Computer method and apparatus for vessel selection and optimization

US6983186B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Aspen Technology, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Girish Navani · Shrewsbury, US
• Barry H. Cohn · Sugar Land, US
• Michael P. Evans · Cambridge, US
• Donald A. Dietrich · Wenham, US
• Michael David Allen · Houston, US
• Charles Chapman Moore · Hopkinton, US
• Linus Hakimattar · Southborough, US
• Stephen Doyle · Ennis, IE
• Wayne Bartel · Houston, US
• Nigel Paul Johnson · Duxbury, US
• Khaled Zayadine · Farnborough, GB
• Ken Rosen · Andover, US
• Vladimir Mahalec · Sudbury, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 7, 2001
• Grant date: Jan 3, 2006
• Expiry date: Oct 21, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q40/04
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Currently lacking are effective and accurate tools to help petroleum traders and logistics personnel to make better decisions, collaborate in real-time and negotiate deals in a private and secure environment. The present invention addresses this and other needs in the industry.In particular, the present invention provides a non-client computer resident method optimizes vessel scheduling by aggregating vessel information. At least some of the vessel information is automatically downloaded from an electronic source. The aggregated vessel information is stored in a vessel information database comprising vessel information database records. Information is obtained about a potential vessel contracting transaction. The vessel information database is searched in a real-time manner to match the potential vessel contracting transaction to at least one of the vessel information database records such that the vessel contracting transaction is optimized. At least one of the optimized vessel contracting transactions is then reported. Optimization factors used to produce the optimized vessel contracting transactions include lowest cost and fastest delivery.