WO2006115944A2

WO2006115944A2 - Customized forms

Info

Publication number: WO2006115944A2
Application number: PCT/US2006/014777
Authority: WO
Inventors: Brian C. Thompson
Original assignee: Bayer Healthcare Llc
Priority date: 2005-04-22
Filing date: 2006-04-21
Publication date: 2006-11-02
Also published as: EP1875381A2; TW200705228A; WO2006115944A3

Abstract

A method for obtaining information comprising creating a form template utilizing an off-the-shelf editor. The form template is converted into a customized form adapted to receive information. Information is received into the customized form. The received information is saved to a searchable database.

Description

CUSTOMIZED FORMS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[001] The present invention relates generally to a software application and method for creating form templates. Specifically, the software application accesses a form template created with an off-the-shelf editor and converts the template into a customized form, which can then be filled out by a user and saved to a database.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[002] Standard forms are relied on in many fields to obtain and update data and information. In the healthcare profession, for example, patients visiting healthcare providers are often required to fill out forms reflecting their current personal information, medical backgrounds, symptoms, and the like. Because these forms are often relied upon in diagnosing, treating, and prescribing medications for these patients, it is of particular importance that they be filled out accurately.

[003] There currently exist several methods for creating forms. For example, an operator may create a form using a standard, off-the-shelf editor (e.g., Microsoft® Excel®, Notepad™, or WordPad™). These off-the-shelf editors contain certain restrictions that may limit the features that may be contained in the form or the layout of the form. Moreover, once these forms are created within the off-the-shelf editor and filled out by a user, they are generally saved within that off-the-shelf editor. For example, when a form is created in Excel®, the form is typically saved as an .xls file. The completed forms created by off-the-shelf editors cannot be collectively searched or data mined to sort through the information contained therein.

[004] Therefore, it would be desirable to overcome such disadvantages in existing methods of creating forms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[005] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for obtaining information is disclosed. The method comprises the acts of creating a form template utilizing an off-the-shelf editor and converting the form template into a customized form adapted to receive information. The method further comprises the acts of receiving information into the customized form and saving the received information to a searchable database. [006] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method of creating a customized form is disclosed. The method comprises the acts of creating a form template utilizing an off-the-shelf editor and saving the form template as a text file. The form template includes at least one predetermined control designator therein. The method further comprises the acts of providing a software application adapted to access and interpret the text file and using the software application to convert the form template into a customized form adapted to receive information. The method further comprising the act of saving information received by the customized form into a database.

[007] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a software application that includes instructions for directing a processor to perform a method is disclosed. The method instructed by the software application comprising the acts of converting a form template into a customized form adapted to receive information and saving received information from the customized form into a database. The form template includes at least one predetermined control designator therein and is accessed by the software application as a text file. [008] The above summary of the present invention is not intended to represent each embodiment, or every aspect, of the present invention. Additional features and benefits of the present invention are apparent from the detailed description and figures set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[009] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a data-collection process utilizing a customized form, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a form template created on Microsoft® Excel®, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a customized form created by the present invention upon reading and interpreting the form template of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The present invention is directed to a software application for creating customized forms with a commonly used program or off-the-shelf editor. Such off-the-shelf editors include but are not limited to Microsoft® Excel®, Notepad™, and WordPad™. While the remainder of the disclosure herein will be directed toward creating a customized form using Microsoft® Excel® as the off-the-shelf editor, it is to be understood that the invention may also be implemented using other editors.

[0013] The software application includes a plurality of instructions for directing a processor to perform steps, acts, functions, etc. The software application is designed to perform specific functions directly for a user and, in some embodiments, for another application program. The software application is operable on the processor's (or separate processor's) system software (e.g., operating system and any program that supports the software application). In some embodiments, the software application is a software utility that includes it own operating system. The software utility is separately installable on a processor and is capable of being used independently from the preexisting operating system.

[0014] Turning first to FIG. 1, a method for creating a customized form to facilitate data collection is illustrated, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Initially, an operator creates a form template, at step 10, in an off-the-shelf editor based on the information they wish to obtain via a form. The template is then saved as a text file (.txt) at step 20. A software application accesses and interprets the text file at step 30 and generates a customized form at step 40. The customized form is a user interface complete with a grid that allows a user to enter the appropriate data requested by the form. A user accesses and interacts with the customized form and can input the requested data at step 50. The completed, or partially completed, form is then saved by a user. The requested information that has been input by the user is saved to a database at step 60. This database may then be queried or data mined at step 70 by a database administrator.

[0015] A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be accessed, managed, and updated. Databases are generally classified according to their organizational approach. The most prevalent approach is the relational database, a tabular database in which data is defined so that it can be reorganized and accessed in a number of different ways. A distributed database is one that can be dispersed or replicated among different points in a network. An object-oriented programming database is one that is congruent with the data defined in object classes and subclasses. The present invention may be adapted to be utilized with any of the above-described database approaches, or other database approaches that are known within the art. [0016] Typically, a database manager provides users the capabilities of controlling read/write access, specifying report generation, and analyzing usage. The database manager allows a database administrator to sort through data within the database and to query (i.e., search) the database. Structured Query Language (SQL) is a standard language for making interactive queries from and updating a database. The process of sorting through data to identify patterns and establish relationships is known as data mining. A number of different parameters can be utilized for data mining, such as, for example, association, sequence or path analysis, classification, clustering, forecasting (e.g., predictive analytics), etc.

[0017] Referring now to FIG. 2, a form template 200 created on Microsoft® Excel® is shown according to one embodiment. The corresponding customized form 300 created by the software application is shown in FIG. 3. The form template 200 includes a plurality of template cells 202 organized into columns and rows. In creating a form template 200 in an off-the-shelf editor, the operator will generally be provided with certain guidelines or parameters that may be read and interpreted by the software application. According to the embodiment of FIG. 2, if the operator desires a field to only contain text and not be capable of modification by a user, the operator should input only that text into the template cell, as input into a template cell 140. The software will then read the template cell 140 and output a corresponding form cell in the resultant form that contains the inputted text, as shown in form cell 340 of FIG. 3. Creating text cells that cannot be modified by a user is useful, for example, in creating column headings or field labels.

[0018] Control designators may be input in a template cell 202 to signal to the software application that the subsequent characters in the cell 202 denote a specific type of control, structure, or special field, as opposed to a text entry. Such controls, structures, or special fields may include tables, drop-down lists, option buttons, check boxes, text fields, date fields, and numeric fields. A control designator is any sequence of characters that would not normally be seen in ordinary text and that is programmed to be recognized by the software application. The sequence of characters may include text, numbers, or a combination thereof. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the three digit control designator "990" is used as the programmed sequence of characters. Modifiers and additional parameters are used in conjunction with the control designators to designate a particular type of control for the template cell 202. Table 1 below includes a list of modifiers used in this embodiment, the additional parameters that must be specified with each modifier, and an explanation of how the software application interprets each of the commands. While the remainder of the disclosure herein will be directed toward using the control designator "990" and the modifiers listed in Table 1 below, it is to be understood that the invention may also be implemented using other schemes, and the following is intended to be a non-limiting example.

TABLE 1

[0019] Referring again to FIG. 2 and Table 1, a template cell 120 commands the software to create a table with the parameters listed. The control designator "990" signals to the software that the subsequent characters are modifiers, not mere letters and numbers. The modifier "T" commands the software to create a table. Following the explanation in Table 1, the subsequent numbers in the template cell 120 indicate that the table should contain two header rows, twelve rows, five columns, a header height of sixty pixels, a side-heading width of 268 pixels, a first- column width of fifty pixels, a second-column width of forty pixels, a third-column width of forty pixels, a fourth-column width of forty pixels, and a fifth-column width of fifty pixels. The final three zeros indicate the (1) start sorting column, (2) row of sorting data, and (3) number of columns being added when inserting new columns are all disabled. A "start sorting column" commands the software application to sort columns beginning with the column specified. They may be sort sorted by date, numerically, alphabetically, or by any other appropriate sorting method. The "row of sorting data" tells the software application which row to start with when sorting the columns of data in the event that a field may be used to sort columns. The final parameter used with the "T" modifier indicates how many additional columns to add corresponding to a new column. Sometimes when adding a new column, you are actually adding two or three columns at the same time. Thus, a user can specify how many columns will be added.

[0020] Adding the modifier "G" to the control designator in this embodiment commands the software to output a form cell with a light gray background. An example of this is illustrated in a template cell 142 of FIG. 2 and a corresponding form cell 342 in FIG. 3. If the operator wishes the form cell to include text in the light gray cell, the text should be inputted into the template cell following the "G" modifier.

[0021] In the embodiment of FIG. 2, a template cell 130 uses the control designator "990" followed by the modifier "H," which commands the software to output a header line. The number following the modifier represents the height of the header in pixels (see Table 1), followed by the text the header is to contain, all separated by commas. For example, the command in the template cell 130 is to create a header line with a height of twenty-five pixels containing the text "Patient/Significant Other is able to:". A form cell 330 in FIG. 3 is generated that corresponds to the commands input into the template cell 130.

[0022] In some embodiments, a date field can also be added to the form. In accord with the embodiment presented above and in Table 1, the control designator "990" may be followed by a modifier "D" to command the software to create a date field. The software application interprets this command and outputs a form cell 302 that may be clicked by a user to display a calendar. The user is then able to utilize a keyboard (e.g., tab and arrow keys, etc.) or other input device (e.g., mouse, etc.) to scroll through the calendar to select an appropriate date. [0023] hi the embodiment of FIG. 2, a template cell 152 signals the software to create an option-button cell 352 (FIG. 3) by inputting the modifier "R" after the control designator "990." The desired designations for each option button are separated in the command by "\n," with each option to be displayed on a separate line in the form cell. Thus, the template cell 152 commands the software to create the option-button cell 352 with "1" as the first option-button, "2" as the second, "3" as the third, and "N/A" as the fourth. The resulting form cell 352 is shown in FIG. 3. According to one embodiment, the first letter or number in each line is considered to be a "hot key," meaning that when the user types that letter or number, the corresponding option button is automatically selected. Referring again to the form cell 352 of FIG. 3, when the cursor is in form cell 352, and the user types "N," for example, the "N/A" option burton is automatically selected. In another embodiment, the user simply uses the mouse or the keyboard to scroll through and select the appropriate option.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present invention, the operator may create a special field on the customized form 300 consisting of a drop-down list, hi the embodiment presented in FIGS. 2-3 and Table 1, the operator may input the control designator "990" into the desired template cell 202, followed by the modifier "L". This command signals the software to create a drop-down list. The options for the drop-down list would follow the modifier "L" and be separated by the parameter "\n". For example, the command "990Ll\n2\n3\n4\n5\n" results in a drop-down list with choices 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, each on separate lines. In one embodiment, a user filling in the form 300 would then double click on a form cell 302 to display the drop-down list and scroll down using either the keyboard or the mouse until the appropriate option appeared or could be selected. In another embodiment, the first letter or number of each option would serve as a hot key.

[0025] The modifier "X" in the embodiment of Table 1 commands the software application to output a text field to be filled in by the user. The operator would input "990X" into a template cell 202, which would command the software to output a blank form cell 302, which a user could modify by scrolling or clicking on the form cell 302 and typing in the appropriate text. Similarly, the modifier "N" commands the software application to create a blank numeric field cell in the form 300, which can be filled in by the user. Adding a numeric value following the modifier "N" in the template cell 202 indicates to the software application the maximum digits the user is allowed to input into the form cell 302, which helps minimize user error. [0026] The modifier "C" in the embodiment of Table 1 commands the software application to create a checkbox within the corresponding form cell 302. A user filling out the resulting form 300 may click on the checkbox, after which a checkmark appears within the checkbox. The user may remove the checkmark by clicking on the checkbox a second time. [0027] The operator may also choose to have certain cells joined together to form one larger cell. This is beneficial since many forms contain column headings that apply to multiple sub- columns. One example of such a column heading is a column-heading cell 324 illustrated in FIG. 3. The column-heading cell 324 has additional column headings 326a,b,c below the more encompassing column-heading cell 324. Referring to the embodiment of FIG. 2, a template cell 124 illustrates the command of joining cells together. The command "990J3,Teaching (Date/Initials)" can be broken down into the following elements: the "990" is the control designator, the modifier "J" commands the software to join cells together, the parameter "3" signals to the software application to join the following three adjacent cells, and the text "Teaching (Date/Initials)" is the text to be entered in the column-heading cell 324. [0028] The modifier "M" in this embodiment commands the software to create a multiple- line form cell (see Table 1). A template cell 122 in FIG. 2, for example, uses such a modifier. The "990" control designator is used, followed by the "M" modifier signaling that a multiple line form cell is to be created. The text "Pre" is to be displayed on the first line. The parameter "\n" signals that the text following (i.e., "Program") is to be displayed on the next line. Upon reading this command, the software outputs a multiple-line form cell 322, illustrated in FIG. 3. [0029] Certain fields can be designated as "print only," such that no information is required for the field, for example, where the information has already been (or will be) entered in a separate section of the program. Thus, displaying or editing this information in the form 300 would be a duplicative effort on the part of the user. The created print only fields are printed only in a header section of the printed form. Referring to FIG. 2, these "print only" identifiers include numbers "110" of a template cell 94, "100" of a template cell 106, and "116" of a template cell 99. The display only identifiers can also be suffixed with letters for special use. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, such suffixes include "U" to underline the field and "G" to fill the cell in with a light gray background (see Table 1).

[0030] In addition to the special fields described above, it is contemplated that other fields may be created by the software application. Moreover, the software application is designated such that it may be easily upgraded to provide for additional functionality by adding of modifying control designators, modifiers, and/or parameters within the software application. [0031] The operator then saves the form template 200 as a text file (.txt). As has been detailed above, the software application of this invention then reads the text file, interprets it, and creates a corresponding form, as illustrated by FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, the software application generates the form 300 to serve as the user interface, complete with a grid that allows users to enter valid data. The form 300 allows for significant user interaction, while minimizing the potential for mistakes and misuse by the user. The user may use the mouse, keyboard, or other input device to navigate from field to field within the form.

[0032] Once the user has completed filling in the form 300, the data input into the form can be saved into a database and retrieved as needed. Once the data is saved to the database, a user may mine the data in the database for relevant patterns, classifications, or other groups of data. For example, a healthcare professional can search the database for groups of individuals with similar diagnoses or treatments based on the information input into the form and subsequently saved to the database. This is a useful and cost-effective tool for comparing treatments, symptoms, or the like. The healthcare professional may then use the data, that is obtained by querying the database, to determine the effectiveness of certain medications on certain age groups, etc. Having all of the user input information in a searchable database may also help manage patient relations. For example, a doctor's office might build a database that describes its patients' symptoms and medications in sufficient detail such that nurses, technicians, and other healthcare professionals may directly access information to match customer needs with product plans and offerings, remind customers when it is time for their next appointment, determine what other medications a customer is using, and so forth. Storing this information in a database is a more cost-effective and time-saving way of gathering such information than individually searching each patient's information that is entered via standard forms. It is further contemplated that a combined database consisting of patients from several different offices may be created and searched using the information generated on the customized forms 300. [0033] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS A

A method for obtaining information, the method comprising the acts of: creating a form template utilizing an off-the-shelf editor; converting the form template into a customized form adapted to receive information; receiving information into the customized form; and saving the received information to a searchable database. [0034] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS B

The method of Alternative Process A wherein the off-the-shelf editor is Microsoft® Excel®, Notepad™, or WordPad™. [0035] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS C

The method of Alternative Process A wherein the act of creating the form template includes using a predetermined control designator to indicate that subsequent characters denote a command. [0036] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS D

The method of Alternative Process C wherein one or more subsequent characters following the control designator is a predetermined modifier. [0037] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS E

The method of Alternative Process D wherein one or more subsequent characters following the modifier is a predetermined parameter. [0038] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS F

The method of Alternative Process E wherein the act of converting the form template is accomplished by interpreting one or more of the control designators, modifiers, and parameters in the form template and outputting the command to the customized form. [0039] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS G

The method of Alternative Process A wherein the act of converting the form template further comprises saving the form template as a text file, accessing and interpreting the text file, and outputting the corresponding customized form. [0040] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS H

The method of Alternative Process A further comprising the act of querying the database. [0041] ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENT I

A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for directing a processor to perform the method of Alternative Process A. [0042] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS J

A method of creating a customized form, the method comprising the acts of: creating a form template utilizing an off-the-shelf editor, the form template including at least one predetermined control designator therein; saving the form template as a text file; providing a software application adapted to access and interpret the text file; converting the form template into a customized form adapted to receive information using the software application; and saving information received by the customized form into a database. [0043] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS K

The method of Alternative Process J wherein the at least one predetermined control designator indicates that subsequent characters denote a command, the at least one predetermined control designator being capable of being interpreted by the software application. [0044] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS L

The method of Alternative Process K wherein one or more subsequent characters following the at least one predetermined control designator is a predetermined modifier. [0045] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS M

The method of Alternative Process L wherein one or more subsequent characters following the predetermined modifier is a predetermined parameter. [0046] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS N

The method of Alternative Process M wherein the software application is upgradeable such that one or more of the group consisting of (i) at least one predetermined control designators, (ii) predetermined modifiers, and (iii) predetermined parameters are adapted to be modified. [0047] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS O

The method of Alternative Process M wherein the act of converting the form template is accomplished by interpreting one or more of the control designators, modifiers, and parameters in the form template and outputting the command to the customized form. [0048] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS P

The method of Alternative Process J wherein the special field includes a table, a colored background, a header line, a date field, a text field, a checkbox field, a joined cell, a multiple line cell, or a combination thereof. [0049] ALTERNATIVE PROCESS O

The method of Alternative Process J further comprising the act of querying the database. [0050] ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENT R

A software application that includes instructions for directing a processor to perform a method comprising: converting a form template into a customized form adapted to receive information, the form template including at least one predetermined control designator therein, the form template being accessed by the software application as a text file; and saving received information from the customized form into a database. [0051] ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENT S

The software application of Alternative Embodiment R wherein the database is adapted to be queried so as to retrieve received information from a plurality of customized forms. [0052] ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENT T

The software application of Alternative Embodiment R wherein at least one additional control designator can be added to the instructions within the software application. [0053] ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENT U

The software application of Alternative Embodiment R wherein the software application is a software utility being separately installable on the processor, the software utility being adapted to be used independently from a preexisting operating system.

[0054] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments and methods thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms or methods disclosed, but, to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method for obtaining information, the method comprising the acts of: creating a form template utilizing an off-the-shelf editor; converting the form template into a customized form adapted to receive information; receiving information into the customized form; and saving the received information to a searchable database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the off-the-shelf editor is Microsoft® Excel®, Notepad™, or WordPad™.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of creating the form template includes using a predetermined control designator to indicate that subsequent characters denote a command.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein one or more subsequent characters following the control designator is a predetermined modifier.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein one or more subsequent characters following the modifier is a predetermined parameter.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the act of converting the form template is accomplished by interpreting one or more of the control designators, modifiers, and parameters in the form template and outputting the command to the customized form.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of converting the form template further comprises saving the form template as a text file, accessing and interpreting the text file, and outputting the corresponding customized form.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of querying the database.

9. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for directing a processor to perform the method of claim 1.

10. A method of creating a customized form, the method comprising the acts of: creating a form template utilizing an off-the-shelf editor, the form template including at least one predetermined control designator therein; saving the form template as a text file; providing a software application adapted to access and interpret the text file; converting the form template into a customized form adapted to receive information using the software application; and saving information received by the customized form into a database.

5 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one predetermined control designator indicates that subsequent characters denote a command, the at least one predetermined control designator being capable of being interpreted by the software application.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more subsequent characters o following the at least one predetermined control designator is a predetermined modifier.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein one or more subsequent characters following the predetermined modifier is a predetermined parameter.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the software application is upgradeable such that one or more of the group consisting of (i) at least one predetermined control s designators, (ii) predetermined modifiers, and (iii) predetermined parameters are adapted to be modified.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the act of converting the form template is accomplished by interpreting one or more of the control designators, modifiers, and parameters in the form template and outputting the command to the customized form. o

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the special field includes a table, a colored background, a header line, a date field, a text field, a checkbox field, a joined cell, a multiple line cell, or a combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising the act of querying the database. 5

18. A software application that includes instructions for directing a processor to perform a method comprising: converting a form template into a customized form adapted to receive information, the form template including at least one predetermined control designator therein, the form template being accessed by the software application as a text file; and 0 saving received information from the customized form into a database.

19. The software application of claim 13, wherein the database is adapted to be queried so as to retrieve received information from a plurality of customized forms.

20. The software application of claim 13, wherein at least one additional control designator can be added to the instructions within the software application.

21. The software application of claim 13, wherein the software application is a software utility being separately installable on the processor, the software utility being adapted to be used independently from a preexisting operating system.