Engineer assignment method

• US 20040107126A1
• Filed: 10/01/2003
• Published: 06/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kataoka, Kenji, Koizumi, Minoru, Ebata, Tomoichi, Sasaki, Toshiichirou
• Application Number:
  US10/678,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20040107126A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group

Abstract

A key of a building and a tool may be required for responding to various incidents that occur in targets to be processed. The maintenance engineer closest to the target mat not carry the key and tool. Optimum selection of the maintenance engineer cannot be achieved with current locations of the maintenance engineer candidates and of the target. Location information on a key and tool required for processing an incident that occurs in a target to be processed is managed. Additionally, when at least one maintenance engineer who processes the incident is selected, in accordance with a predetermined rule that location information on the maintenance engineer candidates, on the target, and on the key and tool required for the process request should be considered to select at least one maintenance engineer who processes the incident, the maintenance engineer is selected.

Claims

1. An engineer assignment method for selecting an engineer who processes an incident occurring in a target to be processed, comprising:

transmitting a process request to a management device from the target to be processed;

managing information referenced by a predetermined rule used for selecting an engineer using the management device; and

selecting, in response to the process request, the engineer in accordance with the predetermined rule,

wherein the predetermined rule refers to location information on engineer candidates, on the target to be processed that transmits the process request, and on an object required for the process request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined rule refers further to information on tools carried by the engineer candidates, and on a tool required to process the incident.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein information on a tool required to process the incident is contained in the process request.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeatedly obtaining location information on the target to be processed or location information on the object when the target to be processed or the object move using the management device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined rule refers to a process status representing whether the engineer candidates are on standby.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined rule refers also to a prediction time of process completion by an engineer who is processing another incident.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the predetermined rule refers to location information on engineer candidates and location information on a target to be processed to cause the management device to select at least one engineer.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the predetermined rule refers to location information on the selected engineer and location information on the object to cause the management device to select further at least one engineer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the management device manages process history of engineer candidates, and wherein the method further comprising:

referring to the process histories of the engineer candidates to judge whether information used for the selected engineer to process the incident is necessary, and

transmitting the information used to process the incident to the selected engineer when the information is necessary.