IP Library › Patent Application 12715142

Patent Application

App. No. 12/715,142

ENABLING MANAGEMENT OF WORKFLOW

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Patent No.: US None
App. No.: 12/715,142

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Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable mediums provide for dynamically generating a user interface based on components or user interfaces utilized in past and/or current matters. Alternatively, systems, methods, and computer-readable mediums provide for generating recommendations regarding a new matter based on information stored regarding past and/or current matters. Alternatively, systems, methods, and computer-readable mediums provide for generating a recommendation regarding how to proceed in a new matter based on cost in a past and/or current matter.

Claims (264)

1 . A method for dynamically generating a user interface, comprising:

receiving information identifying at least one of a current matter type, issue, a potential damage award, a potential total cost, other matter-related information, and information identifying a person;

generating a query including the received information;

accessing a database including actual past and/or current matters, each of the actual past and/or current matters having associated therewith at least related matter information and a user interface including a plurality of components;

performing the generated query on the accessed database;

receiving a result of the performed query including at least one past and/or current matter from the performed generated query and a plurality of components of a user interface associated with each received past matter;

selecting at least one component of the user interface associated with the identified past and/or current matter in the result; and

dynamically generating a user interface including the selected at least one component.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

when the received result includes more than one user interface, ranking each of the components of each user interface based on information of the past and/or current matter associated with the component of the user interface, and selected at least one component based on the ranking.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the ranking is performed based on at least one of a total cost, a potential total cost, an actual award and a potential award of the past and/or current matter associated with component of the user interface.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the ranking is performed based on at least one of a determination of a degree of completion of the past and/or current matter associated with the component of the user interface.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting at least one component further includes:

determining whether a phase, step and/or task associated with at least one of the plurality of components of the user interface of the received at least one past and/or current matter was performed manually or automatically; and

selecting at least one component based on the determination.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting at least one component further includes:

determining a percentage of times a phase, step and/or task associated with at least one component was performed;

determining whether the percentage exceeds a predetermined threshold,

wherein at least one component is selected based on a determination that the percentage exceeds a predetermined threshold.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the selected component is a task to be performed, the method further comprising:

determining, for the selected component, a custodian or a role of a custodian to be assigned to the component based on a custodian or a role of a custodian assigned to the component in a past and/or current matter; and

assigning the determined custodian or role of the custodian to the selected component.

8 . An apparatus for dynamically generating a user interface, comprising:

a memory storing a set of instructions,

a processor configured to execute the stored set of instructions to perform a method comprising:

generating a query including the received information;

performing the generated query on the accessed database;

selecting at least one component of the user interface associated with the identified past and/or current matter in the result; and

dynamically generating a user interface including the selected at least one component.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the ranking is performed based on at least one of a total cost, a potential total cost, an actual award and a potential award of the past and/or current matter associated with component of the user interface.

11 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the ranking is performed based on at least one of a determination of a degree of completion of the past and/or current matter associated with the component of the user interface.

12 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein selecting at least one component further includes:

selecting at least one component based on the determination.

13 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein selecting at least one component further includes:

determining a percentage of times a phase, step and/or task associated with at least one component was performed;

determining whether the percentage exceeds a predetermined threshold,

wherein at least one component is selected based on a determination that the percentage exceeds a predetermined threshold.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the selected component is a task to be performed, the method further comprising:

assigning the determined custodian or role of the custodian to the selected component.

15 . A computer-readable medium, storing a set of instructions, executed by a processor, to perform a method for dynamically generating a user interface, the method comprising:

generating a query including the received information;

performing the generated query on the accessed database;

selecting at least one component of the user interface associated with the identified past and/or current matter in the result; and

dynamically generating a user interface including the selected at least one component.

16 . The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , the method further comprising:

17 . The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the ranking is performed based on at least one of a total cost, a potential total cost, an actual award and a potential award of the past and/or current matter associated with component of the user interface.

18 . The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the ranking is performed based on at least one of a determination of a degree of completion of the past and/or current matter associated with the component of the user interface.

19 . The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein selecting at least one component further includes:

selecting at least one component based on the determination.

20 . The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein selecting at least one component further includes:

determining a percentage of times a phase, step and/or task associated with at least one component was performed;

determining whether the percentage exceeds a predetermined threshold,

wherein at least one component is selected based on a determination that the percentage exceeds a predetermined threshold.

21 . The computer-readable medium of claim 20 , wherein the selected component is a task to be performed, the method further comprising:

assigning the determined custodian or role of the custodian to the selected component.

22 . A method for maintaining information for generating a recommendation, comprising:

storing attribute information associated with at least one past and/or current matter;

for each stored matter, storing a plurality of phases, each phase having at least one step, each step having at least one task, wherein each phase, step and task have information associated therewith;

receiving attribute information regarding a new matter;

generating a query based on the received attribute information;

accessing the at least one past and/or current matter and the associated attribute information and performing the query on the accessed at least one past and/or current matter;

receiving a result of the performed query, the result including at least one past and/or current matter and information associated therewith;

analyzing the received result; and

generating a recommendation in the new matter based on the analysis of the received result.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the recommendation includes trend information associated with a likelihood of success.

24 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising:

storing at least one form associated with the at least one past and/or current matter;

accessing at least one form based on the analysis of the received result, wherein the recommendation includes the accessed at least one form.

25 . The method of claim 24 , further comprising:

accessing a plurality of forms;

ranking each of the forms based on attribute information of the past and/or current matter associated with the form; and

selecting at least one form based on the ranking, wherein the recommendation includes the selected form based on the ranking.

26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the ranking is performed based on an award of the past and/or current matter associated with form.

27 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the ranking is performed based on a determination of a degree of completion of the past and/or current matter associated with the form.

28 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the attributes include at least one of a current matter type, issue, a potential damage award, a potential total cost, and information identifying a custodian and other matter-related information.

29 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising:

determining a workflow based on at least one of the plurality of phases, the at least one step, and the at least one task;

for each past and/or current matter in the search result, determining a percentage of completion of the determined workflow; and

comparing the percentage of completion of the determined workflow with at least one of the associated attributes of the past and/or current matter, wherein the recommendation is generated based on the comparison.

30 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising:

receiving for storage a new past and/or current matter, attribute information, and a plurality of phases, each phase having at least one step, each step having at least one task, wherein each phase, step and task have information associated therewith;

modifying at least one of the attribute information and the plurality of phases, the at least one step and the at least one task to remove confidential information; and

storing the new past and/or current matter and the modified attribute information, the plurality of phases, the at least one step and the at least one task.

31 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising:

storing at least one question associated with the at least one past and/or current matter;

accessing at least one question based on the analysis of the received result, wherein the recommendation includes the accessed at least one question.

32 . The method of claim 31 , further comprising:

accessing a plurality of questions;

ranking each of the questions based on attribute information of the past and/or current matter associated with the question; and

selecting at least one question based on the ranking, wherein the recommendation includes the selected question based on the ranking.

33 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising:

tagging documents received in the search results;

repeating performing the query; and

automatically tagging documents included in the results of the repeated performed query with the same tag in the first performed query.

34 . An apparatus for maintaining information for generating a recommendation, comprising:

a memory storing a set of instructions;

a processor for executing the stored set of instructions to perform a method, the method comprising:

storing attribute information associated with at least one past and/or current matter;

receiving attribute information regarding a new matter;

generating a query based on the received attribute information;

accessing the at least one past and/or current matter and the associated attribute information and performing the query on the accessed at least one past and/or current matter;

receiving a result of the performed query, the result including at least one past and/or current matter and information associated therewith;

analyzing the received result; and

generating a recommendation in the new matter based on the analysis of the received result.

35 . The apparatus of claim 34 , wherein the recommendation includes trend information associated with a likelihood of success.

36 . The apparatus of claim 34 , the method further comprising:

storing at least one form associated with the at least one past and/or current matter;

accessing at least one form based on the analysis of the received result, wherein the recommendation includes the accessed at least one form.

37 . The apparatus of claim 36 , the method further comprising:

accessing a plurality of forms;

ranking each of the forms based on attribute information of the past and/or current matter associated with the form; and

selecting at least one form based on the ranking, wherein the recommendation includes the selected form based on the ranking.

38 . The apparatus of claim 37 , wherein the ranking is performed based on an award of the past and/or current matter associated with form.

39 . The apparatus of claim 37 , wherein the ranking is performed based on a determination of a degree of completion of the past and/or current matter associated with the form.

40 . The apparatus of claim 34 , wherein the attributes include at least one of a current matter type, issue, a potential damage award, a potential total cost, and information identifying a custodian and other matter-related information.

41 . The apparatus of claim 34 , the method further comprising:

determining a workflow based on at least one of the plurality of phases, the at least one step, and the at least one task;

for each past and/or current matter in the search result, determining a percentage of completion of the determined workflow; and

42 . The apparatus of claim 34 , further comprising:

modifying at least one of the attribute information and the plurality of phases, the at least one step and the at least one task to remove confidential information; and

storing the new past and/or current matter and the modified attribute information, the plurality of phases, the at least one step and the at least one task.

43 . The apparatus of claim 34 , further comprising:

storing at least one question associated with the at least one past and/or current matter;

accessing at least one question based on the analysis of the received result, wherein the recommendation includes the accessed at least one question.

44 . The apparatus of claim 43 , further comprising:

accessing a plurality of questions;

ranking each of the questions based on attribute information of the past and/or current matter associated with the question; and

selecting at least one question based on the ranking, wherein the recommendation includes the selected question based on the ranking.

45 . The apparatus of claim 34 , further comprising:

tagging documents received in the search results;

repeating performing the query; and

automatically tagging documents included in the results of the repeated performed query with the same tag in the first performed query.

46 . A computer-readable medium, storing a set of instructions, executed by a processor, to perform a method for maintaining information for generating a recommendation, the method comprising:

storing attribute information associated with at least one past and/or current matter;

receiving attribute information regarding a new matter;

generating a query based on the received attribute information;

accessing the at least one past and/or current matter and the associated attribute information and performing the query on the accessed at least one past and/or current matter;

receiving a result of the performed query, the result including at least one past and/or current matter and information associated therewith;

analyzing the received result; and

generating a recommendation in the new matter based on the analysis of the received result.

47 . The computer-readable medium of claim 46 , wherein the recommendation includes trend information associated with a likelihood of success.

48 . The computer-readable medium of claim 46 , the method further comprising:

storing at least one form associated with the at least one past and/or current matter;

accessing at least one form based on the analysis of the received result, wherein the recommendation includes the accessed at least one form.

49 . The computer-readable medium of claim 48 , the method further comprising:

accessing a plurality of forms;

ranking each of the forms based on attribute information of the past and/or current matter associated with the form; and

selecting at least one form based on the ranking, wherein the recommendation includes the selected form based on the ranking.

50 . The computer-readable medium of claim 49 , wherein the ranking is performed based on an award of the past and/or current matter associated with form.

51 . The computer-readable medium of claim 49 , wherein the ranking is performed based on a determination of a degree of completion of the past and/or current matter associated with the form.

52 . The computer-readable medium of claim 46 , wherein the attributes include at least one of a current matter type, issue, a potential damage award, a potential total cost, and information identifying a custodian and other matter-related information.

53 . The computer-readable medium of claim 46 , the method further comprising:

determining a workflow based on at least one of the plurality of phases, the at least one step, and the at least one task;

for each past and/or current matter in the search result, determining a percentage of completion of the determined workflow; and

54 . The computer-readable medium of claim 46 , the method further comprising:

modifying at least one of the attribute information and the plurality of phases, the at least one step and the at least one task to remove confidential information; and

storing the new past and/or current matter and the modified attribute information, the plurality of phases, the at least one step and the at least one task.

55 . The computer-readable medium of claim 46 , the method further comprising:

storing at least one question associated with the at least one past and/or current matter;

accessing at least one question based on the analysis of the received result, wherein the recommendation includes the accessed at least one question.

56 . The computer-readable medium of claim 55 , the method further comprising:

accessing a plurality of questions;

ranking each of the questions based on attribute information of the past and/or current matter associated with the question; and

selecting at least one question based on the ranking, wherein the recommendation includes the selected question based on the ranking.

57 . The computer-readable medium of claim 46 , the method further comprising:

tagging documents received in the search results;

repeating performing the query; and

automatically tagging documents included in the results of the repeated performed query with the same tag in the first performed query.

58 . A method for determining a cost for providing a recommendation, comprising:

initiating crawling at least one mass storage device;

receiving information associated with the crawled data;

estimating cost of analyzing collected information based on actual costs incurred in similar past and/or current matters;

comparing estimated cost of analyzing data with a predetermined threshold of cost to be spent on analyzing data; and

recommending proceeding with the matter if the compared cost does not exceed the predetermined threshold.

59 . The method of claim 58 , wherein at least two mass storage devices are crawled and wherein the estimated cost of analyzing the collected information is estimated separately for each mass storage device.

60 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the at least one mass storage device includes a plurality of documents and the crawled data includes information associated with each of the plurality of documents, the method further comprising:

analyzing information associated with each of the documents;

identifying characteristic information based on the analyzed information, the characteristic information including at least one of an original author of a document, contributors to contents of the document, other metadata information, and size of the document; and

providing chain of custody of each of the documents including the identified characteristic information.

61 . The method of claim 60 wherein crawling includes:

identifying at least one custodian;

calculating a hash value of each document associated with the identified\ at least one custodian;

comparing the calculated hash value with at least one existing hash value; and

if the calculated hash value does not match the at least one existing hash value, the document is either preserved or collected.

62 . The method of claim 61 , wherein crawling is automatically performed periodically.

63 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the information associated with each of the documents is information included in a tag and the tag information is analyzed in order to identify characteristic information.

64 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the at least one mass storage device includes a plurality of documents and the crawled data includes information associated with each of the plurality of documents, the method further comprising:

tagging each of the plurality of documents based on the crawled data; and

assigning a task to a reviewer to review the tagged documents.

65 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the chain of custody includes information identifying the location of the document within the mass storage device.

66 . An apparatus for determining a cost for providing a recommendation, comprising:

a memory storing a set of instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the stored set of instructions to perform a method comprising:

initiating crawling at least one mass storage device;

receiving information associated with the crawled data;

estimating cost of analyzing collected information based on actual costs incurred in similar past and/or current matters;

comparing estimated cost of analyzing data with a predetermined threshold of cost to be spent on analyzing data; and

recommending proceeding with the matter if the compared cost does not exceed the predetermined threshold.

67 . The apparatus of claim 66 , wherein at least two mass storage devices are crawled and wherein the estimated cost of analyzing the collected information is estimated separately for each mass storage device.

68 . The apparatus of claim 66 , wherein the at least one mass storage device includes a plurality of documents and the crawled data includes information associated with each of the plurality of documents, the method further comprising:

analyzing information associated with each of the documents;

providing chain of custody of each of the documents including the identified characteristic information.

69 . The apparatus of claim 68 , wherein crawling includes:

identifying at least one custodian;

calculating a hash value of each document associated with the identified\ at least one custodian;

comparing the calculated hash value with at least one existing hash value; and

if the calculated hash value does not match the at least one existing hash value, the document is either preserved or collected.

70 . The apparatus of claim 68 , wherein crawling is automatically performed periodically.

71 . The apparatus of claim 68 , wherein the information associated with each of the documents is information included in a tag and the tag information is analyzed in order to identify characteristic information.

72 . The apparatus of claim 66 , wherein the at least one mass storage device includes a plurality of documents and the crawled data includes information associated with each of the plurality of documents, the method further comprising:

tagging each of the plurality of documents based on the crawled data; and

assigning a task to a reviewer to review the tagged documents.

73 . The apparatus of claim 68 , wherein the chain of custody includes information identifying the location of the document within the mass storage device.

74 . A computer-readable medium, storing a set of instructions, executed by a processor, to perform a method for determining a cost for providing a recommendation, the method comprising:

initiating crawling at least one mass storage device;

receiving information associated with the crawled data;

estimating cost of analyzing collected information based on actual costs incurred in similar past and/or current matters;

comparing estimated cost of analyzing data with a predetermined threshold of cost to be spent on analyzing data; and

recommending proceeding with the matter if the compared cost does not exceed the predetermined threshold.

75 . The computer-readable medium of claim 74 , wherein at least two mass storage devices are crawled and wherein the estimated cost of analyzing the collected information is estimated separately for each mass storage device.

76 . The computer-readable medium of claim 74 , wherein the at least one mass storage device includes a plurality of documents and the crawled data includes information associated with each of the plurality of documents, the method further comprising:

analyzing information associated with each of the documents;

providing chain of custody of each of the documents including the identified characteristic information.

77 . The computer-readable medium of claim 76 , wherein crawling includes:

identifying at least one custodian;

calculating a hash value of each document associated with the identified\ at least one custodian;

comparing the calculated hash value with at least one existing hash value; and

if the calculated hash value does not match the at least one existing hash value, the document is either preserved or collected.

78 . The computer-readable medium of claim 77 , wherein crawling is automatically performed periodically.

79 . The computer-readable medium of claim 76 , wherein the information associated with each of the documents is information included in a tag and the tag information is analyzed in order to identify characteristic information.

80 . The computer-readable medium of claim 74 , wherein the at least one mass storage device includes a plurality of documents and the crawled data includes information associated with each of the plurality of documents, the method further comprising:

tagging each of the plurality of documents based on the crawled data; and

assigning a task to a reviewer to review the tagged documents.

81 . The computer-readable medium of claim 76 , wherein the chain of custody includes information identifying the location of the document within the mass storage device.

82 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of components are selected and included in the dynamically generated user interface, the method further comprising:

selecting a subset of the components included in the dynamically generated user interface; and

dynamically generating a second user interface including the selected subset of the components.

83 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a plurality of components are selected and included in the dynamically generated user interface, the method further comprising:

selecting a subset of the components included in the dynamically generated user interface; and

dynamically generating a second user interface including the selected subset of the components.

84 . The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein a plurality of components are selected and included in the dynamically generated user interface, the method further comprising:

selecting a subset of the components included in the dynamically generated user interface; and

dynamically generating a second user interface including the selected subset of the components.