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Description  |
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The present invention relates to computer software for aiding the execution
of business activities for an individual (User) acting alone or for a
group of individuals (Users) employing a plurality of networked computer
terminals. In one of its embodiments, the invention is a computer-readable
storage medium storing a computer program which can cause a computer to
function as a contact and activity manager operating according to the
instructions of the program. More particularly, the invention can be
described as a computer-readable medium for causing a computer to function
as a contact and activity manager wherein a computer-readable storage
medium stores a computer program having an interface for accessing a
database of contact records containing information about a plurality of
different contacts (subjects); an interface for accessing a database of
activity records containing activity information about a plurality of
human-implicated activities wherein activity records are linked to a
contact record; an interface for accessing a database of topic records
containing topic information about a plurality of topics, each of which
identifies a set of activities wherein each topic record is linked to one
or more activity records; a processing module for selecting all activity
records linked to a contact record; and a processing module for selecting
all activity records linked to a topic record.
The invention can also be characterized as a series of operations performed
by a computer under the direction of a computer program.
While the invention is advantageously utilized in business environments
where the activities managed, planned and recorded are those of officers,
employees, and agents of the business, the invention is not so restricted
and can be used to advantage in other settings, as will become apparent to
those skilled in the art as the invention is described in greater detail
below. For convenience, however, the invention will be described and
explained, for the most part, with reference to its application in a
business setting where multiple Users (officers, employees, agents, etc.)
are functionally connected through a computer network of individual work
stations and whose activities are to be integrated for better productivity
and efficiency. The invention's applicability to other situations will
then be obvious to those skilled in the art with little or no further
explanation required.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The basic activity management and recordation program, of which the present
invention is an important improvement, is, and has been for several years,
successfully marketed by Applicant under the commercial name
"TeleMagic/400." The TeleMagic/400 program advanced the art by, for the
first time, interconnecting a plurality of Users to allow integrated
effort in a way not possible with manual systems. Unlike many "workflow"
or "work management" computer programs which are computerizations of
manual systems, the TeleMagic/400 program is a tool that changes the way
business is conducted in a truly fundamental sense. Its benefits include
greater efficiency, control and productivity. The present invention
expands the capabilities of, and adds new dimensions to, the TeleMagic/400
program to the end of creating a new, different and improved product.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The central concept of the present invention for the management of contacts
and activities that are typically used and carried on by Users of an
organization is the creation, storage and retrieval of data contained in
three sets of linked data records (databases): "Contact" records;
"Activity" records; and "Topic" records. As used herein, "linked" records
refers to records which can be recalled from the totality of stored
records as an independent and reviewable group of records. The terms
"Contact," "Activity," and "Topic" are used as convenient labels to
distinguish between records which contain different (but possibly
overlapping) subject matter. Obviously, other labels can be used without
in any way departing from the invention.
Contact records (sometimes referred to simply as Contacts) are typically
customer records or project records (although they may be any other set of
records to which Activities can be logically related) where, inter alia,
relatively static information (names, addresses, telephone numbers, etc.)
is stored. For convenience and simplicity, the invention will be explained
in relation to a set of customer records as the Contact records, since
that is typical of many businesses, but with the understanding that the
invention is not so limited.
"Activity" records (sometimes referred to simply as Activities) record
human-implicated (or assisted) events that have happened or are scheduled
to happen in the future (such as a telephone call, a document, a fax, a
scheduled visit), information to share, a question that needs to be
answered, some action that has been or needs to be taken, etc.
"Topic" records (sometimes referred to simply as Topics) identify in some
detail the relationship between grouped Activity records to enable the
easy and quick retrieval of only those activities relating to a particular
event. When the number or subject matter of a Topic requires, "Subtopic"
records (sometimes referred to simply as Subtopics) can be created which,
like Topics, identify in some detail the relationship between grouped
Activity records for a sub-group of Activity records all related to the
same Topic. Since Topics and Subtopics are so similar, wherever Topics are
mentioned herein, it is to be understood that the statement applies to
Subtopics as well, unless otherwise stated.
Contact records, Activity records and Topic records advantageously include
two data structures: (1) data entered into named fields with a limited
numbers of characters (e.g., name, address, subject matter, date, contact
person, etc.) which data is, for convenience, referred to herein as
"Structured" data; and (2) narrative data that can be of a free-flowing
nature entered into fields of virtually unlimited space, including, for
example, alpha-numeric data, graphic data, video data, voice data, etc.
(e.g., "Comments," "Discussion," "Notes," recorded telephone messages,
videos, etc.) which data is, for convenience, referred to herein as
"Unstructured" data.
In a typical scenario, Contacts are records of customers, Activities are
records of information about interactions with, and tasks to be performed
for, such customers, as well as records of tasks relating to internal
projects or administrative activities. Topics are logical groupings of
Activities beyond their common association with a Contact and may contain
Activities linked to several different Contacts, as well as Activities not
linked to any Contact. Contact records typically contain Structured data
of the customer's essential identifying and locating information (name,
address, telephone, fax, Internet, payment terms, contact person, etc.),
business activities (sales records, etc.), as well as Unstructured data
that may include the background of the business done with the customer,
its relationship to other customers, as well as any other information
required to give a User an understanding of how to best serve the
customer. Topic (and Subtopic) records, which will include both Structured
and Unstructured data, permit the substance of a set of grouped Activities
to be perceived without having to review the records themselves.
In the present invention, Activity records are typically linked with a
Contact record, but not invariably so. While Activities typically relate
to a particular customer or project (Contact record) and thus should be
linked to that record (and in the preferred embodiment, will do so as a
default), it is possible to have an Activity that is linked only to
another Activity, or only to a Topic, or free-standing (related only, for
example, to a User's calendar). In most cases, however, Activities will be
linked to one Contact.
Every created Activity, Contact and Topic is stored for later retrieval.
The advantage of the present invention that flows from the unique dynamic
relationship of the stored data is the ability to easily and logically
enter data as it is gathered and then be able to quickly retrieve from the
entire body of stored data just that data required to be fully informed on
a particular subject. Utilizing this basic structure, the invention is
capable of managing and recording a company's internal activities and
contacts with customers (including telephone contacts, fax and mail
contacts, intra-company communications and tasks, etc.) and permitting
recorded Activities to be recalled and reviewed by all authorized Users.
By implementation and use of the present invention, Users can be quickly
informed of Activities that have occurred and are in process with regard
to each customer or project and can, therefore, intelligently respond to a
customer or co-worker on a current basis (virtually eliminating the "I'll
have to get back to you" syndrome).
The particular Structured and Unstructured data that is contained in any
Contact, Topic or Activity record is a function of the particular
information that the program is called upon to manage for a particular
(business) entity. For every business or project to be managed, the record
fields will be defined to reflect the information and activities essential
to and typical of that business or project. By way of example, and for
purposes of explaining the invention, the preferred embodiment will be
described in connection with a business that has customers to whom goods
and services are marketed, sold and supported (serviced) (such as a
company that markets, sells and supports a computer program).
With Contacts, Activities and Topics as basic building blocks, a variety of
useful record sets can be created, including User's ToDo lists which find
their genesis in the Activity record. An Activity record can record: (1)
events that are short in duration and can be done anytime within a short
time span (usually one day) and, for convenience, are referred to herein
as "ToDo Activities" (such as telephone calls, letters, faxes etc.); (2)
events that need to be done or take place at a precise time which, for
convenience, are referred to herein as "Calendar Activities" (such as
meetings, conference calls, etc); and (3) tasks which are generally longer
in duration (may take days, weeks or months), for which the start times
and/or required end times are geared to other Activities or to ToDo
Activities or Calendar Activities which, for convenience, are referred to
herein as "Project Activities."
One of the outstanding features of the present invention is the ability to
link Activities and Contacts and Topics in various creative ways that
provide essential information in useable forms on demand. One of the
dynamic elements of the invention is the Activity record.
To create an Activity record, a User enters Structured data (in one of
several well-known ways, such as by selecting an item from a pull-down
menu or keying from a keyboard) into pre-defined fields representing
essential elements of the Activity which, for the company selected as the
example, could include: Due Date (for ToDo Activity); Start and Complete
Date (for Project Activity); Date and Time (for Calendar Activity);
Recipient (identification of the person the Activity is directed to);
Sender (identification of the User initiating the Activity); Type (of
Activity: Action, Info, ???, Resp, or F/Up); and Priority (A, B,
C=importance/1-9=urgency). The Activity record can also include
Unstructured data--free-form notes about the Activity (to either the
Sender or the Recipient). Every Activity is marked either "pending,"
"complete" or "on hold." The recordable Activity data is both historical
(events that have happened) and prospective (events that are scheduled to
happen in the future) and are referred to herein collectively as "dynamic
data."
A User's ToDo list is created by the program selecting from all Activities
that set of Activities with the User identified as Recipient which have
not yet been marked as completed.
The defined, selectable "Type" of Activities are, in the example, limited
to: Action, Info, ???, Resp, or F/Up.
An Action Activity is selected to record a past or future action, such as a
telephone call, a fax, etc. One of the features of the invention is that
it can be used to "anticipate" an event. For example, if, during a
telephone conversation, arrangements are made for a follow-up telephone
contact at a specified date in the future, an Action Activity can be
created entering that future date in the Date field. That anticipated
telephone call will be added to the ToDo list of the User identified in
the Action Activity as the Recipient (which could, and frequently would,
be the Sender). On the day specified, the call will appear on the
Recipient's ToDo list, and if the call is not received, some appropriate
action can then be taken as a result (e.g., call the person, send a fax,
etc.). If the call does come in as scheduled, the User receiving the call
will have the Activity record available, together with whatever
Unstructured data it might contain relating to the anticipated call, and
can quickly gather and review other Activities that are linked to its
associated Contact record, as well as other Activities that might have
been linked to that Activity under a Topic, and thereby be able to handle
the call effectively.
An Info Activity is created to draw a User's attention to a narrative. The
??? Activity is created to pose a question that requires another User's
response, and the Resp Activity is created as a response to a ???
Activity. The F/Up Activity is created when an Activity does not require
permanent recordation and is best extinguished from the system after it is
completed.
All Activity types created must identify a Recipient (even if it is the
Sender).
An Activity requiring some action to be taken (by the User identified as
"Recipient") is, when created, automatically added to the Recipient's ToDo
list. Thus, every User will have, and can view, a list of the Activities
that are identified for him/her (Activity or ToDo list). A User's ToDo
list will typically include Activities which were initiated by other
Users. The background, history and context of any Activity can be quickly
retrieved for review by the Recipient charged with acting on that Activity
item by: (1) calling up the Activity records linked to the Contact record
with which that Activity item is identified; (2) calling up and receiving
the other Activities of the same Topic(s) with which the Activity is
identified and reviewing those Topic records; (3) calling up and reviewing
all other Activities that have been related to that Activity (Activity
records can selectively be related to each other which are not related to
the same Contact record or Topic). The need to speak to another person to
be informed of past and current Activities regarding the Contact or
Project involved is eliminated (as is waiting for that person to be
available to talk to). The system can permit all Users to be privy to the
performed, as well as the to-be-performed, Activity lists of every other
User. In this way, the company is better able to "think with one mind and
speak with one voice." It is also possible to restrict some of the
information in the system to a limited number of Users authorized to view
that data.
When a plurality of different Activities are frequently triggered by some
event, it is advantageous for the system to create all of the Activities
automatically when the triggering event is recognized. Such a group of
Activities is referred to herein as an Activity Plan and encompasses any
two or more Activities that are created in response to some predetermined
triggering event.
For example, if an inquiry is received regarding a particular product, an
Activity Plan can be initiated after a Contact is created that includes
creating an Activity requesting a Recipient to send certain described
literature to the Contact, creating an Activity requesting that a
Recipient call the Contact at some designated time in the future to make
sure they got the literature, and creating an Activity requesting a
Recipient to research the Contact prior to the scheduled follow-up call.
Thus, with essentially one keystroke, three Activities are created
directed to one or more Recipients for concerted action that, when
recorded into the system, enables those who are asked to work on the
matter to know what other Recipients have done, what other Recipients are
scheduled to do, and the information they have discovered that will allow
the Contact to be best served. It will be obvious to those skilled in the
art that Activity Plans can be useful in a wide variety of situations and
can include a large number of pre-planned Activities, depending on the
circumstances.
One very practical application of the present invention and the Activity
Plan concept described above is the automation of responses to inquiries
received by a web site. As is typical, a web site can have a number of
different selectable items indicating a variety of interests in different
information available from the web site sponsor. Processing requests for
particular information when a variety of different information is
available is becoming an increasing problem as the number Users of the
Internet continues to increase and the number of "hits" that a web site
experiences becomes correspondingly larger. With the present invention in
place, it is possible for each inquiry to a web site to generate an e-mail
message to the web site sponsor containing the information of the selected
items that identify the particular information of interest. This e-mail
message, containing also the requester's (browser's) identification and
other information, can be used to automatically create a Contact and
initiate an Activity Plan predetermined for the particular selected items
identified by the e-mail message. The Activity Plan would automatically
send Activities to those persons in the company whose job it is to respond
to the particular inquiry carried by the e-mail message, as well as set up
follow-up tasks and whatever else the company does to initiate contact
with a potential customer.
In the preferred embodiment, the web site would be integrated into the
invention and the need for an e-mail link would be eliminated.
An important feature of the invention is that every Activity item created
can, and typically will, be automatically linked to a Contact and/or Topic
record. This is accomplished by a default that requires that a Contact
record be selected when an Activity record is created, whereby the newly
created Activity is automatically identified with (linked to) the selected
Contact record. There are occasions when it is important for certain
Activity information to be attached to a Topic, even when the Activity is
not associated with a particular Contact. For example, travel information
for a trip associated with a sales trip to a Contact should be included in
the Topic for that trip, even though the information is not associated
with the Contact. In such cases, the default can be selectively
overridden.
Selection of one of the Activity types brings up a screen that includes
fields for entering the elements of that Activity type. For example, if an
Action Activity is selected, a screen will appear with fields for entering
Structured data identifying the date the Action is to be initiated, the
person initiating the Action (Sender), the person to whom the Action is
directed (Recipient), the relative priority of having the Action
completed, the action to be taken, etc. For convenience, some of the
fields will have default data automatically entered if no overriding data
is entered. For example, the Sender default could be the person who logged
onto the system at the terminal at which the Activity is being created;
the Date could be the current date; etc. After the Structured data and
Unstructured data are entered, the Activity is completed and the Action
Activity is automatically added to the Recipient's ToDo list. All of the
information entered in creating that Action Activity is stored and
retrievable by any User on the network (not just the Recipient). Since all
Activities will generally be linked to one or more Topics, the Activity is
available to anyone having an interest in the Topic and such person would
be informed that the Recipient has responsibility to perform the
particular Activity on a certain date, etc.
The essential dynamic organs of the present invention are the Contact
records and associated screens for creating and displaying those records,
the Activity records and associated screens for creating and displaying
those records, the Topic (and Subtopic) records and the screens for
creating and displaying those records, and processing modules that permit
the various records to be related and grouped and data from them
displayed. Various other useful lists (sets of record or sets of parts of
records) can be generated from the recorded data of the Activities,
Contacts and Topics, such as, for example, all of the present Activities
being performed (not yet completed) for a customer; all of the Activities
that have been completed for a customer; all of the Activities assigned to
and not yet completed by User "X"; as well as many others.
As described above, Activities can be related by Contact and be linked to
other Activities related to different Contacts. Such related and linked
Activities can be a large set of records that may be too numerous for
convenient review. Within the larger set, these Activities may be capable
of being divided into subsets which are logically related. These logically
related subsets are organized as topics with a Topic record created to
define and explain the substance of the topic. In this way, relevant
records can be more easily found and retrieved for review.
The present invention can include a module for task delegation (Task
Delegation module) (sending an Activity to a Recipient) that permits the
Sender-Recipient link to be bidirectional. That is, when an Activity is
created that establishes an Action (or other Activity Type) that requires
some task to be performed or response to be made by a Recipient, that task
or response is not added to that Recipient's ToDo list without limitation,
restriction or pre-acceptance. Instead of the Recipient having to manually
reject a task by creating another Activity to either send the task back to
the Sender or to another Recipient (which the Recipient always has the
option to do), the Sender will be alerted that the Recipient is
unavailable (such as on vacation, or on a business trip, or not accepting
new tasks, etc.). When that occurs, the Sender will have to modify the
Activity in order to have it entered (a non-rejecting Recipient is a
prerequisite to entering an Activity). The Task Delegation module creates
a high level of sophistication by providing means by which the status of
every User's workload is recorded as a Daily Activity Profile and
available to be taken into account in allocating tasks. Once a database of
Daily Activity Profiles is created, the invention is able to monitor each
User's daily workload for available time. Using this information, the
invention will permit, permit with warning, reject with warning or reject
outright, an Activity sent by a User (Sender) to Recipients, depending on
limits established relative to the Daily Activity Profiles. Each User is
able to adjust his/her Daily Activity Profile as a way of regulating
his/her workload.
The embodiment of the invention that includes a Task Delegation module is
capable of (a) assessing a User's daily workload and providing assistance
in the management of that workload, and (b) providing a means of
exchanging commitment dialog so that all Users can act in a common
environment of committed action.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to improve
computer-based systems for assisting in the management of a business.
Another object is to improve internal and external business communications
by recording and storing vital information about everyday business
activities which information can be readily recalled and displayed in
useful groupings.
Another object is to provide a system where, in the course of recording
business activities, tasks are created that are delegated for completion
to others using the system.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a
computer-readable medium for causing a computer to function as an improved
contact and activity manager.
It is a further object that such contact and activity manager include
accessible databases of subject records containing subject information
about a plurality of subjects; activity records containing activity
information about a plurality of human-assisted activities wherein each
such activity record is linked to a subject record; topic records
containing topic information about a plurality of topics, each of which
identifies a set of activities wherein each topic record is linked to one
or more activity records.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become
readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed
description wherein I have shown and described only the preferred
embodiment of the invention simply by way of illustration of the best mode
contemplated by me of carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the
invention is capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all
without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and
descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as
restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects, aspects and advantages of the invention
will be better understood from the following detailed description of
preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawings in
which:
FIG. 1 is a flow diagram showing three basic database elements of the
invention;
FIG. 2 is another flow diagram wherein the three basic database elements of
the invention are shown with functional elements;
FIG. 3A is another flow diagram wherein the three basic database elements
of the invention are shown with functional elements and a link to a web
site;
FIG. 3B is another flow diagram wherein the three basic database elements
of the invention are shown with functional elements and a link to a web
site which is integral with the invention;
FIG. 4 is a detailed flow diagram of the basic elements of FIG. 2 and their
parts, together with functional links;
FIG. 5 is a typical Contact record as it might appear displayed on a
computer screen;
FIG. 5A is a screen for creating a Contact record;
FIG. 5B is a screen to change a Contact record;
FIG. 6 is a typical Activity record as it might appear displayed on a
computer screen;
FIG. 6A is a screen for creating (adding) a new Activity;
FIG. 6B is a screen for replying to an Activity;
FIG. 6C is a screen to change an Activity;
FIG. 7 is a typical Topic record;
FIG. 7A is a typical a Subtopic record;
FIG. 8 is a typical ToDo list;
FIG. 8A is a typical Actioned ToDo list;
FIG. 9 is a typical Activity history for a Contact;
FIG. 10 is a typical Topic record for the selected Contact;
FIG. 11A is an Activity record having data fields for commitment function;
FIG. 11B is the Activity record of FIG. 11A as it might appear after a
commitment has been negotiated and the Activity completed; and
FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating the transactions that transformed the
Activity record of FIG. 11A to the Activity record of FIG. 11B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The definitions and labels set out above are continued and applied herein
below.
The present invention relates to the creation, organization, storage,
retrieval and display of digital information (data) stored as bytes in a
memory device accessible for interaction by a computer. Because an
explanation of the actual physical structure of the bytes within the
memory is not particularly helpful to understanding the operation of the
invention, it is necessary to characterize the stored data schematically
and/or by functional diagrams and/or by labels, any or all of which may,
and likely will, differ in appearance from how the actual data groups are
stored in the memory device. Thus, it is not intended that the invention
be limited by the particular labels or diagrammatic representations
created to help explain the invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the basic elements of the invention include a
Contacts database 11, an Activities database 12 and a Topics database 13,
which are functionally related through processing modules and interfaces
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