System and method for organizational and personal portfolio

• US 7,917,417 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2006
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kenneth W. Dion
• Original Assignee: Kenneth W. Dion
• Inventors: Dion, Kenneth W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Havan; Thu-Thao
• Assistant Examiner(s): Niquette; Robert R
• Application Number:
  US11/542,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20070094121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,637 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/36.R, 705/40, 434/118, 434/350, 235/380, 715/206
• US Class Current: 705/36.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

An intelligent and automated system and method for establishment, collection, and maintaining of organizational and personal portfolios. In relationship to the present invention the term intelligent refers to the systems program structure which facilitates simple user entry while performing complex operations and manipulations, transparent to the individual. The term automated relates to the structured computer algorithms implementing the present system. Additionally, users may customize interfaces and functions to improve their interactions with the present invention. Also multiple selected copies may be collected into repositories as the user desires. The present system functionality is offered as a complete package with hardware and software available through any internet connection. The combination of native code with design patterns to isolate repeated elements improves reliability and stability of system operation.

Claims

1. A computer-based, automated organizational and personal portfolio management system for aggregation, storage, and retrieval of professional development data for an employee-based organization, comprising:

a processor;

a computer repository coupled to the processor;

a memory configured to store program instructions executable by the processor to implement at least two professional development software engines comprising;

a professional development definitions engine configured to provide a user with a collection of one or more interface pages that enable users to add, view, update, and delete professional development data; and

a professional development reporting engine configured to access a collection of metadata items stored in database descriptor tables, wherein users can select from the metadata items to control the scope of professional development data included in two or more different reports;

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement a method comprising;

establishing on the computer system or the computer repository, and by using the professional development definitions engine, two or more professional development data portfolios, wherein each of at least two of the professional development data portfolios is associated with a different employee of the employee-based organization;

collecting, into at least two of the professional development data portfolios, professional development data for at least two of the employees of the organization associated with the portfolio;

aggregating at least two of the professional development data portfolios, the aggregating including professional development data of two or more of the employees of the organization; and

generating, for at least one aggregation of professional development data portfolios that includes professional development data for at least two employees of the organization, two or more organizational-level professional development reports, wherein at least one of the organizational-level professional development reports includes data for the at least two of the employees that is different than the data included in at least one other of the organizational-level professional development reports for the at least two employees.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the professional development definitions engine is further configured to receive keywords defined by a user and to correlate the user-defined keywords with specific careers, objectives, goals, licenses, certifications, credentials, training, or experience.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured to generate reminders to the user of key dates and events associated with the careers, objectives, goals, licenses, certifications, credentials, training, or experience.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement:

associating one or more credentials or privileges with a task to be performed by the employee-based organization;

automatically matching the one or more credentials or privileges with at least one of the portfolios; and

scheduling the task to be performed based on the matched at least one portfolio that matched the one or more credentials or privileges.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement displaying at least one of the organizational-level professional development reports.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein such displaying includes one or more links to one or more documents or images.

2. The system of 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement:

enabling access, by a first audience, to a first one of the two or more organizational-level professional development reports; and

enabling access, by a second audience that is different from the first audience, to a second one of the organizational-level professional development reports.

4. The system of 1, wherein collecting, into at least one of the portfolios, professional development data for the employee of the organization associated with the portfolio comprises uploading to the computer system one or more documents or images evidencing professional development of the employee.

5. The system of 4, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement:

linking, by the computer system, at least one of the one or more uploaded documents or images evidencing professional development with at least one item that has been entered by the user; and

searching by keyword, on the computer system, for the at least one linked uploaded document or image.

10. A computerized method of aggregation, storage, and retrieval of professional development data for an employee-based organization on an automated organizational and personal portfolio management system, comprising:

providing a computer system configured to implement at least two professional development software engines, wherein at least two of the professional development software engines include;

a professional development definitions engine configured to provide a user with a collection of one or more interface pages that enable users to add, view, update, and delete professional development data; and

a professional development reporting engine configured to access a collection of metadata items stored in database descriptor tables, wherein users can select from the metadata items to control the scope of professional development data included in two or more different reports;

providing a computer data repository coupled to, or as part of, the computer system;

establishing on the computer system or the computer repository, and by using the professional development definitions engine, two or more professional development data portfolios, wherein each of at least two of the professional development data portfolios is associated with a different employee of the employee-based organization;

the computer system collecting, into at least two of the professional development data portfolios, professional development data for at least two of the employees of the organization associated with the portfolio;

the computer system aggregating at least two of the professional development data portfolios, the aggregating including professional development data of two or more of the employees of the organization; and

the computer system generating, for at least one aggregation of professional development data portfolios that includes professional development data for at least two employees of the organization, two or more organizational-level professional development reports, wherein each of at least one of the organizational-level professional development reports includes data for the at least two of the employees that is different than the data included in at least one other of the organizational-level professional development reports for the at least two employees.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

enabling access, by a first audience, to a first one of the two or more organizational-level professional development reports; and

enabling access, by a second audience that is different from the first audience, to a second one of the organizational-level professional development reports.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a first keyword mapping for a first one of professional development reports and a second keyword mapping for a second one of the two or more professional development reports, wherein the keyboard mapping for each of the first one of the professional development reports and the second one of the professional development reports is based on items selected in a user interface by the employee.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a list of requirements for a portfolio for an employee, wherein the list of requirements is predefined for a specific vertical market.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein collecting, into at least one of the portfolios, professional development data for the employee of the organization associated with the portfolio comprises uploading to the computer system one or more documents or images evidencing professional development of the employee.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

linking, by the computer system, at least one of the one or more uploaded documents or images evidencing professional development with at least one item that has been entered by the user; and

searching by keyword, on the computer system, for the at least one linked uploaded document or image.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the two or more portfolios are established by an organization using a first computer on a network, wherein at least a portion of the professional development data for at least one of the portfolios is collected over the network from the employee associated with the portfolio, wherein the employee uses a second computer on the network to provide the collected professional development data.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

electronically submitting at least one of the created portfolios for review and approval;

assigning the submitted portfolio to one or more reviewers; and

making a determination of whether the portfolio is approved.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least two of the portfolios including the professional development data of two or more of the employees of the organization are aggregated after supervisory approval of the portfolios.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising remanding at least one specific item in at least one of the portfolios to the employee associated with the at least one portfolio.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining at least one date or event for achieving or maintaining a certification, credential, or license for one or more employees of the organization;

the computer system automatically generating at least one reminder for the determined at least one date or event; and

the computer system automatically sending the at least one reminder to the one or more employees.

21. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving at least one keyword defined by a user and correlating the at least one user-defined keyword with specific careers, objectives, goals, licenses, certifications, credentials, training, or experience.

22. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

the computer system accessing, using the reporting engine, one or more metadata items stored in one or more database descriptor tables on the computer system; and

the computer system automatically generating, using the reporting engine, at least one report, wherein the content of the report is based at least in part on the accessed one or more metadata items.

23. The method of claim 10, further comprising customizing at least one of the interface pages that enable the users to add, view, update, and delete information to at least one portfolio.

24. The method of claim 10, further comprising limiting access based on at least one security level.

25. The method of claim 10, wherein the organization is a professional association.

26. The method of claim 10, wherein the organization is a health care provider.

27. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

electronically submitting to a third party, using the computer system, the aggregated portfolios including the professional development data of two or more of the employees of the organization.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the electronically submitted aggregated data is part of an application for a status designation for the organization.

29. The method of claim 10, wherein the professional development definitions engine is partitioned from the professional development reporting engine.

30. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying at least one of the organizational-level professional development reports.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein such displaying includes one or more links to one or more documents or images.

32. A computer-based, automated organizational and personal portfolio management system for aggregation, storage, and retrieval of professional development data for an employee-based health care provider, comprising:

a processor;

a computer repository coupled to the processor;

a memory configured to store program instructions executable by the processor to implement at least two professional development software engines comprising;

a professional development definitions engine configured to provide a user with a collection of one or more interface pages that enable users to add, view, update, and delete professional development data, wherein the professional development definitions engine is further configured to receive keywords defined by a user and to correlate the user-defined keywords with specific careers, objectives, goals, licenses, certifications, credentials, training, or experience; and

a professional development reporting engine configured to access a collection of metadata items stored in database descriptor tables, wherein users can select from the metadata items to control the scope of professional development data included in two or more different reports;

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement a method comprising;

establishing on the computer system or the computer repository, and by using the professional development definitions engine, two or more professional development data portfolios, wherein each of at least two of the professional development data portfolios is associated with a different employee of the health care provider;

collecting, into at least two of the professional development data portfolios, professional development data for at least two of the employees of the health care provider associated with the portfolio, wherein collecting, into at least one of the portfolios, professional development data for the employee of the organization associated with the portfolio comprises uploading to the computer system one or more documents or images evidencing professional development of the employee;

aggregating at least two of the professional development data portfolios, the aggregating including professional development data of two or more of the employees of the health care provider; and

generating, for at least one aggregation of professional development data portfolios that includes professional development data for at least two employees of the health care provider, two or more organizational-level professional development reports, wherein at least one of the organizational-level professional development reports includes data for the at least two of the employees that is different than the data included in at least one other of the organizational-level professional development reports for the at least two employees.

33. A computerized method of aggregation, storage, and retrieval of professional development data on an automated organizational and personal portfolio management system, comprising:

providing a computer system configured to implement at least two professional development software engines, wherein at least two of the professional development software engines include;

a professional development definitions engine configured to provide a user with a collection of one or more interface pages that enable users to add, view, update, and delete professional development data, wherein the professional development definitions engine is further configured to receive keywords defined by a user and to correlate the user-defined keywords with specific careers, objectives, goals, licenses, certifications, credentials, training, or experience; and

a professional development reporting engine configured to access a collection of metadata items stored in database descriptor tables, wherein users can select from the metadata items to control the scope of professional development data included in two or more different reports;

providing a computer data repository coupled to, or as part of, the computer system;

establishing on the computer system or the computer repository, and by using the professional development definitions engine, two or more professional development data portfolios, wherein each of at least two of the professional development data portfolios is associated with a different employee of the health care provider;

the computer system collecting, into at least two of the professional development data portfolios, professional development data for at least two of the employees of the health care provider associated with the portfolio, wherein collecting, into at least one of the portfolios, professional development data for the employee of the organization associated with the portfolio comprises uploading to the computer system one or more documents or images evidencing professional development of the employee;

the computer system aggregating at least two of the professional development data portfolios, the aggregating including professional development data of two or more of the employees of the health care provider; and

the computer system generating, for at least one aggregation of professional development data portfolios that includes professional development data for at least two employees of the health care provider, two or more organizational-level professional development reports, wherein at least one of the organizational-level professional development reports includes data for the at least two of the employees that is different than the data included in at least one other of the organizational-level professional development reports for the at least two employees.

34. A computer-based, automated organizational and personal portfolio management system for aggregation, storage, and retrieval of professional development data, comprising:

a processor;

a computer repository coupled to the processor;

a memory configured to store program instructions executable by the processor to implement at least two professional development software engines comprising;

a professional development definitions engine configured to provide a user with a collection of one or more interface pages that enable users to add, view, update, and delete professional development data, wherein the professional development definitions engine is further configured to receive keywords defined by a user and to correlate the user-defined keywords with specific careers, objectives, goals, licenses, certifications, credentials, training, or experience; and

a professional development reporting engine configured to access a collection of metadata items stored in database descriptor tables, wherein users can select from the metadata items to control the scope of professional development data included in two or more different reports;

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement a method comprising;

establishing on the computer system or the computer repository, and by using the professional development definitions engine, one or more personal professional development data portfolios associated with an individual; and

collecting, into at least one of the personal professional development data portfolios, professional development data for the individual associated with the portfolio, wherein collecting, into at least one of the personal professional development data portfolios, personal professional development data for the individual associated with the portfolio comprises uploading to the computer system one or more documents or images evidencing professional development of the individual.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement:

creating two or more versions of at least one of the personal professional development data portfolios, wherein each of the versions comprises different information about the individual.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein each of at least two of the versions is for a different audience, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement:

enabling access to at least one of the versions by at least one audience.

37. The system of claim 34, wherein the system is further configured to generate reminders to at least one of the individuals of key dates and events associated with the careers, objectives, goals, licenses, certifications, credentials, training, or experience.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement:

associating one or more credentials or privileges with a task to be performed by an employee-based organization;

automatically matching the one or more credentials or privileges with at least one of the portfolios; and

scheduling the task to be performed based on the matched at least one portfolio that matched the one or more credentials or privileges.

39. The system of claim 34, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement displaying at least a portion of at least one of the personal professional development data portfolios.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein such displaying includes one or more links to at least one of the one or more documents or images.

41. A computerized method of aggregation, storage, and retrieval of professional development data on an automated organizational and personal portfolio management system, comprising:

providing a computer system configured to implement at least two professional development software engines, wherein at least two of the professional development software engines include;

a professional development definitions engine configured to provide a user with a collection of one or more interface pages that enable users to add, view, update, and delete professional development data, wherein the professional development definitions engine is further configured to receive keywords defined by a user and to correlate the user-defined keywords with specific careers, objectives, goals, licenses, certifications, credentials, training, or experience; and

a professional development reporting engine configured to access a collection of metadata items stored in database descriptor tables, wherein users can select from the metadata items to control the scope of professional development data included in two or more different reports;

providing a computer data repository coupled to, or as part of, the computer system;

establishing on the computer system or the computer repository, and by using the professional development definitions engine, one or more personal professional development data portfolios associated with an individual; and

collecting, into at least one of the personal professional development data portfolios, professional development data for the individual associated with the portfolio, wherein collecting, into at least one of the personal professional development data portfolios, personal professional development data for the individual associated with the portfolio comprises uploading to the computer system one or more documents or images evidencing professional development of the individual.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

creating two or more versions of at least one of the personal professional development data portfolios, wherein each of the versions comprises different information about the individual; and

enabling access to at least one of the versions by at least one audience.

43. The method of claim 41, further comprising generating at least one reminder to at least one of the individuals of key dates and events associated with the careers, objectives, goals, licenses, certifications, credentials, training, or experience.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein collecting, into at least one of the portfolios, professional development data for the employee of the organization associated with the portfolio comprises uploading to the computer system one or more documents or images evidencing professional development of the employee.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

linking, by the computer system, at least one of the one or more uploaded documents or images evidencing professional development with at least one item that has been entered by the user; and

searching by keyword, on the computer system, for the at least one linked uploaded document or image.

46. The method of claim 41, further comprising displaying at least a portion of at least one of the personal professional development data portfolios.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein such displaying includes one or more links to at least one of the one or more documents or images.