Abstract: Techniques for facilitating evaluation, in connection with the procurement or delivery of products or services, in a context of at least one of (i) a financial transaction and (ii) operation of an enterprise, are disclosed. The techniques involve retrieving party and counterparty preference data from digital storage media; performing multilateral analyses of the combined preference data by computing a closeness-of-fit value; and delivering a list matching the at least one party and the at least one counterparty using the computed closeness-of-fit values.

Abstract: A system for collecting, verifying, and managing identity data, skill data, qualification data, certification data, and licensure data of emergency responders. The system trusted verification of identity, skills, qualifications, certifications, and licensure, and disseminates information specific or related to identity, skills, qualifications, certifications, and licensure at the scene of an emergency. The system includes information collection devices, data storage media, information retrieval devices, and information management devices. The information collected, managed, and disseminated may include identity information, medical information, skills information, qualification information, certification information, licensure information. Data in the system is stored in multiple formats, allowing for the retrieval of trusted information in an environment that is part of a network or devoid of network connectivity.

Abstract: A system for collecting, verifying, and managing identity data, skill data, qualification data, certification data, and licensure data of emergency responders. The system trusted verification of identity, skills, qualifications, certifications, and licensure, and disseminates information specific or related to identity, skills, qualifications, certifications, and licensure at the scene of an emergency. The system includes information collection devices, data storage media, information retrieval devices, and information management devices. The information collected, managed, and disseminated may include identity information, medical information, skills information, qualification information, certification information, licensure information. Data in the system is stored in multiple formats, allowing for the retrieval of trusted information in an environment that is part of a network or devoid of network connectivity.

Abstract: The method, system and a computer program and a computer product for managing workers and documents is provided. The method includes storing industry representations and a list of workers with data related to the workers, linking the industry representations to the workers and selecting at least one worker from based on the industry representations for that worker. The method also includes scheduling workers to a job based on whether they have all of the required industry representations. In addition, the method includes uploading industry representations and bar code scanning industry representations into the database. The method further includes dispatching said industry representations to other users and automatically mapping fields of the dispatched data in the destination database. In addition, the method includes selectively encrypting only sensitive fields in data transmission between two entities.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for identifying one or more individuals in an organizational model to work on a particular work item where the method includes receiving a query having one or more attributes where the one or more attributes indicate the criteria for one or more individuals to work on a particular work item. The systems and methods further include searching an organizational model for the one or more individuals associated with the attributes defined in the query, and identifying the one or more individuals associated with the attributes defined in the query. The systems and methods also include allocating or offering the particular work item to the one or more of the individuals associated with the one or more attributes defined in the query.

Abstract: An intelligent solution for monitoring, assigning, and accounting fueling operations. An automated dispatch fueling system comprises a fuel management server populated with airport profile and dispatcher configurations. Utilizing information stored in the database and received from external systems, the automated dispatch fueling system can automatically assign and monitor fueling operations.

Abstract: An additional storage processing part additionally stores, in a test information table, data relating to a test to be performed, each time any one of a plurality of tests is performed. An updating part updates the corresponding record in a skill level table each time the test is performed, and then an additional storage by the additional storage processing part is executed. A man-hour computing part executes the process of estimating a test man-hour relating to an evaluator and a test designated in accordance with the contents of a display in a display part. Thus, a test man-hour estimating apparatus can accurately estimate the man-hour of the test the evaluator performs repeatedly, based to the data stored in the test information table and the skill level table.

Abstract: A system and method for advancing marketing opportunities to sales is described. One embodiment identifies a plurality of consumer states corresponding to particular situations in a sales lifecycle, one of which corresponds to a completed sale; ascertains one or more correlations among historical sales-lead attributes, product attributes, sales-agent attributes, sales activities, and consumer state transitions; identifies a particular product having a particular set of product attributes; identifies a particular sales lead having a particular set of lead attributes; identifies a particular sales agent having a particular set of agent attributes; identifies one or more particular sales activities; and derives, based on application of the one or more correlations, an estimated probability that a consumer associated with the particular sales lead will transition from one of the plurality of consumer states to another of the plurality of consumer states in relation to the product.

Abstract: Computer-implemented system and methods for authenticating the identity of a person, for example a customer (1) of an E-Commerce web site (15). The web site or other verification “client” (110) contacts a verification engine (10, 100) (“Authentex”), which may be implemented as a web server (604). The verification engine (10), in turn, has limited access to a plurality of independent, third-party secure databases (21, 112) which are maintained by Trusted Validators (3, 610, 620, etc), which are entities such as banks that have a pre-existing relationship with customer (FIG. 4), and due to that relationship, acquire and maintain “out-of-wallet” data (4) that may be useful to authenticate the identity of the customer. That confidential customer data—held by the third-party “Trusted Validators”—is not disclosed.

Abstract: A method and system using a component business model (CBM) architecture provides a staff assignment service to an enterprise. A staff assignment scenario is described in terms of business components in a CBM architecture of the enterprise, the applicable business components forming a staffing service network. For each business component in the staffing service network, functionalities supporting the scenario are identified, and collaborative links among the business components are established, sufficient to enable the service functionalities within the staffing service network to operate so as to assign staff to a project of the enterprise. The staff assignment service is adapted dynamically by repetition of this technique as new scenarios are developed.

Abstract: Vehicle management systems and associated processes can consider energy consumption when selecting routes for fleet vehicles. Vehicle management systems and associated processes are described that, in certain embodiments, evaluate vehicle energy usage based on factors such as terrain or elevation, vehicle characteristics, driver characteristics, road conditions, traffic, speed limits, stop time, turn information, traffic information, and weather information, and the like. The features described herein may also be implemented for non-fleet vehicles, such as in personal vehicle navigation systems.

Abstract: A method for performing a task, which includes generating a user interface with multiple screens where each screen corresponds to a step in a workflow used for performing the task; generating multiple live thumbnails which include miniaturized sections of the screens; displaying a first screen of the multiple screens and the multiple live thumbnails to a user using the user interface; populating a field on the first screen with input data entered by the user; determining a validity of the input data; updating a first live thumbnail of the multiple live thumbnails corresponding to the first screen based on the input data and the validity; receiving a screen selection from the user; displaying a second screen of the multiple screens corresponding to the screen selection; and updating a second live thumbnail of the multiple live thumbnails corresponding to the second screen based on the screen selection.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for managing ground assistance teams of a transport vehicle in a parking zone (19), wherein a management center (3) determines the tasks for the respective assistance teams and provides each team with data specifying its task, comprising the following steps: the management center (3) transmits task data over a radiotelephone network (10); the teams receive the respective data over terminals (15, 16) of the network, which presents the data to them; and after executing the tasks, the teams transmit back to the center (3), from the terminals (15, 16) task performance reports.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer-readable medium is described for generating assessments of relevance of qualifications and of credibility of qualification issuers, such as in an automatic manner and for use by users in an electronic marketplace that facilitates interactions between task requesters who have tasks that are available to be performed and task performers who are available to perform tasks. Such assessments may in some situations be provided to users in various manners and for various purposes, such as to allow task requester users to identify appropriate qualifications to associate with their tasks and/or to allow task performer users to identify appropriate qualifications to acquire to assist in future performance of tasks. The assessments may be generated in various manners, including based on analyzing usage data related to the use of qualifications by task performers and task requesters and based on feedback provided by human users.

Abstract: A method of generating employment market characteristics from a network includes the steps of accessing an employment resource including data via a network, matching the data to one of a plurality of employment market categories, and updating at least one statistical indicator associated with the matched employment market category.

Abstract: A system for matching entities having needs to entities having capability to meet the needs. A plurality of needs profiles are created, where each need profile comprises a data record specifying attributes about a need. A plurality of capability profiles are also created, where each capability profile comprises a data record specifying set of attributes of an entity having a capability of meeting a need. A matching engine is coupled to repetitively and automatically examine the needs profiles and capability profiles to identify matched profiles, wherein a match comprises a set of profiles judged to be substantially compatible based upon correspondence of the attributes specified therein.

Abstract: Generally, the present invention is directed to marketing techniques and more particularly to direct-to-patient marketing for medical devices, pharmaceutical drugs, and biotechnology products. The approach presented here may also be applied to the recruitment of patients for clinical trials evaluation including tracking outcomes after treatment. An embodiment of the invention includes the steps of finding potential patients, qualifying potential patients, connecting potential patients to preferred physicians, and tracking the patient's progress through the appointment phase and tracking outcomes.

Abstract: A computer-based method for representing a project includes accessing a description of the project, generating a graphic display of at least a portion of the project based on the description, and dynamically updating the graphic display in response to a change in the description of the project. A computer program product for representing a project includes instructions that cause a processor to convert a description of the project into display instructions for displaying relative progress of the project relative to, but independently of, an expectation of progress and displaying a relative rate of progress of the project relative to, but independently of, an expectation of a rate of progress. The computer program product is tangibly stored on machine readable media.

Abstract: Disclosed is a software/computer based system/method that optimizes assignment of a service technician's territory (i.e., geographic area assigned to a service technician to support) based on a number of factors, particularly, the number and type of serviceable units in a territory, the usage history of the serviceable units (i.e., how often units may malfunction based on volume of use), and the historical expertise and efficiency of the technician in performing various types of expected repairs. Optimization goals include assigning service territories to service technicians such that each service technician is working 40 hours (or some other hourly goal) per week with few overtime hours (i.e., upset customers waiting for service) or under time (i.e., paying for time the service technician is not working for a customer). For example, copier repair technicians may be assigned to territories depending on how well the technicians have historically performed repairs on particular copier models.

Abstract: The present invention provides product delivery deadline compliance and increased worker training efficiency. A worker assignment scheme creation section of a worker assignment device creates a worker assignment scheme and calculates a job completion time for each process step of each product in accordance with a worker assignment rule. An evaluation value calculation section calculates evaluation values concerning delivery deadline compliance and worker training in accordance with processing results produced by the worker assignment scheme creation section. A worker assignment priority change section changes the worker assignment rule in accordance with the evaluation values and target values therefor. The above process is repeated a number of times to produce plural worker assignment schemes, which are compared in accordance with the evaluation values concerning delivery deadline compliance and worker training. The result of comparison is eventually presented to a user.

Abstract: A method of employee resource planning includes consolidating and defining a demand for employee resources needed to accomplish a potential project in terms of a plurality of jobs and a supply of employee resources in terms of a plurality of employees, each job and each employee having a plurality of job attributes uniformly categorized into indices. Employees in the supply are mapped to corresponding jobs in the demand according to the job attributes.

Abstract: In a remote technical support system, a technical support controller receives an indication of a maximum number of support sessions to be serviced by a remote technician. Thereafter, the technical support controller receives a service request for a user device. The technical support controller determines if handling of the service request by the remote technician would cause the number of support sessions currently being handled by the remote technician to exceed the previously-indicated maximum number of support sessions. If not, the service request is added to a work queue for the remote technician. Each service request may be classified into categories such that only remote technicians associated with a given category can handle service requests for that category. Furthermore, the process of selecting a remote technician to handle a given service request can be completely automated or based on individual remote technicians selecting service requests from a preliminary queue.

Abstract: Disclosed is an Internet-based database system and method (ASP), that enables school districts and temporary employment agencies to automate the dispatching (24/7) of pre-qualified substitute/temporary personnel to specified school/work site locations for specific absent employees/job openings. The system includes a profile database of permanent and substitute (temporary) employees, positions, skills, working dates/shifts, rates of pay, work sites, lesson plans/comments, reasons for absence and corresponding budget codes. Approved substitute/temporary employees may access the database using a multi-level access and secure logon code through their Internet-based browser device. The software filters job/position information to match specific job openings to the skills, qualifications (certification), preferences and availability of the substitute/temporary employee/s.

Abstract: Described are methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, for optimizing allocation of resources across projects in a project portfolio. The method includes receiving, at a computing device, (i) resource information, (ii) a portfolio of project definitions and (iii) one or more portfolio-level optimization criteria. The resource information representing a plurality of resources available for allocation to the projects, and each project definition includes a unique identifier and one or more project-level constraints. The method also includes generating, using the computing device, a plurality of project portfolio allocation scenarios and determining one or more optimized project portfolio allocation scenarios from the plurality of project portfolio allocation scenarios. Each project portfolio allocation scenario satisfies the one or more project-level constraints associated with each project definition.

Abstract: A method for managing an interview process of at least one candidate for a job is disclosed. The method includes selecting a list of attributes pertinent to the job and selecting a list of interviewers of the at least one candidate. The method further includes assigning at least one attribute to each interviewer and generating an interview template for each interviewer based on the at least one attribute assigned to each interviewer, wherein an interview template comprises a list of topics to discuss with each candidate. The method further includes scheduling an interview between each interviewer and candidate and allowing each interviewer to submit, via a Web page, feedback describing each candidate's competency in each of the attributes based on the interview between each interviewer and each candidate. The method further includes automatically calculating, for each candidate, a first value based on the feedback received from each interviewer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provides management of projects including breaking the project into tasks and task dependencies and assigning employees as resources to work on the task dependencies. Resources are evaluated based on skills, experience with applications, distance to work site, customer satisfaction rating of prior work and availability. Progress on the project is monitored by input of employee time into the system. Projected completion dates, start dates of subsequent projects and resource allocation is automatically determined as changes in project progress and resources occur.

Abstract: A model and method for channel-based workforce sourcing is provided. In one aspect, a computer model is populated to create a baseline capacity, including a current number of resources in each of a plurality of skill, sets for each of a plurality of available channels. The computer model is also populated with one or more modulators that affect business-defined values. A desired channel mix, for example, for a given time period may also be recommended and specified in the model. The model is validated and updated with additional or new information. The model and method then automatically generates a starting headcount based on the baseline capacity and ending headcount based on the one or more modulators. The model and method may also generate a targeted plan over a given period for achieving the ending headcount from the starting headcount according to desired channel mix.

Abstract: A dispatching system adjusts resources to meet real-time changes in demand. When a customer requests service, a work assignment is generated and sent to an employee. When a customer cancels the requested service, a cancelation code is sent to the employee. The cancelation code informs the employee that the work assignment has been canceled.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for locating experts is provided. The method includes receiving a first query from a first user requesting the identity of persons having desired skills. The names of persons in a database having the desired skills are then identified. A second query is sent to a plurality of additional users requesting the verification of the information relating to the skills of the identified persons. Responses from the plurality of users are used to amend the information relating to skills of the identified persons.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a skill level of a staff member is discriminated from an actual job log of the staff member, productivity including the skill level, a salary, and combination efficiency with another staff member is calculated, and a staff arrangement plan maximizing a productive efficiency is outputted.

Abstract: An improved method for certifying that a manufacturing facility is capable of producing quality products of a particular type is disclosed. The improved method may comprise auditing the manufacturing facility against a process standard and issuing a certification to the process standard if the manufacturing facility passes the audit. This improved method is particularly suited to manufacturing facilities producing printed circuit assemblies and/or printed circuit boards. The method may further comprise auditing the manufacturing facility against an environmental compliance standard.

Abstract: Methods are provided of creating a deployment plan for staff members with single or multiple qualification for performing activities, each activity requiring at least a single qualification. The methods include the following operations performed by a computer: repeatedly generating a deployment plan assignment of the staff members, and assessing a quality of the assignment generated using a target function, using one of the assignments on the basis of the assessment of the quality as the assignment representing the deployment plan, wherein the target function comprises a term that determines the quality of the assignments, such that the smaller the difference is between the number of the staff members deployed to the activities and the calculated total staff member requirement of the activities the higher the quality of the assignment.

Abstract: A method for managing a workforce is provided. The method includes identifying customer interactions corresponding to an initial work volume handled by a workforce, and identifying comments within the customer interactions related to at least one performance goal used to generate the initial work schedule. The method also includes generating feedback information based on the comments to be used when generating a subsequent schedule.

Abstract: A system is described for providing a workforce planning tool. The system may include a memory, an interface, and a processor. The memory may store organizational information including the number of employees, a growth percentage over a period of time, net employee turnover over the period of time, and a hiring percentage over the period of time for each hire type used by the organization. The processor may receive the information and determine a talent gap consisting of a total number of hires required based on the number of employees, the growth percentage and the net employee turnover. The processor may determine a number of hires of each hire type based on the hiring percentage for each hire type and the total number of hires, and may transform the number of hires for each hire type into a hiring strategy. The processor may provide the hiring strategy to the user.

Abstract: A system of travel service is provided. The system includes an application apparatus and a server. A traveler sends a request through the application apparatus when a problem occurs during his/her trip. A helper who has communication capability of a specific language used by the traveler is found by the server in real time. The server sends information related to the request to the helper immediately. A live connection between the traveler and the helper is created in real time to provide travel services to satisfy the request, in which the live connection includes real-time voice communication and real-time data communication. The problem which occurred during the traveler's trip can be solved quickly by the present system.

Abstract: The present solution is directed to a hybrid customer support model for providing remote online support service in conjunction with local onsite support service. A local technician provides on site support service for a device at a premise for a predetermined amount of time. The onsite support by the local technician may be limited to a subset of the tasks for resolving an issue with the device or otherwise be limited to applying a subset or scope of skills to resolving the issue. In one embodiment, the local technician has a first type of skill from a plurality of skills. The local technician identifies an issue with the device and sends the issue to a centralized service. The centralized service receives an identification of the issue—the resolution of which may include a plurality of tasks. In one embodiment, each of the plurality of tasks is performed by one or more remote technicians having a skill type corresponding to the task.

Abstract: This invention discloses a device of using a push mode to realize non-real-time media routing, wherein a master control module is used for receiving a queuing request and a routing strategy, sending the queuing request to a pre-processing module, and sending the routing strategy to an appropriate routing queuing module; the pre-processing module is used for pre-processing the received queuing request, finding a pre-processing strategy according to the skills specified in the queuing request, calculating a user area code and service level, constructing the routing strategy according to the queuing request, the area code, the service level and the pre-processing strategy, and sending the routing strategy to the master control module; a routing queuing module is used for receiving the routing strategy, selecting seats according to the routing strategy, and allocating media to the selected seats. The invention also discloses a method of using a push mode to realize non-real-time media routing.