U.S. patent application number 11/328007 was filed with the patent office on 2006-07-27 for method, apparatus and system for processing compliance actions over a wide area network.
This patent application is currently assigned to S.J. Bashen, Inc.. Invention is credited to G. Steven Bashen, Janet Emerson Bashen, Donnie Moore, Marjana Lindsey Roach.
Application Number | 20060167989 11/328007 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35517916 |
Filed Date | 2006-07-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060167989 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bashen; Janet Emerson ; et
al. |
July 27, 2006 |
Method, apparatus and system for processing compliance actions over
a wide area network
Abstract
The method, apparatus and system are provided for obtaining
information regarding compliance with local laws via client
computers to upload information to a centralized server preferably
over a wide area network. The data is obtained through interaction
with a client device and the data is stored on a server. The server
has access to a database engine which provides triggering and
alarming capabilities for the tracking of applicable dates and
events. The server system is provided with software and/or hardware
necessary to perform manipulation of the data provided by the
client and enable reconfiguration of the data for investigative and
reporting purposes.
Inventors: |
Bashen; Janet Emerson;
(Houston, TX) ; Bashen; G. Steven; (Houston,
TX) ; Roach; Marjana Lindsey; (Houston, TX) ;
Moore; Donnie; (Deluth, GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MARK A OATHOUT
3701 KIRBY DRIVE, SUITE 960
HOUSTON
TX
77098
US
|
Assignee: |
S.J. Bashen, Inc.
Houston
TX
|
Family ID: |
35517916 |
Appl. No.: |
11/328007 |
Filed: |
January 9, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10028235 |
Dec 21, 2001 |
6985922 |
|
|
11328007 |
Jan 9, 2006 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
709/203 ;
709/223 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/10 20130101;
Y10S 707/99945 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/203 ;
709/223 |
International
Class: |
G06F 15/16 20060101
G06F015/16; G06F 15/173 20060101 G06F015/173 |
Claims
1-69. (canceled)
70. A method for processing communications and documents on a
computer system having at least one server that is connected to a
network in operative communication with at least one client device,
the method comprising: receiving a case; creating one or more
case-related objects on the computer system, the case-related
objects containing information related to the case; performing a
management review; performing an initial Consultant review;
investigating the case and storing information gathered in the
investigation into the computer system; preparing at least one
report with information within the computer system; and closing the
case.
71. (canceled)
72. A method for logging into a computer system having at least one
server that is in operative communication with a network, the
network also in operative communication with at least one client
device, the method comprising: logging into the computer system
through the client device; determining if the user is with the
operating organization, and if so, then displaying the user page
for the operating organization; otherwise, determining if the user
is a complainant, and if so, then displaying the user page for a
complainant; otherwise, determining if the user is a client
representative, and if so, then determining the type of client and
displaying a user page specific to the type of client.
73. A method for monitoring a case on a computer system having at
least one server that is in operative communication with a network,
the network also in operative communication with at least one
client device, the method comprising: instantiating a case object
and designating it for the case; setting a property in the case
object to designate a monitor mode; coordinating agency activities;
determining if the agency has submitted a request for information,
and if so, then replying to the request for information;
determining if the agency has a finding of cause, and if not, then
dismissing the case; receiving a determination; requesting
reconsideration by filing a motion to reconsider; determining if
the motion to reconsider was accepted, and if not, then dismissing
the case; determining if the case can be settled, and if not, then
dismissing the case; and settling the case.
74. (canceled)
75. (canceled)
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates in general to document generation and
management. More particularly, the present invention is related to
the solicitation, storage, manipulation, and retrieval of data over
a wide area network in the form of documentation in a format that
can be submitted for compliance with federal, state and local equal
employment opportunity and fair employment practices laws.
BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART
[0002] Federal and state laws require that public and private
employees have an opportunity to complain of discrimination and
harassment. With the passage of the first civil rights and
employment laws in the mid 1960's and until the mid 1990's, such
equal employment opportunity ("EEO") complaints were generally in
the form of Charges of Discrimination filed with the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") or a Fair Employment
Practices Agency ("FEPA" or "FEP Agency") or Formal Agency Charges
filed with the employee's public sector employer agency. In the
late 1990's, the United States Supreme Court mandated that public
and private employers provide a mechanism for employees to file
informal or internal complaints of discrimination. Most of the
employers that implemented a complaint mechanism did not provide a
formalized process or means to intake, track or store the
complaints.
[0003] Currently, an employer has a legal obligation under various
state and federal laws and regulations, including EEOC Guidelines
and Management Directive No. 110, to investigate and respond to
formal charges of discrimination. An employer also has a legal
obligation to investigate and respond to internal complaints of
fair employment practice issues. Public and private employers must
also be able to track complaints, the responses and their
respective outcomes. Employers have been encouraged by the courts
to provide independent investigations and tracking of such
complaints.
[0004] In the past, these EEO complaints were received in a
typewritten or handwritten form, and all complaints were processed
manually. The manual processing of the application is a tedious,
labor-intensive and time-consuming operation. Moreover, the
requiring of filing either by hand or in typewritten form is
cumbersome for the employees. Manual processing of paper documents
is prone to loss through mis-filing or other misadventure. In
addition to the potential loss of the documents was the potential
dissemination of personal information and possible violation of
privacy laws.
[0005] The advent of the Internet has enabled many users to have
access to remote servers and databases via the World Wide Web
("WWW") using standard web browsers on client machines that
interact with web servers and other processing capabilities at the
remote site. To date, however, no EEO compliance system has
utilized the capabilities of the Internet. There is, therefore, a
need in the art for an EEO compliance mechanism that is capable of
utilizing a wide area network such as the Internet to enhance
privacy, to automate routine tasks and to enable the handling of
EEO that is applicable to private and public sector employers and
governmental compliance entities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In accordance with the present invention, the disadvantages
and problems associated with the prior art are solved by providing,
in a computer system, a group of modules, each containing a set of
objects that interact together to form a flexible and scalable
framework for obtaining, storing, sorting, retrieving and
implementing, in an automated fashion, information regarding equal
employment opportunity claims. The present invention enables
various users, such as complainants, employers, and consultants to
upload, download, or modify information that is kept at a
centralized location in order to facilitate the processing of
claims.
[0007] The present invention includes a computer system having at
least one server that is connected to one or more networks, such as
a virtual private network, or a wide area network such as the
Internet. Users can use a wide variety of client devices, such as
personal digital assistants, telephones, facsimile machines, and
personal computers to interact with the present invention over
standard network protocols. Voice or facsimile information is
preferably digitized to facilitate storage and manipulation of the
data. For instance, voice transmissions (such as over a telephone
connection) can be digitized with Voice over IP ("VoIP")
technologies and the voice signals translated into text files by
voice recognition software that is executing on the server.
Similarly, optical character recognition ("OCR") software can be
used by the servers of the present invention to recognize the words
in the facsimile and translate them into text information that can
facilitate searching and retrieving. Other information, such as web
forms and other files, can be stored in the normal fashion. In the
preferred embodiment, all of this information can be stored,
searched, and retrieved by authorized personnel in a secure manner.
Other aspects of the present invention enable the information
contained within the system to be reported, either in paper form,
or preferably, in electronic form in order to facilitate automatic
filing and reporting to governmental agencies.
[0008] Other features of the present invention will become apparent
upon inspection of the following specification and the
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] For a more complete understanding of the present invention
and its advantages, reference is now made to the following
description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the network of the
present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the processes of the
present invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the modules of the
present invention.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the set of objects
that make up the case status module of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the set of objects
that make up the agency module of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the set of objects
that make up the roles module of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the set of objects
that make up the payment module of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the set of objects
that make up the alert distribution module of the present
invention.
[0018] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the set of objects
that make up the correspondence distribution module of the present
invention.
[0019] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the set of objects
that make up the document distribution module of the present
invention.
[0020] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the set of objects
that make up the client information module of the present
invention.
[0021] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the life cycle of a case
according to the method of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the closing of a case of
the method of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the logging in and
initial placement of a user according to the method of the present
invention.
[0024] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating the monitoring of a case
according to the method of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating the settlement of a case
according to the method of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 17 is a use diagram illustrating the interface between
the present invention and an accounting program.
[0027] FIG. 18 illustrates a help object of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] The present invention overcomes the problems inherent in the
prior art by providing a comprehensive and integrated method,
apparatus and system for handling complaints under the various EEO
regulations. Specifically, the present invention enables employees
of companies to file discrimination complaints, have those
complaints investigated, and have the required documents generated
in a format required for filing with local authorities. The present
invention is useful for complying with various local, state, and
national (federal) laws as well as the formal and informal
requirements thereof. This enables the present invention to handle
internal complaints as well as formal charges by various
jurisdictions under, for example, EEOC or FEP agency
regulations.
[0029] The present invention also provides the capability of
compiling data into a database from many organizations regarding
their respective EEO compliance instances and performance. This
information can be queried to generate comparisons of, for example,
a particular company, vis-a-vis, companies of comparable (or
dissimilar) size and/or industry. Other comparisons can be made
within the same or multiple organizations regarding compliance
within specific jurisdictions or geographic areas, and the like, or
for specific demographic groups and/or chronological time
periods.
[0030] As the present invention is best utilized via a web-based
paradigm, the present invention is also useful for storing
frequently asked questions, and for providing interactive
consulting via email; Internet Relay Chat ("IRC"), a system for
chatting online; channels, I Seek You ("ICQ"), a program that lets
a user know when friends and contacts are online.) messaging,
streaming video and streaming audio, VoIP, interactive video,
static web pages, and other means of communicating over a wide area
network such as the Internet. The present invention can also be
equipped with a rules module that can accommodate difference in
local, state, and federal laws so that answers to standard
questions can be readily tailored to the specific jurisdiction of
the user. Similarly, the present invention can have flags and
switches that are responsive to language settings of the user's
interactive software (such as a browser) so that the user
automatically views the resultant documents from the present
invention in a language familiar to the user. In addition, the
present invention can also be utilized for creating and maintaining
a list group or news group of information useful to users of the
present invention. The email list groups, web logs, and/or news
groups of the present invention may be moderated, although this is
an optional feature.
[0031] The present invention contains a number of technical terms,
an understanding of which is useful to the practitioner and is made
possible with the following glossary.
[0032] Actor: Anyone or anything with behavior. An actor may, for
example, be a mechanical system, a computer system, a person, an
organization, or any combination thereof.
[0033] Artifact: A product of the use case, e.g., document.
[0034] Basis: The reason the Complainant believes he/she has been
treated differently--e.g., sex, race, age, disability, religion,
and retaliation. In other words, what protected category the
individual is complaining about--e.g., sex, race, age, national
origin, etc.
[0035] Case: The Complaint or Charge(s) filed by one individual
that will be assigned to a Consultant. A Case may encompass one or
more Claims
[0036] Cause Finding: A determination by the EEOC or FEP Agency
that the employer acted unlawfully.
[0037] Charge of Discrimination (Charge): A document filed by a
Complainant with an EEOC, state or local agency alleging unlawful
treatment by his/her employer.
[0038] Charging Party (CP): An employee who files a charge with the
EEOC or FEP Agency against his/her employer. A Charging Party is
synonymous with a Complainant.
[0039] Claim: (1) A charge or internal complaint; or (2) a claim
filed by an insured, broker or insurance carrier. There may be more
than one claim associated with an EEO case. Insurance claims are
separate and distinct and the Case/Claim association does not
apply.
[0040] Complainant: An employee who files an internal complaint
with his/her employer.
[0041] Consultant: A person who will investigate a Claim, prepare a
response to the Claim, and manage the Claim.
[0042] Data Item: A reference to either a specific piece of data
(e.g., a phone number) or a more generalized set of data (e.g.,
contact information). These data are used to track interaction with
the database at a high level.
[0043] Deductible: The amount that must be paid by an insured
before insurance proceeds are paid.
[0044] Director: A person who supervises and who otherwise serves
as a resource for one or more Consultants. A Director may
investigate discrimination complaints and also prepare charge
responses and manage Claims.
[0045] Dismissal: A notice of rights issued by EEOC or FEP Agency
when (1) requested by Charging Party; (2) the Commission is unable
to establish a violation of the statutes; (3) conciliation has
failed; or (4) for other reasons.
[0046] Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): The federal
government agency responsible for enforcing federal civil rights
and employment laws. The EEOC accepts discrimination charges,
investigates and disposes of these by dismissal, cause finding,
conciliation/settlement, or lawsuit.
[0047] Exhibits: With regard to the process models, this term
refers to sample work product. Exhibits are also relevant documents
attached to a Fact Finding Report, Internal Complaint Memorandum or
Position Statement.
[0048] Exit Interview: Consultant's final telephone call to
Complainant notifying him/her of the investigation findings.
Conducted primarily for internal complaints.
[0049] Extended (or Extension) Use Cases: A Case that is identical
to an Extension, but stands on its own. These Cases `interrupt` the
main activity and can occur at any time in a given scenario
(similar to spell checking a word processing document).
[0050] Extension: A scenario fragment that starts upon a particular
condition in another scenario.
[0051] External Complaint: A complaint made by an employee to the
EEOC or an FEP Agency.
[0052] Fact-Finding Report (FFR): Report prepared for the client by
a Consultant. This type of report is prepared when a charge is
filed.
[0053] Fair Employment Practices (FEP): Various federal, state and
local laws and regulations regarding fair employment.
[0054] Fair Employment Practices Agency (FEPA): State or local
equivalent of the EEOC.
[0055] File History (FH): A brief investigation history prepared by
a Consultant for placement in Case File.
[0056] Final Determination: The EEOC or FEP Agency's decision about
(1) whether there is cause to believe the employer violated the
statute or (2) whether the charge should be dismissed.
[0057] Goal: The goal to be achieved at the conclusion of the Use
Case. A goal is tested by answering the question: "Can the primary
actor go away happy after having done this?"
[0058] Guarantee: The fewest promises the system makes to the
stakeholder(s), particularly when the primary actor's goal cannot
be delivered.
[0059] Internal Complaint Memorandum (ICM): Report prepared for the
client by Consultant. This type of report is prepared when an
internal complaint is filed.
[0060] Internal Complaint: A complaint made by an employee to
his/her supervisor, HR department, by online submission, by
facsimile, or via toll-free reporting number.
[0061] Issue: The employee relations practices about which the
complainant/charging party is complaining about, e.g., failure to
hire, discipline, etc. The basis and issue apply to the claim.
[0062] Parameterized Use Case: A Use Case which establishes a
common scenario (e.g., finding, creating). The calling Use Case
provides the data (or `parameters`) needed to complete the
action.
[0063] Position Statement (PS): The employer's response to the
Charge of Discrimination, which is prepared by the Consultant and
is authorized for submission by the client's designee.
[0064] Post-Condition: A condition that must be true after the Use
Case is executed. This differs from a guarantee in that successful
completion of the Use Case has occurred.
[0065] Pre-Condition: A condition that must be true before the Use
Case is executed.
[0066] Reconsideration: A written request by a Consultant urging
the EEOC or the FEP Agency to overturn a cause finding.
[0067] Request for Information (RFI): Either (1) one or more
documents and/or other information requested by a Consultant
intended for a client or client's contact; or (2) a formal request
for one or more documents from the EEOC, state or local
Commission.
[0068] Respondent: The complaining party or charging party's
employer.
[0069] Reports: (1) The work product or result of the
investigation; or (2) the information provided as a result of
database inquiry.
[0070] Scenario: A sequence of actions and interactions that occurs
under certain conditions.
[0071] Stakeholder: An external actor who has a vested interest in
the behavior of the system and is entitled to have its interests
protected by the system. Satisfying the interests of a stakeholder
requires the system to take specific actions.
[0072] Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code: A
classification system for categorizing industries.
[0073] State or Local EEO or Human Rights Commission (FEP Agency):
A state or local government agency responsible for enforcing state
or local civil rights and employment laws. The FEP Agency accepts
discrimination charges, investigates and disposes of these by
dismissal, cause finding, conciliation/settlement or lawsuit.
[0074] Status Reports: (1) A Consultant's list of Cases with status
description for each Case; or (2) a report for the client listing
each Case and its status.
[0075] Subfunction Level: Low-level goals required to carry out
user goals. Subfunction levels encapsulate complex calculations,
business logic, or other steps that accomplish the user goal.
[0076] Submit Reports: Submission of appropriate reports (typically
based on the type of Complaint).
[0077] Summary Level: A high-level use case that involves multiple
user goals. Summary-level cases show the context in which the user
goals operate.
[0078] Types of Claims: (1) an internal complaint; or (2) an
external charge; or (3) an attorney demand letter.
[0079] User Level: The goal that the primary actor has in trying to
get work done or the one the user has in using the system. See
`Goal`.
[0080] Witness Interview: An interview with witnesses conducted by
a Consultant; the interview is conducted via telephone or
in-person.
[0081] The present invention can be implemented on a remote server
system, preferably interconnected with a wide area network such as
the Internet. Other wide area networks, virtual private networks
and other interconnection mechanisms can be utilized with the
present invention without departing from the scope and spirit of
the appended claims.
[0082] In general, the present invention facilitates the gathering,
storing, dissemination, and analysis of information. Specifically,
information that is gathered from voice via the network
communication (e.g., the WWW, email, IRC, etc.), facsimile,
telephone, and/or paper is preferably digitized and combined with
other digitally-received information. Once received, the
information can be tagged, categorized, and stored within a
database for analysis, processing, and retrieval. Digitization of
analog or paper information can be through standard techniques,
including, but not limited to, analog-to-digital ("A/D")
conversion, voice recognition, or OCR technologies.
[0083] The present invention is intended to be implemented on a
wide area network such as the Internet. Various security mechanisms
can be implemented in conjunction with the present invention, such
as separate (or combined) authentication and authorization
procedures. Alternatively, the present invention may be implemented
on a local area network that can be separated from unsecured
networks by one or more firewalls.
[0084] The system of the present invention is illustrated in FIG.
1. Specifically, the server portion of the application is built
around local area network 101 through the network connection 102
which may include, but is not limited to, an Ethernet connection, a
star configuration, a hub and spoke configuration, a token ring
configuration or any other useful network interface connection. The
system 100 preferably operates upon an agreed-upon communication
protocol, such as, for example, Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol ("TCP/IP").
[0085] One or more servers 104 and 106 are connected to the local
area network 101 by the network connection 102. Similarly, one or
more disk arrays 108 and 109 are used to store application specific
information for the databases 110 and 112, respectively, as shown
in FIG. 1. A network control station, such as workstation 114, can
control the local area network 101. The router 116 can optionally
be used for optimizing conductivity between the servers (104 and
106), and database servers (110 and 112), as well as the
workstation 114. One or more firewalls 118 and 136 may optionally
be placed onto the network for protection against viruses, worms,
trojans, and other malicious activities. Optionally, other
networks, such as the Virtual Private Network ("VPN") 138 may be
connected to the local area network 101 through network connection
102 via the optional firewall 136. Similarly, other networks, such
as Automotive Network eXchange ("ANX") 140 may be connected to the
local area network 101 at the network connection 102.
[0086] The local area network 101 can be connected through, for
example, router 116 and firewall 118 to the network 120. The
network 120 is typically a wide area network such as the Internet.
However, alternate embodiments of the present invention can utilize
a VPN 138, an ANX 140, a frame relay network (not shown), or other
combinations of local area and wide area networks 120 to which
other client computers may become connected to the local area
network 101. The network 120 can provide interconnectivity to the
local area network 101 to, for example, personal digital assistants
122 via communication channel 121, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The
communication channel, 121 can encompass a wide variety of
mechanisms including infrared, telecommunications, cable, fiber
optic, Ethernet, optic, Bluetooth, wireless access protocol
("WAP"), 802.11, frame relay, fiber channel, and any other
mechanism capable of transmitting analog and/or digital signals
along a network. Other client devices, such as network terminals
124, workstations 126, personal computers 128, facsimile machines
130, laptop computers 132 and telephones 134, are similarly
connected to the network 120. Telecommunications connectivity can
be, for example, with VoIP in order to handle, for example,
facsimile and telephone transmissions. All that the network 102
needs to facilitate is the communications between the client device
and the network 102.
[0087] It is envisioned that all communication to the local area
network 101 will be in digital form using a common protocol, such
as, for example, TCP/IP. This includes, but is not limited to, the
client devices connected to the wide area network 120, or through
other networks such as VPN 138 and ANX 140. For instance, request
by clients through telephones (one of the many client devices)
would be translated into, for example, VoIP and transmitted to one
of the servers 104 or 106 for processing by the present invention.
Similarly, hypertext transfer protocol ("HTTP") requests from a
client's web browser are handled in the normal fashion. Facsimile
messages from, for example, facsimile machines 130 can also be
digitized and processed by the servers 104 and 106. The servers may
employ, for example, character recognition software and/or hardware
to extract the information from the facsimile, or simply to store
the image or information in the storage arrays 108 and/or 109
through the database engines 110 and/or 112.
[0088] The storage devices 108 and 109 can be of any applicable
kind, such as a disk drive, optical storage, tape, or other device.
While only one storage device is necessary, it is preferable to
have multiple storage devices, or an array of storage devices, in
order to ensure high availability of the information stored
therein.
[0089] The databases 110 and 112 can be relational, object,
object-relational database, or other type. The specific type of
database used is not important as long as the information contained
therein can be mapped to the objects used to manage the information
(as described below). While a single database engine/application
can be used, it is preferable to utilize multiple database engines
in order to balance the loading, provide higher availability, and
enable the efficient scaling of the present invention so that large
numbers of people can utilize its services.
[0090] The servers 104 and 106 can be of any suitable variety that
can handle the expected user load. In the preferred embodiment of
the present invention, there are multiple servers 104 and 106. The
servers are constructed and arranged to service a wide variety of
requests, such as web browsing and form filing, email, voice,
facsimile, and other tasks associated with communication of
information from users on disparate (and/or remote) client devices.
Specifically, the servers are expected to have information uploaded
to them from users via client devices, or to provide information in
the form of a download to the users, or to facilitate the searching
and manipulation of the information associated with the various
cases.
[0091] Multiple databases may be subsumed into servers. For
example, it is contemplated that an accounting function may include
a relational database within a larger software process to store
data related to accounting. Accounting software programs, such as
TIMESLIPS, manufactured by Sage U.S. Holdings, Inc. of Dallas,
Tex., employ application programming interfaces ("API") that can be
used by the present invention to store and to retrieve accounting
data. The accounting data so obtained (or provided) is mapped
to/from one of the objects of the present invention, typically from
one of the objects in the payment module (see the module and object
descriptions provided below and in FIGS. 3 and 7).
[0092] FIG. 2 illustrates the various processes and interfaces of
the present invention. The present invention is composed of one or
more software processes running on a hardware platform. The
specific hardware platform is unimportant, as long as it provides
sufficient capacity for the desired tasks. Moreover, the following
processes need not be implemented in software; instead, they may be
implemented in hardware on, for example, application specific
integrated circuits ("ASICS"). Similarly, the processes of the
present invention may be implemented on a combination of hardware
and software and on one or more central processing units ("CPUs")
on one or more computers. The present invention may be implemented
as a standalone software program that can be purshased as a unit
and installed at the operator's site. The present invention is also
amenable to being utilized as an application service provider
configuration, wherein the organization that runs the present
invention would be separeate from the organization that utilizes
the present invention.
[0093] Attention is directed to FIG. 2, wherein several of the
processes are illustrated. The processes are connected to one or
more data busses 220 and 230 that enable information to be shared
between processes. The various information bridges 220 and 230 can
be connected directly, or they may be interconnected through, for
example, bridge 228 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The bridge 228 may
facilitate, for example, the communications between disparate CPU's
and/or disparate computer servers and thus allow for the
scalability of the present invention to meet user demands.
[0094] In this example, the information bus 220 is operatively
connected to one or more communication processes, namely,
communication interface 210, web server 216, and email server 218.
Additional processes, such as IRC chat, etc., may also be
operatively connected to the information bus 220 to enable the
present invention to accept or transmit information from/to
particular client devices. The communication processes are
themselves operatively connected to a pre-existing communications
infrastructure. For example, the communication interface 210 is
operatively connected to the telecommunications network 206 so that
client devices, such as facsimile machine 202 and telephone 204 may
communicate with the present invention. Similarly, the web server
216 and the email server 218 are operatively connected to the
network 214, which, in turn, is connected to the client devices and
their attendant client applications 212, such as a web browser or
email client. It is contemplated that some or all of the users of
the present invention, such as Complainants, Consultants, clients,
private sector and public sector clients, insurance carriers and
all other clients, government contacts, and others will access
information or be provided with reports and other information in
the fashion outlined above. In short, the users of the present
invention can include the Complainant, members of the operating
organization, employees and/or officers of the client, and
individuals associated with one or more government agencies.
[0095] The present invention utilizes a set of one or more
processes for handling the input, pre-processing, processing,
post-processing, storing, and/or dissemination of information. In
the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a database
server 222 is operatively connected to the information bus 220.
Similarly, a data storage device/process 224 is also operatively
connected to the information bus 220, as illustrated in FIG. 2. A
timer process 226 is provided for issuing time-based signals to the
various devices/processes illustrated in FIG. 2 so that certain
events, such as time-of-input from a client device, or the issuance
of a database trigger or batch job, may be initiated
automatically.
[0096] The present invention may also implement specific interfaces
for customers and/or government agencies. Specifically, the
customer interface 236 and the government interface 238 are
processes that are tailored for the exchange of information with
the specific organization and the present invention. For example,
the customer interface 236 can provide a first set of
functionality, such as access to the complaint, and documents
related to the customer's side of the case. Similarly, an interface
can be provided for the Complainant, which would limit access to
only that information provided by the Complainant. A government
interface 238 can be provided with yet another set of capabilities
that allows access to some (or all) of the documents from both the
customer and the Complainant, as well as documents held or utilized
only by the government agency. Moreover, for each organization
(e.g., customer or government), different levels of access to
information can be provided that are tailored to specific
individuals within that organization. This is accomplished by
recording the role that the individual has within the organization,
and thus his or her level of access to information
stored/received/generated by the present invention.
[0097] A document generator process 232 is used for creating new
documents, or otherwise governing the storing, searching, indexing
and/or retrieval of existing documents. The documents so generated,
stored, or retrieved can be transmitted on the information busses
220 and 230 to the other processes or to client devices and client
applications through the interfaces, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and
2. For example, a document may be requested via a web request from
a client application 212 that is received over the network 214 to
the web server 216, which then transmits the request to the
document generator 232. The request may be to transmit a document
to a government agency. Consequently, the document generator 232
retrieves the document and forwards the document to the government
interface 238 via information bus 230. The government interface
process 238 would then determine which government agency should
receive the document and how best to transmit it (e.g., email,
telephone, facsimile, etc.). The government interface process 238
could, for example, transmit the document to the communication
interface 210 for transmission to a facsimile machine 202 via
telecommunications network 206.
[0098] The present invention may also be equipped with access to an
accounting application 234 that is operatively connected to one of
the information busses, such as information bus 230. The accounting
application 232 provides a handy mechanism for performing common
functions (such as accounting) that are not unique to the present
invention. Other third-party software modules (or processes), such
as timekeeping, inventory control, and the like, may be similarly
connected to the present invention.
[0099] A detailed discussion of the data model, as well as the
operation of the present invention, is provided below.
[0100] The Data Model
[0101] The data model of the present invention is used to implement
the method of the present invention (discussed below).
Specifically, the present invention is a computer network that is
composed of one or more client devices that are operative with the
computer network, and one or more servers that service the requests
sent by the clients. Depending upon the request by the client, the
server will receive information, store information, and/or transmit
information to the requesting or other client devices, or to other
elements within the computer network. It will be appreciated that
having a specific object in a specific module may be a matter of
convenience or convention. However, it is possible to rearrange
objects within the data model as described and achieve the
functionality desired. Consequently, the arrangement of objects
described herein is for the preferred embodiment. Other embodiments
of the present invention can have different arrangements of objects
and modules yet provide the same or substantially the same
functionality. Yet other embodiments of the present invention may
remove objects, albeit with a corresponding loss of functionality.
Still other embodiments may exchange properties and methods from
one object to another object within the present invention with a
corresponding effect on association and performance.
[0102] The servers contain hardware and/or software that enable the
functionality desired. In the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the server has one or more processes executing on a
central processing unit. One or more of these processes are
constructed and arranged to instantiate objects in a preferably
persistent, or at least temporary, manner. In the preferred
embodiment, the objects are stored persistently on, for example, an
object database. In addition, or in lieu of an object database, a
relational database can be used. However, if a relational database
is used, there will be some object-to-relational mapping issues
that must be addressed. This is particularly true for those objects
that are based on records in tables that are associated with other
records in the same table through a common object that is, for
example, stored as a record in a second table. Alternatively, an
object-relational database, such as PostrgreSQL (see
http://www.postresq1.org) or Oracle 8i, the latter manufactured by
the Oracle Corporation of Redwood Shores, Calif., can be utilized
to handle the object-to-relational mapping in an automated
fashion.
[0103] The data structure within the server or servers is designed
and arranged in such a fashion so as to facilitate the
functionality required for servicing the requests issued by the
client devices. The objects of the present invention can be
conveniently grouped into modules and interconnected as illustrated
in FIG. 3. The modules illustrated in FIG. 3 capture and store
information within the present invention that describe the set-up
and particulars of internal complaints and charges. All of the
information related to the charge itself, such as final
disposition, are stored in one or more instantiations of objects in
one or more of the modules illustrated in FIG. 3. One or more
instantiations are used because the case may be comprised of more
than one charge, and each charge can have separate agency
affiliations and agency contacts.
[0104] The various modules 300 are described in general below. For
example, a case status module 304 encompasses all case specific
information such as the Complainant identity, type of case, date of
receipt, assigned consultant, insurance information if the client
is insured, settlement information, final disposition, and all
activities associated with the case including calendar events,
documents posted and correspondence sent. The case status and
activity tracking module 304 comprises the bulk of the information,
but it relies heavily on the devices and techniques mentioned above
to import and export information.
[0105] An intake module 302 has an operative relationship 352 with
the case status module 304. The intake module 302 is used to retain
and reference various charges, government agencies, and related
contact information.
[0106] A role module 306 has an operative relationship 356 with the
case status module 304 as well as an operative relationship 372
with the alert distribution module 310. The role module is used to
retain report information and descriptions of the tasks (roles) of
the various people associated with one or more cases. The role
module 306 captures the user's role and specifications that are
utilized by the present invention to tailor the application to the
user's general and/or unique requirements.
[0107] An accounting module 308 has an operative relationship with
the case status module 304 as illustrated in FIG. 3. The payment
module 308 is used to track billing invoices and their payment
status. Time and Expense ("TE") information can be input and stored
through the payment module 308. In addition, invoices can be
generated via a third party accounting package that is integrated
with the present invention. These invoices can be viewed by users
of the present invention and payments may be made online.
[0108] An alert distribution module 310 is in an operative
relationship 364 with the case status module 304. The alert
distribution module 310 is used for issuing alerts, such as
docketing items indicating that some activity is due to be
completed on a certain date. Alerts to the operator of the present
invention, their users, and clients are preferably pre-set based on
client preferences and user set-up. Typically, alerts are generated
and disseminated based upon a number of parameters and events that
occur during the life-cycle of a case.
[0109] The system of the present invention also includes a
correspondence distribution module 312 that has an operative
relationship 358 with the case status module 304. The
correspondence distribution handles correspondence that is sent to
the present invention, including receipts, responses and approvals.
Correspondence are also tracked through this correspondence module
312 which allows the Consultant to generate pre-set or other
correspondence and attach uploaded documents to the correspondence
for client review. The correspondence module 312 may also retain
information regarding the correspondence between individuals,
employers, insurers, courts, and/or government agencies that are
associated with the case.
[0110] A document distribution module 314 has an operative
relationship 368 with the client information module 316, and an
operative relationship 366 with the correspondence distribution
module 312. The document distribution module 314 ensures that
documents associated with the various cases remain stored,
searchable, and retrievable by the various people associated with
the case. Documents are uploaded from other sources (e.g., word
processing documents on the storage device or forms documents that
are received through, for example, a facsimile server) and posted
to the present invention. Documents may also be modified, replaced,
and/or deleted from the storage device within the present
invention. Documents may be distributed as an attachment to
correspondence and/or email or other electronic means. Information
about various documents may be compiled by electronic processes and
a compiled or synthesized version can be electronically uploaded or
otherwise sent to remote servers, such as those owned by customers,
employers, courts, or government agencies.
[0111] Finally, a client information module 316 is included with
the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The client
information module 316 has a series of operative relationships.
First, there is the operative relationship 360 with the case status
module 304, the operative relationship 362 with the correspondence
module 312, the operative relationship 368 with the document
distribution module, and the operative relationship 354 with the
agency module 302. Generally, the client information module 316
contains all information about the client, its business, its
primary contacts, organizational structure, divisions, locations,
unions, and one or more specifications affecting the performance of
the intended operator of the present invention.
[0112] All of the modules and associated relationships there
between enable the present invention to service one or more
requests from the client device. It will be understood that modules
can be removed from the present invention in order to consume fewer
resources, albeit with reduced functionality and capability for the
system as a whole. Conversely, modules can be added to the present
invention in order to increase functionality, or to incorporate new
client devices some time in the future. The modular design of the
present invention also increases the scalability of the system,
i.e., the system's ability to handle large amounts of use by a
large number of people.
[0113] The structure and interrelationships among the objects of
the present invention, and a description of how the data they
process perform tangible and useful results, are described
below.
[0114] As mentioned before, the preferred embodiment of the present
invention includes a computer network that has at least one client
device that is operative with the computer network. There is also
at least one server that is constructed and arranged to receive one
or more requests from the client device. The server enables
(facilitates) the execution and operation of the various objects of
the present invention.
[0115] As illustrated in FIGS. 4a, 4b, and 4c, in the preferred
embodiment of the present invention, the execution and operation of
the case status module 304 (FIG. 4a) is enabled (facilitated) by,
for example, one or more case objects 402 (FIG. 4a); at least one
settlement object 404 (FIG. 4a) in association 452 with one or more
case objects 402; one or more case_note objects 406 (FIG. 4b) in
association 454 with one of the case objects 402; a case_status
object 408 (FIG. 4b) in association 456 with one or more case
objects 402; an employment_status object 410 (FIG. 4a) in
association 458 with one or more case objects 402; one or more
related_case objects 414 (FIG. 4a) in association 462 with a case
object 402; a case_type object 416 (FIG. 4a) in association 464
with one or more case objects 402; a content object 418 (FIG. 4c)
in association 468 with one or more case_status objects 408; one or
more user objects 420 (FIG. 4c) in association 470 with one or more
case objects 402; one or more activity_log objects 422 (FIG. 4b) in
association 472 with one of the case objects 402, and one or more
activity_log objects 422 in association 492 with one of the user
objects 420; one or more employee objects 424 (FIG. 4c) in
association 474 with one of the user objects 420; one or more
status_history objects 426 (FIG. 4c) in association 476 with one of
the user objects 420; one or more activity objects 428 (FIG. 4b) in
association 478 with one of the case_status objects 408, and the
activity object 428 in association 480 with one or more
activity_log objects 422; one or more case_calendar objects 430
(FIG. 4b) in association 482 with one of the activity objects 428
(FIG. 4b), one or more of the case_calendar objects 430 in
association 484 with one of the user objects 420, and one or more
of the case_calendar objects 430 in association 486 with one of the
case objects 402.
[0116] The objects described above perform various functions. For
example, the case_status object 408 defines the various states that
cases can have, e.g., OPEN, ASSIGNED, CLOSED, or SETTLED.
[0117] The user object 420 contains user profiles for use by the
present invention. Many individuals may be represented by separate
object instantiations of the user class. This is a general class
that may include (but is not limited to) employees of the operating
organization (a.k.a., consultants) (that operates the present
invention), client contacts, Complainants, consultants, and agency
contacts and investigators, to name but a few. Incidentally, the
employee object 424 is intended only for employee-specific
information for employees of the operating organization.
[0118] As illustrated in FIGS. 5a and 5b, in the preferred
embodiment of the present invention, the execution and operation of
the intake module 302 is enabled (facilitated) by, for example: one
or more charge objects 502 (FIG. 5a), one or more of the charge
objects 502 in association 552 with one of the case objects 402,
one or more of the charge objects 502 in association 554 with the
dismissal_type object 412, one or more agency objects 504 (FIG.
5a), one of the agency objects in association 556 with one or more
of the charge objects 502; one or more case_basis objects 506 (FIG.
5a), one or more of the case_basis objects 506 in association 558
with one of the case objects 402, one or more of the case_basis
objects 506 in association 560 with one of the agency objects 504;
a basis object 508 (FIG. 5a), the basis object 508 in association
562 with one or more of the case_basis objects 506; one or more
case_issue objects 510 (FIG. 5a), one or more of the case_issue
objects 510 in association 564 with one of the agency objects 504,
and one or more of the case_issue objects 510 in association 578
with one of the case objects 402; an issue object 512 (FIG. 5a),
the issue object 512 in association 566 with one or more of the
case_issue objects 510; one or more agency_contact objects 514
(FIG. 5a), one or more of the agency_contact objects 514 in
association 568 with one of the agency objects 504, one of the
agency_contact objects 514 in association 570 with one or more of
the charge objects 502; and an address object 516 (FIG. 5a), the
address object 516 in association 572 with one or more of the
agency_contact objects 514, and the address object 516 in
association 574 with one or more of the agency objects 504; one or
more complaint objects 432 (FIG. 5b), one of the complaint objects
432 in association 488 with one or more of the case objects 402; a
submission_type object 434 (FIG. 5b) in association 490 with one or
more of the complaint objects 432; a dismissal_type object 412
(FIG. 5b) in association 554 with one or more of the charge objects
502; and at least one determination_type objects 518 (FIG. 5b) in
association 580 with one or more of the charge objects 502.
[0119] The address class contains information for any entity in the
database that requires an address. The object includes properties
for telephone, facsimile, email, as well as physical location,
mailing address, etc.
[0120] As illustrated in FIG. 6, in the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, the execution and operation of the role module
306 is enabled (facilitated) by, for example: one or more user_role
objects 602, one or more of the user_role objects 602 in
association 652 with the user object 420 of the case status module
304; a role object 604, the role object 604 in association 654 with
one or more of the user_role objects 602; one or more role_alert
objects 606, one or more of the role_alert objects 606 in
association 656 with the role object 604; one or more role_report
objects 608, one or more of the role_report objects 608 in
association 658 with the role object 604; and a report object 610,
the report object 610 in association 660 with one or more of the
role_report objects 608.
[0121] The report object 610 can contain a pre-formatted report
specification which, when combined with a database query (such as a
SQL or OQL statement) will enable the printing or exporting of
information contained within the present invention. It is
contemplated that one or more of the instances of the report class
may be, specifically designed to format a report in such a way as
to facilitate electronic filing with clients, agencies, or
governmental entities.
[0122] As illustrated in FIG. 7, in the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, the execution and operation of the payment
module 308 is enabled (facilitated) by, for example: one or more
invoice_master objects 702, one of the invoice_master objects 702
in association 752 with one of the activity_log objects 422, one or
more invoice master objects 702 in association 758 with a case
object 402; and one or more payment objects 704, one or more of the
payment objects 704 in association 754 with one of the user objects
420, one or more of the payment objects 704 in association 756 with
one of the invoice_master objects 702.
[0123] As illustrated in FIG. 8, in the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, the execution and operation of the alert
distribution module 310 is enabled (facilitated) by, for example:
an alert object 802, the alert object 802 in association 852 with
one or more of the role_alert objects 606 of the role module 306;
at least one alert_history objects 804, one or more of the
alert_history objects 804 in association 854 with the alert object
802, one or more of the alert_history objects 804 in association
856 with the one or more of the user objects 420; and one or more
user_alert objects 806, one or more of the user_alert objects 806
in association 858 with one of the alert objects 802, and one or
more of the user_alert objects 806 in association 860 with one of
the user objects 420.
[0124] As illustrated in FIG. 9, in the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, the execution and operation of the
correspondence distribution module 312 is enabled (facilitated) by,
for example: one or more correspondence_template objects 902, one
or more of the correspondence_template objects 902 in association
952 with the case_type object 416; one or more
client_correspondence_recipient objects 904; one or more of the
client_correspondence_receipient objects 904 in association 954
with one of the correspondence_template objects 902; at least one
client_correspondence objects 906, one or more of the
client_correspondence objects 906 in association 956 with one of
the correspondence_template objects 902; one or more
case_correspondence objects 908, one or more of the
case_correspondence objects 908 in association 958 with one of the
case objects 402 of the case status module 304; and one or more of
the case_correspondence objects 908 in association 960 with one of
the correspondence_template objects 902; one or more
correspondence_distribution objects 910, one or more of the
correspondence_distribution objects 910 in association 962 with one
of the case_correspondence objects 908; an approval_status object
914, and one or more case_document objects 916; one or more of the
case_document objects 916 in association 970 with one of the case
objects 402; and one or more of the case_document objects 916 in
association 972 with the approval_status object 914.
[0125] As illustrated in FIG. 10, in the preferred embodiment of
the present invention, the execution and operation of the document
distribution module 314 is enabled (facilitated) by, for example: a
document_template object 1002, the document_template object 1002 in
association 1052 with one or more case_document objects 916; one or
more client_document_recipient objects 1004, one or more of the
client_document_recipient 1004 objects in association 1054 with the
document_template object 1002; one or more client_document objects
1006, one or more of the client_document objects 1006 in
association 1056 with the document_template object 1006; and one or
more document_distribution objects 918, one or more
document_distribution objects having an association 974 with an
approval_status object 914 of the correspondence distribution
module 312, and one or more document_distribution objects 918
having an association 976 with a case_document object 916.
[0126] As illustrated in FIGS. 11a, 11b, and 11c, in the preferred
embodiment of the present invention, the execution and operation of
the client information module 316 is enabled (facilitated) by, for
example: one or more client_contact objects 1102 (FIG. 11b), one of
the client_contact objects 1102 in association 1154 with one or
more of the correspondence_distribution objects 910, one of the
client_contact objects 1102 in association 1158 with one or more of
the complaint objects 432, one or more of the client_contact
objects 1102 in association 1172 with the address object 516 of the
intake module 302, and one or more of the client_contact objects
1102 in association 1160 with one of the user objects 420 of the
case module 304; one or more client_division objects 1104 (FIG.
11b), one of the client_division objects 1104 in association 1162
with one or more client_correspondence objects 906 of the
correspondence module 312, one of the client_division objects 1104
in association 1164 with one or more client_document objects 1006
of the document distribution module 314, and one or more of the
client_division objects 1104 in association 1166 with one of the
address objects 516 of the intake module 302; one or more client_hq
objects 1106 (FIG. 11b), one of the client_hq objects 1106 in
association 1168 with one or more user objects 420 of the case
module 304, one of the client_hq objects 1106 in association 1170
with one or more of the client_division objects 1104, one or more
of the client_hq objects 1106 in association 1173 with the address
object 516, one of the client_hq objects 1106 in association 980
with one or more client_correspondence objects 906 of the
correspondence module 312; one of the client_hq objects 1106 in
association 1062 with one or more client_document objects 1006 of
the document module 314; one or more client_sic objects 1108 (FIG.
11a), one or more of the client_sic objects 1108 in association
1174 with one of the client_hq objects 1106; a sic object 1110
(FIG. 11a), the sic object 1110 in association 1176 with one or
more of the client_sic objects 1108; one or more client_location
objects 1114 (FIG. 11c), one or more of the client_location objects
1114 in association 1181 with one of the client_hq objects 1106,
one or more of the client_location objects 1114 in association 1182
with one of the client_division objects 1104, one of the
client_location objects 1114 in association 1184 with one or more
case objects 402 of the case module 304, and one or more
client_location objects 1114 in association 1185 with the address
object 516 of the intake module 302; one or more client_note
objects 1116 (FIG. 11c), one or more of the client_note objects
1116 in association 1186 with one of the client_hq objects 1106,
one or more of the client_note objects 1116 in association 1187
with one of the client_location objects 1114, and one or more of
the client_note objects 1116 in association 1188 with one of the
client_division objects 1104; one or more client_contacts objects
1118 (FIG. 11c), one or more of the client_contacts objects 1118 in
association 1189 with one of the client_contact objects 1102, one
or more of the client_contacts objects 1118 in association 1190
with one of the client_division objects 1104, one or more of the
client_contacts objects 1118 in association 1191 with one of the
client_hq objects 1106, and one or more of the client_contacts
objects 1118 in association 1192 with one of the client_location
objects 1114; one or more client_union objects 1120 (FIG. 11a), one
or more of the client_union objects 1120 in association 1193 with
one of the client_hq objects 1106, one or more of the client_union
objects 1120 in association 1194 with one of the client_division
objects 1104, one or more of the client_union objects 1120 in
association 1195 with an address object 516 of the intake module
302, and one or more of the client_union objects 1120 in
association 1197 with one of the client_location objects 1114; and
a union_type object 1122 (FIG. 11a), the union_type object 1122 in
association 1196 with one or more of the client_union objects
1120.
[0127] The client_hq object 1106 contains data that pertains to a
client of the organization that operates the present invention (the
"operating organization"). Certain information stored in the
client_hq object 1106 is made available to "child" client entities
for use directly, or for copying from the parent. A copy of the
information would be an independent source object (e.g., a separate
instantiation), which may be changed within the scope of the child
client. This is useful for clients that are holding companies that
have subsidiaries that are themselves corporations in their own
right.
[0128] The client_contacts object 1118 is used to contain any
client contact. This object contains links to an individual's
object representation (e.g., the object within the present
invention that contains that person's specific information).
[0129] The sic object 1110 represents the many-to-many
relationships between the Standard Industrial Classifications
("SIC") and the clients represented within the present
invention.
[0130] The union_type object 1122 is specific to union
organizations. Local unions refer to this as their "union type"
within the client information retained within the present
invention. An example of a union type would be "United Auto
Workers." The union type object 1122 is used to identify certain
unions and to enable linking to their names, web sites,
abbreviations, and other information.
[0131] Incidentally, it is contemplated that the objects of the
present invention will perform certain functions on behalf of, or
otherwise representing, the individuals about whom the objects
pertain.
[0132] Properties of the Various Objects
[0133] As mentioned before, the present invention is implemented on
a computer system, preferably having a server capable of executing
one or more processes that facilitate the creation of objects. The
objects preferably have data composed of properties that may be
stored/retrieved in an object or relational database or in another
manner. The properties of the objects of the present invention are
of standard types that enable the property to retain the kind and
amount of information necessary to fulfill the requirements of the
object and the overall system of the present invention. For
example, the properties may be a standard integer, or a string
variable of finite length. Other properties are specific for
datetime and real (non-integer) numbers. Still other properties are
of type "bit" for use as boolean variables or simple flags, as well
as tinyint, varchar(x), char(x), smallint, numeric(a, b), or other
type allowable under the language, database and/or platform upon
which the application of the present invention operates.
[0134] The case object 402 has, for example: a case_id property; a
client_location_id property; an emp_status_id property; a
case_type_id property; a complaint_id property; a
case_manager_user_id property; a case_status_id property; a
dismissal_type_id property; a case_sub_status_id property; a
settlement_id property; a ts_cliinfo_record_id property; a
consultant_user_id property; a case_number property; a te_code
property; a rate property; a rate_type property; date_reactivated
property; a date_closed property; a report_due_date property; an
insurance_claim_no property; a court_filing_date property; a
court_state property; a court_circuit property; a date_added
property; a date_modified property; an added_by property; a
modified_by property; a first_name property; a last_name property;
a job_title property; a title property; a complaint property; and a
data_received property.
[0135] The case object 402 contains pertinent information about the
case being processed within the present invention. The court_state
property contains the two-letter abbreviation for the state in
which the court is located where the case litigation is filed,
e.g., "ME" for Maine. A value placed in this property does not
imply, nor is it to be inferred, that this is a state circuit
court. Rather, the court_circuit property indicates the federal
circuit in which the case is filed, whereas the court_state only
indicates the geographical location of the court of the initial
filing. Within the court_circuit property, a non-null value
indicates that this is a Federal court case, while a null value
indicates a State court case. The court_filing_date property
contains the date the case was filed with a court. The date_added
property indicates the date that the case is added to the table.
The date_closed property indicates the date that the case is
closed, i.e., the date that the main status is set to "Closed". The
insurance_claim_no property contains the identification number of
the claim, as reported by the client (insurance company), e.g.,
"23654-002." The report_due_date property indicates the date that
the Report is due for this case. The date_reactivated property
contains the date that the case was "re-activated." Possible
reasons for case reactivation may include the RFI requiring
considerable time to reach a compliance. The title property is the
title, or citation, of the case, e.g., "Smith v. ACME, Inc." The
job_title property contains the job property of the Complainant.
The complaint property can be either internal or external.
Typically, for "internals," this property contains the online
submission of the Complainant or the operating organization's
employees' notes if the complaint was received by telephone,
facsimile or mail, whereas for "externals" it includes a copy of
the original charge. The date_modified property contains the date
of the last modification to the case in question. The added_by and
modified_by properties contain the user identifier of the person
adding and modifying, respectively, this particular row. The
last_name and first_name properties contain the last name, e.g.,
"Burns", and the first name, e.g., "George", respectively, of the
Complainant in the case. The date_received property contains the
date that the complaint or charge, i.e., primary charge only, was
received by the operating organization. However, this date is not
always the same as the date_added property. A example of this may
be a case that was received on a Friday, but not entered into the
system until the following Monday. The complaint_id property
contains the database identification for the complaint. The
case_type_id property contains the database-unique identifier which
uniquely identifies the object in the database. The
case_manager_user_id property contains the user identifier of the
case manager who set up the case. The case_status_id property
contains the current status of the case, e.g., "Closed", "Active",
"Monitoring", "Reactivated." The case_id property contains the
database unique identifier which uniquely identifies the case
within the database of the present invention. The emp_status_id
property contains a database unique identifier to an
employee_status object. The client_location_id property contains a
database-unique identifier for the client_location object within
the database. The rate_type property determines the nature of the
rate in the rate column, i.e., either "F" for a flat rate, or "H"
for an hourly rate. The te_code property uniquely identifies the TE
charge account for this case, and that number is the present
invention's "foreign key" into the accounting program database,
created independently at the case set-up in both the present
invention and the accounting program. The case_number property
contains the case number that is assigned to the case by the
operating organization in order to identify the case uniquely.
Typically, the case number corresponds to the alphanumeric code
placed on case folders and is used in the accounting program, i.e.,
"Name.Nickname1". This case_number is read from the accounting
program after the TE code (te_code) is created in both the present
invention and the accounting program. The rate property contains
the rate charged by the operating organization for time spent on
the case in question. A default value is extracted from the Client
table and is a flat rate "F" and/or an hourly rate "H", as
determined by the rate_type property. The case_sub_status_id
property contains the current sub-status of the case. An example is
"Dismissed, No Cause", which is a sub-status of the status
"Closed." The dismissal_type_id property contains the
identification representing the type of dismissal for this case, if
applicable. An example of a dismissal_type_id property is
"Successful Conciliation." The settlement_id property contains a
database-unique identifier that uniquely identifies the settlement
object in the database. The ts_cliinfo_record_id property is a
"foreign key" into the accounting program Cliinfo table (RecordID)
and identifies the case, allowing the present invention to access
case-specific accounting program data. The ts_cliinfo_record_id
property is read by the accounting program after the te_code is
created in both the present invention and the accounting
program.
[0136] The settlement object 404 has, for example: a settlement_id
property; a range_lower property; a range_upper property; a
range_desc property; a settlement_date property; a demanded_amount
property; a demand_desc property; an actual_amount property; and an
actual_desc property.
[0137] The settlement object 404 contains the details of a
settlement. The settlement_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the settlement object in the
database of the present invention. The range_lower property
contains the lower boundary or minimum amount, in U.S. dollars,
e.g., 1500, or $1,500.00, for the settlement. Similarly, the
range_upper property contains the upper boundary or maximum amount,
in U.S. dollars, e.g., 5000, or $5,000.00, for the settlement. The
range_desc property contains any textual description which needs to
accompany the settlement. The settlement_date property contains the
date the settlement was reached. The demanded_amount property
contains the amount of money demanded by the Complainant/charging
party, in U.S. dollars, i.e., 5000, or $5,000.00. The demand_desc
property contains a description of the non-monetary demands, or an
elaboration upon the monetary demands, e.g., "reinstatement and a
10% pay increase." The actual_amount property contains the amount
finally settled upon by the Complainant/charging party, in U.S.
dollars, i.e., 3000, or $3,000.00. The actual_desc property
contains a description of the non-monetary final settlement, or an
elaboration upon the monetary settlement, e.g., "reinstatement and
a 5% pay increase."
[0138] The related_case object 414 has, for example, a
case_id.sub.--2 property, a case_id.sub.--1 property, as well as a
relationship_desc property.
[0139] The related_case object 414 relates two cases to one
another, such as when an internal case is later filed by the
complainant as a charge or when an internal or external case later
results in litigation. Other case relationships could be related
here by utilizing the relationship_desc property column to describe
the relationship. Each relationship is represented once, so queries
need to inspect both columns when searching for a relationship,
i.e., "where case_id.sub.--1=2039 OR case_id.sub.--2=2039." The
case_id.sub.--1 and the case_id.sub.--2 properties each contain a
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the
related_case object within the database of the present invention.
The relationship_desc property contains a textual description of
the nature of the relationship represented here, e.g., "CSC-EEO
from the same claim."
[0140] The employment_status object 410 has, for example: an
emp_status_id property; and a status_name property.
[0141] The employment_status object 410 represents the valid
statuses applicable to a Complainant regarding his or her
employment status with the client. Valid values include, for
example, Hourly, Salary, Contract, Applicant, etc. The
emp_status_id property contains a database-unique identifier which
uniquely identifies the employment status identifier within the
database. The status_name identifier property contains the name of
the employment status, i.e., Hourly, Salary, Contract, Applicant,
etc.
[0142] The dismissal_type object 412 has, for example, a
dismissal_type_id property, as well as a type_name property and an
active_ind property.
[0143] The dismissal_type object 412 represents the possible types
of dismissals which can be associated with a case. The
dismissal_type_id property contains a database unique identifier
which uniquely identifies the dismissal_type object within the
database. The type_name property contains the name of the dismissal
type, e.g., "Successful Conciliation." The term "Dismissed" is
contained in the case_status property column and hence, is not
stored in the dismissal_type object 412. Finally, the active_ind
property, if set to, for example, the value 1, indicates a valid
dismissal type. Otherwise, this type is no longer considered a
valid option.
[0144] The case_status object 408 has, for example: a
case_status_id property; a complainant_content_id property; a
status_name property; a sort_sequence property; a closure_ind
property; a parent_status_id property; an active_ind property; a
temp_active_ind property; a status_desc property; an abbreviation
property; and a client_status property.
[0145] The case_status object 408 defines the various states that
EEO cases can have, such as, "Open", "Assigned", "Closed", or
"Settled". The case_status_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the case_status object in the
database. The complainant_content_id property contains an
identifier tag which links to, for example, a Content table and
identifies the status message to be displayed for a case with such
a status. The status_name property contains the name of the status
as it appears in the user interface ("UI"), e.g., "Open" or
"Closed". The sort_sequence property contains the numerical
indicator of the order in which the status values are listed. The
closure_ind property contains information on how a case was closed,
as a case can reach "closed" status in several different ways. The
parent_status_id property identifies the status of the "parent"
case in the case_status table and is used to denote that a status
is a sub-status. "Settled" is one example of a sub-status of
"Closed," because any case which is "Settled" is "Closed" as well.
The active_ind property, if set to, for example, the value 1,
indicates a valid status; otherwise, this status is no longer
considered a valid option. The temp_active_ind property, if set to,
for example, the value 1, indicates that a case status is
"temporarily inactive," such as when the case is in the
"monitoring" state. The status_desc property contains a brief
description, available to the user, to assist the user in the
status assignment or transition of the case. The abbreviation
property contains an abbreviated representation of the status which
is used where physical space is limited, such as in a report, on a
display grid, etc. The client_status property is the status as it
is represented to the client. Typically, client statuses are more
generalized than consultant statuses.
[0146] The case_note object 406 has, for example: a case_note_id
property; a case_id property; a note property; a user_id property;
and a note_date property.
[0147] The case_note object 406 enables multiple notes to be stored
for a single case. The note property contains the actual text of
the note. The user_id property contains the name of the author of
the note. The note_date property contains the date the note was
written (or edited). The case_id property contains a
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the case_note
object within the database to which the note pertains. The
case_note_id property contains a database_unique identifier that
uniquely identifies the note in the database.
[0148] The case_type object 416 has, for example: a case_type_id
property; a case_type_name property; and an abbreviation
property.
[0149] The case_type object 416 contains the various claim types
under which a case can fall. Some examples of claim types include
"charge", "internal", and "attorney demand". The case_type_id
property contains a database-unique identifier which uniquely
identifies the case_type object in the database. The case_type_name
property contains the name of the claim type as it appears in
documents, checkbox labels, etc., e.g., "Internal Complaint."
Finally, the abbreviation property contains the abbreviated
representation of the case type for use in places where physical
space is limited such as in a report or on a display grid.
[0150] The content object 418 has, for example, an identifier
property, as well as a set of properties including, for example: a
description property; a language property; and a body property.
[0151] The content object 418 maintains "copy" used with the
present invention and is where some of the textual content
originates. The id property contains a database identifier which is
a text identifier to enable the content object (and its message) to
be identified meaningfully within the code referencing it, e.g.,
complainant:status_page:open_case. The description property
contains a description of the use of this content. The language
property contains the language in which the content is supplied. If
this is "null," then the language is English. Finally, the body
property contains the actual "content" displayed on the site.
[0152] The user object 420 has, for example: an id property; a
client_hq_id property; a last_name property; a first_name property;
a middle_name property; a prefix property; a suffix property; a
username property; a password property; an employee_ind property;
an email property; a last_visited property; a visit_count property;
a client_ind property; a locked_ind property; and a status_code
property.
[0153] The user object 420 contains the user profiles. The users of
the present invention are many individuals including the operating
organization's employees, client contacts and agency contacts. It
may be useful to create a table or other objects to store contacts
that are not standard users but who need to be represented in the
database, such as agency investigators. The id property contains a
database_unique value that uniquely identifies the particular user
object (or database table row) within the database. The
client_hq_id property, if set to, for example, the value 1,
identifies a user who is associated with a client, i.e., not an
employee. The last_name property contains the user's last name,
e.g., "Howser." Similarly, the first_name and middle_name
properties contain the user's first, e.g., "Doogie," and middle
names, e.g., "Bartholomew," respectively. Likewise, the prefix and
suffix properties contain the user's prefix, e.g., "Dr.", "Ms."
"Mr." and user's suffix, e.g., "M.D.", "Esq.", "Jr.", respectively.
The username property contains the user's username, e.g.,
"dbhowser." The password property contains the user's password. The
employee_ind property, if set to, for example, the value 1,
indicates that the user is an employee of the operating
organization and thus, alleviates the present invention from having
to issue, for example, a SQL JOIN statement to an Employee table to
determine this fact. Similarly, the client_ind property, if set to,
for example, the value 1, identifies the user as a client. The
email property contains the email address of the user. The
last_visited property contains the date and time of the user's last
visit to the present invention, whereas the visit_count property
contains the number of sessions on the present invention for this
particular user. The locked_ind property, if set to, for example,
the value 1, indicates that the user's account has been locked. The
status_code property indicates the status of the particular user
with respect to notes and authorization to use various aspects of
the present invention.
[0154] The activity_log object 422 has, for example: an
activity_log_id property; an actor_user_id property; an
activity_date property; an activity_id property; a case_id
property; an invoice_id property; an activity_description property;
a time_spent property; a billable_ind property; a ts_description
property; a ts_task_code property; a ts_slip_jd property; an
exported_ind property; and an export_date property.
[0155] The activity_log object 422 is a log of all activities which
occur in relation to a specified case 402. Billable entries in this
table (where the billable_ind property is equal to the value 1) are
exported to the accounting program for processing. The
ts_description property contains the accounting program
description. The ts_task_code property contains the accounting
program task code, when the default is equal to, for example, the
value 1. The billable_ind property, when set to, for example, the
value 1, indicates that this entry represents billable activity
that should be exported to the accounting program. The export_date
property records the date and time at which the activity log entry
was exported to Accounting program. The ts_slip_id property is
uniquely identified in the accounting program via a value of
SLPTRANS.RecordID. The exported_ind property, when set to, for
example, the value 1, indicates that this activity has been
exported to the accounting program. The invoice_id property
contains the invoice in which this slip is included. The
actor_user_id property identifies the user who carried out the
activity. The activity_date property records the date on which the
activity occurred. The activity_log_id property is a
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the particular
activity_log object within the database of the present invention.
The time_spent property records, in increments of an hour, the
amount of time the user spends on a given activity. The
activity_description property is a description of the action
performed. The activity_id property identifies the specific
activity on which time was spent. Finally, the case_id property has
a database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the case
object 402 within the database of the present invention.
[0156] The employee object 424 has, for example: an employee_id
property; a supervisor_user_id property; an employee_user_id
property; an initials property; a title property; an education
property; a background property; a date_hired property; a
work_hours property; a friday_group property; a special_projects
property; an active_case_count property; a rating property; a
ts_nickname.sub.--1 property; a ts_nickname.sub.--2 property; and a
ts_name_id property.
[0157] The employee object 424 contains supplemental data about
employees of the operating organization only. The employee_id
property contains the database-unique identifier of the individual
employee object in the database of the present invention. The
supervisor_user_id property contains the identifier in the User
table of this employee's supervisor (the user table containing
instances of the user object 420). The employee_user_id property
contains a foreign key in the user table. The initials property
contains the employee's initials, e.g., MLR, and is used for
reporting and displays where space is limited. The title property
contains the employee's job position within the operating
organization, i.e., "Director", "Management", "Consultant", etc.
The education property contains information on the employee's
educational background, e.g., "M.S., Horticulture, J. D., Brown
University, 1977". The background property contains background
information on the employee. The date_hired property contains the
date this employee was hired. The work_hours property contains
information on the employee's typical work schedule, e.g., "6:30
a.m.-4:30 p.m." Similarly, the friday_group property contains
information on which Friday the employee works, e.g., "A" or "B".
The special_projects group contains notes on any special projects
in which the employee is involved. The active_case_count property
contains the number of cases currently assigned to the Consultant
and is used to "suggest" assignment options. The ratings property
contains a numerical evaluation of the relative capability of the
Consultant regarding EEO cases which in turn may assist in
formulating assignment suggestions made by the present invention. A
higher number is better than a lower number. The
ts_nickname.sub.--1 and ts_nickname.sub.--2 properties contain the
employee's "nickname" (NAME.Nick.Name1) for the accounting program,
e.g., "MRoach," and secondary "nickname" (NAME.NickName2), e.g.,
"9", respectively. Finally, the ts_name_id property contains the
accounting program's identifier of the individual, (NAME.RecordID),
e.g., "13".
[0158] The status_history object 426 has, for example: an entity_id
property, an entity_name property; a date_modified property a
user_id property; and a status_code property.
[0159] The status_history object 426 represents changes to entities
within the database, including the new status, the user involved in
the change, and the date the change was made. The previous status
will be derived by examining all entries for a specific entity in
date order. The entity_id property contains a Primary Key indicator
into, for example, an <entity> table. The entity_name
property contains the table name which represents the entity, and
is used in conjunction with the entity_id property as a key. The
date_modified property contains the date on which the change was
made. The user_id property contains the database-unique identifier
for the user. The status_code property contains the status code
resulting from the change to the entity.
[0160] The activity object 428 has, for example: an activity_id
property; a case_sub_status_id property; a case_status_id property;
an activity_name property; an activity_description property; a
ts_task_code property; a sort_sequence property; an
activity_sequence property; and a locked_ind property.
[0161] The properties of the activity object 428 are the "approved
activities" that may be logged into the activity_log object 422.
This standardization is done primarily to promote consistency in
reporting and billing. The activity_id property contains a
database-unique identifier for this activity that is used to
identify uniquely the object in the database. The
case_sub_status_id and the case_status_id properties reveal a
sub-status and a status, respectively, of the case after this
activity has occurred, i.e., by looking at the latest logged
activity for a case on a given date, one can discern the status of
the case on that day. The activity_name property gives a brief,
descriptive name for the activity, e.g., "File Assigned." The
activity_description property allows for a more lengthy exposition
on the nature of the activity, e.g., "The case has been reviewed by
management and assigned the responsibility of an individual
consultant." The ts_task_code property contains the accounting
program equivalent activity code for this activity. The default
value for the ts_task_code property is equal to "I." The
sort_sequence property indicates the order in which items are
displayed in controls such as dropdowns. The activity_sequence
property indicates where in the life cycle this activity occurs in
relation to other activities, thus enabling the interface to
determine which activity or activities should occur "next," and
suggests same to the user. The locked_ind property, if set, for
example, to the value 1, allows only the system to make entries
using this activity, thereby "locking out" the user to prevent him
or her from entering activities such as "Case Created" which are
under sole control of the application. The activity_ind property,
if set to, for example, the value 1, allows for a_valid entry in
the Activity Log. Likewise, the calendar_ind property, if set to,
for example, the value 1, allows for a valid entry in the Case
Calendar.
[0162] The case_calendar object 430 has, for example: a calendar_id
property, a case_id property; a user_id property; an activity_id
property; an event_date property; a description property; a
closed_ind property; and an event_title property.
[0163] The case_calendar object 430 tracks the calendar of events
for a specific case. The description property contains a textual
description of the event for the case. The event_date property
contains the date and time of the scheduled event. The closed_ind
property, if set, for example, to the value 1, indicates that the
event has taken place. The event_title property contains the title
of the calendar event. The calendar_id property contains the
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the
case_calendar object within the database. The activity_id property
contains the activity which has been scheduled for the case. The
case_id property contains the information on the specific case to
which the calendar of events pertains. Finally, the user_id
property contains the name of the operating organization's
Consultant who is scheduling the event.
[0164] The complaint object 432 (FIG. 5b) has, for example: a
complaint_id property; a submission_user_id property; a
submission_type_id property; a complainant_first_name property; a
complainant_last_name property; a work_address_id property; a
complaint property; a client_hq_id property; a job_title property;
a note property; a date_reported property; a report_recipient
property; a client_action property; a sjbc_action property; a
submission_no property; a submission_date property; an emp_name
property; an emp_division property; an emp_location property; a
status_code property; and a complainant_contact_times property.
[0165] The complaint object 432 (FIG. 5b) contains the salient
characteristics of an internal complaint which is filed online, by
telephone, facsimile or mail. In internal complaint is not filed
with the EEOC or an FEP Agency. The sjbc_action property contains
the action to be taken by the operating organization regarding this
complaint, if any, as directed by the client. The submission_no
property contains the identifier number assigned by the present
invention for the complaint and which uniquely identifies the
complaint. The submission_no identifier number may not be the same
as the case number of the case to which the complaint is assigned.
The client_action property contains the action taken to date by the
client on this complaint, if any. The report_recipient property
contains a concise description of the recipient of the complaint,
if the complainant form is completed by one other than the
complainant, e.g., "Bess Motta, HR, Workout Productions, Inc." This
corresponds to the date_reported property column in this table,
which contains the date the complaint was actually reported to an
appropriate agency, authority, consulting firm, etc. This in turn
corresponds to the report_recipient property in this table, as
above. The emp_location property contains the employer's location.
The status_code property, if set, for example, to the value 1,
indicates that this complaint has been deleted from the perspective
of the present invention's users. The submission_date property
indicates the date on which the complaint was submitted to the
operating organization. The emp_division property indicates the
employer's division. The emp_name property contains the name of the
employer, i.e., the name of the operating organization's client,
e.g., "ACMI, Inc." The complainant_contact_times property contains
information on the best time to contact the Complainant and is
entered into the system during the complaint creation, as provided
by the complainant. The submission_type_id property contains a
database unique identifier, e.g., "2", which uniquely identifies
the submission_type object in the database of the present
invention. The complainant_first_name and the complainant_last_name
properties contain the first name, e.g., "Michael," and the last
name, e.g., "Jackson," of the complainant, respectively. The
submission_user_id property contains a database-unique identifier
which uniquely identifies this contact. This contact identifier
changes when a modification to the address or title properties is
made. The complaint_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the complaint in the database
of the present invention. The note property allows for storage of
special notes pertaining to this case. The client_hq_id property
contains the identifier of the Top-Level-Client (such as Employer)
in this particular case, e.g., "3124." The job_title property
contains the job title of the Complainant, e.g., "Line Foreman."
The complaint property contains the textual complaint, submitted by
the Complainant or a representative. A "charge" indicates the text
is submitted by the agency. The work_address_id property indicates
the office address of the complainant. The home phone of the
Complainant is included in the address table row, specifically, in
the aux_phone property.
[0166] The submission_type object 434 has, for example: a
submission_type_id property; a type_name property; and a
description property.
[0167] The submission_type object 434 defines the various ways a
complaint can be input to the present invention. Valid values may
include "Online", "Fax" or "Phone." Other potential designations
may include "by Proxy" and "by Agency". The submission_type_id
property contains the database-unique identifier which uniquely
identifies the submission_type object within the database, e.g.,
"2." The type_name property contains the type of submission, e.g.,
"phone." Finally, the description property contains a short
description of the submission type.
[0168] The te_counter object 436 has, for example: a counter
property. The te_counter object 436 is a table which serves as a
sequence counter for generating unique, sequential TE codes for use
in the accounting program. The counter property contains a counter
value, such as a large integer.
[0169] The issue object 512 has, for example: an issue_id property
and an issue_name property. The issue object 512 contains the
various issues surrounding a claim, e.g., discipline, promotion,
harassment, etc. The issue_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the particular issue object in
the database. The issue_name property contains the name of the
issue as it appears in documents, checkbox labels, etc., e.g.,
"Discipline."
[0170] The case_issue object 510 has, for example: an issue_id
property; a case_id and an agency_id property. The case_issue
object 510 contains the legal issue under which a case is filed.
Examples may include hiring, discipline or promotion issues. The
issue_id and case_id properties contain database-unique identifiers
which uniquely identifies the case_issue object 510 within the
database. The agency_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the agency associated with the
case issue.
[0171] The basis object 508 has, for example: a basis_id property
and a basis_name property. The basis object 508 contains the
various bases, or criteria, under which a discrimination claim may
be filed. Examples include, but are not limited to, age
discrimination, sex discrimination, race discrimination, and the
like. The basis_id property contains a database-unique identifier
which uniquely identifies an object in the database. The basis_name
property contains the name of the individual case basis as it
appears in the corresponding documents, checkbox labels, etc.,
e.g., "sex."
[0172] The case_basis object 506 has, for example: a basis_id
property; a case_id; and an agency_id. The case_basis object 506
contains the legal basis (or bases) under which a case is filed,
e.g., sex discrimination, race discrimination or age
discrimination. The case_id and agency_id properties contain
database-unique identifiers that uniquely identifies the particular
case_basis object within the database of the present invention.
Likewise, the basis_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the legal basis for the case,
e.g., "sex".
[0173] The charge object 502 (FIG. 5a) has, for example: an
agency_id property; a case_id property; an agency_contact_id
property; a primary_ind property; a date_filed property; a note
property; a determination_date property; a date_reopened property;
a charge_no property; a class_action_ind property; a
resolution_date property; and a determination_type_id property.
[0174] The charge object 502 (FIG. 5a) contains a claim which is
associated with a particular case and which represents a filing
with an individual agency regarding a complaint. The set of claims
referencing an individual complaint is assigned to a single case
object 402. The date_reopened property contains the date the case
was reopened by the agency. The determination_date contains the
date of the final determination that is rendered by the agency. The
note property pertains to the particular claim filing. The
charge_no property contains the charge number assigned by the
filing agency, e.g., "1267-A-00121". The class_action_ind property,
if set, for example, to the value 1, indicates that this charge has
the potential for a class action suit. The resolution_date property
contains the date that the charge was resolved. The case_id
property contains a database-unique identifier which uniquely
identifies the charge object within the database of the present
invention. The agency_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the associated agency within
the database. The date_filed property contains the date on which
this claim was filed with the agency. The primary_ind property
indicates that this claim is the primary claim in a case. Only the
primary agency receives the reports and other like correspondence,
although secondary agencies may receive requests to approve a claim
closure but only after the primary agency has rendered the final
decision. The determination_type_id property contains a
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the
determination_type object associated with the charge object.
Finally, the agency_contact_id property contains a database-unique
identifier for the agency_contact object with the charge
object.
[0175] The agency object 504 has, for example: an agency_id
property; an address_id property; an agency_name property; an
agency_type property; a director_name property; a url property; a
time_zone property; a notes property; and a status_code
property.
[0176] The agency object 504 contains information on EEOC and FEP
agencies association with specific cases. The agency_id property
contains a database-unique identifier that is used to identify
uniquely the agency object in the database. The address_id property
contains the database-unique identifier to the address object of
the agency office. Similarly, the agency_name property contains the
name of the agency, e.g., "Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission."
The agency_type property indicates the level at which the agency
exists. Values are controlled by user interface and include
"Federal," "State," "Local," or "Other." The director_name property
contains the full name of the Executive Director of the agency,
e.g., "Mr. Al E. Katt, Esq." The url property contains the Uniform
Resource Locator ("URL") of the agency's office web site, e.g.,
http://www.state.ne.us/home/NEOC/. The time_zone property,
abbreviated with E, C, M or P, lists the time zone in which the
agency is located, that is, Eastern, Central, Mountain or Pacific
time, respectively. The notes property allows for special notations
regarding the agency, e.g., the agency's extension policy. Finally,
the status_code property contains a code identifier indicating the
status of the agency.
[0177] The agency_contact object 514 has, for example: an
agency_contact_id property; an agency_id property; an address_id
property; a last_name property; a first_name property; a title
property; an investigator_ind property; an executive_ind property;
a notes property; and a status_code property.
[0178] The agency_contact object 514 contains information on points
of contact at the EEO or FEP agency. The investigator_ind property
indicates whether this individual is an Investigator for the
agency. The individual's title, e.g., "Investigator," is contained
in the title property. The executive_ind property indicates whether
or not the individual is the Executive Director of the agency. The
notes property allows for the user to include his or her own notes
regarding the agency contact, e.g., "never finds in favor of the
respondent." The status_code property, if set to, for example, the
value 1, indicates that this contact is no longer an active
contact. The agency_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the agency object in the
database that is related to the particular agency contact. The
agency_contact_id contains a database-unique identifier that
uniquely identifies the agency-contact object in the database. The
first_name property contains the first name of the agency
personnel, e.g., "Ronald". Likewise, the last_name property
contains the last name of the agency personnel, e.g., "McDonald."
The address_id property allows the user to include the address of
the person, with a default value derived from
EEO_AGENCY.ADDRESS_ID.
[0179] The address object 516 has, for example: an address_id
property; an address.sub.--1 property; an address.sub.--2 property;
an address.sub.--3 property; a city property; a state property; a
postal_code property; a phone property; an extension property; a
facsimile property; an email property; an addressee_name property;
an aux_phone property; an aux_phone_note property; a
home_address_ind property; and a home_phone property.
[0180] The address property 516 contains address information for
any entity in the database which requires an address. Optional
information for a given entity, such as the entity's telephone or
facsimile numbers or electronic mail address, may need to be
included in certain situations, e.g., when a user has a corporate
address_id but a personal telephone number. The address_id property
contains a database-unique identifier that identifies a particular
address object in the database. The address.sub.--1 property
contains the user's specific street address information. Likewise,
the address.sub.--2 property allows for a second street address
line to include additional information such as an office's suite
number within a multi-office complex. The third address line,
contained within the address.sub.--3 property, is used primarily
for large offices which may have their own internal mail department
codes. The city, state and postal code properties are used to
further identify the user's address. The phone property contains
the telephone number associated with the user's address. In cases
where the address is an office for multiple individuals, this
property would contain the main "switchboard" telephone number. The
extension property contains the user's specific extension, again
used where the address is an office for multiple users. The
facsimile property contains the user's facsimile number and can be
the user's personal or direct facsimile number or the general
facsimile number used in an office with multiple individuals. The
email property identifies the electronic mail address of the
individual user. The addressee_name property contains the name of
the addressee. However, in cases where this is the user, the
addressee value will be null. This column exists to reference
individuals who are addressed in the present invention cases but
who are not users of the present invention. The aux_phone property
can contain an auxiliary telephone number for the address entry. In
the case of a Complainant, for example, this would be used for the
home telephone number. Other addresses, however, may use it for a
cellular telephone number, a main receptionist telephone number,
and the like. The aux_phone_note property allows for a brief
description of the telephone number listed in the aux_phone
property, such as "Home Phone," "Cell Phone" "Number for Weekends,"
etc. The home_address_ind property, when set to, for example, the
value 1, indicates that the address listed in this record is a Home
address. Similarly, the home_phone property, when set to, for
example, the value 1, indicates that the telephone number listed in
this record is the user's home telephone number.
[0181] The determination_type object 518 has, for example: a
determination_type_id property; a type_name property; and an
active_ind property.
[0182] The determination_type object 518 represents types of
determinations that can be associated with an external charge. The
determination_type_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the determination_type object
within the database. The type_name property contains the name of
the dismissal type, e.g., "Cause", "Dismissal" and "Other." The
term "Dismissed" is contained in the case_status property column
and therefor, is not stored in the determination_type object 518.
Finally, the active_ind property, if set, for example, to the value
1, indicates a valid dismissal type. If set to other than 1, this
type is no longer a valid option.
[0183] The user_role object 602 has, for example: a user_id
property; and a role_id property. The user_role object 602 is used
to indicate a user's role within a case or organization. The
user_id property links the particular user_role object to the user
object 420. Similarly, the role_id property links the user_role
object to the particular role object 604.
[0184] The user_role object 602 associates users with their
respective roles in the present invention. The user_id property
contains a database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the
user in the user_role database. Likewise, the role_id property
contains a database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the
role of the user in the user_role database.
[0185] The role object 604 has, for example: a role_id property; a
role_title property; a role_name property; a role_desc property; an
employee_ind property; and a client_ind property.
[0186] The role object 604 represents the roles that users can play
in the present invention, as indicated with a corresponding number.
Illustrative examples include role 1, Management; role 2,
Administrative Assistant; role 3, Consultant; role 4, Client
Executive Management; role 5, Client Human Resources Management;
role 6, Client Legal; role 7, Client Claims; role 8, Client Law
Firm; role 9, Government Agency; role 10, Client Contact; role 11,
Director; role 12, Complaint Filer; or role 13, Client A/P. The
role_id property contains a database-unique identifier which
uniquely identifies the role in the database. The role_title
property contains what is displayed to the user as the name of the
role, e.g., "Management." The role_name property contains the name
of the type of role, used internally to the system as a key, e.g.,
"MGT." The role_desc property contains an extended description of
the role, e.g., "The people within the operating organization who
make initial decisions as to which cases get assigned to which
consultants." The employee_ind property, when set, for example, to
the value 1, indicates the role is applicable to the operating
organization employees and is used by the graphical user interface
("GUI") to populate the selection object. Finally, the client_ind
property, when set, for example, to the value 1, indicates that
this role is applicable to clients of the present invention and is
used by the GUI to populate the selection object.
[0187] The role_report object 608 has, for example: a report_id
property; and a role_id property.
[0188] The role_report object 608 defines which roles within the
present invention are candidates to receive which Alerts. Case
affiliation must also be accounted for in alert distribution. The
report_id property and the role_id property each contain a
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the report and
the role, respectively, within the database.
[0189] The report object 610 has, for example: a report_id
property; a report_title property; and an orientation property.
[0190] The report object 610 represents reports generated with the
present invention, e.g., Client General Report, Client Specific
Report, Client Numerical Report, Weekly Status Report, etc.
Position Reports, Fact Finding Reports, etc. are considered
documents and thus, are not represented in this report object 610.
The report_id property contains a database-unique identifier which
uniquely identifies the report in the database. The report_title
property contains the default title for the report, i.e., "Claims
Summary." If desired, each client can have a unique name for the
report as defined in the client_report table. Finally, the
orientation property contains a single character code to designate
whether the report is in "P" for Portrait format or in "L" for
Landscape format.
[0191] The role_alert object 606 has, for example, an alert_id
property and a role_id property. The role_alert object 606 defines
which roles within the present invention are candidates to receive
which Alerts. Case affiliation must also be accounted for in Alert
distribution. The role_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the role in the database of
the present invention. Likewise, the alert_id property contains a
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the alert in
the database of the present invention.
[0192] The user_alert object 806 has, for example, a user_id
property and an alert_id property. The user_alert object 806
defines which users of the present invention are recipients of
which alerts. Case affiliation must also be accounted for in alert
distribution. The alert_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the alert in the user_alert
database. The user_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the user in the user_alert
database.
[0193] The alert object 802 has, for example: an alert_id property;
an alert_name property; an alert_desc property; an alert_message
property; an alert_title property; an alert_subject property; an
email_ind property; and a website_ind property.
[0194] The alert object 802 represents alerts delivered by the
present invention, some of which will be represented in the
database while others will be represented in code. The alert_id
property contains a database-unique identifier which uniquely
identifies the alert object in the database. The alert_name
property contains the name of the specific alert, e.g., "Exit
Interview Conducted," and is used internally by the system code.
The alert_desc contains a textual description of the alert. The
alert_message contains the content of the message to be included in
any alert notification, e.g., "The case noted above has been
opened." This could be concatenated into the specifics of the
alert, e.g., "Case #", enabling the tone of the message to be
modified at a later date as necessary by the administrator. The
alert_title property is the "name" of the alert to be used when
assigning recipients to alerts during client set-up. The
alert_subject property contains textual information on the specific
subject to which the alert pertains. The email_ind property, if
set, for example, to the value 1, delivers the alert to the user
via electronic mail. Similarly, the website_ind property, if set,
for example, to the value 1, delivers the alert to the user via the
web site of the present invention.
[0195] The alert_history object 804 has, for example: an
alert_history_id property; an alert_id property; a user_id
property; an alert_subject property; an alert_body property; a
date_added property; a date_sent property; and a date_viewed
property.
[0196] The alert_history object 804 contains history of alerts
delivered by the present invention. The alert_history_id property
uniquely identifies the alert_history object in the database. The
alert_id property contains a database-unique identifier which links
the alert_history object to an alert object 802. The user_id
property links the alert_history object 804 to a user object 420.
The alert_subject property stores a subject line of the alert. The
alert_body property stores a detailed description of the alert
event. The date_added property indicates when the alert_history
object was added to the database. The date_sent property contains
the date the alert was sent. The date_viewed property contains the
date the user viewed the alert.
[0197] The invoice_master object 702 has, for example: an
invoice_id property; a case_id property; a start_date property; an
end_date property; an invoice_date property; a ts_record_id
property; a fee_amount property; expense_amount property; and a
pif_ind property.
[0198] The invoice_master object 702 contains a master file of
invoice information associated with all cases of the present
invention. The invoice_id property identifies the invoice_master
object 702 and contains a database-unique identifier which uniquely
identifies the invoice in the database. The ts_record_id property
contains the database unique identifier from the accounting program
where the invoice is generated. This is used to transfer data
between the accounting program and the present invention. The
invoice_date property contains the date of the invoice as extracted
from the accounting program. The fee_amount property contains the
amount due in expenses as extracted from the accounting program.
The pif_ind property, if set, for example, to the value 1,
indicates the invoice has been acknowledged as "Paid in Full." This
is useful if a portion of an invoice is "forgiven" so that the
invoice can be designated as "PIF" even though the paid_amount is
less than the total of the fee_amount plus the expense_amount. The
invoice_id property contains a database-unique identifier which
uniquely identifies the invoice in the database. The start_date
property and the end_date property identify the beginning date of
the billing period and the ending date of the billing period,
respectively, for the invoice. The case_id property contains a
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the case
within the database of the present invention.
[0199] The payment object 704 has, for example: a payment_id
property; an invoice_id property; a payment_no property; an
authorizing_user_id property; a paid_amount property; a
payment_date property; a note property; and a payment_type
property.
[0200] The payment object 704 represents payments made against
invoices in the invoice_master table. The payment_id property
identifies the payment object 704. The invoice_id property contains
a database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the invoice
in the database. The payment_no property contains the sequential
number of the payment relative to the invoice indicated by
invoice_id, e.g., "2". The authorizing_user_id property indicates
the client representative and user of the present invention who
authorized the payment. The paid_amount property indicates the
amount which has been paid by the client. Similarly, the
payment_date property indicates the date of the client's payment.
The note property contains miscellaneous textual notes about the
payment, for example, the check number. Finally, the payment_type
property contains the single character code denoting the payment
type. Valid values for the payment_type property include: "D" for
payment via direct deposit; "W" for payment via wire transfer; "C"
for payment via credit card; "H" for payment via check; and "0" for
payment via other means such as cash, money order, etc.
[0201] The client_hq object 1106 has, for example: a client_hq_id
property; an address_id property; a client_name property; a
client_name_short property; a display_name property; a client_type
property; a client_dba_name property; a file_number prefix
property; a file_number_counter property; an aliases property; a
products_services property; a president_name property; a url
property; a ceo_name property; a state_federal_contract_ind
property; an employee_count property; a corporate_union_ind
property; a time_zone property; an incorporation_state property; an
rfi_turnaround property; a ps_turnaround property; a
followup_period property; an update_period property; a
witness_interview_ind property; an int_rate property; an
int_rate_type property; an ext_rate property; an ext_rate_type
property; and an exit_interview_ind property.
[0202] The client_hq object 1106 contains data pertaining to the
client of the present invention. Certain information stored here,
e.g., accounting, addresses, etc., is available for "child" client
entities to use either directly, or to copy from the parent. A copy
would be an independent source which may be changed within the
scope of the client, whereas an inherited address, for example,
experiences change whenever the parent is changed. The client_hq
property contains a database-unique identifier which uniquely
identifies the client in the database. The address_id property
uniquely identifies the instance of the client_hq object 1106 in
the database of the present invention. The client_name property
contains the name of the client, e.g., "Sam's Trout Packing Co.,
Ltd.", whereas the client_name_short property contains an
abbreviated 8-character name for the client, e.g., "GM-PTDiv" which
uniquely identifies the client within the present invention and is
used for dropdown lists and other places. The display_name property
contains the name of the client as it is to be displayed on
reports, forms, correspondence, etc., e.g., "GM PowerTrain
Division." The client_type property contains a single-character
code to indicate the type of client, i.e., "C" for Corporate; "R"
for Carrier; and "I" for Insured. The client_dba_name property
contains the "Doing Business As" name of the client, e.g., "S. J.
Bashen, Inc., d.b.a., S. J. Bashen Corporation", or "S. J. Bashen,
Inc., d.b.a., S. J. Bashen EEOC Investigators." The
file_number_prefix property contains the first portion of the
case_number property identifier which has been assigned to all
cases associated with this client, e.g., "AAA". This identifier
would, in turn, have a sequential case number appended to it at
case set-up time which results in a unique identifier such as,
"AAA-BBB-0012," or, <client><complainant last
name><sequential number>. In the event a last name has
fewer than 3 characters, e.g., Wu, zeros are added to the end of
the name to make it 3 characters, e.g., Wu0. The
file_number_counter property is incremented as cases are created
for the client and used when creating the case number. It may be
necessary to "prime" this number for existing clients so that the
file numbers do not overlap with existing cases. The aliases
property contains other names by which the client may be known,
especially in the case where a buyout has occurred. The
products_services property contains the products and/or services
offered by the client. The Standard Industrial Classification
("SIC"), however, is stored within the Client_Sic object 1108
table. The president_name property contains the name of the client
president and is kept separately for information purposes in the
event the president is not a user of the present invention. The url
property contains the address of the client's web site. The
ceo_name property contains the name of the client's Chief Executive
Officer ("CEO") and is kept separately for informative purposes in
the event the CEO is not a user of the present invention. The
state_federal_contract_ind property indicates whether the client
has contracts with the state of federal government. The Commissions
always ask this question in Request for Information ("RFI"). The
employee_count property contains the number of employees the client
has. This property is relative to the scope of the client, e.g., if
this client instance represents a single location, then this will
only represent the number of employees at that location. For a
"parent" client, however, this column may be used for conglomerate
populations. The corporate_union_ind property, if set to, for
example, the value 1, indicates that this client is a "union" shop,
whereas if set to, for example, the value 0, indicates that it is
not a union shop. The time_zone property is defined using a single
character abbreviation to indicate the client's time zone, i.e.,
"E" for the Eastern time zone; "C" for the Central time zone; "M"
for the Mountain time zone; and "P" for the Pacific time zone. The
incorporation_state property indicates the client's state of
incorporation which may or may not be the same as the location
state. The rfi_turnaround property indicates the number of days
required for the client to respond to an RFI and is used to
determine a client-specific RFI turnaround time. The ps_turnaround
property contains the number of days required by the client to
review a Position Statement. This number can be used to determine
how many days in advance of the due date a Position Statement
should be submitted for client review. The possibility of
Rejection/sb is accounted for here. The followup_period property
contains the number of weeks for which the operating organization
will monitor and subsequently inform a client of the activity of a
case after the submission of the Position Statement. The default
for this followup_period property is typically set to the value 24.
The update_period property contains the numbers of days between
follow-up updates submitted to the client by the operating
organization on a "closed" case, e.g., "The operating organization
will submit a change update every X days after a case is closed."
The default for this update_period property is set to the value 30.
The witness_interview_ind property, if set, for example, to the
value 1, indicates that the operating organization conducts witness
interviews, and if set, for example, to the value 0, indicates that
the client or other organization conducts the witness interviews.
The exit_interview property, if set, for example, to the value 1,
indicates that the client requires an exit interview to be
performed by the operating organization prior to the closure of the
case. The int_rate property, with a default value rate set in U.S.
dollars, is applied to work done for this client for internal
cases. This default value rate is inherited by cases pursued for
this client. Similarly, the int_rate_type property contains a
single code indicating the default rate type for this client for
internal cases. Specifically, valid values are set at "F" for a
flat rate and at "H" for an hourly rate. Likewise, the ext_rate
property, with a default value rate set in U.S. dollars, is applied
to work done for this client for external cases. The default value
rate is inherited by cases pursued for this client. Similarly, the
ext_rate_type property contains a single code indicating the
default rate type for this client for external cases. Specifically,
valid values are set at "F" for a flat rate and at "H" for an
hourly rate.
[0203] A client_contact object 1102 has, for example, a
client_contact_id property, as well as a series of properties
including, for example: a user_id property; an address_id property;
a title property; an active_ind property; and a status_code
property.
[0204] Any client contact can be represented in the client_contact
object 1102. The client_contact_id property contains a
database-unique identifier for this particular contact. The
identifier of the contact will change when a modification to
Address or Title occurs. The user_id property contains the client
contact which may be one of many client contacts. The address_id
property uniquely identifies the instance of the client_contact
object 1102 in the database of the present invention. The title
property contains the title of the contact within the scope of the
client, e.g., "President." The active_ind property allows
deactivation of contact, whereas when set to, for example, the
value 0, indicates normal activation, and when set to, for example,
the value 1, indicates deactivated. Deactivation is not the
equivalent of deletion, however. Finally, the status_code property
contains the status of the contact, wherein when set to, for
example, the value 0, indicates normal status, and when set to, for
example, the value 1, indicates it has been deleted.
[0205] A client_division object 1104 has, for example, a
client_division_id property, as well as a series of properties
including, for example: a client_hq_id property; an address_id
property; a client_name property; a client_name_short property; a
display_name property; a client_type property; a file_number_prefix
property; a time_zone property; an rfi_turnaround property; a
ps_turnaround property; a followup_period property; an
update_period property; a witness_interview property; an int_rate
property; an int_rate_type property; an ext_rate property; an
ext_rate_type property; and an exit_interview_ind property.
[0206] The client_division property 1104 contains data pertaining
to the client of the present invention. Certain information stored
here, e.g., addresses, accounting, etc., will be available for
"child" client entities to use directly or to copy from the parent.
A copy would be an independent source which may be changed within
the scope of the client, whereas an inherited address, or child,
will experience change whenever the parent is changed. The
update_period property indicates the number of days between
follow-up updates submitted to the client by the operating
organization on a "closed" case, with a default value equal to 30.
An example may read, "S. J. Bashen Corporation will submit a change
update every X days after a case is closed." The
witness_interview_ind property, when set to, for example, the value
1, indicates that the operating organization conducts witness
interviews, whereas when set to, for example, the value 0,
indicates that the client (or other organization) conducts them.
The followup_period property indicates the number of weeks the
operating organization will monitor a case after the submission of
a "Position Statement" and subsequently inform the client of the
activity. The default value for this followup_period property is
set to 24. The ps_turnaround property indicates the number of days
required by the client to review the Position Statement. This
number can be used to determine how many days in advance of the due
date a Position Statement should be submitted for client review.
The possibility of rejection s/b is accounted for here. The
rfi_turnaround property contains the number of days required for
the client to respond to an RFI and is used to determine
client-specific RFI turnaround time. The ext_rate property
indicates the default rate, in U.S. dollars, which is applied to
work done for this client for external cases. This value is
inherited by cases pursued for this client. Similarly, the
ext_rate_type contains a single character code indicating the
default rate type for this client for external cases. Valid values
for this property are "F" for flat rate and "H" for hourly rate.
Likewise, the int_rate property indicates the default rate, in U.S.
dollars, which is applied to work done for a client for internal
cases and is inherited by cases pursued for this client. Similarly,
the int_rate_type property is a single character code containing an
indication of the default rate type for this client for internal
cases. Valid values for this property are "F" for flat rate and "H"
for hourly rate. The exit_interview_ind property, if set to, for
example, the value 1, indicates that the client requires an exit
interview to be performed by the operating organization prior to
closure of the case. The value for this property is inherited from
the client_hq property upon the row creation. The address_id
property uniquely identifies the instance of the client_division
object 1104 in the database of the present invention. The
client_name property contains the name of the client, e.g., "Sam's
Trout Packing Co., Ltd." The client_hq_id and client_division
properties each contain a database-unique identifier which uniquely
identifies the client. The time_zone property indicates the time
zone of the client using the following abbreviations: "E" for
Eastern time zone; "C" for Central time zone; "M" for mountain time
zone; and "P" for Pacific time zone. The file_number_prefix
property contains the first portion of the case number identifier
assigned to cases affiliated with this client, e.g., "AAA." This
would have a sequential case number appended to it at case set-up
time, to result in a unique identifier such as "AAA-BBB-0012,"
which indicates <client><complainant last
name><sequential number>. In the event a last name is
fewer than 3 characters, e.g., Wu, the name is padded with 0's so
that it is at least 3 characters. The client_name_short property
contains an abbreviated 8-character name for the client which
uniquely defines it within the present invention for use in
dropdown lists and other places, e.g., "GM-PTDiv". The client_type
property contains the single-character code which indicates the
type of client, i.e., "C" for Corporate; "R" for Carrier; or "I"
for Insured. Finally, the display_name property contains the name
of the client as it is to be displayed on reports, forms,
correspondence, etc., e.g., "GM PowerTrain Division."
[0207] The client_contacts object 1118 has, for example: a
client_contacts_id property; a client_hq_id property; a
client_contact_id property; a client_location_id property; a
client_division_id property; a bill_to_ind property; a
primary_poc_ind property; a bill_to_cc_ind property; an ap_poc_ind
property; an active_ind property; and a status_code property.
[0208] The client_contacts object 1118 is a table which allows an
existing client contact record to be associated to additional
clients and supports the case where a single Human Resources person
or Manager may be the contact for several locations or divisions.
The bill_to_cc_ind property, if set to, for example, the value 1,
copies the contact on the invoices. This applies more to recipients
of hard copy invoices rather than online invoices. Similarly, the
bill_to_ind property, if set to, for example, the value 1,
indicates the contact who is to receive the original invoices. The
primary_poc_ind property, if set to, for example, the value 1,
establishes this contact as the main point of contact for the
client. The ap_poc_ind property, if set to, for example, the value
1, establishes Accounts Payable as the point of contact for the
client and may or may not be the same person indicated in the
bill_to_recipient property. The active_ind property, if set to, for
example, the value 1, allows deactivation of contact, whereas when
set to, for example, the value 0, indicates a normal status.
Deactivation is not the same as deletion, however. The status_code
property indicates the status of the client contacts, whereas when
set to 0 indicates a normal status, and when set to 1 indicates a
deleted status. The client_hq_id property contains a
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the client.
The client_contacts_id uniquely identifies the instance of the
client_contacts object 1118 in the database of the present
invention. The client_division_id contains a database-unique which
uniquely identifies the client. The client_contact_id property
contains a database-unique identifier for this contact and changes
with any modification to the Address or Title properties. Finally,
the client_location_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the client.
[0209] The client_note object 1116 has, for example: a
client_note_id property; a client_location_id property; a
client_division_id property; a client_hq_id property; a note
property; a user_id property; and a note_date property.
[0210] The client_note object 1116 enables multiple notes to be
stored per client. The note property contains the text of the note.
The client_hq_id property, the client_division_id property and the
client_location property each contain a database-unique identifier
which uniquely identifies the specific client in the client_note
object. The user_id property identifies the user (author) of the
note. The note_date property indicates when the note was created or
edited. The client_note property uniquely identifies the instance
of the client_note object 1116 in the database of the present
invention.
[0211] The union_type object 1122 has, for example: a union_type_id
property; a name property; an abbreviation property; and a url
property.
[0212] The union_type object 1122 contains the union organizations.
Local unions refer to this as their union_type in the client table.
An example of a union_type is the "United Auto Workers." The
union_type_id property uniquely identifies the union type. The name
property contains the full name of the union, e.g., the "United
Auto Workers", whereas the abbreviation property contains the
abbreviation for the union, e.g., "U.A.W."
[0213] The client_union object 1120 has, for example: a
union_type_id property; client_location_id property; a
client_division_id property; a client_hq_id property; an address_id
property; a local_number property; a url property; a cba_online ind
property; and an abbreviation property.
[0214] The client_union object 1120 represents the relationship
between the client and the union(s) which exist(s) in its shop. The
local_number property contains the union's local number, e.g., "UAW
Local #524". A null value implies that there is no local union. The
address_id property uniquely identifies the instance of the
client_union object 1120 in the database of the present invention.
The url property contains the URL address to the web site of the
local union. The cba_online_ind property, if set, for example, to a
value of 1, indicates that the Local Union's Collective Bargaining
Agreement ("CBA") is available online, presumably at the web site
of the Local Union. The abbreviation property indicates the client
union's abbreviation, e.g., "UAW" for United Auto Workers. The
union_type_id property indicates that the type of union, typically
the national or world organization under which the local union
exists, e.g., "United Auto Workers". The client_hq_id property, the
client_location_id property and the client_division_id property
each has a database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the
client union in the database.
[0215] The client_location object 1114 has, for example: a
client_location_id property; a client_hq_id property; a
client_division_id property; an address_id property; a client_name
property; a client_name_short property; a display_name property; a
client_type property; a time_zone property; a policy_number
property; and a policy_deductible property.
[0216] The client_location object 1114 contains the specific client
location for this case. The client_location_id, the client_hq_id
and the client_division_id properties each contain a
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the client in
the database. The address_id property uniquely identifies the
instance of the client_location object 1114 in the database of the
present invention. The client_name property contains the name of
the client, e.g., "Sam's Trout Packing Co., Ltd." The display_name
property contains the name of the client as it is to be displayed
on reports, forms, correspondence, etc., e.g., "GM PowerTrain
Division," whereas the client_name_short property contains an
abbreviated 8-character name for the client which uniquely
identifies it within the present invention for use in dropdown
lists and other places. An example of a client's short name may be
"GM-PTDiv." The client_type property contains a single character
code to indicate the type of client, i.e., "C" for Corporate; "R"
for Carrier; "I" for Insured. The time_zone property uses a single
character code to indicate the time zone where the client is
located, i.e., "E" for the Eastern time zone; "C" for the Central
time zone; "M" for the Mountain time zone; and "P" for the Pacific
time zone. The policy_number property contains the policy number of
the insured. The policy_deductible property contains the amount of
the deductible on the insurance policy of the insured.
[0217] The sic object 1110 has, for example: a sic_code_id
property; a sic_name property; a sic_description property; and a
sic_code property.
[0218] The sic object 1110 contains a sic_code property which
identifies the sic object 110. The sic_code_id property contains
the actual Standard Industrial Classification ("SIC") codes and is
also used as a database id. The sic_name property contains the name
of the classification, whereas the sic_description property
contains the description of the classification.
[0219] The client_sic object 1108 has, for example: a client_hq_id
property; and a sic_code_id property. The client_sic object 1108
represents the M:M relationship between SICs and clients of the
present invention. The sic_code_ind property is the actual SIC code
which is also used as a database id. The client_hq id property
contains a database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the
client in the database.
[0220] The document_template object 1002 has, for example: a
document_template_id property; a document_title property; a
filename property; a version property; an open_date property; a
close_date property; and an active_ind property.
[0221] The document_template object 1002 represents templates for
client reports. When a Consultant requires communication to a
client, the Consultant can generate a document_template and modify
it to suit the specific details of the case. The DAT-002 has a list
of available templates. The document_template_id property
identifies the document_template object 1002 and if set, for
example, to the value 1, indicates a valid document template. The
document_template_id property, when set to the value 0, for
example, indicates that this template is retained for historical
purposes only and is not to be used. The document_title property
indicates a general but identifying name for the document, e.g.,
"Acknowledgment Letter." The filename property indicates the
location of the physical file containing the template documents,
typically in Microsoft WORD, manufactured by the Microsoft
Corporation of Redmond, Wash., or an equivalent software
application. In order to maintain an historical audit trail on the
templates, a new physical file is made whenever there is an edit to
a template. The previously active template is then denoted as
"inactive" and the close_date is set appropriately. The version
property indicates a version number used to track revisions of the
template, e.g., "1.3a". The open_date property indicates the date
that this template became effective, e.g., Jul. 12, 2001. Likewise,
the close_date property indicates the date that this template
became inactive, e.g., Jul. 12, 2002. One reason a template may
become inactive, for example, is possibly due to revision. Finally,
the active_ind property, when set to the value 1, indicates that
this is an active document template.
[0222] The client_document_recipient object 1004 has, for example:
a document_template_id property; a client_contacts_id property; an
approval_ind property; and a copied_ind property.
[0223] The client_document_recipient object 1004 contains the
relationship between reports and client_reps who receive the
reports. Reports are associated with individuals rather than with
roles which enables customization at every client level. The
document_template_id property contains a database-unique identifier
which uniquely identifies the document template within the
database. The client_contacts_id property uniquely identifies the
instance of the client_document_recipient object 1004 in the
database of the present invention. The approval_ind property, if
set to, for example, the value 1, indicates that the user has
approval authority to access the document. Typically, the default
for the approval_ind property is set to, for example, the value 0.
Finally, the copied_ind property, if set to, for example, the value
1, indicates that this client representative receives a copy of
this document, i.e., in cases where a "cc" is distinguished from an
original.
[0224] The client_document object 1006 has, for example: a
document_template_id property; a client_division_id property; a
document_title property; a required_ind property; a hardcopy_ind
property; a hardcopy_distribution_method property; an approval_ind
property; a client_document_id property; and a client_hq_id
property.
[0225] The client_document object 1006 contains reports that are
required by a client. The required_ind property, if set to, for
example, the value 1, indicates that this document must be
delivered to the client as appropriate in a case. The
document_title property contains the tile applied to the document
for this client. The default value is defined by
document_template.document_title but can be changed should a client
require a different title. The hardcopy_ind property indicates
whether the client requires a hard copy of the report or reports
submitted. Similarly, the hardcopy_distribution_method property
indicates how a hard copy, if required, is distributed, e.g., by
facsimile, by standard mail, via a weekly basket, etc. The
approval_ind property, if set to, for example, the value 1,
indicates that this document, e.g., the Position Statement,
requires client approval. The default for this approval_ind
property is set to, for example, the value 0. The
client_document_id property uniquely identifies the instance of the
client_document object 1006 in the database of the present
invention. The document_template_id property contains a
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the document
in this database. The client_division_id property contains a
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the client
division. Typically, locations will inherit the documents. Finally,
the client_hq_ind property contains a database-unique identifier
which uniquely identifies the client.
[0226] The document_distribution object 918 has, for example: a
document_distribution_id property; a response_date property; a
view_date property; a response property; an approval_ind property;
a date_added property; a client_contact_id property; an
approval_status_id property; and a document_id property.
[0227] The document_distribution object 918 contains the individual
distributions of documents to clients. It tracks data regarding
view date, approval status and distribution date. Further, multiple
approvers are handled by this table via the approval_status_id
property which is summarized to determine the ultimate approval
status of the document. The document_distribution_id property
identifies the document_distribution object 918. The response_date
property contains the date the response was made by the
client_contact. The view_date property contains the date that the
client_contact first viewed the correspondence. The response
property contains the content of the response by the
client_contact. The approval_ind property, if set, for example, to
the value 1, indicates the recipient must participate in the
approval process for this document. The date_added property
indicates the date that this distribution was made by the
consultant. The approval_status_id property indicates approval
status for an individual recipient of a document. The approval
status for the documents overall is stored in case_document and
represents a summarization of the approval statuses logged
herein.
[0228] The correspondence_template object 902 has, for example: a
correspondence_template_id property; a case_type_id property; a
correspondence_name property; a body property; a subject property;
an open_date property; a close_date property; an active_ind
property; and a document_ind property.
[0229] The correspondence_template object 902 represents templates
for client correspondence. When a Consultant requires communication
to a client, the Consultant can generate a correspondence and
modify it to suit the specific details of the case. The DAT-005 has
a list of the available templates. The correspondence_template_id
property contains a database-unique identifier which uniquely
identifies the correspondence in the database. The case_type_id
property, when specified, can offer multiple templates with the
same purposes, customized by case type and can be used to filter
offerings made to consultants. The correspondence_name property
contains a general yet identifying name for the correspondence,
e.g., "Acknowledgement Letter." The body property contains the
"boilerplate" body of the correspondence and is presented to the
user for completion of specifics. The subject property contains the
subject line to appear with this correspondence. The open_date
property contains the date that this template became effective,
e.g., Jul. 12, 2001. Similarly, the close_date property contains
the date that the template became inactive, e.g., Jul. 12, 2002.
One reason a template may become inactive is because of a revision,
for example. The active_ind property, if set, for example, to the
value 1, indicates an active document template. Finally, the
document_ind property indicates if the correspondence has an
attachment to send with it.
[0230] The client_correspondence_recipient object 904 has, for
example: a client_correspondence_template_id property; and a
client_contact_id property. The client_correspondence_recipient
object 904 contains the relationship between the correspondence and
client_reps who receive the correspondence. Correspondences are
associated with individuals rather than with role which enables
customization at every client level. The client_contacts_id
property uniquely identifies the instances of the
client_correspondence object 906 in the database of the present
invention. The correspondence_template_id property contains a
database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the client
correspondence in the database.
[0231] The client_correspondence object 906 has, for example: a
correspondence_template_id property; a client_division_id property;
a required_ind property; a client_hq_id property; and a
client_correspondence_id property.
[0232] The client_correspondence object 906 represents those
correspondences which are valid and/or required of the client,
e.g., an acknowledgement letter. The client_division_id, the
client_hq_id and the correspondence_template_id properties each
contain a database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the
client. The required_ind property, when set to, for example, the
value 1, indicates that the correspondence MUST be delivered to the
client as appropriate in a particular case. Finally, the
client_correspondence_id property uniquely identifies the instance
of the client_correspondence object 906 in the database of the
present invention.
[0233] The case_correspondence object 908 has, for example: a
correspondence_id property; a correspondence_template_id property;
a case_id property; a date_added property; a body property; a
subject property; and an added_by property.
[0234] The case_correspondence object 908 contains the
correspondence information which has been published to different
users of the present invention for a specific case. The body
property contains the actual content of the body of the
correspondence after the Consultant has modified it. The date_added
property contains the date the correspondence was sent to the user.
The subject property contains the actual content of the subject
line of the correspondence after the operating organization
Consultant has modified it. The added_by property contains the user
identifier of the operating organization Consultant who constructs
the correspondence. The correspondence_id property contains an
identifier which uniquely identifies the instance of the
case_correspondence object 908 in the database of the present
invention. The case_id property contains the database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the case within the database
of the present invention. The correspondence_template_id property
contains a database-unique identifier which uniquely identifies the
correspondence within the database of the present invention.
[0235] The correspondence_distribution object 910 has, for example:
a correspondence_distribution_id property; a correspondence_id
property; a client_contact_id property; a view_date property; a
response_date property; and a response property.
[0236] The correspondence_distribution object 910 contains a
history of case correspondence that has been distributed to various
client contacts. The view_date property contains the date that the
client_contact viewed the correspondence, whereas the response_date
property contains the date the response was made by the
client_contact. The response property contains the content of the
response by the client_contact. The correspondence_distribution_id
property contains an identifier which uniquely identifies the
instance of the correspondence_distribution object 910 in the
database of the present invention. The client_contact_id property
contains the identifier of the client_contact who is receiving the
correspondence. Likewise, the correspondence_id property contains
the identifier of the case_correspondence constructed for
distribution to various client_contacts.
[0237] The approval_status object 914 has, for example, an
approval_status_id property, as well as a series of properties
including, for example: a status_name property; and an active_ind
property.
[0238] The approval_status object 914 contains those valid values
for approval status, e.g., Approved, Rejected, etc. The
approval_status_id property contains a database-unique identifier
which uniquely identifies the object in the database. The
status_name property contains the text of the status, e.g.,
"Approved." Finally, the active_ind property, if set, for example,
to a value of 1, indicates a valid status; otherwise, i.e., if set,
for example, to a value of other than 1, it has been deactivated
from further use.
[0239] The case_document object 916 has, for example: a document_id
property; an approval_status_id property; a case_id property; a
document_template_id property; a date_approved property; a
locked_ind property; an override_by property; an override_reason
property; a date_added property; an added_by property; a
date_modified property; a modified_by property; a filename
property; a document_title property; and an offline_ind
property.
[0240] The case_document object 916 contains the present invention
client reports. Examples of reports may include a "Fact Finding
Report", a "Position Statement Report", etc. The added_by property
contains the user identifier of the present invention Consultant
who created the document. The date_modified property contains the
date of the most recent modification to the document, while the
date_added property contains the date the report was associated
with a specific case. The override_reason property contains the
reason the user performs the approval override action. The user who
performs the approval override_reason action is identified in the
override_by property. Override actions always require an
explanation and are warranted when an approver is unavailable for
review of the document. The document_title property contains the
title of the document to distinguish it from other documents upon
user review. The modified_by property contains the user identifier
of the Consultant modifying the document. The filename property
pertains to the name of the physical file which contains the actual
case document generated using a document_template_id property. The
document_template_id property contains a database-unique identifier
which uniquely identifies the document in the database. The
offline_ind property, when set to, for example, the value 1,
indicates that the "attached" document exists in hardcopy or
electronic form for outside the present invention only. The
approval_status_id property contains the code indicating the status
of approval. The case_id property contains a database-unique
identifier which uniquely identifies the case within the Database
of the present invention. The document_id property uniquely
identifies the instance of the case_document object 916 in the
database of the present invention. The locked_ind property
indicates that the case can no longer be modified. Finally, the
date_approved property contains the date the document received
approval by the client. This date_approved property indicates
complete approval, i.e., all client representatives who are
designated to approve a particular document have done so.
[0241] Operation of the Present Invention
[0242] In operation, the present invention can be accessed by a
user on a client device such as a telephone, facsimile machine,
email, company intranet, or via a wide area network such as the WWW
of the Internet. While the present invention is accessible from the
client devices mentioned above, the below explanation assumes that
the user (Complainant) is accessing the present invention through
the WWW. It should be noted that any other device that is capable
of communicating with the server via a standardized protocol, such
as TCP/IP, WAP, Bluetooth, or other protocol can be used as a
client device and enable interaction with the present
invention.
[0243] In the examples that follow, the user is accessing the
present invention through a web browser on a personal computer that
is connected to the Internet. The user designates the URL of the
company intranet or web site that acts as a portal or interface for
the user and the present invention. In the preferred embodiment of
the present invention, the user is challenged to authenticate
himself or herself. The authentication is accomplished by having
the user enter a username and password. Once the user is
authenticated to the present invention, the user is free to use the
services of the present invention. It is contemplated with the
present invention that access to the server may be accomplished by
a proxy, such as an employee of the employer's human resources
department. In such a scenario, the present invention may be
enabled to restrict some, none, or all of the user's information
stored on the present invention from the proxy, depending upon the
requirements of the situation. While web-based examples are
illustrated, other types of client devices, such as telephone and
facsimile machines, are equally useful with the present
invention.
[0244] In the preferred embodiment, the user is first presented
with a welcome page that contains announcements, information
regarding the user's case status, and one or more navigation aids.
At this point, the user has several options, all accessible via
navigation hyperlinks. The following example is illustrative of
various tasks that may be accomplished by the present
invention.
[0245] Adding a Calendar Event
[0246] The present invention is equipped with a calendar option
that utilizes one or more of the objects in the alert distribution
module 310 (see FIG. 8). To enter a calendar event, the user first
gains access to the present invention through the
authentication/authorization procedures, typically through a device
such as personal computer 128. On the web page retrieved by server
104, a hyperlink to the calendar feature can be selected by the
user. A Hyper Text Markup Language ("HTML") form is then presented
to the user, who then inputs the appropriate data and submits the
form for processing by the server, e.g., server 104 of FIG. 1.
[0247] Generally, data between the objects of the present invention
and the data stored on the various database, either the databases
of the present invention, or other database, are synchronized on a
periodic, or on an as-needed basis. Other tasks or activities that
can be accomplished by the present invention include, but are not
limited to, the following: [0248] Opening or closing a case; [0249]
Logging in to the present invention; [0250] Associating a document
with a case; [0251] Selecting a user account; [0252] Resetting a
password obtained from a server; [0253] Submitting a form to a
server; [0254] Generating a report; [0255] Forwarding phone
messages to a server of the present invention; [0256] Forwarding an
electronic facsimile to a server of the present invention; [0257]
Creating/editing contact information; [0258] Completing a calendar
event; [0259] Creating an activity log entry; [0260] Approving a
pending item including, but not limited to, a payment, an invoice,
a document, a task, and/or a request; [0261] Viewing a case
document; [0262] Creating a case correspondence; [0263] Viewing a
case correspondence; [0264] Selecting a document template; [0265]
Establishing a secure connection with the present invention; [0266]
Exchanging data in a secure manner between a server of the present
invention and a client device in a secure manner; [0267] Logging
out of the present invention; [0268] Searching for anything stored
within the present invention; [0269] Sending an email to the
present invention; [0270] Submitting an extension request; [0271]
Closing a file by a client; [0272] Confirming a submission of a
request or other activity to the server; [0273] Reassigning a case;
[0274] Exporting an item to the accounting database; [0275]
Importing an item from the accounting database; [0276] Sending a
facsimile message internally within the present invention; [0277]
Obtaining a consensus among members of a project; and [0278]
Displaying and maintaining related cases.
[0279] Workflow
[0280] The following description and accompanying drawings
illustrate the preferred methods of the present invention. While an
order of steps is described herein, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that many of the steps described herein may be
reordered without effect to the useful result of the present
invention. Consequently, the order to the steps described herein
are intended as a guide and not as a specific requirement of the
order of steps.
[0281] The lifecycle of a typical case is illustrated in FIG. 12.
The method starts generally at step 1201. It should be noted that
at any step within the method illustrated in FIG. 12, the case may
settle, be reassigned, be closed by the client or be queried for a
status check. In any one of those four instances mentioned
previously, the method illustrated in FIG. 12 would immediately
halt and execution would resume within the sub-methods for
settling, reassigning, closing, or checking status. In the case of
checking status, however, execution could resume at the point where
the status check was called.
[0282] In the method according to FIG. 12, the case is received in
step 1202. Next, case-related objects, such as the case object 402,
the user object 420, etc., are instantiated and appropriate records
committed to the database 110 and/or 112, in step 1204.
[0283] The purpose of the method illustrated in FIG. 12 is to
depict the flow of business activity required to process complaints
and agency charges with the operating organization. The business
activity being accomplished via the present invention enables the
receipt of a complaint or charge through any of the communications
mechanisms supported by the present invention, including, but not
limited to: telephone, facsimile and/or email.
[0284] Once the claim is submitted, a case object 402 (see FIG. 4)
is created in the database of the present invention and displayed
for review, typically by the management of the operating
organization. Eventually, the case is assigned to a Consultant who
is generally (although is not required to be) employed by the
operating organization. The Consultant subsequently performs a
review, investigation, and prepares one or more reports for the
client of the operating organization (typically, the employer of
the Complainant). The various reports can then be reviewed and/or
approved by the client or local/state/federal agencies. The objects
within the database of the present invention facilitate the
storage, categorization, searching, and retrieval of the various
documents used in the investigation and reporting. The objects and
methods of the present invention also enable automatic docketing of
various events and can generate, automatically, many of the reports
as well as file (electronically) certain formal documents or
reports to governmental agencies so that those government agencies
will render their opinions and/or rulings. The Consultant then
monitors and coordinates the complaint or charge case activities
until the case is closed, i.e., the case_status_id property of the
particular instance of the case object 402 is set to "Closed."
[0285] In step 1204, a new case object 402 is instantiated. This
new object represents a submitted claim that is ready to be
assigned and investigated within the present invention. In this
step, case object 402 is the primary object; however, one or more
related objects are also instantiated in order to capture and
process related case information. FIG. 4 contains examples of
objects that are set up for case status and tracking tasks. For
example, in addition to the case object 402, a user 420, an
employee object 424, an activity_jog object 422, an activity object
428, a case_calendar object 430, a case_status object 408, a
content object 418, a case_note object 406, a settlement object
404, a related_case object 414, an employee_status object 410, a
case_type object 416, and a te_counter object 436 are also
instantiated.
[0286] The intake module 302 (see FIGS. 3 and 5) may have other
critical objects that are also generally instantiated upon the
creation of a new case, such as: a complaint object 432, a
submission_type object 434, a charge object 502, a case_basis
object 506, a basis object 508, an agency object 504, an
agency_contact object 514, an address object 516, a case_issue
object 510, and an issue object 512. Other objects in other
modules, such as the client information module 316 (see FIGS. 3 and
11), and the Accounting module 308 (see FIGS. 3 and 7) are other
modules (among others) that have new objects instantiated upon the
creation of a new case.
[0287] Thereafter, in step 1206, a management review is conducted
and one or more personnel are assigned to the case. Once the
personnel are designated, appropriate objects, such as employee
object 424 (see FIG. 4) are instantiated and appropriate records
committed to the database 110 and/or 112. Next, in step 1208, an
initial case review is conducted by a consultant. Then, in step
1220, a detailed case review is performed. Next, in step 1222, the
case is investigated. In some cases, one or more reports can be
prepared, using, for instance, report object 610. Thereafter, in
step 1226, post-response activities ("PRA") are performed. The case
is then closed in step 1230 and the method ends generally at step
1232.
[0288] The purpose of the close case flow diagram of FIG. 13 is to
depict the flow of activities required by a Consultant to close a
case in the present invention. The method of the present invention
for closing an internal case requires that the Consultant conduct
an exit interview if that particular client's protocol so mandates.
The case closure of external cases may be through a settlement or
dismissal with the Complainant in order to inform the Complainant
of the final decision by the Client, Commission or Court. The case
closure may be through a settlement or dismissal. Once a settlement
decision has been determined, the closing of a case in the present
invention requires several steps that involve the use of several
objects within the database of the present invention.
[0289] In order to prohibit modification of documents in or for
closed cases, the case_status_id property of the case object 402
may to be set to the "CLOSE" value. Once locked, any attempts to
update or add new attachments to the case will be rejected. A user
attempting to modify the case after closure will be notified that
the case has been closed and locked from further changes. The
present invention notifies all interested client personnel, the
Consultant of the operating organization, and optionally, a
Director of the operating organization that the case is closed.
[0290] Closing of a case will often affect those objects associated
with the instance of the case object 402 that represents the case
in question. For example, the status or disposition of instances of
the case_status object 408, the user object 420, the user_type
object 424, a status_history object 426, and a settlement object
404 may also be affected. Similarly, other objects in other modules
may also be affected by the change of status of the case object
402.
[0291] The method illustrated in FIG. 13 starts generally at step
1301. A check is made at step 1302 to determine whether an exit
interview is required. If so, an exit interview is conducted in
step 1304 and the case is then closed in step 1322. If no exit
interview is required because the case is external or the client
does not require one, execution continues to step 1306. If so, then
step 1308 is executed where a status property of, for example, the
case object 402 that creates the association with the case_status
object 408 (see FIG. 4), is set to indicate that the case was
settled. Otherwise, execution continues to step 1318, where a check
is made to determine whether the case was dismissed. If so, then
step 1320 is executed where a property of, for example, the
case_status object 408, is set to indicate that the case was
dismissed. Steps 1318 and 1320 can encompass a variety of
scenarios. The closure substatus of a case can differ depending
upon the reasons for the closing of the case. For example, the case
may be settled, in which case the substatus can be set to
"SETTLED." Similarly, the substatus may be set to "CLOSED BY
CLIENT" or "DISMISSED." Even a "DISMISSED" setting can have
additional explanation, such as "no cause," "right to sue upon
request," "administrative closure," or "failure of conciliation,"
depending upon the circumstances. The present invention has the
flexibility and capacity to record this type of information, which
is useful for compiling statistical information regarding a
company's compliance or effectiveness of given laws and/or
regulations.
[0292] If step 1318 is negative, step 1322 is executed where a
property of, for example, the case_status object 408, is set to
indicate that the case was simply closed and the method ends
generally for all scenarios at step 1324.
[0293] FIG. 14 illustrates the method of login and placement of the
user within the present invention by acquiring access to the
present invention via, for example, a web browser through a
preferably secure connection. The present invention displays a
login form that contains text boxes for the user's name (username)
and password. After the appropriate username and password have been
submitted and authenticated, the user, whether a Consultant,
Complainant, or client representative, is provided a display of
their respective home page.
[0294] The method illustrated in FIG. 14 begins generally at step
1402. When the user first sends an access request signal through a
client device to the network 102 of the present invention (see FIG.
1), the user is challenged to provide (login) with, for example, a
username and password to verify his/her identity (authentication),
step 1404. A check is made to determine whether or not the response
from the user to the challenge was successful, step 1406. If the
response did not match an authenticated user, then an error message
is displayed to the user in step 1408 and execution resumes back at
step 1404, providing the user with another opportunity to login. If
the response from the user matches, for example, the
username/password of an authenticated user, then that user is
granted access to the network 102 of the present invention and
provided with an entry screen depending upon the level of
authorization as described below.
[0295] In step 1410, a check is made to determine if the user to
the system is an employee of the organization that operates the
present invention (the "operating organization", e.g., an
organization that conducts the investigations). If so, then step
1412 is executed, where the user is presented with the home page of
the organization that owns the site. Otherwise, a check is made in
step 1414 to determine if the user is a Complainant. If so, step
1416 is executed, where the user is presented with a home page
relevant to Complainants in general, and optionally includes
information that pertains to his/her case in particular. Otherwise,
step 1418 is executed, where a check is made to determine if the
user is a representative of the owning organization's client (i.e.,
client representative). If not, an error message is displayed to
the user, step 1408, and the user is given an opportunity to
re-authenticate, step 1404. Otherwise, i.e., the answer to step
1418 was positive, then the server will return a page designed for
the client, step 1422. Once the pages have been returned (rendered)
by the server, the method ends generally at step 1430.
[0296] A detailed explanation of step 1416 is provided to
illustrate one of many features of the present invention. Step 1416
represents the present invention's method of displaying relevant
information that is necessary for the Complainant, for example, to
electronically submit a new complaint, to view their employer's
relevant policies, and/or to view the status of a previous
complaint that is stored within the database of the present
invention. In the process of viewing documents, it is typical for
the particular case object 402 to be referenced. The case object
402 will have links and associations with other instantiations of
objects, such as case_document 916, that contains information about
the document desired to be viewed by the user. Similarly, the
case_status object 408 that is associated with the particular case
object 402 (of the user's case) will also contain information that
the user may wish to view. Other objects within one or more modules
300 (see FIG. 3) of the present invention, may be similarly
accessed. Still other objects may affect control over one or more
relevant object instances in order to govern the amount or type of
information accessible by the user based on role information stored
by, for example, the user_role object 602 and the role object
604.
[0297] Once the claim is submitted by the Complainant, the case
manager will then proceed with case setup for further review and
assignment to a Consultant for investigation. Once the case is
under investigation the Complainant may return to his/her home page
within the present invention in order to check the status of that
case.
[0298] FIG. 15 depicts the methodology for monitoring a case once
the case reports (generated via the present invention) have been
approved by the client and submitted to the EEOC or FEP agency for
a decision. The Consultant will coordinate agency activities and
respond to appropriate requests for information (retrieved via the
present invention) until the case is finally settled or
dismissed.
[0299] The method of FIG. 15 starts generally at step 1502. First,
the case object 402 is placed into "monitor" mode in step 1504,
preferably by setting a property, such as the case_sub_status_id
property to indicate monitor mode.
[0300] In step 1504, the case is placed in monitor mode for
base-lining case progress and setting follow up reminders on the
case calendar automatically by the present invention. Upon choosing
the monitor case option, all of the case documentation or other
artifacts will be locked in order to prohibit modification. Then
the case_status_id property of the particular case object 402 will
be set (updated) to "MONITOR." The present invention also notifies
all interested client personnel, SJBC Consultant and SJBC Director
that the case is being monitored. The names and addresses of those
individuals involved are stored within specific object instances
that are related to the specific case object 402 (see FIG. 4)
within the database of the present invention. For example, a user
object 420 that is associated with the case object 402 may have a
client_ind property value set to indicate that the user represented
by the user object 420 is a member of the client's organization for
which a specific client_contact object 1102 (see FIG. 11) will have
been instantiated. Information about client contact's organization
is stored in a client_hq object 1106 (see FIG. 11) associated with
both the user object 420 and the client_contact object 1102.
Similarly, address information for the client contact (and/or
his/her organization) is stored in an address object 516 (see FIG.
5).
[0301] The Consultant may, using the objects in the alert module
310 of the present invention, proceed to schedule follow up
reminders on the calendar of the present invention based on the
client-required frequency. When calendaring an event, the
Consultant will create and update a follow up event to include
date, time, type, title and description that are modeled with
objects within the present invention. The Consultant is also able
to correspond with the client and other appropriate users via the
present invention by, for example, email, telephone (VoIP), etc. As
a starting point, correspondence is performed through pre-defined
templates, such as those defined in an instance of the
correspondence_template 902 (see FIG. 9) that is associated with,
for example, the a case_type object 416 that is itself associated
with the case object 402 (see FIG. 4) that are stored within the
present invention. Typically, the Consultant modifies the template
content as necessary and the present invention sends notification
via email to selected recipients. Actual content is never sent over
the Internet; instead, the notification will contain a secure URL
to the correspondence that is stored within the database of the
present invention. The notification recipient may then gain access
to the present invention and view the correspondence in
question.
[0302] Next, in step 1506, the activities of various agencies
(designated in the objects of the agency module 302 of FIGS. 3 and
5) are coordinated. In step 1508, a check is made to determine if
an RFI has been submitted by an agency. If so, then a reply to the
RFI is prepared in step 1510 and execution is looped back to step
1506. Otherwise (i.e., the result of step 1508 is negative),
execution moves forward to step 1512, where a check is made to
determine whether an agency has made a cause finding or issued a
dismissal. If the result of step 1512 is negative, then the
dismissal is processed in step 1522. However, if there is a cause
finding by the agency (i.e., the result of step 1512 is positive),
then execution continues to step 1514, wherein a determination
about the case is received from, for example, an external
organization such as a government agency or outside investigator.
Next, step 1516 is performed, where a reconsideration may
optionally be requested by filing a motion to reconsider. In step
1518, a check is made to determine whether the motion for
reconsideration was accepted. If so, then the case is dismissed and
the dismissal is processed in step 1522 as illustrated in FIG. 15.
If the motion to reconsider was not granted, then there is an
opportunity to settle the case. Thus, in step 1520, a check is made
to determine if the case was settled. If not, the case is either
dismissed or there was a failure to conciliate so the case is
processed as a dismissal in step 1522. Otherwise, the case is
settled in step 1524.
[0303] FIG. 16 illustrates the methodology for achieving case
settlement. This methodology entails several steps in order to
authorize a settlement, negotiate settlement terms, and prepare
settlement documents. Once the settlement documents and terms have
been approved, the settlement process can be brought to a
conclusion.
[0304] The method for settling a case is illustrated in FIG. 16.
The method starts generally at step 1602. First, in step 1604, the
settlement is authorized. Typically, this entails obtaining from
the client the authorized limits (parameters) that the client is
willing to tolerate to settle the case. Next, the settlement is
negotiated in step 1606. Thereafter, settlement documents are
drafted and/or edited in step 1608.
[0305] Step 1608 is an iterative method to draft separate document
settlements for approval of all parties in the settlement process.
One or more Consultants draft and/or edit settlement documents for
review by the client and attach these documents to the particular
case within the present invention. The present invention then
emails the client to inform them that the settlement documents are
available for review along with a URL indicating their specific
location within the present invention. As this iterative process
continues, the Consultant records events in the activity jog object
422 that is associated with the particular case object 402 (see
FIG. 4). Other objects in other modules, such as the correspondence
distribution module 312 (see FIGS. 3 and 9) and the document
distribution module (see FIGS. 3 and 10) also contain objects that
represent or contain documents generated by users or by the present
invention. Similarly, the alert distribution module 310 (see FIGS.
3 and 8) is used to coordinate the email alert to the client and
other affected parties.
[0306] The documents are stored in the network 102 of the present
invention using, for example, the case_document object 916 in order
to maintain a complete set of information regarding the
negotiations. Moreover, use of these objects enables linking of the
documents to the case itself and all the attendant information
about the case itself with, for example, the case object 402. The
parties approve of the settlement in step 1610 and the settlement
is concluded in step 1612, typically with the signing of one or
more documents generated by the method and apparatus of the present
invention. The method then ends generally at step 1614.
[0307] FIG. 17 illustrates the methodology for electronically
passing data between the present invention and the accounting
program. This methodology follows several steps to synchronize case
information in both systems relative to case TE codes, Consultant
activity logged during the case investigation (through, for
example, the activity_log object 422), case invoice contents
(through, for example, an instance of the invoice_master object
702) and case payment history (through, for example, in one or more
instances of the payment object 704). This is accomplished through
the implementation of automated (application) programming interface
("API") technology.
[0308] FIG. 17 illustrates the interface of the present invention
with an accounting system. As illustrated in FIG. 17, two boxes
1701 and 1703 illustrate the main processes of the present
invention and the external accounting program, respectively. The
two boxes are arranged in parallel with a timeline 1726 indicating
the emergence or instantiation of a particular sub-process in
either the main process 1701 or the external accounting program
1703. Similarly, the process flow 1730 and the data flow 1732 go
from left to right, indicating that, generally speaking,
information flows from the main process 1701 to the external
accounting program 1703. The case manager 1702, one of the users of
the present invention, invokes the main process of the present
invention. First, in step 1704, a check is made to determine
whether the particular payment/invoice items are for a new client.
If so, a set of objects specific to the new client are created in
the present invention in step 1706. Next, in step 1708, the case is
set-up within the present invention, specifically within the case
status module 304 (see FIG. 3). Thereafter, in step 1710, a
notification, preferably in the form of an email message is
forwarded to the external accounting program 1703.
[0309] In step 1710, the present invention issues an email
notification to the operating organization's accounting department
that a new case has been set-up within the present invention. The
accounting department will be provided with the necessary case
information (stored in, for example, the case object 402) to enable
them to set up a new case in the accounting program (such as
TIMESLIPS) for case tracking, client invoicing and payment history.
The automatic notification of the accounting personnel is
facilitated by objects within the present invention, such as user
object 420, employee object 424 and address object 516 that are
associated with the particular case object 402 and store
personnel-specific information. The particular alerting event is
controlled by, for example, an alert object 802 that is associated
with a role_alert object 606 (and a role object 604 and user_role
object 602 that is associated with the particular user object 420
mentioned above). The alert object then issues the email message
that is sent, via the e-mail server 218 (see FIG. 2) to a client
device 212 such as PDA 122 via the network 120 (see FIG. 1).
[0310] The notification 1710 itself indicates that a new
client/case has been set-up in the present invention and indicates
that a similar set-up should be accomplished within the external
accounting program. It will be understood that alternate mechanisms
may be employed for the notification step as long as sufficient
information is transferred to the external accounting program. The
notification itself alerts an accounting assistant 1750, which may
be a human being or may instead be an automated process with
limited intelligence. As with the main process of the present
invention, the external accounting system determines whether or not
the client identified in the message 1710 is a new client. If so, a
client record is created in the external accounting program 1703.
Next, in step 1756, the case identified in the message 1710 is
set-up in the external accounting program. Next, the TE code 1758
(specific to the case itself) and the client data 1762 are stored
in the accounting system database 1760.
[0311] After the case has been set-up in the main process 1701
(i.e., step 1708 has been completed), the TE code for the case data
1722 as well as the client data 1724 are stored in the system
database 1718 (corresponding to databases 110 and 112 of FIG. 1).
Thereafter, in step 1712, the Consultant (a user of the present
invention) logs activities into the payment module 308. Payment
data 1720 can then be loaded into the database 1718 as illustrated
in FIG. 17. Finally, in step 1716, the data in the database 1718 is
synchronized with the data in the accounting database 1760.
[0312] The present invention includes a set of objects used for
alerting individuals to various events, such as the assignment of a
case, or some activity with a case. The present invention can
retain a set of rules for alerting particular individuals,
depending upon that individual's role within the case. As indicated
before, the case object 402 is the main repository of information
about a particular case. However, other objects, such as the role
object 604, define the roles that individuals play within the
system of the present invention. The alert objects within the alert
distribution module 310 work in conjunction with the user object
420 of the case status module 304 and the role_alert object 606 of
the roles module 306. This interaction is typical among the various
objects of the present invention. All of the objects of the present
invention facilitate this type of interaction.
[0313] The present invention provides alerts to individuals for
instances including, but not limited to, the following: [0314] When
a case is assigned; [0315] When a case is not reviewed; [0316] When
a case is inactive (for a set period.); [0317] When case status
changes; [0318] When a new case is received; [0319] When a new case
set-up has been completed; [0320] Upon availability of an invoice;
[0321] Upon receipt of an RFI; [0322] Upon receipt of a report;
[0323] Upon receipt of a request made internally within a
particular organization to close a case; [0324] Upon termination of
the case by a governmental or other agency; [0325] Upon the closure
of a case from an external authority; [0326] Upon receiving a case;
[0327] Upon the completion of the setting-up of a case; [0328] Upon
the completion of one or more reports; [0329] Upon the closure of a
case made internally within a particular organization; [0330] Upon
a determination by a government agency regarding a case; [0331]
After an exit interview has been conducted; [0332] After a lawsuit
has been filed; and [0333] Upon availability of an invoice.
[0334] FIG. 18 illustrates a help object of the present invention.
The help object 1802 is used to provide context sensitive help to
various aspects of the present invention. The help object 1802 has
a help_id property, that uniquely identifies the specific help
object within the database of the present invention. The help
object also has a title property and a filename property as
illustrated in FIG. 18. The title property is useful for both
search catalog indexing (to identify a help category) and for human
searching, to aid in finding the correct help information. The
filename property is used to hold a URL or external file location
address. The external file would hold the contents of the help
information, preferably in HTML format for easy publishing by the
web server to a browser that is employed by the user. Multiple
instances of the help object 1802 can be instantiated and stored
within the database of the present invention for various different
help-related issues in order to provide comprehensive and
context-sensitive help to users.
[0335] The present invention, therefore, is well adapted to carry
out the objects and to attain both the ends and the advantages
mentioned, as well as other benefits inherent therein. While the
present invention has been depicted, described, and is defined by
reference to particular embodiments of the invention, such
references do not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such
limitation is to be inferred. The invention is capable of
considerable modification, alternation, alteration, and equivalents
in form and/or function, as will occur to those of ordinary skill
in the pertinent arts. The depicted and described embodiments of
the invention are exemplary only, and are not exhaustive of the
scope of the invention. Consequently, the invention is intended to
be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims,
giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.
* * * * *
References