Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-06
2004-06-01
Breene, John (Department: 2177)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C709S203000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06745196
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for mapping the organizational structure and work flow of a community of users from a database. The invention uses an online computer applications service that facilitates the initiation and completion of transactions between users in the community in order to attract and invite users from the community onto the service and build the database. As more and more users from the community are attracted to the service and such users initiate and complete more and more transactions with each other, the database grows by storing information about each transaction between two or more users from the community. After a sufficient number of transactions are recorded in the database, the database becomes rich with information representing the organizational structure and work flow of the community, and this information can then be extracted and mapped by querying the database.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Databases are widely used in computer applications to collect, store and retrieve user information. For example, once a user inputs user information into a particular computer application, the information can be used by the application to prefill application pages, thus streamlining the user's successive uses of the application. For example, computer applications, such as world wide web (“WWW”) e-commerce applications, use databases to collect, store and retrieve a user's billing address, credit card information, and previous purchases. This information is then used to prefill web page forms upon successive uses of the WWW e-commerce applications. Other examples of such computer applications include stock tracking applications and travel reservation applications.
Existing computer applications, however, do not derive the structure of a group of people, or community, communicating over a computer network. This structural information would be quite useful in determining, analyzing, and improving how people work together. Further, these computer applications are limited in that, without an understanding of a particular community structure, they cannot predict the next step in a community procedure or derive work flow procedures and rules for a particular community.
It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method for building a database that stores transaction information representative of an organizational structure of a community of users of a computer network.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for deriving the structure of a community whose people interact with one another on a computer network through a computer applications service.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for predicting the next step in a work flow process for a particular community whose people interact with one another on a computer network through a computer applications service.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for deriving work flow procedures and rules for a particular community whose people interact with one another on a computer network through a computer applications service.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for branding users of a particular community to track the identity of a third-party web site that refers or attracts each user of the community to the computer applications service.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the description of the invention that follows.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a system and method for building a database that stores information representative of the organizational structure of a community of users of a computer network. In one example, the community of users corresponds to the employees of a particular business. In another example, the community of users corresponds to suppliers and customers from various businesses. The invention uses an online computer applications service that facilitates the initiation and completion of transactions (e.g., vacation requests or purchase order approvals) between users in the community (e.g., subordinates and managers in the business or between purchasers in one business and suppliers in another) over a computer network such as the internet. Initially, a first user from the community (e.g., an employee of the business) registers on the computer applications service and information representative of the first user is stored in the database. In one embodiment, the first user from the community is referred to the service via a banner advertisement or hyperlink on a third-party web-site. In another embodiment, the first user accesses the service directly through the service's universal resource locator on the world-wide-web. Next, a first transaction record is created in the database from information inputted by the first registered user. In the illustrative example, the first transaction request corresponds to a vacation request that the first registered user is making to his/her manager at the company, and the manager is not a registered user of the service when the first transaction is initiated. The first transaction record includes at least one field representing an identity of a first unregistered user (e.g., the manager that will receive and be required to approve the vacation request) in the community, a field representing a role (e.g., requester) of the first registered user in the first transaction, and a field representing a role (e.g., approver) of the first unregistered user in the first transaction.
After creation of the first transaction record, the first unregistered user (e.g., the manager) is invited to register with the service when information representative of the first transaction is sent to the first unregistered user. In other words, in the illustrative example, the manager is invited to register with the service at the time that the vacation request is sent to the manager for approval. In response to this invitation, the first unregistered user registers with the service and information representative of the first unregistered user is stored in the database, thereby transforming the first unregistered user (e.g., the manager) into a second registered user.
After registration of the second user, further users from the community (e.g., further employees of the business) are invited onto the service and registered on the database by repeating the above process. Thus, further unregistered users from the community are registered with the service by repeating the following steps: (i) creating a further transaction record in the database from information inputted by a given registered user, wherein the further transaction record includes at least one field representing an identity of a given unregistered user in the community, a field representing a role (e.g., requestor) of the given registered user in the further transaction, and a field representing a role (e.g., approver) of the given unregistered user in the further transaction, (ii) inviting the given unregistered user to register with the service by transmitting information representative of the further transaction (e.g., a vacation request or purchase order approval request) to the given unregistered user over the computer network (e.g., the internet), and (iii) registering the given unregistered user with the service in response to the invitation, by storing information representative of the given unregistered user in the database, thereby transforming the given unregistered user into a registered user. There can be numerous transactions that involve a non-registered user, prior to registration of that non-registered user.
In addition, as the database of the present invention is being constructed through transactions between registered and unregistered users resulting in further registration of users from the community with the service, the present invention also preferably stores information about the organizational relationships of existing users, whether registered
Bhat Tapan
Colyer Wallace
DiFatta, III Charles
Stubenvoll David J.
Zhen Fangyao
Breene John
Fenwick & West LLP
Intuit Inc.
Lewis Cheryl
LandOfFree
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