Workflow Analysis Patents (Class 705/7.27)
  • Publication number: 20140164051
    Abstract: A flow model of an activity flow that is based on cases is provided. The flow model is annotated with information from the cases. A matching step in the activity flow that matches a given step of a particular case is identified, and a next step is recommended based on the matching step in the activity flow of the flow model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Inventors: Hamid Reza Motahari Nezhad, Claudio Bartolini
  • Publication number: 20140164049
    Abstract: Systems and methods to provide a set of qualifying steps for a crowdsourced project during creation of the project, where the steps are coupled with cost calculators, medal awards, partner identification, and third party auditing. The systems and methods allow an efficient project entry method while also scoring the completeness of the project to potential funding users. The inclusion of stretch goals, added at any time during the creation or funding of a project allows dynamic adjustment of target funding levels and awards, providing incentives for increased funding. Described herein is a system and method to create crowdfunded projects along with quality control checks visible to funders and incentives to induce more funders and greater funding levels, at the same time as creating a higher project success rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2012
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Applicant: PRODUCT FUNDER, INC.
    Inventors: David J. Yakos, Stephen M. Sanford, Joby Rodell Rudolph, Ryan Peter Murphy
  • Publication number: 20140164048
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for optimizing a workflow planning via the selection of service providers and data centers according to various QoS (Quality of Service) metrics. The algorithm handles multiple QoS parameters and does not require an a priori weighting of their importance, a typical requirement of other approaches to this problem. This is accomplished by using an algorithm that will guarantee that no alternative solution will be strictly better in all QoS criteria than the chosen solution. A variant of the algorithm to specify the preference order among the QoS parameters is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Julien Jean Lucien Bourdaillet, Yasmine Charif
  • Patent number: 8752030
    Abstract: The present invention is an abstraction layer that “hides” the complexity of underlying workflow engine and provides a unified application programming interface (API) to access underlying workflow functions. The abstraction layer of the present invention serves as a gateway between application flow logic and one or more workflow engines and allows an application to build flow implementation logic once and then be able to run on various workflow engines without significant code changes. The present invention also enables different workflow engines to run concurrently to support one application and without the need for applications to migrate or consolidate to one workflow engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Verizon Services Corp.
    Inventors: Zhong Chen, Hongqi Jia, Chunsheng Chen, Gang Fu
  • Patent number: 8751278
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media provide for providing commitments information relative to a turf. According to embodiments, a method for providing commitments information relative to a turf is provided. According to the method, a time frame for each of a plurality of turfs is determined. The time frame indicates when a work order of a given category is to be completed. A numeric indicator indicating the time frame in which the work order of the given category is to be completed is displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert Ingman, Robert Cole, Richard Miller
  • Patent number: 8751283
    Abstract: Templates are provided and used in an Information Technology (IT) environment. A template represents a pattern of resources and resource relationships of the IT environment. Templates are applied to automatically generate recommendations of programmatic representations of artifacts of the IT environment. The artifacts include Recovery Segments, Redundancy Groups, Business Resilience Manager deployment configurations and/or resource pairing represented by relationship data stores, as examples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mythili K. Bobak, Tim A. McConnell, Michael D. Swanson, Brian O. Wood
  • Patent number: 8751879
    Abstract: In a method for intelligently monitoring and dispatching an Information Technology (IT) service alert, a computer receives a service error alert and classifies the service error alert. The computer assigns the service error alert, based on the service error alert class. The computer monitors the progress of the resolution of the service error alert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Carlos Alberto Francisco, Sergio Antonio Toso Junior, Adan Rosler, Thiago Cesar Rotta
  • Patent number: 8751282
    Abstract: A method to implement controls with respect to a collaborative workflow, the method including mapping a private task of a private workflow of a first entity to a public task of a public collaborative workflow, and defining a public control relating to the public task, the public task and the public control to be published to a second entity with which the first entity collaborates utilizing the public collaborative workflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventor: Andreas Schaad
  • Patent number: 8751309
    Abstract: Techniques for distributing messages to consumers on behalf of promoters. In some embodiments, once a message is provided to a message distribution system to be distributed to consumers on behalf of promoters, the message distribution system may determine the consumers to which to distribute the message based on the personal interest identifiers for the consumers that identify personal interests of the consumers. In particular, in some embodiments, a message distribution system may determine a topic for a message and personal interest identifiers for the message that correspond to personal interest identifiers input by consumers. Once the set of personal interest identifiers for the message has been identified, a set of consumers who have input one or more of those personal interest identifiers is identified. The message may then be made available to the identified set of consumers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Tagzo World LLC
    Inventor: Michael A. O'Hara
  • Patent number: 8751284
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for enabling design, generation, and execution of real-time workflows. Such embodiments provide a graphical designer including a plurality of shapes representing the various objects of a workflow that are used to model the workflow. In addition, various embodiments of the graphical designer provide shapes to model aspects of the workflow not found in previous graphical designers. Various embodiments also provide a code generator that converts the representation of the workflow into executable code for multiple target languages. Various embodiments also provide a workflow engine based on a Petri net model responsible for executing the workflow and for delegating tasks to be performed for the workflow to an operating system. In various embodiments, the workflow engine further includes a platform abstraction layer that provides a transition layer from the Petri net language to the operating system language.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Inventor: Asheesh Goja
  • Patent number: 8751280
    Abstract: This invention relates to providing a system for project planning and scheduling which supports simplified, interactive, graphics-based project planning and scheduling using new planning concepts, new scheduling concepts and new graphics-based software systems. Further, this invention permits an inexperienced user to simultaneously plan and schedule a project including establishing appropriate relationship (or dependency) links between activities, also commonly referred to as tasks, and between activities and milestones. This invention offers the simplest possible scheme of thought that can tie together activities, relationships and milestones, with or without deadlines, to yield a complete, correct network project schedule in the shortest possible time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: PMA Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Gui Ponce de Leon
  • Publication number: 20140156337
    Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for self-organizing ad-hoc workflow. In one implementation, the present disclosure describes a self-learning system that monitors input conditions and monitors user steps in executing the ad-hoc workflow. When a new user executes the ad-hoc workflow process, the system receives a group of values for a set of input parameters, determines whether the received group of values has a matching group of values in a database, locates groups of values in the database with at least one matching value of the received group of values, determines a closest match between the received group of values and the located groups of values in the database using importance weights of input parameters in the set of input parameters, and selects the workflow associated with the closest match of the received group of values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: RED HAT, INC.
    Inventors: Jiri Pechanec, Martin Vecera
  • Publication number: 20140156338
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes the following elements. An axis-name setting unit sets names of first through fourth axes. An item forming unit forms an item associated with an axis for which a name is set by the axis-name setting unit. A display displays a QFD chart used for developing a product, in which the names of the first through fourth axes are deployed in a region divided into top, bottom, right, and left sections from a center of the QFD chart, the items associated with the first through fourth axes are deployed in directions extending upward, downward, rightward, and leftward from the center, and matrices into which relationships between items are input are deployed at least between the first axis and the second axis, between the second axis and the third axis, and between the third axis and the fourth axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki ITO, Satoru INAKAGE, Michiaki YASUNO, Hiroshi UMEMOTO, Nobuyuki NAKAYAMA, Yoichi WATANABE
  • Patent number: 8744885
    Abstract: A system and method of managing tasks and organizations is provided herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Snowflake ITM, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven J. Johnson
  • Patent number: 8744892
    Abstract: A method and system to control an interaction of a plurality of participants in a workflow process. The method classifies the plurality of activities as (1) first activity of the workflow process, (2) first activity of a participant in an on-going workflow process, and (3) interaction activity. A set of access control policies is generated for each type of activity. The policies include workflow initialization policy, participation policy and interaction policies. The policies determine if a requesting participant is permitted to interact with a responding participant. In addition, the system includes a policy enforcement point for receiving a request from a requesting participant, wherein the request is for activating an activity of a responding participant. The policy enforcement point forwards the request to a policy decision point where the request is evaluated based on the set of access control policies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Yevgen Reznichenko, Maarten E. Rits, Jochen Haller, Pascal T. C. Spadone, Cedric R. J. Hebert
  • Patent number: 8744890
    Abstract: A system and method for managing workflow including the ability to manage system-level workflow strategy, manage individual workflow activity, and provide suggestions to optimize individual workflow activity, is provided. The system may provide suggestions to workers based on their schedules and activities that the workers have to perform. Users of the system may configure the criteria used in determining which suggestions to provide to workers. The system may refine the suggestions provided to workers based on feedback received regarding the suggestions previously provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Aktana, Inc.
    Inventors: Clark Bernier, Derek Choy, William Hunt, Robert Willson, David Ehrlich, John O'Holleran
  • Patent number: 8744891
    Abstract: A system comprises one or more modules to access a business rule, deconstruct the business rule into a condition and an associated action, determine a set of questions relevant to the condition, place the set of questions into a question queue, order the question queue, and present the question queue to a user. A system comprises one or more modules to determine a subject of the request received from a user, use the subject to obtain a set of relevant questions, examiner each question and determine whether an answer to a current question is available in a storage area, and present the current question when the answer is not available. A system comprises one or more modules to access a decision tree, determine a current node, determine an estimated number of nodes between the current node and a leaf node, and present a representation using the estimated number of nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
    Inventor: Reynaldo Medina, III
  • Publication number: 20140149173
    Abstract: In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for facilitating dynamic generating of visual workflow and corresponding tasks in an on-demand services environment. In one embodiment and by way of example, a method includes receiving a request to perform a business process at a computing system. The performing of the business process may include creating a new business process relating to workings of an organization. The method may further include interpreting content of the request, and dynamically generating a visual workflow in response to the interpretation of the content of the request. The visual workflow may be used to perform the business process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2014
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: SALESFORCE.COM, INC.
    Inventors: Stephen WOOD, Samuel William Bailey
  • Patent number: 8738415
    Abstract: Various systems, methods, and programs embodied in computer readable mediums are provided that facilitate the automated merger of print workflow information into job tickets that express the characteristics of a document to be printed. In various embodiments, a job ticket that describes a number of characteristics of a finished document to be printed is automatically modified in a processor-based system. The modifications are performed by merging at least a portion of a print workflow with the job ticket where the print workflow specifies a process to print the finished document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: James M. Sangroniz, Jody Lee Terrill
  • Patent number: 8738325
    Abstract: A method and system for using a structured analytical process to model, analyze, plan and improve anticipated flows of information across agencies, department, companies etc. and across different disciplines and jurisdictions. The method includes a structured process for improving the flow of information through need-based communication planning. The method identifies the need for information, describes its availability and specifies the restrictions on its dissemination. It then uncovers information sharing opportunities, generates communication plans, discovers preventable communication breakdowns and prioritizes their remediations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Mind-Alliance Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Jean-Francois Cloutier, David G. Kamien
  • Publication number: 20140143008
    Abstract: A computer system that manages the processes of an organization. The system defines a global process flowchart, which has a set of processes, where at least one of the processes has a macro flowchart that has a sub-process with a micro flowchart. The set of processes includes a set of primary processes and at least one enabling process. The primary processes process orders and the enabling processes help the primary processes. The computer system associates individual process summaries to processes from the global process flowchart. Each process summary has related processes like a customer process, supplier process or interfacing process. The computer system associates the related process to parameters that measures an aspect of the process. The computer system receives actual measurement data for the parameters. The computer system generates reports about the parameters missing data and data that fails to meet expectations and improvement plans that are behind schedule.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Inventors: J. Nirdosh Reddy, Arvind J. Reddy
  • Patent number: 8731998
    Abstract: A computer implemented method and system for monitoring a business process of an executing business application. Runtime information of a business process element of the executing business application is received. The runtime information is then associated with design time information of the executing business application by a processor. Next, a representation of the business process associated with the business process element is generated to determine a problem in the business process of the executing business application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventor: Robert Heidasch
  • Patent number: 8731988
    Abstract: A migration system and method. The migration method comprises receiving a request to generate a migration plan for an entity and generating a strategic plan comprising procedures for transferring knowledge required for performing job functions comprised by a first set of individuals to a second set of individuals and defining a set of temporary individuals to perform a transition management process. Additionally, an allocation plan and a ramping down plan are generated. The allocation plan is for allocating the set of temporary resources to the entity for the transition management process and allocating the second set of individuals for the transferring. The ramping down plan is for ramping down to close out the set of temporary individuals based on external data. The resource migration plan is for supporting the entity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jennie Harrington Barrett, Hari Dev Garg
  • Publication number: 20140136275
    Abstract: A method and computer readable medium for a fully integrated IT recommendation system, comprising receiving contextual data comprising information regarding what a user is currently viewing; receiving relational data information regarding the user's previous interaction with an online community related to IT administrators; receiving market view data comprising industry trend information related to IT, the industry particular to the user's industry. The contextual data, the relational data, and the marketing data make up the workflow context. The workflow context is passed to a recommendation engine which evaluates the workflow context and selects one or more of a set of outcomes, the outcome(s) are directly related to the workflow context; and presenting said one or more selected outcomes to said user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Inventors: David Rathmann, Francis Sullivan, Scott Abel
  • Publication number: 20140136274
    Abstract: The present disclosure involves systems, software, and computer implemented methods for providing process intelligence by allowing analysis of running business processes at multiple levels of detail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2012
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Inventors: Oliver Kieselbach, Christoph Liebig, Thomas Volmering
  • Patent number: 8725549
    Abstract: A method in a computer system for paperless business work-flow review and management includes the steps of: creating an interactive document electronically; entering the interactive document into a document entry stage; electronically submitting the interactive document to a first approval level from the document entry stage, when such approval is required by a set of business rules; approving the submitted interactive document; for N levels of approval, iteratively submitting the interactive document electronically to the next approval level, up to level N, when the interactive document is approved at the previous approval level; returning the interactive document to the document entry stage when the interactive document is rejected at any of the first through N approval levels; electronically processing the interactive document at the processing level when the interactive document is approved at all required approval levels; verifying the electronic processing of the interactive document; and archiving the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: GeoLogics Corporation
    Inventors: Fernando J. Arroyo, Don Fernandez
  • Patent number: 8725550
    Abstract: Systems, methods and techniques relating to managing process logs are described. A described technique includes identifying an end-to-end business process from a first system; identifying a plurality of systems that execute at least a portion of the end-to-end business process based on a definition of the end-to-end business process within the process registry; identifying a plurality of local process logs associated with the end-to-end business process for the a plurality of systems as defined by the process registry; and generating a federated process log based on at least a portion of each of the a plurality of local process logs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Bernhard Drittler, Jens-Christoph Nolte, Bernd Schmitt
  • Patent number: 8725594
    Abstract: A system that facilitates continuous flow execution of orders is provided. The system includes a supply chain data store that stores supply chain data (e.g., inventory, supply, demand) and a data acceptor operable to receive the supply chain data from supply chain members, to conform the supply chain data to supply chain schema and to validate the supply chain data. The system also includes an inventory deployment analyzer that analyzes a user defined inventory network and accounts for the stored supply chain data to produce inventory transfer recommendations, transfer orders, alerts and/or a diversion order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: PTC Inc.
    Inventors: John Merrow Davies, Talbot T. Smith, Michael Paul Bringle, Lawrence Flon
  • Publication number: 20140129286
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and products that execute modeled business controls on a modeled input work item to generate a corresponding modeled output work item. Input data values included in the modeled input work item either match or approximate corresponding values included in a corresponding actual input work item. Each modeled business control is defined by business rules that represent a business policy, and the business rules and the input data values of the modeled input work item are used to generate the modeled output work item. An actual output work item from a business process is compared to the modeled output work item. The actual output work item includes actual output data values. The business process changes the actual input work item into the actual output work item. The modeled output work item includes modeled output data values. Differences between the actual and modeled output work items are reported.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2014
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: Progress Software Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Allen, Pedram Abrari, David Straus
  • Publication number: 20140129285
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for comparing workflows. More particularly, the invention relates to thinning a number of workflow pairs to compare, prior to conducting a detailed comparison among pairs of workflows. The invention can be used to generate a workflow similarity graph based on a large set of workflows.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2012
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Changjun Wu, Hua Liu
  • Publication number: 20140122162
    Abstract: A system, and related method and computer program product are disclosed. The system may comprise a loading machine, a first fleet, a second fleet, and a controller operably connected to the loading machine(s) and the first fleet and the second fleet. The controller may be configured to determine a FF System Efficiency for a first scenario based on a FF Mining Efficiency and a FF Percent Shift Time Difference. The controller may be further configured to determine a SF System Efficiency for a second scenario based on a SF Mining Efficiency and a SF Percent Shift Time Difference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: CATERPILLAR GLOBAL MINING LLC
    Inventor: Mark R. Baker
  • Patent number: 8712818
    Abstract: A machine shop comprises a computer system programmed to automatically determine an access role for a worker in response to a log-in; automatically determine at least one task for the worker based on the access role; and automatically interface with different legacy servers to order, subject to the access role, at least one of machine tooling for the machining of the part, product materials to be machined, and distributed numerical control (DNC) data for the machining of the part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Gary W. Giles, Randall E. Patten
  • Patent number: 8706516
    Abstract: A system and method to manage progression of patients through a workflow of events that employs at least one resource in delivering healthcare is provided. The system comprises a sensor operable to track at least one property of the plurality of patients, and at least one processor in communication with the sensor. The processor is operable to execute computer readable program instructions generally representative of the steps of calculating a bid of the more than one of the series of patients relative to one another directed to a slot in a schedule of utilization of the at least one resource dependent on tracked data of the at least one property of the more than one of the series of patients, and assigning one of the patients to the slot in the schedule of the at least one resource dependent on a comparison of the bids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Adrian Warner, Crispian Sievenpiper, Jeffrey Solliday-McRoy
  • Patent number: 8705054
    Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for utilizing excess printing capacity. The present invention utilizes a printing network that consists of a printing service provider, one or more print jobs, a printing distribution system, and printing partners. The printing service provider uses a printing distribution system to distribute standardized print jobs to printing partners at a fixed price.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Printingforless.com
    Inventor: Andrew S. Field
  • Patent number: 8700442
    Abstract: An operating device includes a receiving section for, when set values using respective reception screens relating to a further workflow selected in a selection input section are input, receiving these set values and set values input using respective reception screens relating to a workflow previously selected in the selection input section as set values applied for a series of functions as a combination of the selected further workflow and the workflow previously selected in the selection input section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventor: Toshimasa Takaoka
  • Patent number: 8700414
    Abstract: A system being monitored generates alerts directed at participants as events to be resolved occur. As a participant resolves an alerted event, the system logs the steps taken by the participant to resolve the event and stores the event resolution log associated with the event. From that event resolution log, a template for a workflow process can be automatically generated. When similar events occur again, the participant for those future events can be provided with the prior stored event resolution log and/or automatically generated templates for a workflow processes corresponding to the stored event resolution log. Iterative generation and editing of templates can be provided for, wherein subsequent event resolutions for similar events are used to modify the workflow process templates developed from previous event resolutions. Events can include conditions being met in data stored by the system or events representing the lack of occurrence of expected events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Gunther Rothermel, Dirk Wodtke
  • Publication number: 20140100912
    Abstract: An enterprise geospatial intelligence service oriented architecture (EGI-SOA) provides a consumer with one or more tailored products in response to either a dynamic request or a standing request by the consumer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: Great Circle Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Brent BURSEY
  • Publication number: 20140100910
    Abstract: Systems and methods for defining and executing platform and language independent audit templates are disclosed. Each audit template can include a number of audit task templates. The audit task templates include general instructions for performing an audit task. Each audit task template can be instantiated as an audit task in an associated audit operation that includes organization or process specific information. Each audit task template and audit task can be linked with one or more business rules. Such business rules include translation logic for translating requirements of each audit task into a format expected by specific program, located in a central management system, invoked to operate on the required target business data. The business rules can also include translation data for interpreting the results returned from such programs. The audits operation or business rules can also include deficiency criteria, or alert conditions for initiating audit issues and remediation workflows.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2012
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: SAP AG
    Inventors: Ying Zeng, Alex Hsu, Kirandeep Dhillon, Cheng Hu, Richard Choi
  • Publication number: 20140100911
    Abstract: A system and method for analysis of sequences of facts is disclosed. The plurality of facts is extracted from one or more systems of record, the facts are converted to the time-ordered sequences, and then the sequences are converted into unique paths. A plurality of measures is calculated for each path. An operator can change the conversion rules and filter the paths, sequences and facts to be included in the analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Inventor: Alex Elkin
  • Patent number: 8694487
    Abstract: A project management system includes a database formed of one or more tables and a computing device having one or more modules configured to: receive data and an identifier of the data, store the data in one or more tables of the database based upon the data identifier, in which the one or more tables in the database are accessible by a database management tool, and produce one or more records corresponding to the data stored in the one or more tables, in which the one or more records are accessible by a project management tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited
    Inventor: Ricardo Panero Lamothe
  • Patent number: 8694355
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for assisting with automated task management. In one embodiment, an apparatus for assisting a user in the execution of a task, where the task includes one or more workflows required to accomplish a goal defined by the user, includes a task learner for creating new workflows from user demonstrations, a workflow tracker for identifying and tracking the progress of a current workflow executing on a machine used by the user, a task assistance processor coupled to the workflow tracker, for generating a suggestion based on the progress of the current workflow, and a task executor coupled to the task assistance processor, for manipulating an application on the machine used by the user to carry out the suggestion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: SRI International
    Inventors: Hung Bui, Steven Eker, Daniel Elenius, Melinda Gervasio, Thomas J. Lee, Mei Marker, David Morley, Janet Murdock, Karen Myers, Bart Peintner, Shahin Saadati, Eric Yeh, Neil Yorke-Smith
  • Patent number: 8689239
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a computer system accesses an event associated with an activity, where the activity has been executed by a runtime as part of a software application. The runtime includes a software hook configured to listen for event stream operation indications from the user. The computer system tags the accessed event with an additional portion of identification information that uniquely identifies the executed activity. The computer system receives an event stream operation indication from the user indicating that event transmission for an identified event stream is to be dynamically enabled or disabled and identifies the user-indicated event stream using the tagged identification information. The computer system also dynamically performs the indicated event stream operation on the identified event stream according to the user's indication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: John Anthony Taylor, Igor Sedukhin, Gilles C. J. A. Zunino, Amol Sudhakar Kulkarni, Haoran Andy Wu, Sumit Mohanty, Kenneth D. Wolf, Timothy Glenn MacNary, Michael Josef Krejcik
  • Patent number: 8688499
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to generating workflows using operational data, and mapping the operational data to the flow. Systems and methods are provided to receive operational data from networked devices, process the data to determine tasks performed and timing associated therewith, and output the analysis in the form of a workflow. Metrics measuring work volume, productivity, and the like may also be calculated using the operational data, and mapped to the flow. Generation of the workflow may be fully automated, or may request input from a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Abhijit Bose, Edward Landa
  • Patent number: 8687208
    Abstract: When the processing of process steps of a print job that includes job definition information showing the process steps of a printing process and information relating to drawing data used in printing is executed by devices, a printing control apparatus connected to the devices determines whether the processing content of a target print job has been changed by the devices from a processing content defined by the job definition information, and, if determined that the processing content has been changed, collects the job definition information defining the changed processing content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tadanori Nakatsuka
  • Patent number: 8689060
    Abstract: A method for providing corrections for semantic errors in a process model can be implemented on a computer. The method can include identifying a change in the process model, the process model including one or more process model elements. The method can also include identifying one or more constraint violations for at least one of the one or more process model elements, and identifying one or more correction proposals for each constraint violation identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventor: Soeren Balko
  • Patent number: 8688498
    Abstract: Delay in a workflow is avoided by introducing a skip operation upon execution of the workflow. Additionally, a person in charge of the workflow eventually participates in the workflow process even if he/she has been skipped. The workflow design defines skippable activities, in advance, as well as re-execution points in order to reassign the skipped activities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Tsuda, Hiroyasu Ohsaki, Ryohichi Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 8689131
    Abstract: Embodiments are provided for creating and executing a custom action in a workflow generated by an application program executing on a computer system. The application program may receive a selection of a custom action to execute in the workflow in a user interface generated by the application program. The application program may translate the custom action into a user interface button for executing the custom action in the workflow. The application program may display the button for executing the custom action in the workflow. The application program may also resolve references to external content in a shared workflow document by communicating with a workflow engine to register a callback function for receiving a location of the shared workflow document on a remote computer system. The workflow engine may send the location of the shared workflow document to the application program to enable access to the external content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Alnur Ali, Alexander Malek, Phillip Allen
  • Publication number: 20140089036
    Abstract: A system and method for dynamic zoning are provided. Travel demand data is received for a network which includes a set of points. The travel demand data includes values representing demand from each point to each of other point. Destination-distance values are computed which reflect the similarity between points in a respective pair, based on the travel demand data. For each pair of the points, a geo-distance value is generated which reflects the distance between locations of the points in the pair. An aggregated affinity matrix is formed by aggregating the computed geo-distance values and destination-distance values. The aggregated affinity matrix is used by a clustering algorithm to assign each of the points in the set to a respective one of a set of clusters. A representation of the clusters can be generated in which each of a set of zones encompasses the points assigned to its respective cluster.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Boris Chidlovskii
  • Publication number: 20140089037
    Abstract: A method according to certain aspects includes launching a plurality of activities representing tasks to be completed in the processing of a workflow. The method can include determining that a set of the plurality of activities are not currently available for execution, and updating an output comprising a user interface based at least in part on the determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: CoreLogic Dorado, LLC
    Inventors: Pavan S. Bhatnagar, Matthew E. Wyman, Adam D. Springer, Robert G. Carpenter, Michael Piech, Riad Mohammed, Dain A. Ehring, Steven B. Byrne
  • Patent number: 8682686
    Abstract: A system and method to manage progression of patients through a workflow of events that employs at least one resource in delivering healthcare is provided. The system comprises a sensor operable to track at least one property of the plurality of patients, and at least one processor in communication with the sensor. The processor is operable to execute computer readable program instructions generally representative of the steps of calculating a bid of the more than one of series of resources relative to one another directed to a slot in the schedule of workflow of the patient dependent on tracked properties of the resources, and assigning one the resources to the slot in the schedule of workflow of the least one patient dependent on a comparison of the bid of the resources relative to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Adrian Warner, Crispian Sievenpiper, Jeffery Solliday-McRoy