Abstract: An interoperable workflow management system controls an information disclosing range of a workflow case to prevent transmission delay even when the communication path has a small transmission capacity such that cancellation of the case is guaranteed and the status of processing of the case in its destination can be immediately known. To implement the system, workflow irrelevant data or pointer information indicating the data is selectively transmitted to the destination in accordance with the workflow management system thereof. At cancellation of the case, the irrelevant data is replaced with canceling data. When a request including pointer information for the workflow irrelevant data is received from the destination system, it is assumed that the workflow case is in process.

Abstract: A system and method for assigning an expert to a request for assistance including real time interaction. The invention allows users to request assistance over the internet to an expert server having a file of qualified experts. The trouble “ticket” is assigned and alias and is sent out to a number of experts having the correct qualifications who then have an opportunity to respond. The first to respond is assigned an alias and communicates in real time with the requester via the expert server. Upon completion of the ticket, the expert so designates and the requester is asked to fill out a survey noting the satisfaction with the service provided. Experts are assigned rankings and are paid and solicited for further work based upon the ranking. The system of the present invention is used in a variety of disciplines.

Abstract: A system and method for assigning an IT expert to a request for assistance. The invention allows users to request assistance over the Internet to an IT expert server having a file of qualified IT experts. The trouble “ticket” is assigned and alias and is sent out to a number of IT experts having the correct qualifications who then have an opportunity to respond. The first to respond is assigned an alias and communicates with the requester via the IT expert server. Upon completion of the ticket, the IT expert so designates and the requester is asked to fill out a survey noting the satisfaction with the service provided. IT experts are assigned rankings and are paid and solicited for further work based upon the ranking.

Abstract: A system and method for assigning an expert to a request for assistance. The inventions allows users to request assistance over the internet to an expert server having a file of qualified experts. The trouble “ticket” is assigned and alias and is sent out to a number of experts having the correct qualifications who then have an opportunity to respond. The first to respond is assigned an alias and communicates with the requester via the expert server. Upon completion of the ticket, the expert so designates and the requester is asked to fill out a survey noting the satisfaction with the service provided. Experts are assigned rankings and are paid and solicited for further work based upon the ranking. The system of the present invention is used in a variety of disciplines.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system (10) for task scheduling. The system (10) models an enterprise in terms of products, tasks and resources used to make them, and constraints imposed in scheduling tasks. A scheduling engine, comprised of a genetic algorithm (13) and a schedule builder (14), operates on the model to produce candidate schedules. The schedule builder (14) uses graph theory techniques to solve tightly constrained scheduling problems. Each candidate schedule is evaluated and used to generate an improved schedule in accordance with genetic processing, until a best schedule is produced.

Abstract: A vehicle allocation system oversees the operation of a plurality of auto-piloted vehicles, used to transport passengers between major ports such as airports, train stations, shopping malls, etc. The vehicle allocation system establishes a search time interval and predicts passenger demands and the status of the monitored vehicles within the search time interval. A predetermined number of vehicles are assigned to each of the ports in an area. Each port includes a parking lot or queue to accommodate waiting vehicles and a terminal which notifies a host computer of the number of currently available vehicles, passenger demands for vehicles, vehicle destination information, arrival information and so forth. The host computer has a memory storing predicted demand data based upon past demand history. The host computer calculates any excess or deficiency of vehicles in the ports on the basis of the predicted demand data and the information obtained from the terminals within the search time interval.

Abstract: Predictive modeling of consumer financial behavior is provided by application of consumer transaction data to predictive models associated with merchant segments. Merchant segments are derived from consumer transaction data based on co-occurrences of merchants in sequences of transactions. Merchant vectors representing specific merchants are clustered to form merchant segments in a vector space as a function of the degree to which merchants co-occur more or less frequently than expected. Each merchant segment is trained using consumer transaction data in selected past time periods to predict spending in subsequent time periods for a consumer based on previous spending by the consumer. Consumer profiles describe summary statistics of consumer spending in and across merchant segments. Analysis of consumers associated with a segment identifies selected consumers according to predicted spending in the segment or other criteria, and the targeting of promotional offers specific to the segment and its merchants.

Abstract: An object-focused workflow system for processing a received object in accordance with a declarative workflow specification. The specification includes modules and attributes, where module execution results in the evaluation of attributes, and may include the initiation of a side-effect action performed by an external component. Whether modules are to be executed for a particular received object is determined by associated enabling conditions. Attributes may be evaluated in accordance with computation rules and a combining policy, where the computation rules specify how values are to be contributed to an attribute, and the combining policy indicates how those contributed values are combined in order to assign a value to the attribute. Tasks in the workflow system may be executed eagerly in order to improve the performance of the workflow system.

Abstract: According to the invention, techniques for organizing information from systems in a data warehousing environment are provided. In a particular embodiment, the invention provides an apparatus for analyzing data in at least data source of an enterprise. The apparatus can include a meta model for an enterprise. The enterprise is typically a business activity, but can also be other loci of human activity. A data schema derived from the meta model can also be part of the apparatus. The apparatus can also include a database organized according to the data schema. The apparatus can translate data from a variety of sources to the data schema. The apparatus can incorporate data into the database and perform a variety of analyses on the data in the database.

Abstract: An automated real time crew optimization engine for repairing crew problems including open flights, open pairings, and broken crews in airline operations, which generates multiple solutions in conformance with solution constraints by preprocessing the crew problems to generate potential solutions, and optimizing the potential solutions to provide optimized solutions. The preprocessing includes the use of self-connection methods, skipping-leg methods, and an extend-out-broken crew method. Potential solutions are generated by swap methods including a one-way swap method, a two-way swap method, and a three-way swap method. A depth-search-first algorithm and a shortest path algorithm are applied to the potential solutions to find optimal solutions.

Abstract: Provide an electronic-business-to-electronic-business portal that organizes the access to extended business applications. A method allows end users to access a server using standard Web browsers, and then view their own customized menu of applications. Enhanced security and administrative tools allow this portal to be shared throughout enterprises and across supply chains, providing secure access to collaborative applications by business partners and suppliers. Access to specific applications is granted to authorized users and teams, within and outside of a company. Real-time, on-line registration of users allows for rapid changes in teams and projects. Users can be added, deleted, or have access levels altered to reflect changes in the makeup of teams. Provide a common infrastructure for application administration, security management, and directory use, which can help reduce information technology (IT) costs and speed solution deployment.

Abstract: According to the invention, techniques for organizing information from systems in a data warehousing environment are provided. In a particular embodiment, the invention provides a system for analyzing data in at least data source of an enterprise. The system includes a variety of steps, such as a step of providing a meta model for an enterprise. The enterprise is typically a business activity, but can also be other loci of human activity. A step of forming a data schema from the meta model is also part of the system. The system also includes creating a database organized to the data schema. Translating data from a variety of sources to the data schema is also part of the system. A step of incorporating data into the database is part of the system. The system can also include a step of performing analysis on the data in the database. The combination of these steps can organize information in a data warehousing environment.

Abstract: A system configuration evaluation/proposal support method of supporting the effect evaluation of a support system for enhancing the business processing ability of a human and a system configuration proposal suitable to a business process, and a tool for the method are provided in the following manner. Data of a functional process model expressing a business process on a basic function element unit of information processing, a system configuration candidate constructed by a combination of an information system resource and a human resource, the degree of relationship between a functional process item and a related functional item provided by the system configuration candidate, the degree of importance of the functional process item, the degree of functional sufficiency of the provided functional item, and the degree of relationship of both items is defined. An operation for evaluating the functional support suitability of the system configuration candidate is executed by a mapping function calculation.

Abstract: In cancelling the cast out portion of a combined operation including a data access related to the cast out, the combined response logic explicitly directs the storage device initiating the combined operation not to allocate storage for the target of the data access. Instead, the target of the data access may be passed directly to an in-line processor core without storage, may be stored in a horizontal storage device, or may be stored in an in-line, noninclusive, lower level storage device. Cancellation of the cast out thus defers any latency associated with writing the cast out victim to system memory while maximizing utilization of available storage with acceptable tradeoffs in data access latency.

Abstract: A vehicle allocation system oversees the operation of a plurality of auto-piloted vehicles, used to transport passengers between major ports such as airports, train stations, shopping malls, etc. The vehicle allocation system establishes a search time interval and predicts passenger demands and the status of the monitored vehicles within the search time interval. A predetermined number of vehicles are assigned to each of the ports in an area. Each port includes a parking lot or queue to accommodate waiting vehicles and a terminal which notifies a host computer of the number of currently available vehicles, passenger demands for vehicles, vehicle destination information, arrival information and so forth. The host computer has a memory storing predicted demand data based upon past demand history. The host computer calculates any excess or deficiency of vehicles in the ports on the basis of the predicted demand data and the information obtained from the terminals within the search time interval.

Abstract: A computer system is programmed for setting and reporting product delivery dates. The invention includes a step of maintaining a customer preferences database having delivery and reporting preferences for individual customers. The preferences include preferred early and late delivery limits, preferred performance measurement species, and desired advance delivery times. The invention further includes a step of creating a customer order entry for a particular customer. The customer order entry includes a customer-requested delivery date supplied by the customer. A customer-preferred ship date is calculated for the customer order entry based at least in part upon the customer-requested delivery date and at least in part upon the particular customer's specified desired advance delivery time. The customer order entry is then routed to an order scheduler.

Abstract: A composition of zirconyl hydroxy chloride and aluminum chlorhydroxide in stable solid form having improved antiperspirant efficacy when dissolved in water is made by heating a 2-20% by weight aqueous solution containing at least the aluminum chlorhydroxide component of the composition at a temperature of at least 50.degree. C. until the ratio of the height of peak 4 at Kd=0.7 to that of peak 3 at Kd=0.5 as measured by gel permeation chromatography on cross-linked dextran is at least 2:1, then subjecting the solution to rapid drying to solid form.

Abstract: A position control system for a disk storage drive system which includes a data transducer for recording and playback of the information stored in a desired data track of an information storage disk having a plurality of data storage tracks thereon, includes: a driver unit for actuating the data transducer; a position encoder of detecting a variation in movement of the data transducer and for producing a current position signal thereof; a tracking error detector for producing a tracking error signal upon detecting a positional difference of the data transducer from the desired data track; a track deflection estimator for estimating a deflection of track resulting from either eccentricity or undulation of the data track and for generating a feed-forward signal based on the estimation, and a discrete-time control loop for controlling the driver unit in accordance with the tracking error signal.