Work management support method and work management support system which use sensor nodes

• US 20070083283A1
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Moriwaki, Norihiko, Yano, Kazuo, Ara, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 7,366,579 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/111
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/10 together with the recording, indicating or registering of other data, e.g. of signs of identity

Abstract

A system which strengthens cooperation among workers in a business organization through flexible real-time communications and also allows interactive real-time data communications between the head of the organization (manager) and workers, thereby promoting communications within the organization and increasing productivity. The system holds: a commitment list which stores information on workers and work categories in which they are engaged, and a relation list which correlates sensing results with work categories in which they are engaged. A worker and work in which he/she is engaged are identified based on sensing result data and this is reflected in the commitment list data, and another worker related to the work is identified and the identified worker is notified of the work.

Claims

1. A work management support system which manages work progress based on worker status information, comprising:

a server with a commitment list storing at least information on work categories and workers relevant to the work categories in a correlative manner; and

a sensor node which senses the status of a worker and notifies the server of the sensed status information,

wherein if the server finds from the received status information on the worker that the worker is at work, the server updates information on progress of a work category correlated with the worker in the commitment list.

2. The work management support system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the commitment list stores information on a plurality of workers relevant to a specific work category;

and

wherein the server decides based on the status information on the plural workers whether the workers are doing the same work and if it decides that they are doing the same work, it updates information on progress of a work category correlated with the plural workers.

3. The work management support system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the server further has a relation list which stores information on work categories and keywords related to the work categories in a correlative manner;

and

wherein if, based on status information sent from the sensor node, a keyword is extracted from a conversation or document relevant to the work which the worker is doing, the server updates the information on progress of the work.

4. The work management support system as claimed in claim 3,

wherein the server further has an interest list storing a keyword related to a worker in a correlative manner;

and

wherein if a keyword correlated with a first worker included in the interest list coincides with a keyword extracted in relation to a second worker, the second worker notifies the first worker, the name of which is stored correlatively with the keyword, of the work which the second worker is doing.

5. The work management support system as claimed in claim 3,

wherein the server further has an interest list storing a keyword related to a worker in a correlative manner;

and

wherein if a keyword correlated with a first worker included in the interest list coincides with a keyword extracted in relation to a second worker, information on the first worker, the name of which is stored correlatively with the keyword, is sent to the second worker.

6. The work management support system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the server holds a history of work which it decides that a worker is doing and outputs such a history for each such worker.

7. The work management support system as claimed in claim 2,

wherein the server holds a history of work which it decides that a worker is doing and outputs such a history for each such worker.

8. The work management support system as claimed in claim 3,

wherein the server holds a history of work which it decides that a worker is doing and outputs such a history for each such worker.

9. A work management support method which manages work progress based on information on the status of each worker in a work management support system comprising a server and a sensor node for sensing the status of a worker, comprising:

storing at least information on work categories and workers relevant to the work categories in a commitment list in a correlative manner;

sending the sensed status information from the sensor node to the server; and

updating information on progress of a work category correlated with the worker in the commitment list if the server finds from the received status information on the worker that the worker is at work.

10. The work management support method as claimed in claim 9,

wherein the commitment list stores information on a plurality of workers relevant to a specific work category;

and

wherein the server decides based on the status information on the plural workers whether the workers are doing the same work and if it decides that they are doing the same work, it updates information on progress of a work category correlated with the plural workers.

11. The work management support method as claimed in claim 9,

wherein the server further has a relation list which stores information on work categories and keywords related to the work categories;

and

wherein if, based on status information sent from the sensor node, a keyword is extracted from a conversation or document relevant to the work which the worker is doing, the server updates the information on progress of the work.

12. The work management support method as claimed in claim 11,

wherein the server further has an interest list storing a keyword related to a worker in a correlative manner;

and

wherein if a keyword correlated with a first worker in the interest list coincides with a keyword extracted in relation to a second worker, the second worker notifies the first worker, the name of which is stored correlatively with the keyword, of the work which the second worker is doing.

13. The work management support method as claimed in claim 11,

wherein the server further has an interest list storing a keyword related to a worker in a correlative manner;

and

wherein if a keyword correlated with a first worker included in the interest list coincides with a keyword extracted in relation to a second worker, information on the first worker, the name of which is stored correlatively with the keyword, is sent to the second worker.

14. The work management support method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

holding a history of work which a worker is found to be doing; and

outputting such a history for each such worker.

15. The work management support method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

holding a history of work which a worker is found to be doing; and

outputting such a history for each such worker.

16. The work management support method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

holding a history of work which a worker is found to be doing; and

outputting such a history for each such worker.