Patent Issued for Controlling A Graphical User Interface For Workflow (USPTO 10,623,555)

2020 APR 28 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that a patent by the inventors Elizondo, Samantha Jaszczuk (Helotes, TX); Brawner, Taylor Knight (Cumming, GA); Pelaez, Andres (Westfield, IN), filed on September 27, 2016, was published online on April 27, 2020.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 10,623,555 is Hartford Fire Insurance Company.

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Workflows describe step-by-step procedures, e.g., how an employee may accomplish an assigned work task from start to finish. Employees in a company may be required to perform any number of different workflow processes. A workflow might relate to intake of necessary information for personnel matters, such as hiring, medical leave requests, and the like.

“An example workflow might be a process that is routed through an employer call center where call center employees collect the initial intake information from a caller. To guide the call center employee, an employer might require a workflow process that includes the steps of asking the caller a series of scripted questions. There may be some initial questions required to assist the call center employee in determining what workflow should be followed.

“After determining the necessary workflow, a call center worker might then follow a step-by-step scripted series of questions and comments guiding the worker to collect the necessary information to complete the intake of information that is the subject of the workflow process. Answers to questions might be typed into a computer spreadsheet or database. Conventionally, call center employees following such a workflow are not automatically prompted to ask the next question and may be required to enter duplicate information in multiple locations. The call center employee might then be required to enter the collected information into a separate paper form, computer spreadsheet or database not compatibly formatted with the original collection form.

“Consequently, the current process of intake of information following a given workflow may lead to call center employee errors such as failing to remember to ask relevant and necessary questions or miscopying already correct information into a different location. The workflow is not automatically responsive to information received. Changing the workflow steps may require additional revisions and supplementing that may further complicate the call center employee’s task. Also, the workflow for intake of information is very inefficient and not user friendly for an employee attempting to follow the workflow.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “In summary, an embodiment provides a system for providing a web-based graphical user interface for workflow. The system may include a processor that executes a program of instructions to receive, from an input device, user input responding to at least one of a plurality of questions displayed in a web-based graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface, responsive to user input, displays additional questions or scripted text.

“An embodiment provides a system having a graphical user interface for providing a supplemental call center web-based workflow tool, the system comprising: a display device; an input device; a database that stores a decisional matrix, a plurality of questions, and a plurality of scripts related to a workflow; a processor coupled to the database, the display device, and the input device; and the display device providing a web-based graphical user interface for providing a call center supplemental workflow tool; wherein the processor receives from the database: the workflow decisional matrix, the plurality of questions, and the plurality of scripts related to the workflow; the graphical user interface providing at least one element selected from the group consisting of: at least one question selected from the plurality of questions and at least one script selected from the plurality of scripts; the graphical user interface receiving user input through the input device responsive to the at least one element; the processor determining, at least another element selected from the group consisting of: another at least one question and another at least one script, to be displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein the at least another element is determined based upon the received user input and the decisional matrix and advances the workflow; the processor, based upon the decisional matrix, determining that the workflow has been completed; the graphical user interface providing an output of the questions displayed and user input received; and the output being provided to a primary software application.

“An additional embodiment provides a method providing a web-based graphical user interface for providing a call center supplemental workflow tool, comprising: receiving from a database a workflow decisional matrix, a plurality of questions, and a plurality of scripts related to the call center workflow; displaying a web-based graphical user interface on a display providing at least one element selected from the group consisting of: at least one question selected from the plurality of questions and at least one script selected from the plurality of scripts; the graphical user interface receiving user input responsive to the at least one element; determining, at least another element selected from the group consisting of: another at least one question and another at least one script, to be displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein the at least another element is determined based upon the received user input and the decisional matrix and advances the workflow; based upon the decisional matrix, determining that the workflow has been completed; the graphical user interface providing an output of the questions displayed and the user input received; and the output being provided to a primary software application.

“A further embodiment provides system having a graphical user interface for providing a call center supplemental workflow tool comprising: a database comprising a workflow decisional matrix, a plurality of questions, and a plurality of scripts related to the workflow; a display device providing a web-based graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface provides at least one element selected from the group consisting of: at least one question selected from the plurality of questions and at least one script selected from the plurality of scripts; the graphical user interface receiving user input responsive to the at least one element; a processor determining, at least another element selected from the group consisting of: another at least one question and another at least one script, to be displayed on the web-based graphical user interface, wherein the at least another element is determined based upon the received user input and the decisional matrix and advances the workflow; the processor, based upon the decisional matrix, determining that the workflow has been completed; the graphical user interface providing an output of the questions displayed and user input received; and the output being provided to a primary software application.

“Additional embodiments are described, including other methods, as well as devices/apparatuses, systems including multiple devices, and products.

“The foregoing is a summary and thus may contain simplifications, generalizations, and omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting.

“For a better understanding of the embodiments, together with other and further features and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“What is claimed is:

“1. A system having a graphical user interface for providing a call center supplemental web-based workflow tool, the system comprising: a display device; an input device; a database that stores a decisional matrix in a non-web format, the decisional matrix describing a plurality of decisional paths and comprising a plurality of questions and a plurality of scripts related to an employee management workflow; and a processor coupled to the database, the display device, and the input device; the display device providing a web-based graphical user interface for providing a call center supplemental workflow tool, wherein the web-based graphical user interface is displayed automatically upon receipt of a phone call to the call center; wherein the processor receives from the database: the decisional matrix, the plurality of questions, and the plurality of scripts related to the employee management workflow, wherein receiving the decisional matrix comprises receiving the decisional matrix in a web format for display within a web-based browser, wherein the web format is generated by converting, using a conversion program, the decisional matrix in the non-web format to a standard data interchange format comprising components loadable by a web-based browser and wherein the web format is updatable by modifying the decisional matrix in the non-web format and converting the modified decisional matrix to the web format; the graphical user interface providing at least one element selected from the group consisting of: at least one question selected from the plurality of questions and at least one script selected from the plurality of scripts, wherein at least one element is provided in a prompt format identified based upon a logical programming of the decisional matrix; the graphical user interface receiving user input through the input device responsive to the at least one element; the processor validating the user input, wherein the validating comprises comparing a format of the user input to a predetermined format corresponding to the prompt format; the processor determining, responsive to validating the user input, at least another element selected from the group consisting of: another at least one question and another at least one script to be displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein the at least another element is determined based upon the received user input and the decisional matrix and advances the workflow, wherein the at least another element is provided sequentially after receipt of the user input responsive to a previously presented at least one element; the processor, based upon the decisional matrix, determining that the workflow has been completed; the graphical user interface providing an output of the questions displayed and user input received; and the output being provided to a primary software application.

“2. The system according to claim 1, wherein, if the at least one element is changed in the decisional matrix, the graphical user interface is updated to display the changed element.

“3. The system according to claim 1, wherein, if additional input is required according to the decisional matrix, the graphical user interface displays a prompt for the additional input.

“4. The system according to claim 1, wherein user input is validated against at least one element selected from the group consisting of: the decisional matrix and at least one other database of acceptable input.

“5. The system according to claim 1, wherein a notification is provided to the user when user input is required.

“6. The system according to claim 1, wherein a notification is provided to the user when the user input is not valid.

“7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the output is transmitted to another system.

“8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the output is organized with the user input corresponding to a particular question below the corresponding question.

“9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the output is unformatted text.

“10. A method providing a web-based graphical user interface for providing an employee management call center supplemental workflow tool, comprising: receiving from a database a workflow decisional matrix the decisional matrix describing a plurality of decisional paths and comprising a plurality of questions and a plurality of scripts related to the employee management call center workflow, wherein the workflow decisional matrix is stored in the database in a non-web format, wherein receiving the workflow decisional matrix comprises receiving the workflow decisional matrix in a web format for display within a web-based browser, wherein the web format is generated by converting, using a conversion program, the decisional matrix in the non-web format to a standard data interchange format comprising components loadable by a web-based browser and wherein the web format is updatable by modifying the workflow decisional matrix in the non-web format and converting the modified decisional matrix to the web format; displaying, automatically upon receipt of a phone call to the call center, a web-based graphical user interface on a display providing at least one element selected from the group consisting of: at least one question selected from the plurality of questions and at least one script selected from the plurality of scripts, wherein at least one element is provided in a prompt format identified based upon a logical programming of the decisional matrix; receiving, at the graphical user interface, user input responsive to the at least one element; validating the user input, wherein the validating comprises comparing a format of the user input to a predetermined format corresponding to the prompt format; determining, responsive to validating the user input, at least another element selected from the group consisting of: another at least one question and another at least one script to be displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein the at least another element is determined based upon the received user input and the decisional matrix and advances the workflow, wherein the at least another element is provided sequentially after receipt of the user input responsive to a previously presented at least one element; based upon the decisional matrix, determining that the workflow has been completed; and providing, at the graphical user interface and to a primary software application, an output of the questions displayed and the user input received.

“11. The method according to claim 10, wherein if the at least one element is changed in the decisional matrix, the graphical user interface is updated to display the changed element.

“12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, if additional input is required according to the decisional matrix, the graphical user interface displays a prompt for the additional input.

“13. The method according to claim 10, wherein user input is validated against at least one element selected from the group consisting of: the decisional matrix and at least one other database of acceptable input.

“14. The method according to claim 10, wherein a notification is provided to the user when user input is required.

“15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the output is organized with the user input corresponding to a particular question below the corresponding question.

“16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the output is unformatted text.

“17. A system having a graphical user interface for providing an employee management call center supplemental workflow tool comprising: a database comprising a workflow decisional matrix in a non-web format, the decisional matrix describing a plurality of decisional paths and comprising a plurality of questions and a plurality of scripts related to an employee management workflow; a display device providing a web-based graphical user interface that is displayed automatically upon receipt of a phone call to the call center, wherein the graphical user interface provides at least one element selected from the group consisting of: at least one question selected from the plurality of questions and at least one script selected from the plurality of scripts, wherein the web-based graphical user interface accesses the workflow decisional matrix in a web format for display within a web-based browser, wherein the web format is generated by converting, using a conversion program, the decisional matrix in the non-web format to a standard data interchange format comprising components loadable by a web-based browser and wherein the web format is updatable by modifying the workflow decisional matrix in the non-web format and converting the modified decisional matrix to the web format, wherein at least one element is provided in a prompt format identified based upon a logical programming of the decisional matrix; the graphical user interface receiving user input responsive to the at least one element; and a processor validating the user input, wherein the validating comprises comparing a format of the user input to a predetermined format corresponding to the prompt format; the processor determining, responsive to validating the user input, at least another element selected from the group consisting of: another at least one question and another at least one script to be displayed on the web-based graphical user interface, wherein the at least another element is determined based upon the received user input and the decisional matrix and advances the workflow, wherein the at least another element is provided sequentially after receipt of the user input responsive to a previously presented at least one element; the processor, based upon the decisional matrix, determining that the workflow has been completed; the graphical user interface providing an output of the questions displayed and user input received; and the output being provided to a primary software application.

“18. The system according to claim 17, wherein, if the at least one element is changed in the decisional matrix, the graphical user interface is updated to display the changed element.

“19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the output is unformatted text.

“20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the output is organized with the user input corresponding to a particular question below the corresponding question.”

For additional information on this patent, see: Elizondo, Samantha Jaszczuk; Brawner, Taylor Knight; Pelaez, Andres. Controlling A Graphical User Interface For Workflow. U.S. Patent Number 10,623,555, filed September 27, 2016, and published online on April 27, 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=10,623,555.PN.&OS=PN/10,623,555RS=PN/10,623,555

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