Patent Issued for Computer System And Method For Management Of User Interface Data (USPTO 10,650,459)

2020 MAY 27 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- A patent by the inventors Tran, Oai (Piscataway, NJ); Napolitan, Lisa (Morristown, NJ); Nutkiewicz, Stanley (Fair Lawn, NJ); Statsky, Jane (Edison, NJ); Stoller, Richard (Brooklyn, NY), filed on August 19, 2014, was published online on May 25, 2020, according to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx correspondents.

Patent number 10,650,459 is assigned to Hartford Fire Insurance Company (Hartford, Connecticut, United States).

The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: “This invention relates generally to computer-based insurance processing and more specifically to integrating a legacy insurance policy underwriting process to a real-time on-line process.

“With regard to the insurance industry, records regarding issued policies, premiums, payments and payouts must be maintained for extended periods of time. The insurance industry readily embraced computer and computer technology for the storage of their records and files and developed special purpose software systems that are suitable for the maintenance and storage of the insurance files.

“As computer technology and computer software changes, the insurance industry is pressed to update and upgrade their equipment and facilities. For example, the current computerized process for underwriting an insurance policy is a textual-based system that is burdensome and not user-friendly. The process requires that the underwriting agent prepare forms using manual tabulation of data and, in cases, requires specialized knowledge with regard to translating human-readable information into computer-readable codes. This is time-consuming and labor-intensive. However, there is hesitation to upgrade current existing software, i.e., legacy processor and associated software, as there is a significant cost in time, labor and expense in transitioning existing legacy-software-based files to newer software.

“Hence, there is a need for a method and system that is not time-consuming, burdensome and labor-intensive that affords an underwriting agent the ability to process the factors that underwrite an insurance policy while providing proper interface with existing legacy-based files.”

In addition to the background information obtained for this patent, NewsRx journalists also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “This invention relates generally to computer-based insurance processing and more specifically to integrating the insurance policy underwriting processes. In one aspect of the invention a computer system to perform the process of underwriting, rating, quoting, binding, and booking an insurance policy comprises one or more browsers operative to communicate associated information to a dispatcher that parses the information to select an insurance process and an output device to produce the insurance product. A server having suitable software reviews the message received from a browser and determines whether the message length is greater than a predetermined limit, and if the message is less than the limit, then input data is provided to a first input queue and input to a dispatcher means for subsequent processing. The system further includes the feature whereby if the message is greater than the predetermined limit, then the message is parsed into a header information and one or more data fields information and the header information is provided to first input queue and the data information is provided to a second input queue and the dispatcher means and the data information is provided to a legacy processor and associated software system. In one aspect of the invention, the information in the data field is parsed into multiple records of a predetermined size, preferably 16 kilobytes. Following completion of the processing the results are provided to a user-assigned data queue and subsequently to the server.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“What is claimed is:

“1. A computer system for processing data related to a plurality of user interfaces for supporting interactions with at least one computer system, comprising: a web system server comprising at least one computer system processor; and at least one other computer system in communication with the web system server and in communication with a legacy computer system executing a plurality of computer-implemented processes, the web system server being configured to generate a plurality of graphical user interfaces for display, a first of the graphical user interfaces including: one or more fields for entry of information; a next action user selection configured to cause the web system server to transmit data to the at least one computer system, the at least one computer system being configured to parse the transmitted data to determine one of the plurality of processes to be performed by the legacy computer system; and one or more user-selectable process indications configured to cause the web system server to generate one of the other of the plurality of graphical user interfaces for display; wherein each of the plurality of graphical user interfaces corresponds to one of the plurality of processes; and wherein the at least one other computer system is configured so that at least two of the plurality of processes are arranged in a sequence, and at least a second one of the processes is allowed to be performed, in accordance with instructions provided by the at least one other computer system to the legacy computer system, only subsequent to performance of a first one of the plurality of processes in the sequence, and wherein the at least one other computer system is configured to, responsive to receipt of a submit message from the web server via the one of the graphical user interfaces corresponding to the second one of the processes, require performance of the first process prior to transfer of the second process to the legacy computer system; wherein a plurality of state switches and associated state indicators provide process direction to the at least one other computer system, each one of a plurality of states associated with the state switches and state indicators corresponding to one of the sequential processes, and wherein associated state variables include data indicative of whether each of the processes has been executed, the at least one other computer system configured not to permit a process to be executed by the legacy computer system unless the state variables indicate that all preceding processes have been executed.

“2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the first graphical user interface is configured for entry of information comprising at least an account update.

“3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the account update comprises at least name and address data of a proposed insured.

“4. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the account update comprises name data of the proposed insured, and wherein the at least one computer system processor is further configured to access stored data matching the received name data of the proposed insured from a data storage device.

“5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the first graphical user interface is configured for entry of insured data, producer data and product data.

“6. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a legacy computer system in communication with the at least one other computer system.

“7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the web system server is configured to permit the user to select one of the process indications to change data relating to a corresponding one of the processes.

“8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the web system server is configured to permit the user to select the first graphical user interface to change address data.

“9. A computer-implemented method of processing data related to a plurality of user interfaces for supporting interactions with at least one computer system, comprising: generating, by a web system server comprising at least one computer processor, a first graphical user interface of a plurality of graphical user interfaces, including one or more fields for entry of information; a next action user selection configured to cause the web system server to transmit data to the at least one computer system, the at least one computer system being configured to parse the transmitted data to determine one of a plurality of processes to be performed by a legacy computer system; and one or more user-selectable process indications configured to cause the web system server to generate one of the other of the plurality of graphical user interfaces for display; receiving, via the first graphical user interface, a user selection of a user-selectable process indication; generating, by the web system server, responsive to the user selection of one of the user-selectable process indications, one of the other of the plurality of graphical user interfaces for display; wherein each of the plurality of graphical user interfaces corresponds to one of the plurality of processes; and wherein at least two of the plurality of processes are arranged in a sequence, and at least a second one of the processes is allowed to be performed, in accordance with instructions provided by the at least one computer system to the legacy computer system, only subsequent to performance of a first one of the plurality of processes in the sequence, and wherein the at least one other computer system, responsive to receipt of a submit message from the web system server via the one of the graphical user interfaces corresponding to the second one of the processes, requires performance of the first process prior to transfer of the second process to the legacy computer system; wherein a plurality of state switches and associated state indicators provide process direction to the at least one computer system, each one of a plurality of states associated with the state switches corresponding to one of the sequential processes, and associated state variables include data indicative of whether each of the processes has been executed, the at least one computer system configured not to permit a process to be executed by the legacy computer system unless the state variables indicate that all preceding processes have been executed.

“10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the first graphical user interface is configured for entry of information comprising at least an account update.

“11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the account update comprises at least name and address data of a proposed insured.

“12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising determining by a dispatcher computer system, comprising at least one computer processor, in communication with the web system server, whether a process is allowed to be performed.

“13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising permitting a user to change data relating to one of the processes responsive to user selection of a corresponding process indication.

“14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the permitting the user to change data relating to one of the processes comprises generating the first graphical user interface and permitting the user to change address data.

“15. A computer system for processing data relating to a plurality of user interfaces, comprising: a data storage device storing data relating to a plurality of processes; a web server system comprising at least one computer processor, configured to generate a first graphical user interface of a plurality of graphical user interfaces, including one or more fields for entry of information; a next action user selection configured to cause the web system server to transmit data to at least one computer system for performance of one of the plurality of processes; and one or more user-selectable process indications configured to cause the web system server to generate one of the other of the plurality of graphical user interfaces for display; a dispatcher system comprising at least one computer processor and in communication with the web server system and the data storage devices, and configured to manage communication with the web server system; and a legacy computer system, comprising at least one computer processor, in communication with the dispatcher system, the legacy computer system configured to perform one or more data processing functions; wherein the dispatcher computer system is configured to determine, responsive to receipt of data from the web server system, one of the one or more processes to be performed by the legacy computer system; wherein at least two of the plurality of processes are arranged in a sequence, at least a second one of the processes being allowed to be performed, in accordance with instructions provided by the dispatcher computer system to the legacy computer system, only subsequent to performance of a first one of the plurality of processes in the sequence, and wherein the dispatcher computer system is configured to, responsive to receipt of a submit message from the web server system via the one of the graphical user interfaces corresponding to the second one of the processes, require performance of the first process prior to transfer of the second process to the legacy computer system; wherein a plurality of state switches and associated state indicators provide process direction to the dispatcher computer system, each one of a plurality of states associated with the state switches corresponding to one of the sequential processes, and associated state variables include data indicative of whether each of the processes has been executed, the dispatcher computer system configured not to permit a process to be executed by the legacy computer system unless the state variables indicate that all preceding processes have been executed.

“16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the first graphical user interface is configured for entry of information comprising at least an account update.

“17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the account update comprises at least name and address data of a proposed insured.

“18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the account update comprises name data of the proposed insured, and wherein the legacy computer system is configured to access stored data matching the received name data of the proposed insured from a data storage device.

“19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the dispatcher system is configured to determine whether to allow one of the processes to be performed.

“20. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processes comprise at least a process for determining information relating to a proposed insured and a process for determining at least one insurance premium.”

URL and more information on this patent, see: Tran, Oai; Napolitan, Lisa; Nutkiewicz, Stanley; Statsky, Jane; Stoller, Richard. Computer System And Method For Management Of User Interface Data. U.S. Patent Number 10,650,459, filed August 19, 2014, and published online on May 25, 2020. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=10,650,459.PN.&OS=PN/10,650,459RS=PN/10,650,459

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