Method and program for assisting a worker in charge of operations

• US 20040220847A1
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Ogushi, Shoji, Kojima, Masanori
• Application Number:
  US10/683,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20040220847A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A management server stores information on necessary parts and a method for a task in individual memory sections based on reception information received from a client. Information on the parts needed for a task is transmitted to a transport vehicle terminal carried by a transport person in the case where the necessary parts are loaded on the transport vehicle. In the case where a worker in charge has no further tasks that have been accepted, the worker calls up a work request list showing reception numbers, machine types and so forth from the management server. The worker selects workable items from the work request list and sends a command to update information in the individual memory sections in the management server to the management server via a worker terminal.

Claims

1. A method of using a computer system to assist a worker in deciding whether to accept a work item, the method comprising:

storing reception information representing a work request received from a client in a memory device of the computer system;

extracting work items which have not been accepted by the worker from the reception information and sending the extracted work items to a worker terminal used by the worker;

receiving acceptance information corresponding to work items selected by the worker from the unaccepted work items; and

storing information on the worker in the memory device based on the acceptance information.

2. A method of using a computer system to assist a worker who goes to a work place to perform work, in deciding whether to accept a work item, the method comprising:

storing reception information representing a work request received from a client in a memory device;

sending work items in the reception information, which have not been accepted by the worker, to a worker terminal used by the worker;

receiving acceptance information corresponding to work items selected by the worker from the unaccepted work items; and

storing information on the worker in the memory device based on the acceptance information.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising sending necessary-part information including identifiers for parts necessary for a work item discriminated from the reception information and a quantity of the necessary parts to either the worker terminal or a transport person terminal used by a transport person who transports parts to the work place.

4. The method according to claim 3, further including discriminating necessary parts and a work method required for a work item based on the reception information, wherein the information on the worker is equivalent to the necessary-part information and the work method.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the reception information includes a progress identifier indicating a work status of the worker and the method further includes:

extracting work items including the progress identifier before acceptance from the reception information; and

sending the work items including the progress identifier before acceptance to the worker terminal.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the work items to be sent to the worker terminal includes at least one of information on a type of a machine to be a work target, information on a time length expected to be needed for a work item, information on a designated worker, information on whether a work item is urgent or not, and information on parts to be transported by a transport person.

7. The method according to claim 2, further including sending information capable of specifying a location of a worker and a work place, acquired by a position detecting mechanism, to the worker terminal.

8. The method according to claim 2, further comprising a worker identifier, which is an identifier of the worker who has sent the acceptance information into the reception information.

9. The method according to claim 2, further comprising setting a progress identifier for the worker stored in the reception information based on acceptance information as having been received.

10. The method according to claim 2, further comprising sending received-part information on parts transported by a transport person and received by the worker at the work place, to the computer system from the worker terminal.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising updating carried-part information on parts carried by the worker and transported-part information on parts carried by the transport person with the received-part information.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the received-part information is information corresponding to received parts selected from necessary-part information sent to the terminal used by the worker and is sent from the worker terminal and received by the computer system.

13. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

receiving information on work subject matter and used-part information on parts used in a task, sent from the worker terminal, by the computer system at a time when the work is done; and

updating the carried-part information, which is information on parts carried by the worker, by the computer system with used-part information.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the used-part information is information corresponding to used parts selected from information on necessary parts sent to the terminal used by the worker.

15. The method according to claim 2, further comprising setting a progress identifier for the worker stored in the work reception information as indicating completion of a task by receiving work-completion information sent from the worker terminal when the work is done.

16. The method according to claim 2, further comprising sending work technique information on a work method to the worker terminal in response to a work technique information request sent from the terminal used by the worker.

17. The method according to claim 2, wherein the reception information is classified into a category to which the worker belongs and stored in the memory device, and work items are extracted from the reception information corresponding to the category to which the worker belongs and is sent to the worker terminal.

18. The method according to claim 2, wherein ranking of individual work items for displaying the individual work items arranged on the worker terminal is carried out based on priority information corresponding to the reception information.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the ranked individual work items are arranged based on the ranking and the arranged individual work items are sent to the worker terminal.

20. The method according to claim 2, further comprising sending goods information including an identifier of goods discriminated by the reception information, to at least either the worker terminal or a transport person terminal.

21. The method according to claim 3, wherein the necessary-part information is output by an output device connected to the terminal used by the transport person.

22. The method according to claim 3, wherein the necessary-part information or information on used parts is output by an output device connected to the worker terminal.

23. A computer recording medium having recorded computer program instructions which assist a worker in deciding whether to accept a work item when executed by a computer system, the computer program instructions having a plurality of steps for execution by the computer system and comprising:

storing reception information representing a work request received from a client;

extracting work items which have not been accepted by a worker in charge of a work from the reception information;

sending the extracted work items to a worker terminal used by the worker;

receiving acceptance information corresponding to work items selected by the worker and sent from the worker terminal; and

storing information on the worker in a memory device based on the acceptance information.

24. A computer recording medium on which computer program instructions are recorded and which are used to assist a worker who goes to a work place and to perform work, in deciding whether to accept a work item, the computer program instruction having a plurality of steps for execution by a computer system and comprising:

storing reception information representing a work request received from a client;

sending work items in the reception information which have not been accepted by a worker in charge of a work to a worker terminal used by the worker;

receiving acceptance information corresponding to work items selected by the worker and sent from the worker terminal; and

storing information on the worker in a memory device based on the acceptance information.

25. The computer recording medium according to claim 24, wherein the computer program instructions further comprise sending necessary-part information including identifiers for parts necessary for a work item discriminated from the reception information and a quantity of the necessary parts to either the terminal used by the worker or a transport person terminal used by a transport person who transports parts to the work place.

26. The computer recording medium according to claim 24, wherein the computer program instructions further comprise discriminating necessary parts and a work method required for a work item based on the reception information and storing the necessary-part information and information on the work method in the memory device, at the stage of storing the reception information.