Methods, apparatus, and systems for dispatching service technicians
US8612276B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 4, 2010 |
| Grant date | Dec 17, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 13, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06Q10/06311
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Scheduling of activities for field service technicians may be improved by modifying availability constraints associated with appointment windows for activities. Activities may be scheduled based on a performance deadline and relevant shift times of the resources to whom the activity may be allocated, as well as a variety of parameters relating to activities, resources and/or relevant environmental conditions (e.g., weather, traffic). An activity may be moved from one calendar day to another, a location constraint at the beginning and/or the end of a technician's shift may be removed or modified, and/or information updates may be provided in real time or near real time (e.g., every five minutes or less) throughout a work day to facilitate scheduling. In one example for scheduling dispatch of locate technicians for locate operations, ticket information relating to locate request tickets, as well as resource information relating to available technicians, may be extracted from a ticket database and a resource/technician database to provide appropriate inputs to a scheduling engine, based at least in part on matching available resources to performance deadlines associated with locate re…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.