Collaborative adjustment of resources within a managed environment

• US 10,394,199 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2015
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Della Corte, Gianluca, Donatelli, Alessandro, Sgro, Antonio M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/751,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20160378081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/00 Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/10 movable, e.g. dampers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/30 Velocity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/20 Feedback from users
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 13/00 Voting apparatus

Abstract

A method for adjusting a resource within an area utilizing voting by users. The method includes a computer processor receiving a request from one or more of the users to adjust a resource. The method further includes generating a voting poll for the resource. The method further includes communicating the generated voting poll to a plurality of users, wherein the plurality of users includes the one or more users. The method further includes identifying valid responses to the communicated voting poll based on a first policy related to the resource. The method further includes determining a response to the voting poll, wherein the response is based, at least in part, on the first policy related to the resource and aggregated valid responses of the voting poll. The method further includes applying the determined response to the resource.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting a resource within an area utilizing voting by users, the method comprising:

determining, by one or more computer processors, that a value corresponding to one or more of users requesting to adjust a resource associated with an area meets a threshold value to qualify as a quorum of users, wherein the quorum of users are located within an area affected by the request to adjust the resource, and wherein the quorum of users are determined based on a location associated with the one or more users requesting to adjust the resource;

in response to determining that the quorum of users, located within the area affected by the request to adjust the resource, requests to adjust the resource associated with the area, generating, by one or more computer processors, a voting poll for the resource associated with the area;

communicating, by one or more computer processors, the generated voting poll to a plurality of users within the area affected by the request to adjust the resource;

identifying, by one or more computer processors, valid responses to the communicated voting poll based on a first policy related to the resource associated with the area;

determining, by one or more processors, a response to the voting poll, wherein the response is based at least in part on the first policy related to the resource and aggregated valid responses of the voting poll; and

applying, by one or more computer processors, the determined response to the resource associated with the area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the value that qualifies as the quorum of users is based on one or more criteria selected from the group consisting of a policy associated with an area, a resource policy, a government regulation, a safety regulation, and a business policy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource includes defined parameters of at least one of:

temperature, humidity, airflow, lighting, water temperature, and water pressure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying valid responses to the communicated voting poll further comprises:

determining, by one or more computer processors, a location for a user in the plurality of users;

determining, by one or more computer processors, whether the location of the user is within a location threshold to the resource based, at least in part, on a second policy related to the resource; and

responsive to determining that the location of the user is within the location threshold of the second policy, identifying, by one or more computer processors, that a response provided by the user is a valid response.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the location of the user is determined based on a technique selected group consisting of a wireless-based positioning system (WPS), a measured intensity of a received signal associated with a computing device utilized by the user, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip associated with the user, geo-locating information associated with a computing device utilized by the user, and an indoor positioning system (IPS).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying valid responses to the communicated voting poll further comprises:

determining, by one or more computer processors, whether a user in the plurality of users provided a response to the communicated voting poll within a defined time duration based, at least in part, on a third policy related to the resource; and

responsive to determining that the user did provide a response to the communicated voting poll within the defined time duration, identifying, by one or more computer processors, that the response provided by the user is a valid response.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the voting poll for the resource associated with an area further comprises:

creating, by one or more computer processors, a customized voting poll corresponding to one or more groups of users based on the area affected by the request to adjust the resource and a respective location associated with each group of users affected by the request to adjust the resource.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the response to the voting poll further comprises:

determining, by one or more computer processors, an adjustment to the resource based on at least one of;

a weighted average of the aggregated valid responses, an average of the aggregated valid responses, a median value of the aggregated valid responses, a simple majority of the aggregated valid responses, and a fractional majority of the aggregated valid responses.

9. A computer program product for adjusting a resource within an area utilizing voting by users, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to determine that a value corresponding to one or more of users requesting to adjust a resource associated with an area meets a threshold value to qualify as a quorum of users, wherein the quorum of users are located within an area affected by the request to adjust the resource, and wherein the quorum of users are determined based on a location associated with the one or more users requesting to adjust the resource;

program instructions to respond to determining that the quorum of users, located within an area affected by the request to adjust the resource, requests to adjust the resource associated with the area by generating a voting poll for the resource associated with the area;

program instructions to communicate the generated voting poll to a plurality of users within the area affected by the request to adjust the resource;

program instructions to identify valid responses to the communicated voting poll based on a first policy related to the resource associated with the area;

program instructions to determine a response to the voting poll, wherein the response is based at least in part on the first policy related to the resource and aggregated valid responses of the voting poll; and

program instructions to apply the determined response to the resource associated with the area.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the resource includes defined parameters of at least one of:

temperature, humidity, airflow, lighting, water temperature, and water pressure.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein program instruction to identify valid responses to the communicated voting poll further comprises:

program instructions to determine a location for a user in the plurality of users;

program instructions to determine whether the location of the user is within a location threshold to the resource based, at least in part, on a second policy related to the resource; and

program instructions to respond to determining that the location of the user is within the location threshold of the second policy by identifying that a response provided by the user is a valid response.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the location of the user is determined based on a technique selected group consisting of a wireless-based positioning system (WPS), a measured intensity of a received signal associated with a computing device utilized by the user, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip associated with the user, geo-locating information associated with a computing device utilized by the user, and an indoor positioning system (IPS).

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein program instructions to identify valid responses to the communicated voting poll further comprises:

program instructions to determine whether a user in the plurality of users provided a response to the communicated voting poll within a defined time duration based, at least in part, on a third policy related to the resource; and

program instructions to respond to determining that the user did provide a response to the communicated voting poll within the defined time duration by identifying that the response provided by the user is a valid response.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein program instructions to determine the response to the voting poll further comprises:

program instructions to determine an adjustment to the resource based on at least one of;

a weighted average of the aggregated valid responses, an average of the aggregated valid responses, a median value of the aggregated valid responses, a simple majority of the aggregated valid responses, and a fractional majority of the aggregated valid responses.

15. A computer system for adjusting a resource within an area utilizing voting by users, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage media;

program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to determine that a value corresponding to one or more of users requesting to adjust a resource associated with an area meets a threshold value to qualify as a quorum of users, wherein the quorum of users are located within an area affected by the request to adjust the resource, and wherein the quorum of users are determined based on a location associated with the one or more users requesting to adjust the resource;

program instructions to respond to determining that the quorum of users, located within an area affected by the request to adjust the resource, requests to adjust the resource associated with the area by generating a voting poll for the resource associated with the area;

program instructions to communicate the generated voting poll to a plurality of users within the area affected by the request to adjust the resource;

program instructions to identify valid responses to the communicated voting poll based on a first policy related to the resource associated with the area;

program instructions to determine a response to the voting poll, wherein the response is based at least in part on the first policy related to the resource and aggregated valid responses of the voting poll; and

program instructions to apply the determined response to the resource associated with the area.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the resource includes defined parameters of at least one of:

temperature, humidity, airflow, lighting, water temperature, and water pressure.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein program instruction to identify valid responses to the communicated voting poll further comprises:

program instructions to determine a location for a user in the plurality of users;

program instructions to determine whether the location of the user is within a location threshold to the resource based, at least in part, on a second policy related to the resource; and

program instructions to respond to determining that the location of the user is within the location threshold of the second policy by identifying that a response provided by the user is a valid response.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the location of the user is determined based on a technique selected group consisting of a wireless-based positioning system (WPS), a measured intensity of a received signal associated with a computing device utilized by the user, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip associated with the user, geo-locating information associated with a computing device utilized by the user, and an indoor positioning system (IPS).

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein program instructions to identify valid responses to the communicated voting poll further comprises:

program instructions to determine whether a user in the plurality of users provided a response to the communicated voting poll within a defined time duration based, at least in part, a third policy related to the resource; and

program instructions to respond to determining that the user did provide a response to the communicated voting poll within the defined time duration by identifying that the response provided by the user is a valid response.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein program instructions to determine the response to the voting poll further comprises:

program instructions to determine an adjustment to the resource based on at least one of;

a weighted average of the aggregated valid responses, an average of the aggregated valid responses, a median value of the aggregated valid responses, a simple majority of the aggregated valid responses, and a fractional majority of the aggregated valid responses.