Method Of Creating Process Protocols
Patent No. US11256708 (titled "Method Of Creating Process Protocols") was filed by Keybank Na on Jan 24, 2019.
What is this patent about?
’708 is related to the field of process mining , specifically how to create process protocols from data distributed across multiple computer systems. Process mining aims to discover, monitor, and improve real processes (e.g., business or technical) by extracting knowledge from event logs readily available in today's information systems. A key challenge is that data relevant to a single process is often scattered across different systems, making comprehensive analysis difficult.
The underlying idea behind ’708 is to consolidate data from disparate systems into a unified process protocol that can be analyzed by a process mining system. This involves importing data tables from multiple external systems into a local system, reconstructing the relationships between these tables , identifying a primary data table representing the objects of interest, selecting related data tables containing process step information, and then creating a transformation to extract and structure the data into a process protocol.
The claims of ’708 focus on a computer-implemented method for creating a process protocol. The method involves importing data tables from multiple external systems into a local computer system, reconstructing relationships between the tables, selecting a primary data table representing objects of interest, selecting related data tables representing process steps, determining activities based on these tables and relationships, creating an executable transformation to extract data based on these activities, and finally, executing the transformation to generate the process protocol for analysis by a process mining system.
In practice, the invention allows a user to analyze end-to-end processes even when the data is spread across different systems like an ERP system handling orders and a CRM system managing vendor interactions. The system automatically identifies relationships between tables based on matching or similar attribute names, and suggests relevant tables for inclusion in the process protocol. The executable transformation then extracts the necessary data, filters it based on the identified activities (e.g., price changes, vendor calls), and structures it into a format suitable for process mining.
A key differentiation from prior approaches is the ability to analyze processes spanning multiple systems without requiring a pre-existing unified data model. The system dynamically reconstructs relationships between imported data tables, even those originating from different external systems. This dynamic reconstruction enables the analysis of complex, cross-system processes that were previously difficult or impossible to analyze using traditional process mining techniques, offering a more holistic view of business or technical operations.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the late 2010s when ’708 was filed, at a time when data processing was typically implemented using distributed IT infrastructures, systems commonly relied on relational databases for data storage and retrieval. When hardware or software constraints made efficient analysis of processes spanning multiple systems non-trivial, especially when data was spread across different computer systems.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner approved the application because the closest prior art failed to anticipate or render obvious the features recited in independent claim 1. The examiner stated that the recited features in independent claim 1 are novel and non-obvious over the closest prior art. The examiner also stated that the dependent claims 2 and 4-15 are definite, enabled by the specification, and further limiting to the independent claims, and are therefore also allowable.
Claims
This patent contains 15 claims, with independent claims 1 and 6. The independent claims are directed to a computer-implemented method of creating a process protocol in a local computer system from raw data stored in external computer systems. The dependent claims generally elaborate on and refine the steps and features of the independent method claims.
Key Claim Terms New
Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.
Patent Family
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Date
Description
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US11256708
- Application Number
- US16256380
- Filing Date
- Jan 24, 2019
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Nov 6, 2039
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents