Patents by Inventor Cindy Q. Zhang

Cindy Q. Zhang has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8265984
    Abstract: A method and system for integrating multiple factors into a unified optimization model for retail network configuration, in one aspect, obtains input data for modeling store configuration. The input data may include demand of each merchandise category from each customer segment in each facility, geographic distribution of stores in an area, current revenue of stores, and physical cost of reconfiguring stores. A trade area is generated as a function of store location, store format, and store capacity. The method and system also generates trade area demand summation representing predicted total demand of all stores for all merchandise categories for all customer segments in the trade area, as a function of store location, store format, store capacity, merchandise category, and customer segment associated with the trade area. An objective function is constructed as a function of said trade area demand summation, current revenue of stores, and physical cost of reconfiguring stores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Xin Xin Bai, Jin Dong, Ta-Hsin Li, Ming Xie, Wen Jun Yin, Bin Zhang, Cindy Q. Zhang
  • Patent number: 8239245
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for end-to-end retail store one-stop site configuration integrates multiple data sources, identifying key customers, forecasting merchandise demand. Site configuration is formulated as a mathematical optimization problem with both in-store and external data as input to the problem whose solution provides proper suggestions for retail store transformation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Xin Xin Bai, Jin Dong, Ta-Hsin Li, Wen Jun Yin, Bin Zhang, Cindy Q. Zhang
  • Publication number: 20090281869
    Abstract: A method and system for integrating multiple factors into a unified optimization model for retail network configuration, in one aspect, obtains input data for modeling store configuration. The input data may include demand of each merchandise category from each customer segment in each facility, geographic distribution of stores in an area, current revenue of stores, and physical cost of reconfiguring stores. A trade area is generated as a function of store location, store format, and store capacity. The method and system also generates trade area demand summation representing predicted total demand of all stores for all merchandise categories for all customer segments in the trade area, as a function of store location, store format, store capacity, merchandise category, and customer segment associated with the trade area. An objective function is constructed as a function of said trade area demand summation, current revenue of stores, and physical cost of reconfiguring stores.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2008
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Xin Xin Bai, Jin Dong, Ta-Hsin Li, Ming Xie, Wen Jun Yin, Bin Zhang, Cindy Q. Zhang