Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Patent
1995-12-05
1999-04-06
McElheny, Jr., Donald E.
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
G06F 1900
Patent
active
058931287
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention is directed to a method for managing distributed work flow. This invention also concerns an arrangement for performing the method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In many enterprises there is an organized flow of information and work between departments and workers, in short called work flow, the work flow being managed according to certain rules. This is true for office work places, such as banks or insurance companies, as well as for manufacturing plants. The flow of information and work is in prior art realized as a flow of paper documents that in many cases initiate certain pieces of work in certain stations in the flow path. The paper documents may e.g. be sales orders, invoices and credit applications in an office, and e.g. manufacturing orders, requisitions and manufacturing statistics in a manufacturing plant.
While keeping a paper based work flow, offices have now to a large extent been equipped with personal computer terminals or micro computer networks. Some work places have become so automated that they require constant interaction between a user and a computer. In manufacturing plants computer equipment is often installed on the shop floor to monitor and improve productivity and to control the production process. Many large enterprises have installed communications networks comprising data communications means connecting a number of terminals to a central computing site comprising a computer and a database. This provides geographically spread users with access to the computing power of the central computer and to the central database in order to achieve consistent use of common information.
In an enterprise, the organized flow of information and work between departments and users is thus often managed through the use of formal documents and related work procedures. Examples are sales orders, invoices, requisitions, time reports, credit applications, job orders, quotations and purchasing orders. The documents consists of sheets of paper of different kinds, e.g. preprinted forms, notes, letters, memos, computer print-outs etc.
PROBLEMS IN PRIOR ART
The computerization of enterprises according to prior art is suffering from a number of technical problems.
One technical problem is to provide the users with sufficient availability of computing services in a central computing site and/or availability of common information in a central or distributed database. Insufficient availability is often due to slowness and instability in the data communications means.
Another technical problem is that a malfunction in the data communications means may disconnect a group of users from a central computing site.
Yet another technical problems is that a planned or unplanned outage of a central computer disconnects all its users from all central services.
In cases where the computer terminals are provided with processing power and storing facilities enough to handle the needs of the users, such as micro computers, there is the technical problem to control the spread of information and resources.
Another technical problem is to establish a work flow that allows a computer to interact with a human user.
Another technical problem is to coordinate a paper based work flow and a computerized work flow.
Yet another technical problem is to handle original documents in a computer network.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The main object of the invention is to solve the above mentioned and other technical problems.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for increasing the efficiency of work flow.
Yet another object of the invention to provide a method for improving the timeliness, dependability and speed of a work flow.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method that reduces or eliminates the need for paper handling in a work flow.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method for management of work flow in a distributed data processing system.
Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement for the execution of the method according to the invention.
Anothe
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