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Having thus described the invention, what it is desired to claim and
thereby protect by Letters Patent is:
1. An office automation system comprising:
a host computer,
an entry device and a plurality of character-mode displays, each in
communication with the host computer,
means for storing, updating and displaying the contents of a database, each
of said functions of storing, updating and displaying comprising all or
part of a task that the system is capable of performing in response to
entries from the entry device, and
means for maintaining an audit history of the database comprising:
(a) means for generating an audit history of a plurality of records of said
database, each of said plurality of records having associated therewith:
(i) an original active record stored in a first temporary memory storage
location, and
(ii) at least one delta record stored in a second temporary memory storage
location comprising an identification of each location within the record
of data that was changed at a session and a copy of the data changed at
said session,
said generating means comprising:
(iii) means for retrieving the original active record and delta records
associated with a record,
(iv) means for applying to the original active record, the corresponding
delta record to create a first chronologically-ordered displayable
historical data image record stored in a third temporary memory storage
location, said historical data image record comprising:
(1) data associated with the record after data in the original active
record was updated and stored in memory in the first session,
wherein the means further comprises applying each subsequent delta record
to the previously created historical data image record until all delta
records associated with the record have been applied, whereupon, each
sequential displayable historical data image record represents data
corresponding to the record each time the record was sequentially stored
into the database, and
(b) means for displaying said displayable historical data image records.
2. The office automation system of claim 1 wherein each record further
comprises an original visual image record stored in a fourth temporary
memory storage location, and means (a)(iv) further comprises means for
creating a visual image record for each corresponding historical data
image record, each visual image record having associated therewith:
(i) means for highlighting the changed data in each of said displayable
historical data images,
and means (b) further comprises means for displaying each visual image
record in conjunction with its corresponding historical image record, thus
creating a historical image,
whereby the changed data is highlighted in each of said historical images.
3. The office automation system of claim 2 wherein each visual image record
further comprises means for separately highlighting the data changed in
the session associated with the historical data image over other changed
data,
wherein the data changed in each session is highlighted in bright reverse
video and the other changed data is highlighted in reverse video in each
of said displayable historical images.
4. The office automation system of claim 1 further comprising means for
generating the original active record and at least one delta record from a
record comprising:
(a) a current active record stored in memory, wherein the current active
record contains current information, and
(b) an audit history record stored in memory, wherein the audit history
record is generated at each session at which data in the current
information in the current active record has been changed and entered into
memory, comprising:
(i) a change number associated with said each session, and
(ii) an identification of each location within the current active record at
which the data in the current information was changed during said each
session and a copy of the data previously contained at that location,
said means comprising:
(c) means for retrieving the current active record into a temporary memory
storage location identified as an active record,
(d) means for applying to the active record previous data stored in memory
and associated with a location in the audit history record having the
highest change number, for creating:
(iii) a resulting active record comprising the previous data associated
with the location in the audit history record at the beginning of the
session associated with said highest change number, and
(iv) a delta record of changes within the active record made at the session
associated with said highest change number, said delta record comprising
an identification of each location within the active record at which said
changes during said session were made and a copy of the changes made at
said session and at said location within the active record,
wherein the applying means further comprises applying the next audit
history record having the next highest change number to the resulting
active record until each subsequent audit history record associated with
the database record has been applied to each subsequent corresponding
resulting active record, whereupon the information created is that
associated with the original active record and a delta record created for
the application of each audit history record.
5. The office automation system of claim 4 comprising means for applying
audit history records, associated with the record and generated by other
application programs, to the database record comprising:
(a) means for determining if other application programs have generated
audit history records associated with the record;
(b) means for retrieving the audit history records generated by other
application programs and applying said historical audit records to the
corresponding active record.
6. The office automation system of claim 4 wherein the audit history record
further comprises the data and time of posting corresponding to the
session data changes were made to the current active record.
7. The office automation system of claim 6 further comprising means for
displaying the historical images in chronological order of posting
comprising:
(a) means for generating a sorted key table sorted by posting date and
change number,
(b) means for prompting an operator to select a starting date for which the
first history image is to be displayed, and
(c) means for retrieving and displaying the historical data image as
designated by the sorted key table corresponding to the starting date
selected.
8. The office automation system of claim 4 wherein the audit history record
further comprises additional history information of an alternate display
sequence.
9. The office automation system of claim 8 further comprising means for
displaying the historical images in some alternative order corresponding
to the additional history information comprising:
(a) means for generating a sorted key table sorted by the additional
history information,
(b) means for prompting an operator to select a starting date for which the
first historical data image is to be displayed, and
(c) means for retrieving and displaying the historical data image as
designated by the sorted key table corresponding to the starting date
selected.
10. The office automation system of claim 9 further comprising means for
displaying the historical data image prior to or after the historical data
image corresponding to the starting date comprising:
(a) means for prompting the operator for the next display command, and
(b) means for displaying the next historical data image in the alternative
order as designated by the sorted key table corresponding to the
operator's regressive or progressive command.
11. The office automation system of claim 10 further comprising means of
displaying historical data images in any increment, regressive or
progressive, of the historical data image corresponding to the starting
date.
12. The office automation system of claim 8 wherein the additional data
history is the effective date of the data changes made to the current
active record.
13. An office automation system comprising:
a host computer,
an entry device and a plurality of character-mode displays, each in
communication with the host computer,
means for storing, updating and displaying the contents of a database, each
of said functions of storing, updating and displaying comprising all or
part of a task that the system is capable of performing in response to
entries from the entry device, and
means for generating an audit history record of a database record for each
session data changes to the database record are saved in memory, wherein
each database record comprises:
(a) a current active record stored in memory which records current
information,
said means for generating an audit history record comprising:
(b) means for prompting an operator to select a database record to change
existing information in the current active record,
(c) means for retrieving the current active record of the selected database
record from memory into a location identified as an old record,
(d) means for storing in a temporary storage location said current active
record and data changes made to said current active record in a session in
response to the operator's inputs to change data in the current active
record,
(e) means for comparing the data contents of the old record comprising the
current active record of the selected database record with the data
contents of the temporary storage location to select for storage said data
changes made to said current active record during said session,
(f) said means for generating an audit history record further comprising:
(i) a change number associated with said session, said change number
incremented by one over the change number of the previous session,
(ii) an identification of each location within the old record that has
different data than in the temporary storage location and a copy of the
data contained in the old record at that location,
(iii) means for storing in memory said different data at each said location
having said identification within the old record as said audit history
record associated with said session, and;
(g) means for reading the contents of the temporary storage location back
into memory as the new current active record,
whereby an audit history record is created and stored in memory for each
session during which the data in the current active record is changed by
the operator.
14. A method for maintaining an audit history of a plurality of active
records of a database residing in memory of a host computer, each record
having associated therewith:
(i) an original active record stored in a first temporary memory storage
location, and
(ii) at least one delta record stored in a second temporary memory storage
location comprising an identification of each location within the record
of data that was changed at a session and a copy of the data changed at
said session,
said method comprising the operation of the host computer to perform the
following steps:
(a) retrieving the original active record and delta records associated with
a record,
(b) applying to the original active record the corresponding delta record
to create a first chronologically-ordered displayable historical data
image record stored in a third temporary memory storage location, said
historical data image record comprising data associated with the record
after data in the original active record was updated and stored in memory
in the first session,
(c) applying each subsequent delta record to the previously created
historical data image record until all delta records associated with the
record have been applied, whereupon, each sequential displayable
historical data image record represents data corresponding to the record
each time the record was sequentially stored into the database, and
(d) displaying said displayable historical data images.
15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:
(1) generating the original active record and at least one delta record
from a record comprising:
(a) a current active record stored in memory, wherein the current active
record contains current information, and
(b) an audit history record stored in memory, wherein the audit history
record is generated at each session at which data in the current
information in the current active record has been changed and entered into
memory, comprising:
(i) a change number associated with said each session, and
(ii) an identification of each location within the current active record at
which the data in the current information was changed during said each
session and a copy of the data previously contained at that location,
(2) retrieving the current active record into a temporary memory storage
location identified as an active record,
(3) applying to the active record changed data recorded in memory and
associated with a location in the audit history record having the highest
change number, for creating:
(iii) a resulting active record comprising previous data stored in memory
and associated with the location in the audit history record at the
beginning of the session associated with said highest change number, and
(iv) a delta record of changes within the active record made at the session
associated with said highest change number, said delta record comprising
an identification of each location within the active record at which said
changes during said session were made and a copy of the changes made at
said session and at said location within the active record,
(4) applying the next audit history record having the next highest change
number to the resulting active record until each subsequent audit history
record associated with the database record has been applied to each
subsequent corresponding resulting active record, whereupon the
information created is that associated with the original active record and
a delta record created for the application of each audit history record.
16. A method for maintaining an audit history of a plurality of active
records of a database residing in memory of a host computer, wherein each
said active record comprises a current active record stored in memory
which records current information, said method comprising the operation of
the host computer to perform the following steps:
(a) prompting an operator to select a database record to change existing
information in the current active record,
(b) retrieving the current active record of the selected database record
from memory into a location identified as an old record,
(c) storing in a temporary storage location said current active record and
data changes made in response to the operator's inputs to change data in
the current active record,
(d) comparing the data contents of the old record comprising the selected
database record with the data contents of the temporary storage location
to select for storage said data changes made to said current active
record,
(e) generating an audit history record comprising:
(i) a change number associated with said session, said change number
incremented by one over the change number of the previous session, and
(ii) an identification of each location within the old record that has
different data than in the temporary storage location and a copy of the
data contained in the old record at that location;
(iii) storing in memory said different data at each said location having
said identification within the old record as said audit history record
associated with said session, and
(f) reading the contents of the temporary storage location back into memory
as the new current active record,
whereby an audit history record is created and stored in memory for each
session during which the data in the current active record is changed by
the operator.
17. An office automation system comprising:
a host computer,
an entry device and a plurality of character-mode displays, each in
communication with the host computer,
means for storing, updating and displaying the contents of a database, each
of said functions of storing, updating and displaying comprising all or
part of a task that the system is capable of performing in response to
entries from the entry device,
means for generating an audit history of a plurality of records of said
database, each of said plurality of records having associated therewith:
(i) an original active record stored in a first temporary memory storage
location, and
(ii) at least one delta record stored in a second temporary memory storage
location comprising an identification of each location within the record
of data that was changed at a session and a copy of the data changed at
said session,
(iii) means for retrieving the original active record and delta records
associated with the record,
(iv) means for applying to the original active record, the corresponding
delta record to create a first chronologically-ordered displayable
historical data image record stored in a third temporary memory storage
location, said historical data image record comprising said copy of the
data associated with the record after data in the original active record
was updated and stored in memory in the first session,
wherein the generating means further comprise means for applying each
subsequent data record to the previously created historical data image
record until all delta records associated with the record have been
applied, whereupon, each sequential displayable historical data image
record represents data corresponding to the record each time the record
was sequentially updated into the database, and
means for displaying said displayable historical data image records.
18. The office automation system of claim 17 wherein the original active
record is a filled-in form and the delta record comprises changes made in
said filled-in form.
19. The office automation system of claim 18 wherein the filled-in form is
a form used in an insurance agency.
20. An office automation system comprising:
a host computer;
an entry device and a plurality of character-mode displays, each in
communication with the host computer;
(a) means for storing, updating and displaying the contents of a database,
each of said functions of storing, updating and displaying comprising all
or part of a task that the system is capable of performing in response to
entries from the entry device, said database comprising a plurality of
active records, where each of said plurality of said active records
comprises a current active record and at least one audit history record
associated with said active record;
(b) means for generating audit history of said active record comprising:
(i) means for retrieving said current active record from said database,
(ii) means for storing said current active record in a first temporary
storage location, and
(iii) means for retrieving and storing in a second temporary storage
location at least one said audit history record associated with said
active record as a delta record, said delta record comprising, an audit
history change number, a changed data associated with said audit history
change number and an identifying location in said active record of said
changed data;
(iv) means for applying to said current active record the corresponding
delta record to create a first chronologically-ordered displayable
historical data image record stored in a third temporary storage location,
where said historical data image record comprises said changed data
associated with said corresponding delta record, wherein said generating
means further comprise applying each previous delta record to the
subsequently created displayable historical data image record until all
delta records in said audit history record have been applied, whereupon,
each sequential displayable historical data image record represents
changed data corresponding to each time said active record was
subsequently stored in the database; and
(c) means for displaying said displayable historical data image records. |
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Claims |
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