4, 717/116, 715/514, 707/103
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

An improved method and system for configuring components of a reinsurance contract to process reinsurance business transactions. Reinsurance users may use the improved method and system for configuring a multi-dimensional reinsurance contract to process reinsurance business transactions with increased customization, re-use of existing functionality and decreased development time. An object-oriented, multi-dimensional reinsurance contract framework may represent a reinsurance contract. An object-oriented condition component framework may represent a condition dimension of a reinsurance contract. The condition component framework may permit the addition and/or modification of condition components of the reinsurance contract. These components may comprise, for example, configuring or changing the premium limits, consolidation conditions, and other conditions for a reinsurance contract. The condition components may be implemented as reusable objects. The multi-dimensional reinsurance contract framework and the condition component framework may also include an object-oriented graphical user interface. The graphical user interface may include a plurality of displays, along with a navigational tool to enable users to navigate through a hierarchy of displays related to the reinsurance contract.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for amending one or more conditions of a reinsurance contract, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement a method of:

identifying an inheritable class of objects to represent the one or more conditions of a reinsurance contract, wherein the reinsurance contract is represented by an reinsurance contract object, wherein the reinsurance contract object is a parent of a first section object, wherein the first section object represents one section of the reinsurance contract;

creating an instance of the inheritable class of objects to identify a condition object, wherein the condition object is a child of the first section object, wherein the condition object is connected to one or more section objects other than the first section object and the condition object inherits properties from the connected other section objects; and

configuring properties and methods of the condition object consistent with the reinsurance contract to define an amended reinsurance contract;

wherein the reinsurance contract comprises the transfer by a first insurer of at least a portion of the risk associated with a primary insurance contract to a second insurer to provide protection to the first insurer against the risk associated with the primary insurance contract;

wherein the class of inheritable objects comprises a section classification class;

wherein the section classification class comprises properties, wherein the properties describe a country, a main class of business and a class of business associated with the section classification class.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the condition object is amended in context of the first section object.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the class of inheritable objects comprises a protection class.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the protection class comprises a proportional protection assignment subclass or a non-proportional protection assignment subclass.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the condition object describes a premium limit condition.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the condition object describes a share percentage condition.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the condition object describes a deduction condition.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein configuring the properties and the methods of the condition object consistent with the reinsurance contract comprises:

identifying a new condition of the inheritable object class, wherein the one or more conditions excludes the new condition;

identifying a new subclass of objects to the reinsurance contract class of objects;

creating a new component object by instantiating the new subclass of objects, wherein the new component object is a child object to the reinsurance contract object.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement:

storing the one amended insurance contract in memory.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer readable medium comprises a memory medium.

11. A method comprising program instructions for amending one or more conditions of a reinsurance contract, wherein the method comprises:

identifying an inheritable class of objects to represent the one or more conditions of a reinsurance contract, wherein the reinsurance contract is represented by an reinsurance contract object, wherein the reinsurance contract object is a parent of a first section object, wherein the first section object represents one section of the reinsurance contract;

creating an instance of the inheritable class of objects to identify a condition object, wherein the condition object is a child of the section object, wherein the condition object is connected to one or more section objects other than the first section object and the condition object inherits properties from the connected other section objects; and

configuring properties and methods of the condition object consistent with the reinsurance contract to define an amended reinsurance contract;

wherein the reinsurance contract comprises the transfer by a first insurer of at least a portion of the risk associated with a primary insurance contract to a second insurer to provide protection to the first insurer against the risk associated with the primary insurance contract;

wherein the class of inheritable objects comprises a section classification class;

wherein the section classification class comprises properties, wherein the properties describe a country, a main class of business and a class of business associated with the section classification class.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the condition object is amended in context of the first section object.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the class of inheritable objects comprises a protection class.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the protection class comprises a proportional protection assignment subclass or a non-proportional protection assignment subclass.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the condition object describes a premium limit condition.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the condition object describes a share percentage condition.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the condition object describes a deduction condition.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein configuring the properties and the methods of the condition object consistent with the reinsurance contract comprises:

identifying a new condition of the inheritable object class, wherein the one or more conditions excludes the new condition;

identifying a new subclass of objects to the reinsurance contract class of objects;

creating a new component object by instantiating the new subclass of objects, wherein the new component object is a child object to the reinsurance contract object.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

storing the one amended insurance contract in memory.

20. A system for reinsurance transaction processing, comprising:

a reinsurance contract framework;

a multi-dimensional reinsurance contract framework;

a condition component framework;

a reinsurance contract object derived from the reinsurance contract framework;

one or more insured period objects derived from the multi-dimensional reinsurance contract framework, wherein each insured period object is a child of the reinsurance contract object;

one or more life cycle phase objects derived from the multi-dimensional reinsurance contract framework, wherein each life cycle phase object is a child of one of the insured period objects;

one or more amendment objects derived from the multi-dimensional reinsurance contract framework, wherein each amendment object is a child of one of the life cycle phase objects;

one or more section objects derived from the multi-dimensional reinsurance contract framework, wherein at least one section object is a child of one of the life cycle phase objects;

one or more condition objects derived from the condition component framework, wherein at least one condition object is a child of one of the section objects; and

wherein the one or more condition objects are configurable for the reinsurance transaction processing

wherein the one or more amendment objects are operable to amend one or more condition objects, wherein the one or more amendment objects are shared amongst the one or more life cycle phase objects within the particular time period; and

wherein the reinsurance contract comprises the transfer by a first insurer of at least a portion of the risk associated with a primary insurance contract to a second insurer to provide protection to the first insurer against the risk associated with the primary insurance contract.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising a computer system to execute the reinsurance contract framework, the multi-dimensional reinsurance contract framework and the condition component framework.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer system comprises a display device coupled to the computer system to display data.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the display device is a display screen.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer system comprises a user input device coupled to the computer system to enter data.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the user input device is a mouse or a keyboard.

26. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for a graphical user interface, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement a method of:

displaying a first window comprising one or more window panels and a navigational tool, wherein the navigation tool comprises one or more tool panels, wherein each of the one or more tool panels or each of the one or more window panels comprises one or more interface items for receiving user inputs, wherein the one or more window panels and the one or more tool panels display data associated with one or more properties and one or more methods of a reinsurance contract object;

receiving a selection for a first interface item;

displaying a second window in response to receiving the selection for the first interface item, wherein the second window comprises one or more second window panels and the navigational tool, wherein the second window panels and the one or more tool panels display data consistent with receiving the selection for the first interface item;

receiving a selection for a second interface item to return to the first window;

wherein a hierarchy of windows comprises the first and second window and wherein the hierarchy of windows provides the graphical user interface to process a reinsurance business transaction, and

wherein the reinsurance business transaction comprises the transfer by a first insurer of at least a portion of the risk associated with a primary insurance contract to a second insurer to provide protection to the first insurer against the risk associated with the primary insurance contract, wherein the reinsurance contract object comprises one or more insured period objects, wherein each insured period object identifies a particular time period during which a particular reinsurance contract remains in effect, and wherein each insured period object comprises one or more life cycle phase objects, and wherein each life cycle phase object identifies a particular phase in a life cycle of the particular reinsurance contract during the particular time period, wherein each life cycle phase object comprises one or more amendment objects, wherein the one or more amendment objects are operable to amend one or more condition objects, wherein the one or more amendment objects are shared amongst the one or more life cycle phase objects within the particular time period.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the first interface item is an icon.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the first interface item is a button.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the reinsurance contract object is configurable to process the reinsurance business transaction.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the reinsurance business transaction is a reinsurance contract transaction.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein each life cycle phase object comprises one or more section objects, wherein the one or more section objects are arranged in a hierarchy starting with a main section, wherein each section object comprises children section objects.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein each of the one or more section objects comprises one or more inheritable objects, wherein each inheritable object is owned by a section object, wherein each inheritable object is operable to inherit or share a method or a property from another section object.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the one or more window panels and the navigational tool are tiled together.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the one or more window panels and the navigational tool are non-overlapping.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the one or more window panels are user configurable for their size and their shape.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein displaying data consistent with receiving the selection for the first interface item comprises:

executing a program to select the second window for display by using the received selection for the first interface item as an input;

accessing a database to retrieve the data associated with the second window.

37. A system for amending one or more conditions of a reinsurance contract, the system comprising:

a computer program; and

a computer system;

wherein the computer program is executable on the computer system to execute the method of;

identifying an inheritable class of objects to represent the one or more conditions of a reinsurance contract, wherein the reinsurance contract is represented by an reinsurance contract object, wherein the reinsurance contract object is a parent of a first section object, wherein the first section object represents one section of the reinsurance contract;

creating an instance of the inheritable class of objects to identify a condition object, wherein the condition object is a child of the first section object,

wherein the first section object horizontally inherits properties from the same section object in another, linked reinsurance contract; and

configuring properties and methods of the condition object consistent with the reinsurance contract to define an amended reinsurance contract;

wherein the reinsurance contract comprises the transfer by a first insurer of at least a portion of the risk associated with a primary insurance contract to a second insurer to provide protection to the first insurer against the risk associated with the primary insurance contract;

wherein the class of inheritable objects comprises a section classification class;

wherein the section classification class comprises properties, wherein the properties describe a country, a main class of business and a class of business associated with the section classification class.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the computer system comprises a display device coupled to the computer system to display data.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the display device is a display screen.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein the computer system comprises a user input device coupled to the computer system to enter data.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the user input device is a mouse or a keyboard.