WO2001022268A2

WO2001022268A2 - System and method of generating electronic forms

Info

Publication number: WO2001022268A2
Application number: PCT/US2000/026393
Authority: WO
Inventors: Edward B. Scheinuk; Jim Sanders
Original assignee: Confirmnet Corporation
Priority date: 1999-09-24
Filing date: 2000-09-25
Publication date: 2001-03-29
Also published as: WO2001022268A9; AU7833300A; WO2001022268A8

Abstract

A system and method for maintaining and transmitting certificates of insurance. The system includes a certificate server which is in data communication with one or more agency computers and one or more insured computers. An insurance agent using one or more of the agency computers can create a pro forma certificate of insurance that is transmitted to the certificate server. The agent can configure the certificate server to allow an insured to request issuance of one or more certificates of insurance regarding an insurance policy that is held by the insured. Further, the agent can prepare one or more replacement certificates and request the certificate server to automatically transmit the replacement certificates to existing certificate holders. The certificate server provides security to ensure that unauthorized individuals do not issue certificates. Further, insureds can use the certificate server to request information regarding each of the certificates that have been issued with respect to insurance policies that are held by the insured.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD OF GENERATING ELECTRONIC FORMS

Background of the Invention Field of the Invention The invention relates to certificates of insurance. More specifically, the invention relates to a system and method for maintaining and transmitting certificates of insurance. Description of the Related Technology

Certificates of insurance are commonly used in the insurance industry to provide individuals with proof that an insured has adequate insurance Such certificates are commonly used in several industries, such as building construction, food processors, service agencies, and retail chains Traditionally, upon a request for a certificate, an insured contacts his insurance agent and requests the insurance agent to transmit a certificate of insurance to the requestor ("certificate holder"). The insurance agent prepares the certificate and sends the certificate to the certificate holder. As part of preparing the certificate for issuance, the insurance agent includes the insurance policy information and the address information of the certificate holder on the certificate Further, the insurance agent records and stores the address information of the certificate holder such that the insurance agency can notify the certificate holder in case of any changes to the insurance policy.

One drawback that is associated with these traditional systems is that mistakes are often made as part of the manual process of creating the certificate of insurance. Further, significantly, it has been found that some insureds regularly request the issuance of over 50 certificates a year. Due to the large number of certificates that are issued with respect to selected clients, significant agency time is expended in preparing these certificates. Further, if a change occurs with respect to the insured's policy, the insurance agent traditionally had to manually prepare and transmit new certificates of insurance for each of the certificate holders The process for manually issuing certificates can require the assistance of several employees over one or more days

Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method of automatically maintaining certificates of insurance which reduces the burden on insurance agency personnel.

Summary of the Invention One aspect of the present invention includes a method of generating electronic forms, the method comprising receiving, via a computer network, an electronic form, merging one or more form recipient data items with the electronic form, and transmitting the merged electronic form to a remote location The electronic form is selected from a group of electronic forms for business, insurance, medical transportation, legal, or real estate

Another aspect of the present invention includes a system for generating electronic forms, the system comprising a computer network, a client computer operably connected to the computer network; and a form server operably connected to the client computer via the computer network, wherein the form server maintains one or more electronic forms, wherein, upon a request from the client computer, the form server merges one or more items of information regarding a form recipient with a corresponding electronic form, and wherein the form server automatically transmits the at least one electronic form to the form recipient The electronic form is selected from a group of electronic forms for business, insurance, medical, transportation, legal, or real estate Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a system for generating insurance certificates, the system comprising a database of policy data items, and a program which receives policy data items from the policy database and an insurance certificate, wherein the program inserts one or more policy data items that are associated with policy information for an insured m the electronic insurance certificate , and which merges one or more certificate holder data items that are associated with a certificate holder with the electronic insurance certificate Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a method of generating insurance certificates, the method comprising providing an electronic insurance certificate form, inserting one or more policy data items that are associated with policy information for an insured in the electronic insurance certificate form, merging one or more certificate holder data items that are associated with a certificate holder with the electronic insurance certificate form to generate a completed insurance certificate, and transmitting the completed insurance certificate to a certificate holder at a remote location.

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a system for generating insurance certificates, the system comprising a certificate module in data communication with a computer network, wherein the certificate module receives, via the computer network, an insurance certificate, wherein the certificate module subsequently merges one or more certificate holder data items with the insurance certificate Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a method of generating insurance certificates, the method comprising receiving, via a computer network, a an insurance certificate, and merging one or more certificate holder data items with the insurance certificate

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a method of generating electronic forms, the method comprising receiving, via a computer network, an electronic form, merging one or more form recipient data items with the electronic form, and transmitting the merged electronic form to a remote location The electronic form is selected from a group of electronic forms for business, insurance, medical, transportation, legal, or real estate

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a system for generating electronic forms, the system comprising a computer network, a client computer operably connected to the computer network, and a form server operably connected to the client computer via the computer network, wherein the form server maintains one or more electronic forms, wherein, upon a request from the client computer, the form server merges one or more items of information regarding a form recipient with a corresponding electronic form, and wherein the form server automatically transmits the at least one electronic form to the form recipient The electronic form is selected from a group of electronic forms for business, insurance, medical, transportation, legal or real estate Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a system for generating insurance certificates, the system comprising a computer network, a client computer operably connected to the computer network, and a certificate server operably connected to the client computer via the computer network, wherein the certificate server maintains one or more insurance certificates, wherein, upon a request from the client computer, the certificate server merges one or more items of information regarding a certificate holder with a corresponding insurance certificate, and wherein the certificate server automatically transmits the one or more insurance certificates to the certificate holder.

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a system for generating insurance certificates, the system comprising a computer network, a client computing device comprising a network browser, wherein the network browser is in data communication with the computer network, and a certificate server operably connected to the client computing device via the network, wherein the certificate server maintains one or more insurance certificates, wherein, upon a request from the network browser, the certificate server merges one or more items of information regarding a certificate holder with a corresponding insurance certificate, and wherein the certificate server automatically transmits the at least one insurance certificate to the certificate holder.

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a method of generating electronic forms, the method comprising receiving, via a computer network, an electronic form, merging one or more form recipient data items with the electronic form, and transmitting the merged electronic form to a remote location. The electronic form is selected from a group of electronic forms for business, insurance, medical, transportation, legal, or real estate.

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a system for generating electronic forms, the system comprising a computer network; a client computer operably connected to the computer network; and a form server operably connected to the client computer via the computer network, wherein the form server maintains one or more electronic forms, wherein, upon a request from the client computer, the form server merges one or more items of information regarding a form recipient with a corresponding electronic form, and wherein the form server automatically transmits the at least one electronic form to the form recipient. The electronic form is selected from a group of electronic forms for business, insurance, medical, transportation, legal, or real estate Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a system for searching for insurance certificates by an insured, the system comprising a computer network, a client computing device, and a certificate server operably connected to the client computing device via the computer network, wherein the certificate server stores one or more insurance certificates, wherein, upon a user request, the certificate server identifies one or more of the insurance certificates and transmits information regarding each of the identified certificates to the client Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a method of searching for insurance certificates by an insured, the method comprising storing one or more insurance certificates at a location in a computer network, receiving a request from an insured for one or more certificates satisfying a particular criteria, identifying one or more of the insurance certificates that satisfy the particular criteria, and transmitting information regarding each of the identified certificates to a client computer at a remote location from the location of the stored insurance certificates.

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a system for generating electronic forms, the system comprising a computer network; a client computer operably connected to the computer network, and a form server operably connected to the client computer via the computer network, wherein the form server maintains one or more electronic forms, wherein, upon a request from the client computer, the form server merges one or more items of information regarding a form recipient with a corresponding electronic form, and wherein the form server automatically transmits the at least one electronic form to the form recipient The electronic form is selected from a group of electronic forms for business, insurance, medical, transportation, legal, or real estate.

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a method of completing an insurance certificate, the method comprising providing an electronic insurance certificate form, inserting one or more policy data items, that are associated with policy information for an insured, in the electronic insurance certificate form, merging one or more certificate holder data items that are associated with a certificate holder with the electronic insurance certificate form thereby producing a completed insurance certificate, and associating a free form document with the completed insurance certificate. Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a system for completing an insurance certificate, the system comprising an electronic insurance certificate form, means for inserting one or more policy data items, which are associated with policy information for an insured, in the electronic insurance certificate form, means for merging one or more certificate holder data items that are associated with a certificate holder with the electronic insurance certificate form thereby producing a completed insurance certificate, and means for associating a free form document with the completed insurance certificate

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a method of generating electronic forms, the method comprising receiving, via a computer network, an electronic form, merging one or more form recipient data items with the electronic form, and transmitting the merged electronic form to a remote location. The electronic form is selected from a group of electronic forms for business, insurance, medical, transportation, legal, or real estate. Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a system for generating electronic forms, the system comprising a computer network; a client computer operably connected to the computer network; and a form server operably connected to the client computer via the computer network, wherein the form server maintains one or more electronic forms, wherein, upon a request from the client computer, the form server merges one or more items of information regarding a form recipient with a corresponding electronic form, and wherein the form server automatically transmits the at least one electronic form to the form recipient The electronic form is selected from a group of electronic forms for business, insurance, medical transportation, legal, or real estate

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a system for generating electronic forms, the system comprising a computer network, a client computer operably connected to the computer network, and a form server operably connected to the client computer via the computer network, wherein the form server maintains one or more electronic forms, wherein, upon a request from the client computer, the form server merges one or more items of information regarding a form recipient with a corresponding electronic form and wherein the form server automatically transmits the at least one electronic form to the form recipient The electronic form is selected from a group of electronic forms for business, insurance, medical, transportation, legal, or real estate Yet another aspect of the present invention includes an audit method for insurance certificates, comprising selecting a particular insurance certificate to be audited, tracking recipients of the selected insurance certificate in a list for a predetermined time interval, storing the selected insurance certificate and the list of recipients, and transmitting the selected insurance certificate and the list of recipients

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a audit system for insurance certificates, the system comprising a selected insurance certificate to be audited from a plurality of insurance certificates, a list of recipients of the selected insurance certificate during a predetermined time interval, and a computer configured for storing the selected insurance certificate and the list of recipients, wherein the computer transmits the stored insurance certificate and the list of recipients to another computer

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a audit system for insurance certificates, the system comprising a computer, a selected insurance certificate to be audited from a plurality of insurance certificates, a list of recipients of the selected insurance certificate accumulated during a predetermined time interval, and wherein the computer includes a data storage, the data storage capable of storing the selected insurance certificate and the list of recipients, and wherein the computer is configured to transmit the stored insurance certificate and the list of recipients

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a system for auditing insurance certificates, the system comprising a computer having a data storage, a first program module executed on the computer capable of accumulating recipient identifiers of an insurance certificate in the data storage over a selected time interval, and a second program module executed on the computer capable of transmitting the recipient identifiers and the insurance certificate Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a certificate management system which includes one or more agency computers, one or more insured computers and a certificate server.

Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating in further detail the certificate management system shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a data flow diagram showing how a completed certificate of insurance is prepared.

Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data schema that may be used in connection with the certificate management system shown in Figure 1

Figure 5 is a high level flowchart illustrating a process for using the certificate management system shown in Figure 1. Figure 6 is flowchart illustrating a process for logging into the certificate server of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a loading process for loading a certificate of insurance from the agency computer of Figure 1 to the certificate server of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a transmitting process for sending a certificate of insurance from the certificate server to one or more certificate holders. Figures 9A and 9B are collectively a flowchart illustrating a process for renewing a certificate of insurance.

Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process for replacing one certificate of insurance with another. Figure 1 1 is an exemplary screen display for receiving information regarding a certificate holder that wants a certificate of insurance.

Figure 12 is an exemplary screen display for receiving search criteria regarding the certificates of insurance that have been issued by the certificate server of Figure 1.

Figure 13 is a copy of an exemplary certificate of insurance that is transmitted by the certificate server of Figure 1 to a certificate holder.

Figure 14 is a copy of an exemplary addendum that is transmitted by the certificate server of Figure 1 to a certificate holder. Figure 15 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the certificate management system shown in

Figure 1.

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention The following detailed description is directed to certain specific embodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways as defined and covered by the claims. In this description, reference is made to the drawings wherein like parts are designated with like numerals throughout System Overview

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a certificate management system 100 according to the present invention The certificate management system 100 allows for the maintenance and automatic transmission of certificates of insurance to one or more certificate holders 150 The certificate management system 100 comprises a number of agency computers 120, 122, 124. It is noted that although only three agency computers 120, 122, 124 are shown in Figure 1, the certificate management system 100 can include thousands of agency computers and upwards. Each of the agency computers 120, 122, 124 may be used to create and modify various certificates of insurance. Typically, one or more of the agency computers 120, 122, 124 is associated with a selected insurance agency For example, ACME insurance agency may have a number of computers that are each used by agency personnel.

The agency computers 120, 122, 124 are each connected to a certificate server 1 10 via a network 1 14. The certificate server 110 maintains certificates of insurance which have been provided by the agency computers 120, 122, 124 for selected insureds. Further, the certificate management system 100 includes a number of insured computers 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140. It is noted that although only six insured computers are shown in Figure 1, the certificate management system 100 can include thousands of insured computers and upwards. Typically, one or more of the insured computers is associated with a selected insured The insured computers 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, are each connected to the certificate server via a network 1 12.

Optionally, the certificate server 1 10, the agency computers 120, 122, 124, and the insured computers 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, or selected ones thereof, may be integrated on a single computer platform. Further, it is noted the certificate server 1 10, the agency computers 120, 122, 124, and the insured computers 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140 may not necessarily be located in the same room, building or complex. In fact, the certificate server 110, the agency computers 120, 122, 124, and the insured computers 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140 could each be located in different states or countries Further, in one embodiment of the invention, the certificate server 110 is operated and maintained by an independent agency that is separate legal entity apart from the insurance agencies The certificate server 1 10, the agency computers 120, 122, 124, and the insured computers 130, 132, 134,

136, 138, 140 may each have any conventional general purpose single or multi chip microprocessor such as a Pentium processor, a Pentium Pro processor, a 8051 processor, a MIPS processor, a Power PC processor, or an ALPHA processor. In addition, the microprocessor may be any conventional special purpose microprocessor such as a digital signal processor or a graphics processor. Furthermore, the certificate server 1 10, the agency computers 120, 122, 124, and the insured computers 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140 may be desktop, server, portable, hand held, set top, or any other desired type of configuration Furthermore, the certificate server 1 10, the agency computers 120, 122, 124, and the insured computers 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140 each may be used in connection with various operating systems such as. UNIX, LINUX, Disk Operating System (DOS), OS/2, Windows 3 X, Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT In one embodiment of the certificate management system 100, each of the insured computers 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140 include a network browser, such as Internet Explorer, that is used to access the certificate server 110.

The networks 112, 114 may include any type of electronically connected group of computers including, for instance, the following networks a virtual private network, an Internet 1 16, intranet. Local Area Networks (LAN) or Wide Area Networks (WAN) In addition, the connectivity to the network may be, for example, remote modem, Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Token Ring (IEEE 802 5), Fiber Distributed Datahnk Interface (FDDI) or Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) As used herein, the network may include network variations such as public Internet, a private Internet, a secure Internet, a private network, a public network, a value-added network, an intranet, and the like.

The certificate server 110 is in data communication via a data communication link 144 with the certificate holder 150. Upon a request from either one of the insured computers 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, the certificate computer 110 transmits one or more certificates of insurance via e mail, facsimile, or download to one or more of the certificate holders 150.

Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating in further detail the certificate management system 100 shown in Figure

1. It is noted that only one of the agency computers 120, 122, 124, namely, agency computer 120, and only one of the insured computers 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, namely, insured computer 130 is described below and shown in Figure

2, the follow description also describes these other computers. The agency computer 120 includes an agency management program 220 that is used to create one or more certificates of insurance. The agency computer 120 also includes an agency database 210 that is used to store various items of information regarding insurance policies and insureds. For example, the agency database 210 includes among other items: the address information for the insured, address information for the insurance agency, the limits that are associated with the insurance policies of the insured, the policy numbers of the insured, the effective dates of the insurance policy, and the name of the insurance carrier that issued the insurance policy

The agency management program 220 creates, upon a request from an agent one or more pro forma certificates of insurance 222 for a selected insured based upon information that is stored in the agency database 210. The pro forma certificate of insurance 222 typically includes address information for the insured, address information for the insurance agency, the limits that are associated with the insurance policy of the insured, the policy number of the insured, the effective dates of the insurance policy, and the name of the insurance carrier. Notably, the pro forma certificate 220 does not necessarily include the name or address of any specific certificate holder. An example of a certificate of insurance (completely filled in) is shown in Figure 13 After creation, the certificate is stored as a digital image 226 in the file system of the agency computer 120

Further, the digital image 226 of the certificate of insurance is transmitted to the certificate server 110 via the network 114 Advantageously, since in one embodiment of the invention, the certificate of insurance is stored in the form of a bitmap or graphical format, it is difficult to improperly modify the contents of the certificate, e g , policy information If needed, one or more addenda may be prepared with respect to the certificate of insurance An addendum is one or more extra pages that are associated with a certificate and that contain extra policy provisions which should be provided by the insurance agency to the certificate holder It is noted that many commercial lines have complex restrictions and/or enhancements to coverage and this information is often included in the addendum. The certificate server 1 10 includes a certificate program 230 The certificate program 230 stores the digital image 226 in an image database 250 In one embodiment of the invention, the image database 250 is the file system of the certificate server 110 The certificate server 1 10 includes a certificate server database 240 that stores various items of information regarding the digital images 226 Figure 4 set forth below describes in further detail the format of a database schema that is used in conjunction with the certificate server database 240. The certificate program 230 is used by an insurance agent at the agency computer 120 or an insured at the insured computer to transmit one or more certificates of insurance to one or more of the certificate holders 150. The agent can configure the certificate server 1 10 to allow an insured to request one or more certificates of insurance regarding an insurance policy that is held by the insured Further, the agent can prepare one or more replacement certificates and request the certificate server 110 to automatically transmit the replacement certificates to existing certificate holders.

The process for selecting and transmitting a certificate of insurance is described in further detail below with reference to Figure 6 However, in brief, the process is as follows. After a certificate is selected, the certificate server 110 merges the certificate holder information from the requestor and transmits the merged image of the document and any accompanying addenda to one or more of the certificate holders 150 (Figure 1 ). The certificate server 110 allows the requestor to selected the mode of transmission, i.e., fax, email, download, etc. Further, the certificate server 110 allows the requestor of the certificate of insurance to provide a free form digital text document which will be included in the transmission. The free form digital text can be advantageously used to store helpful information such as, for example, a list of a number of contractors or owners that are associated with a project

As can be appreciated by a skilled technologist, the agency management program 220 and the certificate program 230 each comprise various sub routines, procedures, definitional statements, and macros. In one embodiment of the invention, the agency management program 220 and the certificate program 230 are made available in a shareable dynamic link library Furthermore, the management program 220 and the certificate program 230 may be written in any programming language such as C, C + +, BASIC, Pascal, Java, and FORTRAN C, C + +, BASIC, Pascal, Java, and FORTRAN are industry standard programming languages for which many commercial compilers can be used to create executable code

Figure 3 is a data flow diagram showing how a completed certificate of insurance is prepared Figure 3 shows a certificate form 310 that in one embodiment resides on the agency computer 120 (Figure 1 ) At the agency computer 120, information from the agency database 210 is merged with the certificate form 310 to create the pro forma image 226. Further, at the agency computer 120, one or more addenda 320 can be created based on certificate related data 312 and subsequently associated with the pro forma image 226 The pro forma image 226 and the addendum 320 are transmitted via the network 1 14 to the certificate server 1 10. At the certificate server 1 10, upon a request from a user, the completed image of the certificate is created using information provided by the user or the certificate holder database 240.

At the certificate server 110, one or more certificates can be issued to the certificate holders 150, as requested by the insureds along with optionally one or more addendum 320 and a free format document 330. For example, if one individual is in need of a certificate, an insured can input the certificate holder information and have a certificate directly transmitted to the certificate holder. Further, for example, if each of the certificates that have been issued by an insured agency need to be replaced, the certificate server 110 can retrieve the names of each of the current certificate holders from the certificate server database 240 and transmit new certificates to each of certificate holders. In one embodiment of the invention, for security and trust concerns, the insurance agent and not the insured is allowed to provide the free format document 330 with regard to a selected transmission.

Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating a database schema 240 for the certificate server database 240. The database schema 240 includes a number of tables that are used to store information regarding each of the certificates of insurance that is maintained by the certificate server 120 (Figure 1 )

The database schema 240 includes an agency table 400, a clients table 410, a clientFaxϋst table 420, an addendum table 430, a faxes table 440, an invoices tables 450, a login attempt table 460, a hacker status table 470, and a visitors table 480. It is noted that the tables of the database schema 240 have been provided for exemplary purposes and that depending on the embodiments, selected tables and/or selected fields from the tables may be omitted from the database schema, and that other tables and/or fields in selected tables may be added.

The agency table 400 includes the data regarding each of the insurance agencies that are using the certificate server 1 10 (Figure 1 ) Table 1 , set forth below, includes a description of each of the fields in the agency table 400. Further, Appendix A includes exemplary data for the agency table 400. Referring to Appendix A, the only entry in the table includes information regarding an insurance agency named "Acme." It is noted that the agency table 400 can include information for more than one insurance agency Each row in the agency table shown in Appendix A corresponds to a selected agency.

Table 1

The clients table 410 includes data regarding each of the clients ("insureds") that are associated with the insurance agencies identified in the agency table 400 Table 2, set forth below, includes a description of each of the fields in the client table 410 Further, Appendix B includes exemplary data for the clients table 410. Each row in the client table 410 corresponds to a selected insured. For example, the first row in the client table 410 includes information regarding an insured name Gadgets Worldwide Incorporated ("GWI") Table 2

The clientFaxList table 420 maintains information regarding the certificates of insurance that are stored m the certificate server. Each row of data represents one page of a certificate of insurance Accordingly, a two page certificate of insurance occupies two rows of the clientFaxList table.

Table 3, set forth below, includes a description of each of the fields in the clientFaxList table 420. Further, Appendix C includes exemplary data for the clientFaxList table 420. In one embodiment of the invention, the location of a digital image of a certificate of insurance is identified by the fields agencylD, clientlD, clientFaxlD. In this embodiment, these three fields, when concatenated, identify the name of a file containing the digital image of the certificate of insurance. It is to be appreciated by a skilled technologist that other methods exist for identifying the location of one or more files in a database

Table 3

The addendum table 430 maintains information regarding one or more addenda that may be associated with each certificate of insurance Addenda can include policy provisions and other information regarding the insurance policy Table 4, set forth below, includes a description of each of the fields in the addendum table 430 Further, Appendix D includes exemplary data for the addendum table 430 Each row in the addendum table 430 corresponds to one addendum For example, the first row shown in the addendum table 430 of Appendix D includes information regarding an policy named "GECG840 " Further, this is an addendum for the policy identified by the first row of the clientFaxList table 420 shown in Appendix C.

Table 4

The faxes table 440 stores the data that is used to transmit a certificate of insurance of a certificate holder via telephone, facsimile, mail, E-mail, and direct Internet download.

Table 5, set forth below, includes a description of each of the fields in the faxes table 440 Further, Appendix E includes exemplary data for the faxes table 440 Each row in the faxes table 440 corresponds to one certificate of insurance. For example, the first row shown in the faxes table 440 includes information regarding how to fax the certificate of insurance identified in the first row of the clientFaxList table 420 shown in Appendix C.

Table 5

The invoices table 450 stores line item credits and debits information. In one embodiment of the invention, the invoices table 450 is populated at the end of each month with a permanent record for each line item. However, the invoices table 450 is also temporarily populated with the current month's records each time a user views the agency activity report for the current month. By using the invoices table 450, the insurance agency can view its accrued invoiced activity online and up to the second in real time.

Table 6, set forth below, includes a description of each of the fields in the invoices table 450. Further, Appendix F includes exemplary data for the invoices table 450 As can be seen with reference to Appendix F, the embodiment shown includes a charge for transmitting each page of the certificate.

Table 6

The login attempt table 460 records data regarding those who attempt to log into the certificate server, and also records data regarding those who fail to log in In one embodiment of the invention, after 20 bad login attempts occur on one day by any one IP address, the certificate server 110 (Figure 1 ) automatically prevents that IP address from accessing the log in menus of the certificate server 1 10 Table 7, set forth below, includes a description of each of the fields in the login attempt table 460. Further, Appendix G includes exemplary data for the login attempt table 460.

Table 7

The hackerstatus table 470 stores the Internet Protocol (IP) address of those machines that have been used in attempted security breaches to the certificate server 100 Once a computer has had its IP address added to this file, that user may no longer access the certificate server 110 To regain access to the login screens of the certificate server 110, the user must call the system administrator or customer service personnel to request that their IP address be removed from this table in case they accidentally provide incorrect login information over 20 times Table 8, set forth below, includes a description of each of the fields in the hackerstatus table 470. Further, Appendix H includes exemplary data for the hackerstatus table 470

Table 8

Method of Operation

Figure 5 is a high-level flowchart illustrating a process 500 for retrieving information and/or requesting the transmission of certificates of insurance from the certificates server 1 10 (Figure 1 ). It is noted that both insureds and insurance agency personnel can utilize the certificate server 1 10 to issue a certificate and retrieve information regarding certificates that have already been issued. Therefore, for convenience of description, the term "certificate server user" is defined to include both insured and insurance agency personnel.

However, the certificate server 1 10 may be adapted such that selected functions of the certificate server may only be used by insurance agency personnel. For example, the certificate system 110 may be configured such that only agency personnel can select information regarding multiple insureds, whereas the insured can only look at his information.

Further, for example, the certificate server 1 10 may be configured such that only insurance agency personnel can upload a certificate to the certificate server 1 10.

After starting at state 502, the certificate management system 100 proceeds to a process 504 wherein the certificate system user logs in to the certificate server 1 10 (Figure 1 ). The process for logging in to the certificate server 110 is described below in further detail with reference to Figure 6.

Next, at a process 506, the certificate server user loads one or more certificates of insurance to the certificate server 110. However, as discussed above, due to issues of security and trust, the certificate server 110 does not typically allow the insured to load certificates to the certificate server 1 10 The process for loading a certificate is described in further detail below with reference to Figure 7.

Moving to a state 508, the certificate server user selects an insured. In one embodiment, if the certificate server user is associated with an insurance agency, the certificate server 110 allows the certificate server user to select any of the insureds that are associated with the insurance agency However, if the certificate server user is an insured, state 508 is skipped, and the certificate server 1 10 automatically selects the certificate user as the insured.

Continuing to a state 510, the certificate server 110 presents a list of certificates that are associated with the selected insured At this state, the certificate server user can select one certificate for future processing

Proceeding to a decision state 512, the certificate server user can request the certificate server 1 10 to transmit notice of cancellation to one or more of the certificate holders. If the certificate server user requests cancellation, the certificate server 1 10 continues to a process 514, wherein the certificate server user transmits one or more certificates of cancellation to those certificate holders that have been selected by the certificate server user. Next, the certificate server 110 returns to the state 508 to allow the certificate server user to select another insured.

Referring again to the decision state 512, if the certificate server user does not desire to cancel any of the certificates, the certificate management system 100 (Figure 1) proceeds to a decision state 518 At the decision state 518, the certificate system user can request the certificate server 1 10 to renew one or more of the certificates of insurance with respect to one or more of the existing certificate holders.

If the certificate system user requests to renew a certificate, the certificate management system 100 proceeds to a process 518. At the process 518, the certificate server 110 transmits the certificates of insurance to one or more of the certificate holders. It is noted that the process for selecting and transmitting the certificates of insurance is described below in further detail with reference to Figures 9A and 9B. The certificate management system 100 then returns to the state 508, and allows the certificate server user to select an new insured

Referring again to the decision state 516, if the certificate server user decides not to renew any certificates, the certificate server user is presented with a menu which identifies one or more selectable features of the certificate management system 100. From the decision state 516, the certificate server user can proceed to one of states 520, 522, 524, 526, or 528.

Upon selecting the state 520, the certificate server user can perform various maintenance operations with respect to the insureds and the insured information maintained by the certificate server 110. In one embodiment of the invention, each of the insureds are not provided access to these processes. Upon selecting the state 520, the certificate server user can replace a lost password, change a password, add a new insured, or delete an insured from the certificate server 1 10. After completing the state 520, the certificate management system 100 returns to the state 508.

Upon selecting the state 522, the certificate server user can transmit a certificate to one or more of the certificate holders. The process for transmitting the certificate is described in further detail below with reference to Figure 8. After completing the state 522, the certificate management system 100 returns to the state 508. Upon selecting the state 524, the certificate server user can generate one or more reports regarding the certificates of insurance that have been issued. At the state 524, the certificate server user can view a list of certificates that have been sent, search for selected certificates, and view the currently selected certificate. Figure 12, described in further detail below, is an exemplary screen display that may be used allow the certificate user to search for one or more issued certificates. After completing the state 524, the certificate management system 100 returns to the state 508.

Upon selecting the state 526, the certificate server user can perform various maintenance operations with respect to the certificates that are associated with the insured. At the state 526, the certificate server user can associate a certificate with an insured, edit a certificate, replace a certificate with a new certificate, or delete a certificate Upon completing the state 526, the certificate management system 100 returns to the state 508

Upon selecting the state 528, the certificate server user can perform various accounting operations with respect to the certificates of insurance that have issued For example, at the state 528, the certificate server user can view the months activity in terms of issued certificates, view invoices that are now due, view previous invoices, and download information regarding the issued certificates for future processing Upon completing the state 528, the certificate management system 100 returns to the state 508

It is noted that depending on the embodiment selected steps of the process 500 may be omitted or additional steps may included For example, it is not necessary that each time a certificate server user accesses the system that a certificate of insurance be loaded (state 506) Also, for example, the certificate server user does not necessarily need to select an insured (state 508) to generate reports (state 524), maintain a certificate (state 526), or to do accounting (state

528)

Referring now to Figure 6, the log in/security process 504, identified in Figure 5, will be described This process 504 is used to prevent unauthorized use of the system 100 A user desiring to use the certificate management system 100 enters a network address, eg , a URL, of the web site associated with the certificate server 1 10 (Figure 1) in their browser. If the user is not "locked out" (as will be described below) by the certificate management system 100, a log in screen or page is displayed on the display device of the user If the user is locked out, the system redirects the user to a "dead end" page having a warning and instructions

Process 504 begins at a start state 602 and moves to state 604 where an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the user's computer is captured and stored in the visitor table 480 (Figure 4) Proceeding to a decision state 606, process 504 determines if the user at the captured IP address has been previously locked out from access to the web site This determination is made by checking the hostAddr field in the hackerstatus table 470 If the user is locked out, as determined at decision state 606, process 504 continues at state 628 At state 628, process 540 redirects the user's browser to a page having a security warning and instructions to the user to become a registered user In one embodiment, the page is a "dead end' page coded in HTML

However, if the user is not locked out, as determined at decision state 606, the process 504 continues at state 608. The user's browser is directed to a log in page where the user is prompted to enter a user name and password or other identification and security information At state 608, the process 504 checks the entered user identification and security information If the information is determined to be valid as determined at a decision state 610, process 504 proceeds to state 612 At state 612 the browser of the authenticated user is then directed to the next screen of the certificate web site and process 504 completes at an end state 614

Referring again to the decision state 610, if the entered user identification and security information is not valid, the process 504 advances to a decision state 616 At decision state 616, process 504 determines if the IP address captured at state 604 is new, i.e., that the IP address has not been previously captured and stored by the process 504. If the IP address is new, process 504 moves to state 618 and initializes a variable "count" for the captured IP address to a value of one. Process 504 continues at a decision state 620 to check if the user has stopped entering log in information, i.e., user identification and security information, within a predetermined time interval, e g., 15 minutes. If the user has stopped log-in attempts, as determined at decision state 620, process 504 deems that the user has abandoned trying to log-in and completes at an end state 622.

However, if the user enters another user name and password, i.e., the user has not stopped log-in attempts as determined at decision state 620, process 504 continues at state 608 to check the entered log in information. If the information is not valid, as determined at decision state 610, process 504 proceeds to decision state 616 to determine if the IP address is new and whether the count variable has been established for the IP address. On a second or subsequent log-in attempt for a particular IP address, the count variable is established and process 504 continues at state 624. At state 624, the count variable for the current IP address is incremented by one. Process 504 then moves to a decision state 626 to determine if the value of count for the current IP address is greater than a predetermined value of a variable N. In one embodiment, the value of N is twenty. If the value of count is not greater than the value of N, process 504 moves to decision state 620 to determine if the user has stopped log in attempts as previously described. However, if the value of count is greater than the value of N, as determined at decision state 626, process 504 advances to state 628. At state 628, the user at the current IP address is locked out from further use of the certificate server web site. This is noted by recording the host address of the user in the hackerstatus table 470 In one embodiment, the user's browser is redirected to a dead-end page having a security warning and instructions to the user to become a registered user. Process 504 completes at the end state 622.

Referring now to Figure 7, the load certificate process 506, identified in Figure 5, will be described. This process 506 is used to generate an insurance certificate at an agency computer, such as computer 120 (Figure 2), and transfer the certificate to the certificate server 1 10 An exemplary certificate is shown in Figure 13. In one embodiment, the certificate that is generated includes all the portions of the certificate, such as policy information 1310 (Figure 13), other than the date 1306, certificate holder information 1314, and a signature 1316. Optionally, an addendum to the certificate may be generated by process 506.

Process 506 begins because of selection from the menu at state 702, and moves to state 704 where the user names the insurance certificate that will be generated. An example of a certificate name may be "98/99 Premises Liability Certificate." Proceeding to state 706, the user identifies the name of the person who will be the "signer", e.g., an authorized representative of the agency, of the certificate. Continuing at a decision state 708, a determination is made whether an audit procedure applies for the current certificate that is to be generated If so, an audit procedure applies checkbox is marked to so indicate. Certain insurance agency errors and omissions insurance carriers may require that an agency provide documentation of certificates issued, to the carrier represented on the certificate as part of an audit procedure. This may be typically done by mailing copies of all the issued certificates having the certain policy type(s) to the carrier on a regular basis, e.g., monthly Accumulating paper copies of issued certificates for say a month and mailing them to the carrier is time consuming and wasteful of resources

By checking the audit procedure applies checkbox, the certificate management system 100 identifies the current certificate to be electronically tracked and saved for an automated audit procedure Later, as names of certificate holders are entered into the system 100, the automated audit procedure tracks and records all the recipients of the current certificate. Then, when the insurance carrier requires documentation from the agency, an electronic image of the certificate and a list of recipients of the certificate is transferred to the agency, carrier or other entity, such as by e-mail, fax or downloading in order that the carriers represented thereon maybe notified. This automated audit procedure is thus more time efficient and conserving of resources. It is noted, that the certificate server 110 can be requested to always perform an audit procedure with respect to all of the insureds that are associated with an agency or to always apply an audit procedure to a selected insured. If the audit procedure does not apply, as determined at decision state 708, or at the completion of state 710, process 506 advances to a generate certificate state 712. State 712 may utilize the agency management program 220 (Figure 2) or other software to generate an electronic insurance certificate. As described above, in one embodiment, the certificate does not include the date, certificate holder information, and the signature, and therefore, may be considered a partially completed or pro forma certificate At the completion of state 712, process 506 advances to state 714 where the user selects certificate format conversion. Moving to state 718, process 506 executes the certificate conversion module software The certificate conversion module software may be a plug in program, a Java applet, or other type of software. In one embodiment, the result of executing the certificate conversion module is an image file of the partially completed or pro forma certificate. In another embodiment, the result of executing the certificate conversion module is data that that specifies the form and content of a certificate. Further, in one embodiment, the module may execute a software program to convert the certificate by use of a Windows printer driver to generate an image file rather than printing the certificate. The image file may be in a tag image file (TIF) format, a PostScript format, or in another well known image format In one embodiment, the image file is stored on a hard drive or other mass storage device of the agency computer 120 (Figure 2) in the file system of the operating software, e g , Windows After the certificate is converted at state 716, process 506 continues at state 718 where the converted certificate, eg., an image file, is transferred from the agency computer 120 to the certificate server 1 10 (Figure 2) via the network 1 14 (Figure 1 ) as previously described After the converted certificate is transferred at state 718, process 506 continues at a decision state 720 to determine if an addendum to the certificate is necessary. An exemplary addendum is shown in Figure 14. If the addendum is not necessary, process 506 completes and returns to the menu at state 722.

However, if an addendum is desired, as determined at decision state 720, process 506 proceeds to a decision state 730 to determine if a "stock" or if a "custom" addendum is to be used. If a custom addendum is to be used, process 506 proceeds to a function 740 where the custom addendum is generated by use of the agency management computer 120 (Figure 2) or an application program (not shown). The application program may be a word processing program, a spreadsheet program, a desktop publishing program or other similar application program. If a stock or standard addendum is to be used, process 506 proceeds to state 732 where the user selects one of a plurality of stock addenda. At the completion of state 732 or of function 740, process 506 proceeds to state 742 where the user selects format conversion. Moving to state 744, process 506 executes the conversion module software In one embodiment, the result of executing the conversion module is an image file of the addendum. In one embodiment, the module may execute a software program to convert the addendum by use of a Windows printer driver to generate an image file rather than printing the addendum The image file may be in a TIF format, a PostScript format, or in another well known image format. In one embodiment, the image file is stored on a hard drive of the agency computer 120 in the file system of the operating software After the addendum is converted at state 744, process 506 continues at state 746 where the converted addendum, e.g., an image file, is transferred from the agency computer 120 to the certificate server 1 10 (Figure 2) via the network 1 14 (Figure 1 ) After the converted addendum is transferred at state 746, process 506 continues at a decision state 748 to determine if another addendum needs to be processed and loaded to the certificate server 1 10. If so, process 506 moves to decision state 730 to determine if a "stock" or if a "custom" addendum is to be used as previously described. If no further addendum needs to be loaded to the certificate server 110, as determined at decision state 748, process 506 completes and returns to the menu at state 750.

In another embodiment, a plurality of stock addenda are prestored in the image database 250 connected to the certificate server 1 10. When a stock addendum is selected at state 732, an identifier of the selected prestored stock addendum is associated with the current certificate so that the conversion and transfer steps 742-746 are not necessary Referring now to Figure 8, the send certificate process 522, identified in Figure 5, will be described. This process 522 is used to perform the graphics processing so as to send the certιfιcate(s), optional addenda, and/or free form documents to a certificate holder.

Process 522 begins at a start state 802 and moves to state 804 where the certificate server 1 10 (Figure 2) receives an image file, eg , file 226 (Figure 2), generated by the load certificate process 506 (Figure 7) The image file may be representative of a certificate or an addendum, and may be in a PostScript, or other well known graphics file format Proceeding to state 806, in one embodiment, the certificate server 1 10 converts the received image file into a predetermined graphics format and resolution, such as, for example, a 300 dpi TIF format. In one embodiment, the image file is stored in the image database 250 (Figure 2). Of course, other graphic resolutions and formats may alternatively be utilized. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the received image file may be retained in its original format instead of being converted as in state 806.

Continuing at state 808, an agent/broker or an insured requests delivery of an insurance certificate and selects a particular certificate that has been loaded to the certificate server 1 10 at state 810. Advancing to state 812, the certificate server 1 10 retrieves the converted image file from the image database 250. Moving to state 814, the agent or the insured may enter certificate holder information which is sent to the certificate server 1 10 via path 228 or path 229, respectively. Alternatively, the agent or insured may retrieve previously entered certificate holder information from the certificate server database 240. In either case, the certificate holder information 1314 (Figure 13) is merged with the converted image, and the current date 1306 and signer information 1316 is also merged to generate a final certificate.

Proceeding to a decision state 816, process 522 determines if the user desires to include a free format document with the completed certificate. In one embodiment, the free format document is associated with a particular certificate holder. The free format document may list the property owners or additional insureds for a particular project, for example. If a free format document (FFD) is desired, as determined at decision state 816, process 522 advances to state 818 where the user generates the FFD. Process 522 correlates the FFD with the certificate holder information entered or retrieved in state 814

At the completion of generating the FFD at state 818 or if a FFD is not desired, as determined at decision state 816, process 522 continues at state 820 At state 820, the user selects a desired method of transmission of the completed certificate, addendum and/or FFD, such as, for example by facsimile, e mail, or download. Proceeding to a decision state 822, process 522 determines the desired method of transmission. If the user desires to utilize e-mail or download capability, process 522 moves to state 824 wherein the appropriate files (completed certificate, addendum, FFD) are converted from the 300 dpi TIF format to a portable document format (PDF), for example. Of course other format conversions are possible and are envisioned If the user desires to utilize facsimile capability, process 522 moves to state 832 wherein the appropriate files (completed certificate, addendum, FFD) are converted from the 300 dpi TIF format to a taxable 200 dpi TIF format, for example.

At the completion of the format conversion at state 824 or state 832, process 522 moves to state 826 and transmits the converted document fιle(s) by the method selected at state 820. After the documents are transmitted at state 826, process 522 advances to a decision state 828 to determine if the user desires to send the certificate to another certificate holder. If so, process 522 moves back to state 814 where new certificate holder information is entered or retrieved, as previously discussed. If no further certificates are to be sent, as determined at decision state 828, process 522 completes at an end state 830

Figure 9A is a high level flowchart illustrating a process for renewing one or more certificates of insurance Figure 9A shows in further detail the acts that occur in process 518 of Figure 5 After selecting the renewal process, the certificate server 110 proceeds to a state 904 At the state 904, the user is afforded an opportunity to modify a certificate holder distribution list that contains the names of each of the certificates holders that have received the selected certificate (state 508 of Figure 5) The process for editing the certificate holder list is described below in further detail with reference to Figure 9B. Continuing to a state 906, the user uploads a renewal certificate to the certificate server 110 (Figure 1 ) The process for loading a certificate is described above with reference to Figure 7. Next, at a state 908, the certificate server 1 10 transmits the renewal certificates to each of the certificate holders identified by the certificate holder list. The default is to send to location PRIOR YEAR. The certificate server 1 10 can, depending on the requestor's preferences, transmit the renewal certificates via, fax, e-mail, or download. Next, at a state 910, the process returns to state 508 of Figure 5. In one embodiment, the certificate server 110 is set to automatically transmit the renewal certificate using the transmission method that was last used to transmit the certificate

Figure 9B is a flowchart illustrating in further detail the acts that occur in state 904 of Figure 9A Figure 9B describes the process by which a user removes one or more certificate holders from the renewal list After starting at state 920, the certificate server 1 10 (Figure 1 ) proceeds to a state 922 wherein the certificate server 1 10 displays to the user (Figure 1 ) one of the current certificate holders. Next, at a decision state 924, the certificate server determines whether the user wants to delete the certificate holder from the renewal list. At this decision state, in one embodiment, the certificate server 1 10 displays a remove checkbox proximately to the name of the certificate holder. If the user does not want to send a renewal certificate to the certificate holder, the user checks the remove checkbox using an input device and the certificate server 1 10 proceeds to a state 926 The certificate server 1 10 (Figure 1 ) proceeds to a decision state 928 if the user decides not to remove the certificate holder from the certificate holder list or after the user has selected the remove checkbox. At the state 928, the certificate server 110 determines whether there are any additional certificate holders that remain unprocessed. If there are additional certificate holders, the certificate server 1 10 proceeds to a state 930 wherein the certificate server 1 10 selects the next certificate holder for display to the user. Next, the certificate server 1 10 returns to the state 922 to repeat the process for determining whether the user want to transmit a renewal certificate to the selected certificate holder.

Referring again to the decision state 928, if the certificate server 110 determines that each of the certificate holders have been processed, the certificate server returns to state 906 of Figure 9A It is noted that in one embodiment of the invention, a certificate holder list is presented to the user, wherein the list includes the names of each of the certificate holders that are to receive a renewal certificate. In this embodiment, a remove checkbox is displayed proximate to the name of each of the certificate holders If the user desires to not transmit a renewal certificate, the user selects the remove checkbox that is proximate to the names of the certificate holders Figure 10 is a high level flowchart for replacing one certificate with another Figure 10 illustrates in further detail the actions that are performed in state 526 of Figure 5 with respect to replacing a certificate After starting at a state 1002, the certificate server 1 10 proceeds to a state 1004 At the state 1004, the user confirms that they would like to replace the currently selected certificate. Next, at a state 1006, the certificate server 110 requests the user to upload a replacement certificate. Once the certificate has been uploaded, the process returns to the state 508 (shown in Figure 5).

Figure 1 1 is a screen display 1 100 that is generated by the certificate server 110 during the send certificate process 522 shown in Figure 8. The screen display 1 100 includes one or more input fields to allow the user to input contact information 1 120 regarding a certificate holder In one embodiment of the invention, the contact information 1120 includes the fax number of the certificate holder, the name of the certificate holder, the address of the certificate holder, the address of the certificate holder, the state, the city, and the zip code of the certificate holder. Further the screen display includes a checkbox 1 122 which allows a user to associate a free form document to a selected certificate. The free form document is described above in further detail with reference to Figure 8. The screen display 1 100 also includes a plurality of menu selections 1102 1118 to allow the user to select one or more of the functions provided by the certificate server 1 10.

Figure 12 is an exemplary screen display 1200 that may be used to allow a user to search for one or more certificates that have been issued by the certificate server 1 10 The screen displays 1200 includes one or more date fields 1210 which allow the user to select a particular time period. Further, the screen display 1200 includes miscellaneous input fields 1212 which allow the user to search the issued certificates via various types of search criteria, such as by the text that is contained within the certificates of insurance.

Figure 13 illustrates an exemplary certificate 1300 that has been issued by the certificate server 1 10. The certificate 1300 includes an agency 1302, an insured section 1304, a date section 1306, a carrier section 1308, a coverage section 1310, a description section 1312, a certificate holder section 1314, and a signature section 1316.

The agency section 1302 includes the name and address of the insurance agency that issued the certificate. The insured section 1304 includes the name and address of the insured that owns the insurance policy for which the certificate has issued. The date section includes a date which identifies the date that the certificate issued. The carrier section 1308 includes the name of the insurance carriers that are carrying one or more of the policies. The coverage section 1310 include the policy information of the insured identified by the insured section 1304. The description section 1312 includes a written description regarding one or more aspects of the insurance policy. The certificate holder section 1314 includes the name and address of the certificate holder to whom the certificate has issued The signature section 1316 includes the name of the insurance agent or authorized representative at the insurance company in the agency section 1302 that issued the certificate. In one embodiment of the certificate management system 100, the agency section 1302, the insured section

1304, the carrier section 1308, the coverage section 1310, and the description section are completed by the insurance agent prior to the certificate being uploaded to the certificate server In this embodiment, upon a request from the user, the date section 1306, the certificate holder information 1314, and the signature section 1316 are inserted into the certificate immediately before transmission to the certificate holder

Figure 14 illustrates an exemplary addendum 1400 As was discussed above, the addendum is one or more extra pages that are associated with a certificate and that contain extra policy provisions which should be provided by the insurance agency to the certificate holder.

Referring to Figure 15, an exemplary network configuration will be described. An agency or insured user 1514 communicates with a computing environment which may include a single server or may include multiple servers in a client/server relationship on a computer network. In a client/server environment, the server includes the certificate program which communicates with a client that may include a network terminal equipped with a video display, keyboard and pointing device. The network terminal may be connected to a wide area network via a network connection, which may be either a dial-up connection using a modem and the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or via a dedicated data circuit. The wide area network can be a public network, like the Internet, or a closed, private data network, like a corporate network or an intranet. There maybe an array of servers which host the certificate application and databases at a central location. These servers maybe connected via a local area network to a network gateway, which provides access to the wide area network via a high-speed, dedicated data circuit Alternatively, a single server may host the certificate applications and databases. The networked certificate system 1500 may include the Internet "cloud" 1 16, which may represent a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, or another connection service. The certificate program and databases may reside on a group of servers 1508 that may be interconnected by a LAN 1506 and a gateway 1504 to the network 1 16. Alternatively, the certificate program and databases reside on a single server 1510 that utilizes network interface hardware and software 1512 The network 1 16 may connect to a user computer 1516, for example, by use of a modem or by use of a network interface card The user 1514 at computer 1516 may utilize a browser 1520 to remotely access the certificate program using a keyboard and/or pointing device and a visual display, such as monitor 1518.

Various other devices may be used to communicate with the certificate servers 1508/1510. If the servers are equipped with voice recognition or DTMF hardware, the user can communicate with the certificate program by use of a telephone 1524. Other connection devices for communicating with the certificate servers 1508/1510 include a portable personal computer with a modem or wireless connection interface, a cable interface device 1528 connected to a visual display 1530, or a satellite dish 1532 connected to a satellite receiver 1534 and a television 1536. Other ways of allowing communication between the user 1514 and the certificate servers 1508/1510 are envisioned. Advantageously, the certificate server 110 of the present invention allows a insurance agent to upload one or more certificates of insurance for an insured. Once uploaded, an insured can request the certificate server to automatically transmit the certificate, any addenda that are associated with the certificate, and a free form document to a certificate holder. The certificate management system 100 eliminates the dual-entry problems that are inherent in traditional insurance systems. Further, the certificate system 100 allows for the automatic transmission of renewal certificates to current certificate holders The certificate server 100 allows for the transmission of certificates via e- mail, facsimile or downloading.

The certificate server 1 10 also maintains accounting information with respect to each of the issued certificates. The certificate server 1 10 can generate reports which describe the number of certificates that have been issued by an insured and the total cost of issuing such certificates.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Appendix Overview

Appendixes A-l contain exemplary data for the database schema 240 shown in Figure 4. It is noted that due to space limitations, Appendixes A, C, D, and E have each been vertically partitioned into several sections. Appendix A includes exemplary data for an agency table 400. Appendix B includes exemplary data for a clients table 410. Appendix C includes exemplary data for the c entfaxlist table 420 Appendix D includes exemplary data for the addendum table 430. Appendix E includes exemplary data for the faxes table 440 Appendix F includes exemplary data for the invoices table 450. Appendix G includes exemplary data for the loginattempt table 460 Appendix H includes exemplary data for the hackerstatus table 470. Appendix I includes exemplary data for the visitors table 480.

Appendix A - Agency Table

- agencylD agencyPassword agencyName agencyAddressl agencyAddressl

ACME vacation Acme Insurance 123 Utah St. suite 12 Agency, Inc.

^τ agencyAddress3 agencyCity agencyState agencyZip agencyPhoπβr'^* attn: cert. Dept. Las Vegas NV 12345-6789 800 123-4567

agencyFax AgencyContact agencyEmail agencyPagelCost

888 987 6543 John Henry jhenry(5⁾acme.com $0.00

agencyPage2Cost agencγPage3Cost agencyUseGraphic Pkey

$0.00 $0.00

Appendix B - Clients Table

loginlD insuredName password j filecount | isDeleted pkey

ACME GADGETS Gadgets Worldwide vacation 26 Corporation

ACME WIDGETS Widgets Incorporated vacation 296

Appendix C - ClientFaxList Table

agencylD clientlD clientFaxlD description signature page

ACME GADGETS 1 98/99 AL GL WC UL w/AI and WS Edward B. Schemuk 1

ACME WIDGETS 58 98/99 AL-GL WC-UL Edward B. Schemuk 1

ACME WIDGETS 244 98/99 AL-GL WC-UL Edward B. Schemuk 2 w/Addl. Insd. & Wvr. of Subro.

ACME WIDGETS 244 98/99 AL-GL-WC UL Edward B. Schemuk 1 w/Addl. Insd. & Wvr. of Subro.

isReplaced isDeleted OffsetY addendum policyNumber car rierReport pkey

N N 0 1 166 N N 0 0 Y 259 N N 0 5 498 N N 0 0 167 Appendix D- Addendum Table

description | policyNumber | policyNumberX | policyNumberY j policyNumberFont

GECG840 (11 /95) 1825 400 CG2010 (10/93) 300 475 GECG953 (07/96) 1825 400 BA7241 (10/97) 575 375

insuredName insuredNameX insuredNameY I insuredNameFont certHolder

Y 600 1155 N Y 300 550 Y Y 600 1155 N N 0 0 N

certHolderX | certHolderY | certHolderFont | pkey

0 0

500 1720

0 0

Appendix E - Fax Table clientlD clientFaxlD faxNumber email signatur

ACME GADGETS 1 6195318975 Edward B. Schemuk ACME WIDGETS 58 nick@lconsole.net Edward B. Schemuk ACME WIDGETS 58 Edward B. Schemuk ACME WIDGETS 244 8587939002 Edward B. Schemuk ACME WIDGETS 244 joshl (5lconsole.net Edward B. Schemuk ACME WIDGETS 244 Edward B. Schemuk referenceLine addressLinel addressLme addressLιne3 addressLine4 ref: here is ref text Console, Inc. 350 11th Ave re here is ref text Console, Inc. 350 1 1th Ave REFERENCE LINE ADDRESS LINE 1 ADDRESS LINE 2 ADDRESS LINE 3 ADDRESS LINE 4 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX XX XX

REFERENCE LINE ADDRESS LINE 1 ADDRESS LINE 2 ADDRESS LINE 3 ADDRESS LINE 4 ref: here is ref text Console, Inc. 350 11th Ave REFERENCE LINE ADDRESS LINE 1 ADDRESS LINE 2 ADDRESS LINE 3 ADDRESS LINE 4

San Diego CA 92101 6195318975 209.242.137.212 Y

CITY XXXXXXXXXX ST ZIP XXXXXX 209.242.137.212 Y CITY XXXXXX XXXX ST ZIP XXXXXX 209.242.137.212 Y XXXXXXX

San Diego CA 92101 6195318975 209.242.137.212 Y

CITY XXXXXXXXXXX ST ZIP XXXXXX 209.242.137.212 Y XXXXXX

faxFlag sendType sentDate requestDate culled invoiced pageCount

Y sendFaxOther 9/2/99 4:31 :28 PM 9/2/994:20:16 PM N N 1 N sendPDF 9/2/99 4:19:50 PM 9/2/99 4:19:48 PM N N 1

N downLox 9/2/99 3:14:38 PM 9/2/99 3:14:35 PM N N^"

Y sendFax 9/2/99 4:22:04 PM 9/2/99 4:22:02 PM N N N sendPDF 9/2/99 4:21 :25 PM 9/2/99 4:21 :22 PM N N 2 N downLox 9/2/99 3:52:43 PM 9/2/99 3:52:41 PM N N

circsiD errorCode txDuration retries txSpeec HneNoise

6195318975 0 66 2 14400 16

8587939002 0 94 1 9600 14

signal Quality signalStrength [ freeForm | freeFormText I pkey

24317 2353

2347

22145 2355 2354

2349

Appendix G - LoginAttempt Table remoteAddr remote Host remoteUser loginName loginlD password

24.94.24.107 24.94.24.107 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01 ; horatio acme vacation Windows NT)

216.55.130.187 216.55.130.187 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01 ; horatio acme vacation Windows 95)

12.28.66.220 12.28.66.220 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows pam usigc switch

95; DigExt)

12.28.66.220 12.28.66.220 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows pam usigc switch 95; DigExt)

216.77.232.75 216.77.232.75 Mozιlla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows ed acme vacation 98; DigExt)

209.219.12.117 209.219.12.1 17 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; horatio acme vacation Windows 95)

Ϊ5 169.Ϊ12254 152.169.112.254 Mozilla/4.5 [en] (Wiπ98 I) Elena Widgets vacation

152.169.1 12.254 152.169.1 12.254 Mozilla/4.5 [en] (Win98 I) Elena Widgets vacation

152.169.112.254 152.169.112^254 Mozilla/4.5 [en] (Win98 I) Elena Widgets vacation

152 69.112.254 ^" 152.169.112.254 Mozilla/4.5 [en] (Win98 I) Elena Gadgets vacation

152.169.112.254 Ϊ52.Ϊ69.112.254^" Mozilla/4.5 [en] (Win98 I) Elena Gadgets vacation

I 52.f69.112.254 152.169.112.254 Mozilla/4.5 [en] (Win98 I) Elena Widgets vacation

209.68.246^8 209.68 246.28 Mozilla/4.61 (Macintosh; I; PPC) cford widget vacation

209.68.246.28 209.68.246.28 Mozilla/4.61 (Macintosh; I; PPC) cford widgets vacation

24.94.27.33 24.94.27.33 ^" Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows horatio test wer 98; DigExt)

12.28.66.220 12.28.66.220 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows ed acme vacation

95; DigExt)

12728.66.220 ^" 12.28.66.220 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows ed acme vacation 95; DigExt)

95; DigExt)

12.28.66.220 12.28.66.220 Mozιlla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows pam usigc switch 95; DigExt)

12.28.66.220 12.28.66.220 Mozιlla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows pam usigc switch

95; DigExt)

24.94.27.33 24.94.27.33 Mozιlla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows horatio test wer 98; DigExt)

24.94.27.33 24.94.27.33 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows horatio test wer

98; DigExt)

24.94.27.33 24794727.33 ^" Mozιlla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows horatio test wer

98; DigExt)

24.94.27.33 24.94.27.33 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows horatio test wer 98; DigExt)

24.94.27.33 24.94.27.33 Mozιlla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows horatio test wer

98; DigExt) Appendix G - LoginAttempt Table (continued)

dateTimeStamp loginSuccess pkey

9/9/99 1 1 :28:39 AM Y 5060

9/9/99 1 1 :27:04 AM Y 5059

9/9/99 10:41:19 AM Y 5058

9/9/99 8:42:06 AM Y 5057

9/9/99 8:35:44 AM Y 5056

9/8/99 10:49:54 PM Y 5055

9/8/99 1 :58:53 PM Y 5054

9/8/99 12:45:26 PM N 5053

9/8/99 12:36:38 PM Y 5052

9/8/99 12:35:24 PM N 5051

9/8/99 12:33:53 PM N 5050

9/8/99 12:33:36 PM N 5049

9/8/99 12-33:15 PM N 5048

9/8/99 10:57:32 AM N 5047

9/8/99 10.57:26 AM N 5046

9/8/99 8:34:28 AM Y 5045

9/8/99 7.41 :27 AM Y 5044

9/8/99 7:27.24 AM Y 5043

9/8/99 6:47:39 AM Y ^" 5042

9/8/99 6:38:24 AM Y 5041

9/8/99 6:32:26 AM Y 5040

9/7/99 1 1 :48:36 PM Y 5039

9/7/99 1 1 :41 :00 PM Y 5038

9/7/99 1 1 :17:20 PM Y 5037

9/7/99 10:58:13 PM Y 5036

9/7/99 10:29:17 PM Y 5035

9/7/99 9:58:53 PM Y 5034

Appendix H - HackerStatus Table

hostAddr pkey

204.210.41.123 255.127.63.7

Appendix I - Visitors Table

hostAddr hostNa e hostUser visitDate pkey

198.3.103.81 198.3.103.81 Mozιlla/4.0 9/8/99 10:00:37 PM 213

24.94.24.107 24.94.24.107 Mozιlla/4.0 9/8/99 6:07:42 PM 212

209.1.144.132 209.1.144.132 Mozιlla/4.0 9/7/99 1:00:50 PM 211

209.1.144.132 209.1.144.132 Mozιlla/4.0 9/7/99 2:13:05 AM 210

205.152.128.33 205.152.128.33 Mozilla/4.0 9/6/99 8:37:14 PM 209

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS.

1. A system for generating insurance certificates, the system comprising- a database of policy data items; and a program which receives policy data items from the policy database and an electronic insurance certificate, wherein the program inserts one or more policy data items that are associated with policy information for an insured in the electronic insurance certificate, and which merges one or more certificate holder data items that are associated with a certificate holder with the electronic insurance certificate. 2 The system of Claim 1 , wherein the certificate holder data items include the name and address of the certificate holder.

3. The system of Claim 1, additionally comprising: a computer network, a client computing device; and a certificate server operably connected to the client computing device via the computer network, wherein the certificate server stores one or more electronic insurance certificates, wherein, upon a user request, the certificate server identifies one or more of the insurance certificates and transmits information regarding each of the identified certificates to the client. 4 The system of Claim 1 , additionally comprising: an electronic insurance certificate to be audited, selected from a plurality of insurance certificates; a list of recipients of the selected electronic insurance certificate during a predetermined time interval; and a computer configured storing the electronic selected insurance certificate and the list of recipients, wherein the computer transmits selected electronic insurance certificate and the list of recipients to another computer. 5. A method of generating insurance certificates, the method comprising, providing an electronic insurance certificate form, inserting one or more policy data items that are associated with policy information for an insured in the electronic insurance certificate form; merging one or more certificate holder data items that are associated with a certificate holder with the electronic insurance certificate form to generate a completed insurance certificate; and transmitting the completed insurance certificate to the certificate holder at a remote location 6. The method of Claim 5, wherein the electronic certificate form including the policy data items comprises a pro forma certificate

7. The method of Claim 5, wherein the certificate holder data items include the name and address of the certificate holder.

8. The method of Claim 5, wherein the electronic insurance certificate form includes an electronic image representation of the form. 9 The method of Claim 5, additionally comprising- storing one or more electronic insurance certificates at a location in a computer network, receiving a request from the insured for one or more electronic certificates satisfying a particular criteria; identifying one or more of the electronic insurance certificates that satisfy the particular criteria; and transmitting information regarding each of the identified certificates to a client computer at a remote location from the location of the stored electronic insurance certificates

10. The method of Claim 5, comprising associating a free form document with the completed insurance certificate.

1 1 The method of Claim 5, comprising a) selecting a particular electronic insurance certificate to be audited; b) tracking recipients of the selected electronic insurance certificate in a list for a predetermined time interval; c) storing the selected electronic insurance certificate and the list of recipients; and d) transmitting the selected electronic insurance certificate and the list of recipients. 12. A system for generating insurance certificates, the system comprising: a certificate module in data communication with a computer network, wherein the certificate module receives, via the computer network, an electronic insurance certificate, wherein the certificate module subsequently merges one or more certificate holder data items with the electronic insurance certificate.

13. The system of Claim 12, wherein the certificate module automatically transmits the merged electronic insurance certificate to a client device that is operably connected to the network to form a completed insurance certificate.

14 The system of Claim 13, wherein the client device comprises a computer, a facsimile machine, or a handheld computer.

15. The system of Claim 13, wherein the certificate module automatically transmits the merged electronic insurance certificate via electronic mail.

16 A method of generating insurance certificates, the method comprising. receiving, via a computer network, an electronic insurance certificate; and merging one or more certificate holder data items with the electronic insurance certificate

17. The method of Claim 16, wherein the electronic insurance certificate comprises a pro forma certificate.

18. The method of Claim 16, additionally comprising automatically transmitting the merged electronic insurance certificate to a client device that is operably connected to the network. 19. The method of Claim 18, wherein the client device comprises a computer, a facsimile machine, or a handheld computer.

20. The method of Claim 18, wherein automatically transmitting the merged electronic insurance certificate comprises transmitting via electronic mail.

21. The method of Claim 16, wherein the computer network connection is included in a virtual private network.

22. A system for generating insurance certificates, the system comprising: a computer network; a client computer operably connected to the computer network; and a certificate server operably connected to the client computer via the computer network, wherein the certificate server maintains one or more electronic insurance certificates, wherein, upon a request from the client computer, the certificate server merges one or more items of information regarding a certificate holder with a corresponding electronic insurance certificate, and wherein the certificate server automatically transmits the one or more insurance certificates to the certificate holder.

23. The system of Claim 22, wherein each of the electronic insurance certificates comprises a pro forma certificate.

24. The system of Claim 22, wherein the client computer is located, remote from the location of the certificate server and from the location of the certificate holder, at an insurance agency.

25. The system of Claim 24, wherein the certificate server maintains a database of a plurality of insurance agencies, and wherein each agency is associated with a plurality of insureds. 26. The system of Claim 22, wherein the client computer is located, remote from the location of the certificate server and from the location of the certificate holder, at an insured location.

27. A system for generating insurance certificates, the system comprising: a computer network, a client computing device comprising a network browser, wherein the network browser is in data communication with the computer network; and a certificate server operably connected to the client computing device via the network, wherein the certificate server maintains one or more electronic insurance certificates, wherein, upon a request from the network browser, the certificate server merges one or more items of information regarding a certificate holder with a corresponding electronic insurance certificate, and wherein the certificate server automatically transmits the merged insurance certificate to the certificate holder.

28. The system of Claim 27, wherein each of the electronic insurance certificates of the insurance certificates comprises a pro forma certificate. 29. A system for searching for insurance certificates by an insured, the system comprising: a computer network; a client computing device; and a certificate server operably connected to the client computing device via the computer network, wherein the certificate server stores one or more electronic insurance certificates, wherein, upon a user request, the certificate server identifies one or more of the insurance certificates and transmits information regarding each of the identified certificates to the client

30. The system of Claim 29, wherein each of the electronic insurance certificates comprises a pro forma certificate.

31. A method of searching for insurance certificates by an insured, the method comprising: storing one or more electronic insurance certificates at a location in a computer network; receiving a request from an insured for one or more certificates satisfying a particular criteria; identifying one or more of the insurance certificates that satisfy the particular criteria; and transmitting information regarding each of the identified certificates to a client computer at a remote location from the location of the stored electronic insurance certificates. 32. The method of Claim 31 , wherein each of the electronic insurance certificates comprises a pro forma certificate.

33. The method of Claim 31, wherein the client computer is operated by the insured.

34. The method of Claim 31 , wherein the particular criteria includes either (i) a start date and an end date or (n) a text string. 35. A method of completing an insurance certificate, the method comprising: providing an electronic insurance certificate form, inserting one or more policy data items, that are associated with policy information for an insured, in the electronic insurance certificate form; merging one or more certificate holder data items that are associated with a certificate holder with the electronic insurance certificate form thereby producing a completed insurance certificate; and associating a free form document with the completed insurance certificate 36 The method of Claim 35, wherein the electronic insurance certificate form including the policy data items comprises a pro forma certificate

37. The method of Claim 35, additionally comprising automatically transmitting the completed insurance certificate and the free form document to a remotely located, client document receiving device.

38 The method of Claim 37, wherein the client document receiving device comprises a computer or a facsimile machine. 39 The method of Claim 37, wherein automatically transmitting the completed insurance certificate comprises transmitting the completed insurance certificate via electronic mail

40. The method of Claim 35, additionally comprising transmitting the completed insurance certificate and the free form document to a certificate holder at a remote location.

41. The method of Claim 35, wherein the free form document contains information associated with the certificate holder

42 A system for completing an insurance certificate, the system comprising: an electronic insurance certificate form, means for inserting one or more policy data items, which are associated with policy information for an insured, in the electronic insurance certificate form; means for merging one or more certificate holder data items that are associated with a certificate holder with the electronic insurance certificate form thereby producing a completed insurance certificate; and means for associating a free form document with the completed insurance certificate.

43 The system of Claim 42, wherein the electronic insurance certificate form including the policy data items comprises a pro forma certificate. 44. The system of Claim 42, additionally comprising means for automatically transmitting the completed insurance certificate and the free form document to a remotely located, client document receiving device.

45. The system of Claim 44, wherein the client document receiving device comprises a computer or a facsimile machine.

46 The system of Claim 44, wherein the means for automatically transmitting the completed insurance certificate comprises means for transmitting the completed insurance certificate via electronic mail.

47 The system of Claim 42, additionally comprising means for transmitting the completed insurance certificate and the free form document to a certificate holder at a remote location

48 The system of Claim 42, wherein the free form document contains information associated with the certificate holder. 49 An audit method for insurance certificates, comprising a) selecting a particular insurance certificate to be audited, b) tracking recipients of the selected insurance certificate in a list for a predetermined time interval, c) storing the selected insurance certificate and the list of recipients; and d) transmitting the stored insurance certificate and the list of recipients.

50. The method of Claim 49, wherein the insurance certificate comprises a pro forma certificate.

51. The method of Claim 49, wherein the selected insurance certificate and the list of recipients is transmitted to an insurance carrier.

52. The method of Claim 49, wherein the predetermined time interval is a month.

53 The method of Claim 49, wherein the particular insurance certificate is selected based on insurance carrier criteria.

54. The method of Claim 53, wherein the criteria comprises a type of insurance policy. 55. The method of Claim 49, wherein a) - c) are repeated for a different insurance certificate during the same predetermined time interval.

56. An audit system for insurance certificates, the system comprising: an insurance certificate to be audited, selected from a plurality of insurance certificates; a list of recipients of the selected insurance certificate during a predetermined time interval; and a computer configured for storing the selected insurance certificate and the list of recipients, wherein the computer transmits the selected insurance certificate and the list of recipients to another computer.

57. The system defined in Claim 56, wherein the stored insurance certificate and the list of recipients is transmitted to an insurance carrier.

58. The system defined in Claim 56, wherein the computer transmits the stored insurance certificate and the list of recipients via the Internet, a telephone network, or a wide area network.

59 An audit system for insurance certificates, the system comprising: a computer, an insurance certificate to be audited, selected from a plurality of insurance certificates; a list of recipients of the selected insurance certificate accumulated during a predetermined time interval; and wherein the computer includes a data storage, the data storage capable of storing the selected insurance certificate and the list of recipients, and wherein the computer is configured to transmit the stored insurance certificate and the list of recipients. 60. A system for auditing insurance certificates, the system comprising a computer having a data storage; a first program module executed on the computer, the first program module being capable of accumulating recipient identifiers of an insurance certificate in the data storage over a selected time interval; and a second program module executed on the computer, the second program module being capable of transmitting the recipient identifiers and the insurance certificate

61. The system of Claim 60, wherein the insurance certificate comprises a pro forma certificate.

62. The system defined in Claim 60, wherein the recipient identifiers and the insurance certificate are transmitted to an insurance carrier.