Abstract: A method for determining an optimum buffer inventory size by generating a time-based demand pattern that is based on processing discreet demand data through a sliding time window and summing the demand quantity in that time window, and repeating that process as the time window then moves through the time-line of discrete demand, thereby establishing a pattern of cumulative demand in windows-of-time along a time-line. The process moves along the demand time-line from one demand point to the next demand point, summing up all of the demand in a window of time that corresponds to the Time-to-Reliably Replenish (TRR). The method plots each summation of demand for its corresponding window of time (TRR) on a time-line at a point in time coinciding with the first demand data element in each summation. The resulting buffer size is based on the conversion of discrete demand data into time-based demand patterns.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a business process meta-model is defined that represents a business process. The business process meta-model includes control flow elements pertaining to a control flow of the business process, and annotation elements providing details for the control flow elements.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for estimating demand of a supply chain including accessing a probability distribution of order lead time of the supply chain. The supply chain has nodes including a starting node and an ending node and a path from the starting node to the ending node. The probability distribution of order lead time describes ending node demand of the ending node versus order lead time. The path is divided into order lead time segments which are associated with the probability distribution of order lead time by associating each order lead time segment with an order lead time range of the probability distribution of order lead time. A demand percentage is estimated for each order lead time segment in accordance with the probability distribution of order lead time, such that each demand percentage describes a percentage of a total ending node demand of an order lead time segment.

Abstract: A performance monitoring system receives data from one or more data sources. It transforms the received data into the performance information relating to predefined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); and stores it into a KPI store. The system also calculates scores based on the received data and the performance information stored in the KPI store. Thus, the system can indicate changes in the KPIs through an information presentation unit.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for modeling and projecting future storage requirements and analyzing the associated storage system costs including storage system costs associated with multi-tier storage systems. Storage environment data corresponding to a first storage environment is received, where the first storage environment data includes one or more variables associated with a cost of the first storage environment. Target storage environment data corresponding to a target storage environment is also received. Target storage environment data includes one or more variables associated with a cost of the target storage environment. A cost associated with the first storage environment based on the received first storage environment data and a cost associated with the target storage environment is determined based on the received target storage environment data. The determined cost of the first storage environment is compared to the determined cost of the target storage environment.

Abstract: Computer method and apparatus managing software configuration revisions. A repository holds one or more assets. For each asset, the repository holds respective revisions of the asset. A revision manager tracks changes of state of assets of the repository. Each change of state of a given asset results in a respective revision of the given asset. The revision manager provides a project view illustrating for a set of assets (i) changes of state of assets of the set, (ii) resulting revisions of the assets and (iii) any relationships between the resulting revisions. In this way, i.e., via the project view, the present invention revision manager enables users to manage assets and revisions. The revision manager renders the project view in one mode illustrating changes made to the assets (state changes) in order of time, and in another mode illustrating changes made to the assets in order of sequence of revisions.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for providing multiple views of a business process definition includes storing a model of a business process, and providing different view points of the model to different classes of users.

Abstract: A computer implemented method of improving the performance of a viral marketing program comprises exposing, via a computer network, a first offered incentive to a first plurality of users. A first consumer viral marketing action is to be completed to receive the first incentive. First data indicative of the first plurality of users' progress toward achieving the first action is collected thereby providing a likelihood of the first incentive obtaining an objective. A second incentive is exposed to a second plurality of users. A second consumer viral marketing action is to be completed to receive the second incentive. Second data indicative of the second plurality of users' progress toward achieving the second marketing action is collected thereby providing a likelihood of the second incentive obtaining the objective. The first and second data is compared using a metric to identify which incentive is more likely to obtain the objective.

Abstract: The spend capacity of a consumer typically increases as the number of consumers in the household increases, since the consumer can draw on the spending power of other consumers in the household. The size of wallet of the household is thus a better indicator of the consumer's spend capacity than an individual size of wallet. All consumers in a given household can be aggregated based on, for example, their address of record. Duplicate tradelines within each household are removed from consideration in a size of wallet estimate. A spend capacity is then estimated for each tradeline using calculations derived from a consumer behavior model. The spend capacities for all tradelines in the household are combined to determine a household size of wallet. Each consumer in the household is then tagged with the household size of wallet, rather than their individual size of wallet.

Abstract: Techniques are described for facilitating interactions between task requesters who have tasks available to be performed and task performer users who are available to perform tasks, such as interactions that enable improvement of unsatisfactory task performance results from human task performer users. In some situations, after a task performer user has generated initial results from performance of a task supplied by a task requester, the task requester indicates that the initial results are only partially satisfactory (e.g., only partially satisfy one or more criteria for the task performance results), and may result in only a partial payment rather than a full payment amount associated with fully satisfactory performance of the task. The task requester may also supply information to provide one or more opportunities to the task performer user to supply additional improved supplemental results (e.g., so as to receive the full payment amount).

Abstract: A method for resource management includes associating respective variables with resource consumers, and identifying resources as values applicable to the variables. A group of the variables are identified as preferred variables. An assignment of the values to the variables that satisfies constraints applying to the allocation of the resources is found by repeatedly performing the steps of choosing a variable from the group, instantiating the chosen variable with a value, removing the chosen variable from the group, and pruning the domains of the other variables by propagation of the constraints. The resources are assigned to the resource consumers responsively to the assignment of the values to the variables.

Abstract: The reliability of a composite service having service components is determined, where the composite service can fail only where underlying resources fail. The composite service is represented as a plurality of continuous-time Markov chains (CTMC's). Each CTMC corresponds to a resource. A product of the CTMC's is constructed. The product encompasses composite service states. Steady-state probabilities for the product are determined. Each steady-state probability corresponds to a likelihood that a corresponding state will be a steady state. For each state of the composite service, a reward structure is determined. The reward structure corresponds to a likelihood that the state will successfully use the resources without failure. The reward structure is determined for a given state based on the given state's steady-state probability and based on discrete-time Markov chains (DTMC's) corresponding to the service components.

Abstract: A centralized web-based system and method for managing appointments having a user interface that interacts with one or more users to display one or more items based on user input, a management module connected to the user interface and configured to receive data related to scheduling an appointment, determine one or more possible appointments based on the data, present the one or more possible appointments, receive a user selection from the one or more possible appointments, and schedule the appointment based on the user selection, and one or more databases configured to store appointment information, wherein the one or more databases are connected to the management module and wherein the data comprises a date and time slot and at least one of a facility, a service, and a servicer.

Abstract: When deciding whether to fund a project, such as a movie, investors consider information such as what is often referred to as the “bankability” of people or entities attached to the project, such as the top-billed actors, the director, the producer, and/or the screenwriter. A system can collect information about people or entities and prior projects associated with those people or entities and use that information to calculate the bankability of those people or entities. Project developers can use the calculated bankability of the people or entities when deciding which people or entities to attach to in-development projects to increase the chance that the project will attract funding.

Abstract: A sales notification system and related methods. Implementations include receiving a selection of a target industry identifier and a selection of a product identifier, where each product identifier is associated with a particular product and product category. The method includes generating a list of client accounts associated with the target industry identifier and product identifier where each client account is associated with a particular account segment, generating a list of potential sales representatives by retrieving all sales representatives associated with each client account, and generating a list of eligible sales representatives for each client account where each eligible sales representative is the potential sales representative who is permitted to sell the product associated with the product indicators within the product category and within the account segment associated with each client account.

Abstract: A method and a system for just-in-time scheduling of conference rooms based on a plurality of conference room scheduling requests, and then transmitting information concerning conference room assignments is described. One aspect of the invention involves a computer-implemented method. The method includes scheduling conference rooms just-in-time, in response to a predefined triggering event. The method includes retrieving stored conference room scheduling information corresponding to a respective conference room scheduling request. A combination of conference room assignments is selected for a plurality of conference room scheduling requests, in accordance with conference room assignment fitness scores for each of a plurality of potential combinations of conference room assignments. Conference rooms are assigned to respective requests in accordance with the selected combination.

Abstract: A method and system for scheduling or re-scheduling calendar events is described. One aspect of the invention involves: receiving a calendar search request to schedule a calendar event including at least one participant and a time of meeting constraint; obtaining information identifying one or more preferences associated with the at least one participant, at least one of the preferences based on the at least one participant's historical calendar activity over a predetermined period of time; searching one or more databases in a calendaring system to obtain a set of candidate calendar events that meet at least a subset of the plurality of constraints; ranking the set of candidate calendar events based on the plurality of constraints and the one or more preferences; and preparing for presentation at least a subset of the ranked set of candidate calendar events, each candidate calendar event including a specified start time.

Abstract: A diagnostic system and method for a home appliance is provided. When the home appliance outputs product information as a sound signal, a service center remotely performs fault diagnosis of the home appliance by receiving the sound signal, detecting the product information from the sound signal, checking the state of the home appliance using diagnostic data included in the product information to determine whether the home appliance is out of order, determining, when a drying error has occurred, a cause of the drying error, and deriving a solution to the drying error. Upon deriving a diagnosis result through the fault diagnosis of the home appliance, the service center immediately notifies the user of the diagnosis result and may dispatch a service technician or may provide the user with a solution to allow the user to easily fix the fault without dispatching a service technician.

Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for automating workflow of assigning jobs and tracking the process. The exemplary method comprises receiving job data for a plurality of jobs, assigning a current job to one of a plurality of users based on a business rule, sending the current job to the one of the users, and receiving further data for the current job. Additional exemplary methods comprise marking the current job complete when the further data is an indication that the job has been successfully completed. Further exemplary methods comprise sending the current job to a problem resolver when the further data is an indication that the job includes a problem.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for facilitating coordination of user activities in accordance with information processing systems and, more particularly, to techniques for managing encounters with persons using such information processing systems. For example, a method for facilitating user coordination of one or more activities comprises the following steps. User personal preference input for managing an encounter with at least one other person is accepted. Input of at least one user schedule entry is received. Schedule entries of the at least one other person are evaluated and it is automatically determined whether there is an overlap between the at least one user schedule entry and the schedule entries of the at least one other person. A response to a determined overlap is automatically determined. The user personal preference input may comprise an indication of whether the user wishes to avoid an encounter with the at least one other person or coordinate an encounter with the at least one other person.