Agent-Based Document Delivery Platform Using XML Workflows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Financial institutions face challenges in efficiently delivering and managing large volumes of financial document images across various clients and systems, requiring flexible and scalable solutions for image processing and storage.
Innovation Solution
An agent-based delivery platform utilizing XML workflows to direct software agents for retrieving and formatting financial document images, stored in a partitioned high-speed database, allowing for secure and varied delivery formats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional centralized system is used to manage and deliver financial document images, then system simplicity is maintained, but scalability and flexibility to handle multiple clients and formats deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the document delivery functionality into independent software agents (image agent, format agent, delivery agent, workflow agent) that can operate autonomously. Each agent handles specific tasks, allowing the system to scale and adapt to different clients and formats without increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The software agents are designed with universal capabilities to handle multiple document formats (TIFF, PDF, JPEG, PNG) and serve various clients (archive vendors, customers, clearinghouses, government organizations) through a single unified platform, eliminating the need for separate systems for each client type.
2Productivity
If manual processing methods are used for document image delivery, then operational simplicity is maintained, but productivity and efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service through automated software agents that independently search the master index, retrieve images from the image archive, format documents, and deliver them to clients without human intervention. The workflow agent coordinates these agents automatically, enabling high-volume document delivery to millions of items per day with minimal manual processing.
3Speed
If document images are stored in a single centralized location, then data consistency is maintained, but retrieval speed and system reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The image archive and master index are divided into multiple distributed partitions stored across different locations. Each partition can be independently accessed, allowing parallel retrieval operations that increase speed while maintaining data consistency through the coordinated workflow of software agents.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple delivery formats are supported for different clients, then client satisfaction and versatility improve, but system complexity and processing overhead worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The format agent serves as an intermediary that receives document images in various formats from the image archive and automatically converts them to the required output formats (TIFF, PDF, JPEG, PNG) based on client specifications. This intermediary approach handles format complexity centrally, allowing the rest of the system to remain simple while supporting multiple formats.
Data Source
AI summary
A document indexing and delivery system is disclosed. Embodiments of the present invention provide an agent-based delivery platform to supply financial document images in a variety of formats to fulfill requests from various clients of an image processing system at a financial institution. Workflows can be created using extensible markup language (XML) to direct the operation of the system. Software agents on the system can include a client agent, a delivery agent, an index agent, a format agent, an image agent, and/or a workflow agent. The workflow agent manages the execution of the workflow. Images and relevant data can be located using a master index residing in partitioned, high-speed databases.