Method and apparatus for workforce management

• US 10,032,120 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2010
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Collins, Timothy J., Buhrke, Eric R., Massey, Noel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, JEFFREY P
• Application Number:
  US12/892,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20120078388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,856 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A communication system for workforce management is formed of a system controller managing a plurality of badges associated with workplace devices and employees within the workplace. The controller receives event indicators from the badges. These event indicators are analyzed by the controller to determine whether a task should be created and performed by at least one of the workplace devices and/or at least one of the employees. Task lists and device assignments are dynamically updated in response to current workplace conditions.

Claims

1. A method for management of electronic workplace devices in a workforce environment, comprising:

assigning, by a system controller, permissions to a first electronic badge to control a first electronic workplace device without human intervention and provide a first resource status report for the first electronic workplace device to the system controller;

assigning, by the system controller, permissions to a second electronic badge to control a second electronic workplace device without human intervention and provide a second resource status report for the second electronic workplace device to the system controller;

receiving, at the system controller, the first resource status report from the first electronic badge in the workforce environment and the second resource status report from the second electronic badge in the workforce environment, each of the first electronic badge and the second electronic badge comprising one or more of a sensor and an input device, the sensor configured to determine one or more of a state of the respective electronic workplace device and an environment of the respective electronic workplace device, the input device configured to receive data associated with one or more of the state of the respective electronic workplace device and the environment of the respective electronic workplace device;

receiving, at the system controller, one or more of a badge sensor alert and a request from the first badge, the one or more of the badge sensor alert and the request based on the permissions, sensor data and input device data received at the first badge;

generating, at the system controller, a first task associated with the first electronic workplace device based on one or more of the badge sensor alert and the request;

in response to determining that implementation of the first task will cause resource usage at the first electronic workplace device to stay below a resource threshold, sending, by the system controller, a first command to the first badge to cause the first electronic workplace device to execute the first task; and

in response to determining that implementation of the first task will cause the resource usage at the first electronic workplace device to exceed the resource threshold,

sending, by the system controller, a second command to the first badge to cause the first badge to provide a first indication that the second electronic workplace device is available when the second electronic workplace device is within a predetermined proximity to the first electronic workplace device and when the second electronic workplace device includes a predetermined set of resources, and

adjusting, by the system controller, the first task and sending, by the system controller, a third command to the first badge to cause the first badge to provide a second indication associated with the adjusting of the first task when the second electronic workplace device is not within the predetermined proximity to the first electronic workplace device or when the second electronic workplace device does not include the predetermined set of resources,

the determination of at least one of being within the predetermined proximity and including the predetermined set of resources being based on the resource status report of the first electronic workplace device and the resource status report of the second electronic workplace device,

wherein the badge sensor alert at the first badge is detectable by an external sensor disposed in the workforce environment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that one or more of;

performing the first task will inhibit predetermined workplace performance goals, and that implementation of the first task will cause the resource usage at the respective device to exceed the resource threshold, disabling, by the system controller, the first workplace device associated with the first badge; and

reassigning, by the system controller, the first task to the second badge associated with the second workplace device in response to determining that the first task should be created but not performed by the first workplace device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to determining that the first task should not be created:

reassigning a user of the first workplace device to a different location.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising in response to determining that the task should not be created:

adjusting the first task to a new task.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether performing the first task by the first workplace device will inhibit achieving predetermined workplace performance goals; and

in response to determining that the predetermined workplace performance goals will be inhibited, performing at least one of;

reassigning the first task to the second badge associated with a second workplace device; and

disabling the first workplace device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving one or more of the badge sensor alert and the request comprises one or more of:

providing indicator alerts at the first badge; and

sending resource status reports from the first badge; and

interpreting, at the system controller, the indicator alerts, resource status reports, and requests.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource status report is selected from the group consisting of:

a battery-status, an ink-status, temperature status, humidity status, noise status, pollution status, motion status, RF noise, energy usage.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource status report is received in response to a request by the system controller.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating and storing, at the system controller, an estimated resource status for the first workplace device associated with the first badge;

updating the estimated resource status at the system controller based, at least in part, on the resource status report received from the first badge; and

determining, based at least in part on the estimated resource status for the first device, whether the task should be created for the first workplace device associated with the first badge.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein sending the command to the first badge is based, at least in part, on the estimated resource status of the first badge.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the first task is based, at least in part, on workforce management and operations applications within the controller.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the system controller, workplace device efficiency and user efficiency; and

assigning and re-assigning tasks based on at least one of the determined workplace device efficiency and user efficiency.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating a plurality of non-badge workplace devices within the workplace;

receiving, at the system controller, an event indicator from at least one badge of the plurality of badges; and

conveying the event indicator to at least one of the non-badge workplace devices.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, at the system controller, an event indicator from at least one non-badge workplace device; and

conveying the event indicator from the at least one non-badge workplace device to at least one badge associated with a workplace device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the system controller, one or more of the badge sensor alert and the request comprises:

receiving, at the system controller, requests for workplace device changes and task changes from the first badge; and

interpreting, at the system controller, the requests for the workplace device changes and the task changes.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the task by the first workplace device.

17. A system for managing electronic workplace devices comprising:

a first electronic workplace device associated with a first electronic badge;

a second electronic workplace device associated with a second electronic badge;

each of the first and second electronic badges comprising one or more of a sensor and an input device and configured to determine one or more of a state and an environment of the respectively associated electronic workplace device; and

a system controller configured to assign permissions to each of the first and second electronic badges and to receive a notice from each of the first and second electronic badges, the notice based on one or more of the permissions, the state, and the environment of the respectively associated electronic workplace device,

wherein the system controller is further configured to generate, based on the notice, a first task associated with the first electronic workplace device, determine whether resource usage required by the first task at the first electronic workplace device exceeds a resource threshold, and, in response to a determination of not exceeding the threshold, send a first command to the first electronic badge to cause the first electronic device to execute the first task, and

wherein the system controller is further configured to, in response to a determination of exceeding the threshold,

send a second command to the first badge to cause the first badge to provide a first indication that the second electronic workplace device is available when the second electronic workplace device is within a predetermined proximity to the first electronic workplace device and when the second electronic workplace device includes a predetermined set of resources, and

adjust the first task and send a third command to the first badge to cause the first badge to provide a second indication associated with the adjusting of the first task when the second electronic workplace device is not within the predetermined proximity to the first electronic workplace device or when the second electronic workplace device does not include the predetermined set of resources,

the determination of at least one of being within the predetermined proximity and including the predetermined set of resources being based on a resource status report of the first electronic workplace device and a resource status report of the second electronic workplace device.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the notice is at least one of a badge sensor alert and a request.