Electronically assigning tasks to workers while the workers are distributed among different locations within a work area

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10062042-B1
Application number	US-201213625994-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 25, 2012
Priority date	Sep 25, 2012
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

A technique assigns tasks to workers within a work area. The technique utilizes electronic circuitry which can be disposed at a single location (e.g., a server), or distributed among multiple locations (e.g., in the cloud). The technique involves receiving task entries which (i) identify tasks in need of attention and (ii) define task requirements for performing the tasks. The technique further involves generating task assignments based on matching the task entries to worker profiles which (i) identify workers who are available for task assignment and (ii) define worker characteristics of the workers. The technique further involves providing the task assignments to the workers while the workers are distributed among different locations within the work area. The task assignments direct the workers to perform the tasks identified by the task entries in accordance with the task requirements defined by the task entries.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. In electronic circuitry, a method of electronically communicating task information in real time to mobile devices of workers within a work area, the method comprising:
receiving, by the electronic circuitry, task entries which (i) identify tasks in need of attention and (ii) define task requirements for performing the tasks, the electronic circuitry electronically storing the task entries in a multi-field format;
generating, by the electronic circuitry, task assignments based on electronically matching the task entries to worker profiles which (i) identify workers who are available for task assignment and (ii) define worker characteristics of the workers, the electronic circuitry electronically storing the worker profiles in a multi-field format; and
providing, by the electronic circuitry, the task assignments to the workers in real time while the workers are distributed among different locations within the work area, the task assignments directing the workers to perform the tasks identified by the task entries in accordance with the task requirements defined by the task entries;
wherein each of the workers has a respective mobile device constructed and arranged to communicate with the electronic circuitry in a wireless manner,
wherein providing the task assignments to the workers includes (i) wirelessly transmitting, by the electronic circuitry, a respective list of multiple task assignments to the mobile device at least some of the workers, the list of one worker differing from the list of another worker, and (ii) providing a particular task assignment in the lists transmitted to the mobile devices of a subset of the workers, such that the lists provided to the mobile devices of the subset of workers include the same particular task assignment, and
wherein the method further comprises, in response to a first worker of the subset of workers selecting the particular task assignment:
wirelessly receiving, by the electronic circuitry and in real time, an indication from the mobile device of the first worker that the first worker has selected the particular task assignment; and
wirelessly transmitting, to the mobile devices of each of the other workers in the subset of workers in real time, a task removal message, the task removal message directing each mobile device receiving the task removal message to remove the particular task assignment from the list of task assignments on the respective mobile device,
the method thereby transmitting and updating work lists in real time to workers dispersed across the work area,

wherein the workers have mobile devices, and wherein providing the task assignments to the workers while the workers are distributed among different locations within the work area includes conveying, by the electronic circuitry, the task assignments to the mobile devices of the first subset of the employees in a wireless manner while the workers are distributed among different locations within the work area,
wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, by the electronic circuitry, GPS data from the mobile devices of the workers while the workers are distributed among different locations within the work area, and
based on the GPS data from the mobile devices of the workers, updating the worker characteristics defined by the worker profiles in real time to indicate current locations of the workers identified by the worker profiles,

wherein each worker profile defines, as a worker characteristic, a current worker location of a respective worker identified by that worker profile;
wherein each task entry defines, as a task requirement, a task location for a respective task identified by that task entry; and
wherein generating the task assignments based on matching the task entries to worker profiles includes creating a particular task assignment which assigns a particular task to a particular worker only when a distance between a current worker location of the particular worker, as indicated by the GPS data received from the mobile device of the current worker, and a task location for the particular task is less than a predetermined distance threshold.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein each worker profile defines (i) a current worker location of a respective worker identified by that worker profile as a first worker characteristic and (ii) a current worker capacity of the respective worker identified by that worker profile as a second worker characteristic;
wherein each task entry defines, as a task requirement, a task location for a respective task identified by that task entry; and
wherein generating the task assignments based on matching the task entries to worker profiles includes allocating task assignments among the workers based on both current worker location and current worker capacity to efficiently load balance the task assignments among the workers.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein each worker profile defines, as a worker characteristic, a current skill of a respective worker identified by that worker profile;
wherein each task entry defines, as a task requirement, a task qualification for a respective task identified by that task entry; and
wherein generating the task assignments based on matching the task entries to worker profiles includes creating a particular task assignment which assigns a particular task to a particular worker only when the current skill of the particular worker, as indicated by the work profile identifying that particular worker, satisfies the task qualification for the particular task.

4. A method as in claim 3 wherein the current skill of the particular worker satisfies the task qualification for the particular task only when the worker profile identifying the particular worker indicates that the particular worker has a level of work experience which is greater than a required level of work experience, as indicated by the task qualification for the particular task.

5. A method as in claim 3 wherein the current skill of the particular worker satisfies the task qualification for the particular task only when the worker profile identifying the particular worker indicates that the particular worker has completed a particular training course, as indicated by the task qualification for the particular task, within a recent predefined period of time.

6. A method as in claim 1 wherein each task entry defines, as a task requirement, a task priority to indicate a level of importance for a respective task identified by that task entry; and
wherein generating the task assignments based on matching the task entries to worker profiles includes creating the task assignments for more important tasks ahead of task assignments for less important tasks based on the task priority of each task entry.

7. A method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
after providing the task assignments to the workers, receiving new task entries identifying new tasks;
generating new task assignments based on matching the new task entries to the worker profiles; and
providing the new task assignments to the workers while the workers remain distributed among different locations within the work area.

8. A method as in claim 1 wherein the work area includes a factory floor;
wherein the worker profiles identify, as the workers who are available for task assignment, skilled technicians who are deployed among different equipment stations on the factory floor, the different equipment stations being constructed and arranged to assemble and test products prior to shipping; and
wherein receiving the task entries includes acquiring requests, from the different equipment stations, for attention by the skilled technicians.

9. A method as in claim 1 wherein the work area includes a health

Assignees

• Emc Corp
• Emc Ip Holding Co Llc

Inventors

• Kelly Thomas J
• Carmody John R
• Twomey Kevin P
• Smith Frank T

Classifications

• G06Q10/06313

  Resource planning in a project environment · CPC title

• G06Q10/063116

  Schedule adjustment for a person or group · CPC title

• H04L65/403

  Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) · CPC title

• G06Q10/063112 Primary

  Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task · CPC title

• H04L67/22

  Electricity · mapped topic