Appointment and load-leveling system

• US 20040102983A1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David C. Mccreight, Kent R. Carlson
• Original Assignee: David C. Mccreight, Kent R. Carlson
• Inventors: McCreight, David C., Carlson, Kent R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,359,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment

Abstract

A method is provided for scheduling an appointment by a service provider and for load leveling by the service provider. In the context of a vehicle collision repair service provider, the instant invention permits the service provider to balance the intake and outflow of new repair jobs to improve the work flowing through the service provider'"'"'s facility. Through the instant invention, job drop-off slots and job delivery slots are allocated throughout a production period based upon production goals and capacities for the service provider. The program determines a first available drop-off slot for a specific job and presents the slot as a possible schedule option for scheduling the appointment. Load leveling between multiple facilities of a service provider is accomplished by allowing one facility to access the schedule database of an other facility and schedule appointments.

Claims

1. A method of scheduling an appointment, said method comprising the steps of:

estimating a time necessary to complete a job to provide an estimated job time;

calculating through an iterative process a first available job drop-off slot to accommodate said estimated job time;

presenting said first available drop-off slot as an appointment option.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said calculating step further results in at least one alternative drop-off slot to said first available drop-off slot, and wherein said at least one alternative drop-off slot is presented as an other appointment option in said presenting step.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first available drop-off slot is calculated in said calculating step from a current date.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first available drop-off slot is calculated in said calculating step from a user-selected date.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of scheduling said job into said appointment option.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of scheduling said job into a drop-off slot that has not been presented as an appointment option.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

storing data about said job at a storage location; and

accessing said stored data from said storage location for use in said calculating and presenting steps.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said job is a vehicle collision repair job.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of providing an expected delivery date for completion of said job based upon said appointment option.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of allocating job drop-off slots throughout a production period.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 further comprising the step of requiring a job delivery slot corresponding to each allocated job drop-off slot.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein said step of allocating job drop-off slots further comprises the step of distributing said job drop-off slots within said production period to balance evenly a total allotted job drop-off hours and number of jobs dropped-off for each day.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step of calculating a first available drop-off slot further comprises the step of utilizing payment source information for said job to determine whether a specific drop-off slot is available for said job.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step of calculating a first available drop-off slot further comprises the step of applying a supplement factor and/or cycle-time factor to said estimated time necessary to complete said job.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising the step of updating an average supplement factor and/or cycle-time factor based upon information about said job.

16. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein said allocating step results in job drop-off slots of varying size categories, and further comprising the step of classifying said job into one of said size categories based upon said estimated time necessary.

29. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of defining facility capacity by a bottle-neck department.

17. A method of scheduling appointments, said method comprising the steps of:

allocating job drop-off slots throughout a production period;

requiring a job delivery slot correspond to each job drop-off slot; and

scheduling jobs within said job drop-off slots.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein said job drop-off slots include slots of at least two different job-size categories.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18 wherein each of said job delivery slots can accommodate a job of any of said at least two different job-size categories.

20. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein a job delivery slot is provided on the same day as a job drop-off slot to which said job delivery slot corresponds, and wherein said job delivery slot is for a different job than a job of said job drop-off slot.

21. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein said step of allocating job drop-off slots further comprises the step of distributing said job drop-off slots within said production period to balance evenly a total allotted job drop-off hours and number of jobs dropped-off for each day.

22. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprising the steps of:

estimating a delivery date for a job based upon a specific job drop-off slot; and

scheduling said job within said specific job drop-off slot only if a job delivery slot is available on said estimated delivery date.

23. A method of scheduling appointments, said method comprising the steps of:

allocating job drop-off slots throughout a production period;

scheduling jobs within said job drop-off slots;

displaying graphically multiple production days within said production period; and

showing a percentage of drop-off capacity scheduled for a production day through variation of color and/or shading.

24. A method of scheduling appointments, said method comprising the steps of:

creating for a service provider location a schedule database having job drop-off slots of said service provider allocated throughout a production period; and

accessing said schedule database by a location other than said service provider location.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24 wherein said accessing step is performed by a service provider of an other service provider location.

26. The method as claimed in claim 24 wherein said accessing step is performed by a database administrator.

27. A method of scheduling appointments, said method comprising the steps of:

allocating job drop-off slots of varying size categories throughout a production period;

estimating a time necessary to complete a job;

classifying said job into one of said size categories based upon said estimated time necessary;

calculating through an iterative process a first available drop-off slot for said job;

presenting said first available drop-off slot as an appointment option.

28. A method of scheduling appointments, said method comprising the steps of:

allocating job drop-off slots of varying size categories throughout a production period based upon the provider'"'"'s sales goals;

requiring a job delivery slot correspond to each job drop-off slot;

estimating a time necessary to complete a vehicle collision repair job for a customer as an estimated time;

classifying said collision repair job into one of said size categories based upon said estimated time;

selecting a desired drop-off day within said production period and repeating the following steps until at least one appointment option is presented;

if a job drop-off slot of said size category of said job is available on said desired drop-off day, then adding said estimated time to a daily drop-off total hours already scheduled to determine a projected daily drop-off total, and

if said projected daily drop-off total is less than a daily drop-off maximum, then adding said estimated time to a weekly drop-off total hours already scheduled to determine a projected weekly drop-off total, and

if said projected weekly drop-off total is less than a weekly drop-off maximum, then calculating a projected delivery date, and

 

if a delivery slot is available on said projected delivery date, then presenting said desired drop-off day as an appointment option,

 

else proceeding to a next desired drop-off day if a delivery slot is not available on said projected delivery date,

else proceeding to a next desired drop-off day if said projected weekly drop-off total is greater than said weekly drop-off maximum,

else proceeding to a next desired drop-off day if said projected daily drop-off total is greater than said daily drop-off maximum,

else proceeding to a next desired drop-off day if a job drop-off slot of said size category of said job is not available;

permitting said customer to accept or reject said at least one appointment option; and

upon acceptance of said at least one appointment option by said customer, scheduling said job for said appointment option, consuming said drop-off slot of said accepted appointment option, consuming said delivery slot of said projected delivery date of said accepted appointment option, and increasing each of said daily drop-off total and said weekly drop-off total by said estimated time.