Abstract: A method for distributing product alerts among a plurality of facilities is provided. The method includes receiving alerts, processing the alerts into an alert repository, providing an interface to an external system, receiving, via the interface, a request from the external system for an alert related to a product at the facility, extracting the alert from the alert repository, and sending, via the interface, the alert to the external system. A system for managing product alert handling at a facility is also provided. The system includes an alert processor and an interface component. The alert processor maintains a database. The interface component receives a request from an external system for alert handling data, retrieves the alert handling data from the database, sends the data to the external system, receives an action based on the data from the external system, and implements the action to manage alert handling at the facility.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an energy and entropy analysis of a business entity. Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer-implemented method for calculating a metric indicative of a business entity's strategic health at a specific point in time, comprising obtaining a measurement of energy, obtaining a measurement of entropy, identifying at least one linkage between the energy measurement and the entropy measurement, and calculating a metric indicative of the business entity's current strategic health at the specific point in time.

Abstract: A computer implemented method and computer system for management of materials on a construction site. In one embodiment, at least one cost scenario is defined for moving at least one material with a vehicle pool. A status of a project which uses the material is then determined. A report is generated which identifies a vehicle of the vehicle pool and defines a load of the material which is to be moved by the vehicle from a first location to a second location.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for performing forecasting with respect to total demand data (including two or more demand components) collected in a print production environment. Each demand component (comprising a set of demand component related points corresponding with a first time scale) may be processed in such a way that a demand component related point can be forecasted with demand component related points corresponded with the second time scale. Both the forecasted demand component related point and demand component related points corresponded with the second time scale can then be corresponded with the first time scale.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for providing an electronic feedback management system. The method may use an electronic information processing platform. The method may include receiving information relating to a company employee hierarchy. The method may also include receiving information relating to the submission of a suggestion by a first employee. The method may further include receiving information relating to the status of the suggestion. The status of the suggestion may include an identification of a second employee who has viewed the suggestion. The method may also include displaying on a graphical user interface (“GUI”) a visual representation of at least part of the company employee hierarchy. The display may include the identification relating to the second employee.

Abstract: Tracking and management data for a survey distribution and response lifecycle is disclosed. The system generates and links tracking data for both the distribution and the response, generates indicators that include the tracking data, and encodes the indicators so that the indicators are detectable as the indicators traverse various events and locations throughout the lifecycle. A detailed audit trail of each event in the distribution and response lifecycle is constructed using data matching methods and various statistics regarding the lifecycle, such that the response habits of customers are formulated enabling an operation to more efficiently forecast, plan and conduct operations.

Abstract: A system and method for modeling demand for a configurable product or service and then forecasting demand for said product or service based on the statistical associations of options across features within said product or service. By use of this method a manufacturer, for example, would be able to produce product combinations in advance with an increased probability that they would meet customer demand or project parts inventory needs and build fewer unwanted combinations.

Abstract: A control center receives, from the first bank, a first request with a first set of requirements for placement of reciprocal deposits. A second request with a second set of requirements is received from a second bank. The control center determines whether the first set of requirements matches the second set of requirements, which include maturity and interest rate. In response to a match, the control center performs an exchange of on-balance sheet deposits meeting the first set of requirements from the first bank to off-balance sheet deposits to the second bank. The first bank receives reciprocal deposits meeting the second set of requirements as new on-balance sheet deposits.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining a consumer response. At least two attributes are obtained for a sample product, the at least two attributes are associated with a feeding experience of an animal are determined. A regression analysis is performed on one or more factor scores for the sample product derived from the at least two attributes. A consumer response of the feeding experience as a function of the at least two attributes is determined independently of the consumer. The at least two attributes are determined based on an assessment of a plurality of technical measures associated with the feeding experience of an animal. The technical measures may be selected from the group consisting of analytical components (AN), daily feeding patterns based on automatic feeding station (AFS), chemical sensory headspace aroma compounds (CHEM), human sensory descriptive panel (HUMAN), monadic feeding patterns (VIDEO), and preference assessment (PREF).

Abstract: Harmonizing business process tasks comprehends comparing descriptors associated with each of a plurality of business process tasks in response to a process variation input and identifying tasks as a candidate task pair for consolidation. Input and output attributes of the candidate pair tasks are compared and consolidation confirmed if the compared input and output attributes are similar. Consolidating the confirmed candidate pair tasks includes merging the confirmed candidate pair into a new merged task or replacing one with the other, and an output from the consolidated candidate pair is generated as a common harmonized output for the first and second tasks. Identifying the candidate task pairs for consolidation may be a function of similarity of task descriptors, of input/output business process relationships to other candidate task pairs, and also of both.

Abstract: A contact center has an interface with a virtual environment implemented in a computer system. The operation of the contact center includes receiving, from the virtual environment, spatial information relating to the spatial position within the virtual environment of an inhabitant of the virtual environment, and queuing a contact relating to that inhabitant in a queuing system of the contact center. Queuing decisions are based, at least in part, on the spatial information of the inhabitant in the virtual environment.

Abstract: Methods for obtaining credit life insurance for an individual via a service organization are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of: 1) registering the individual with the service organization via a computer system in a computer network; 2) accessing credit information on the individual via the computer system in the computer network and determining the total debt of the individual; 3) determining the amount of debt to be covered by credit life insurance benefits; 4) creating a data base including insurance companies that provide credit life insurance benefits, the data base further including the premiums that the insurance companies charge for issuing their credit life insurance; 5) selecting specific coverage with required specific premiums; 6) obtaining the individual's approval of the required specific premiums via the computer system in the computer network; and 7) obtaining credit life insurance benefits for the individual.

Abstract: The invention is a method of obtaining credit life insurance for an individual by means of a service organization. In detail, the steps include: 1) registering the individual with the service organization via a computer system in a computer network; 2) accessing credit information on the individual by means of the computer system in the computer network and determining the total debt of the individual; 3) determining the amount of debt to be covered by credit life insurance benefits; 4) creating a data base including insurance companies that provide credit life insurance benefits, the data base further including the premiums that the insurance companies charge for issuing their credit life insurance; 5) selecting specific coverage with required specific premiums; 6) obtaining the individual's approval of the required specific premiums via the computer system in the computer network; and 7) obtaining credit life insurance benefits for the individual.

Abstract: A micro-payment system has buyers, sellers, and a broker. The buyers establish accounts with the broker and provide payment information allowing the broker to invoice the buyers. The sellers establish accounts with the brokers and specify terms for accessing items, including electronic content, available from the sellers. The sellers also provide payment information that allows the broker to credit the sellers for sales of the items. The broker aggregates the buyers' micro-payment purchases and invoices the buyers. The broker also aggregates the sellers' micro-payment sales and credits the sellers.

Abstract: A result for a task may be provided in response to receiving a request from, for example, a user for the result. The request specifies a desired accuracy level for the result. The accuracy of the result is determined using the individual accuracies of one or more persons that have selected the result. Each person's individual accuracy is determined based on results for prior tasks previously performed by that person. The person's individual accuracy is proportional to the number of that person's prior results that are with a consensus of other persons that have performed the same prior task. The result is provided if the accuracy of the result is equal to or greater than the desired accuracy level.

Abstract: A system is disclosed that is designed to enable users to obtain a customized specification for a particular project, and to develop a final specification for the associated building project along with a variety of up to date supportive technical documentation relating to the selected building products and systems. The system may include a computer implemented work flow that presents the user with a plurality of screens to elicit user responses to various building product selection criteria. Based on the user responses, a list of qualifying building products/systems is presented to the user for final selection. The system is PC based for ease of use at a work site, and may periodically be connected to one or more manufacturers' web sites via the Internet to download the most recent information available about the manufacturer's products. The system contains a green feature that enables users to minimize the environmental impact of the building project.

Abstract: Implementation of resource management services is provided. A method includes setting a price, per unit of a resource, for a defined time period and based upon a collective projected resource demand corresponding to resource consumption entities (RCEs). For the duration of the time period, the method includes iteratively performing: monitoring actual usage of the resource for each of the RCEs. If, in response to the monitoring, it is determined that a projected shortage exists for an RCE and a projected surplus exists for another RCE, the method includes re-allocating a number of projected surplus units of the resource from the RCE having the projected surplus to the other RCE having the projected shortage. If, in response to the monitoring, it is determined that a projected shortage exists for an RCE and no projected surplus exists for any of the other RCEs, the method includes acquiring additional units of the resource.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for data processing. In one implementation, a data processing system includes storage means for storing sets of account identifiers, each of the sets of account identifiers being assigned a set of control parameters. The data processing system may also include an account management system that stores account data of accounts that are identified by the account identifiers, interface means coupled to the account management system, and one or more sets of application programs that are adapted to process account data of accounts identified by at least one of the one or more sets of account identifiers using the set of control parameters assigned to the at least one of the one or more sets of account identifiers. The interface means may obtain the account data from the account management system on request of one of the application programs.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and software for conducting a marketing campaign are described. One or more scores associated with sending offers to proposed contacts are received; and an overall campaign score corresponding to a sum of the scores is optimized to generate optimal assignments of offers to customers. The optimal assignments are included in the marketing campaign.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can characterize an item involved in a consumer transaction and/or a behavior of a consumer as a virtual financial instrument. The architecture can monitor the future performance of the virtual instrument in order to identify trendspotters as well as trend followers in a particular market domain.