Assigning tangible assets to workplaces

• US 20060155630A1
• Filed: 01/10/2006
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Giese, Bettina, Sonnleithner, Mirjam
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A method for assigning tangible assets to workplaces includes receiving input data provided at an input interface, the input data including information about a situation that requires to update a structure of current assignments of specific tangible assets to specific workplaces, selecting, dependent upon the information of the received input data, a workplace profile from a profile database, wherein the workplace profile corresponds to a workplace type and includes a predefined set of asset types, of which types specific tangible assets can be to be assigned to a specific workplace of the workplace type, retrieving, from an assignment database, assignment data including information about the current assignment structure, comparing the selected workplace profile with the retrieved assignment data, determining an update proposal for updating the current assignment structure, and providing output data to an output interface, the output data including information about the update proposal.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for assigning tangible assets to workplaces, the method comprising:

receiving input data provided at an input interface of a computer system, the input data comprising information about a situation that requires to update a structure of current assignments of specific tangible assets to specific workplaces;

selecting, dependent upon the information of the received input data, a workplace profile from a profile database, wherein the workplace profile corresponds to a workplace type and includes a predefined set of asset types, of which types specific tangible assets are to be assigned to a specific workplace of the workplace type;

retrieving, from an assignment database, assignment data comprising information about the current assignment structure;

comparing the selected workplace profile with the retrieved assignment data;

determining an update proposal for updating the current assignment structure; and

providing output data to an output interface of the computer system, the output data comprising information about the update proposal.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the update proposal comprises a proposal for performing an action with at least one of the specific tangible assets, and wherein the output data comprises information about the action.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising receiving by the computer system, in response to the output data, response input data comprising an acceptance or rejection of at least part of the update proposal.

4. The computer-implemented of claim 3 further comprising actually updating the current assignment structure by the computer system.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein actually updating the current assignment structure comprises adding, by the computer system, to the current assignment structure a reservation for assigning a specific tangible asset to a specific workplace.

6. The computer-implemented method according of claim 5 further comprising the actually performing the action with at least one of the specific tangible assets.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein the update proposal comprises at least two sub-proposals, of which a first one is directed to a different user of the computer system than a second one.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein determining the update proposal is based upon computer-implemented methods for minimizing costs and/or investments of performing actions related to tangible assets in accordance with the updating of the current assignment structure, while the updating satisfies the requirement by the situation.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 wherein the input data comprise data representing a role of a person in an organization and wherein selecting comprises selecting a workplace profile linked to the role.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein the input data comprise data representing a start of the role of the person, and wherein the situation requires specific tangible assets to be assigned to the person at the time of the start of the role.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein the input data comprise data representing a termination of the role of the person, and wherein the situation requires specific tangible assets to be reassigned from the person at the time of the termination of the role.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein the input data comprise data representing a group of persons and wherein selecting comprises selecting a workplace profile linked to the group of persons.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein the input data comprise data representing an activity and wherein selecting comprises selecting a workplace profile linked to the activity.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein the input data comprise data representing a location and wherein selecting comprises selecting a workplace profile linked to the location.

15. A computer system for assigning tangible assets to workplaces, the system comprising:

an input interface for receiving input data comprising information about a situation that requires to update a structure of current assignments of specific tangible assets to specific workplaces;

an output interface for providing output data;

This overlapping range is indicated by an angle range θ

1 as shown in FIG. workplace type and includes a predefined set of asset types, of which types specific tangible assets are to be assigned to a specific workplace of the workplace type;

an assignment database for storing assignment data comprising information about the current assignment structure; and

short of the upper limit angle of the angle range θ

1, which is determined by interface, the profile database and the assignment database, for selecting a workplace profile from the profile database dependent upon the information of the received input data, range θ

1 corresponds to the intermediate stage of the valve 101. profile with the retrieved assignment data, determining a proposal for updating the current assignment structure, and providing output data to the output interface, the output data comprising information about the update proposal.

16. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for assigning tangible assets to workplaces, the computer program product being operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive input data provided at an input interface, the input data comprising information about a situation that requires to update a structure of current assignments of specific tangible assets to specific workplaces;

select, dependent upon the information of the received input data, a workplace profile from a profile database, wherein the workplace profile corresponds to a workplace type and includes a predefined set of asset types, of which types specific tangible assets are to be assigned to a specific workplace of the workplace type;

retrieve, from an assignment database, assignment data comprising information about the current assignment structure;

compare the selected workplace profile with the retrieved assignment data;

determine an update proposal for updating the current assignment structure; and

provide output data to an output interface, the output data comprising information about the update proposal.

17. Apparatus for assigning tangible assets to workplaces, the apparatus comprising digital circuitry configured to perform the following actions:

receive input data provided at an input interface, the input data comprising information about a situation that requires to update a structure of current assignments of specific tangible assets to specific workplaces;

select, dependent upon the information of the received input data, a workplace profile from a profile database, wherein the workplace profile corresponds to a workplace type and includes a predefined set of asset types, of which types specific tangible assets are to be assigned to a specific workplace of the workplace type;

retrieve, from an assignment database, assignment data comprising information about the current assignment structure;

compare the selected workplace profile with the retrieved assignment data;

determine an update proposal for updating the current assignment structure; and

provide output data to an output interface, the output data comprising information about the update proposal.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus comprises a programmable processor and the apparatus is configured by instructions stored in a memory for execution by the processor.