Automatic planning and cueing system and method

• US 7,027,996 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2002
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Attention Control Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Attention Control Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Levinson, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Assistant Examiner(s): TARAE, CATHERINE MICHELLE
• Application Number:
  US10/094,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20020194048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 705/9
• US Class Current: 705/7.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06393 Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A method for automatically planning is provided, comprising the steps of receiving a plurality of tasks that a user needs to perform, each task having an earliest start time, a latest stop time, a duration for completing the event and a reward value for completing the event, the tasks including a fixed task having the duration being equal to the time period between the earliest start time and the latest stop time and a floating task having a duration that is less than the time period between the earliest start time and the latest stop time, arranging said fixed task into a plan for the user based on the earliest start time, duration and reward of the fixed task, determining an actual start time for the floating task within the time period between the earliest start time and the latest stop time based on the earliest start time and duration of the fixed task, and arranging said floating task into the plan for the user based on the selected actual start time and the reward of the floating task. A system for automatically planning a series of events into a plan is also provided.

Claims

1. An intelligent planning and cueing system for automatically detecting and correcting plan errors caused by plan changes, comprising:

a computer system comprising an input module, a storage module, an automatic planning module and an output module;

said input module further comprising means for receiving a plurality of task descriptions, each task description describing a task of the user and including a script comprising a programmed sequence of tasks, some tasks in a script having a dependency to another task so that the dependency of the tasks in the script are maintained when a task in the script is delayed, removed, started early or completed early;

said storage module further comprises means for receiving said task descriptions from said input module and means for storing a current plan comprising the plurality of task descriptions;

said planning module further comprising means for immediately correcting plan errors detected in the current plan that occur whenever the plan is modified or the user responds to a cue that causes a plan error that is automatically corrected by the planning module, said plan errors further comprising one or more of missed task deadline, missing, inapplicable, irrelevant, interfering or ineffective tasks in the plan, task sequence or timing of the tasks in the script; and

wherein said plan error correction means further comprises one or more of automatically adding and removing tasks in the plan.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said task includes a goal that is achieved by a plurality of other tasks as determined by one or more of a goal and condition of the task, and wherein said planning module automatically chooses one of said plurality of tasks to achieve said goal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage module further comprises one or more script templates, each script template comprising a plurality of tasks having predetermined dependencies between the tasks and wherein the planning module further comprises means fur adding a script into the current plan wherein each task of the script template and the predetermined dependencies between the tasks of the script template are added into the current plan.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said plan error correction means further comprises means for choosing a different resource to repair a plan error.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said plan error correction means further comprises means for detecting a condition that results in an ineffective task tat is corrected by the system.

6. An intelligent planning and cueing method for automatically detecting and correcting plan errors caused by plan changes in a computer system having an input module, a storage module, an automatic planning module and an output module, comprising:

receiving a plurality of task descriptions at the input module, each task description describing a task of the user and including a script comprising a programmed sequence of tasks, some tasks in a script having a dependency to another task so that the dependency of the tasks in the script are maintained when a task in the script is delayed, removed, started early or completed early,

storing a current plan comprising the plurality of task descriptions;

automatically detecting and immediately correcting plan errors in the current plan that occur whenever the plan is modified or a cue response is received that causes a plan error that is automatically corrected by the planing module, the planning further comprising one or more of the automatic addition and removal of tasks in the current plan, and correcting the sequence or timing of the tasks in the plan to correct errors in the current plan.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said task includes a goal that is achieved by a plurality of other tasks as determined by one or more of a goal and condition of the task, and wherein said planning further comprises automatically choosing one of said plurality of tasks to achieve said goal task.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said plan errors further comprise one or more of missed task deadline, missing or inapplicable task in the plan, task sequence or timing of the tasks in the script.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the task description further comprises one or more script templates, each script template comprising a plurality of tasks having predetermined dependencies between the tasks and wherein the planning further comprises adding a script into the current plan wherein each task of the script template and the predetermined dependencies between the tasks of the script template are added into the current plan.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said error correction further comprises choosing a different resource to repair a plan error.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein said error correction further comprises detecting a condition that results in an inapplicable or ineffective task that is corrected by the system.

12. An intelligent planning and cueing system for dynamically detecting and correcting plan errors caused by plan changes, comprising:

a first electronic system comprising an input module, a storage module, an automatic planning module and an output module for communicating with a second electronic system;

a second electronic system comprising a second input module and a second output module;

said first and second input modules further comprising means for receiving a plurality of task descriptions, each task description describing a task of the user, wherein said task further comprise a script comprising a programmed sequence of tasks wherein a task in the script is comprised of a set of inter-related smaller tasks so that the dependency of the tasks in the script are maintained when a task in the script is added, delayed, removed, started early or completed early;

said storage module further comprises means for receiving said task descriptions from said input module and means for storing a current plan comprising the plurality of task descriptions;

said planning module further comprising means for automatically detecting and immediately correcting errors in the current plan that occur whenever the plan is modified or a cue response is received that causes a plan error that is automatically corrected by the planning module, the automatic detecting and correcting means further comprises one or more of automatically adding, and removing tasks in the plan; and

said second output module further comprising means for presenting the corrected current plan.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the first electronic system comprises a server computer and the second electronic system comprises one or more of a pager, a portable digital assistant, telephone and another software application that executes tasks on behalf of the user.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein data about the plan is communicated from the first electronic system to the second electronic system.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein feedback data is communicated from the second electronic system to the first electronic system.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said tasks further comprise a goal that can be achieved by a plurality of alternative tasks.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein said plan errors further comprises one or more of missed task deadline, missing or inapplicable task in the plan, task sequence or timing of the tasks in the script, and wherein said plan error correction means further comprises one or more of adding, removing, replacing, and reordering tasks in the plan.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the storage module further comprises one or more script templates, each script template comprising a plurality of tasks having predetermined dependencies between the tasks and wherein the planning module further comprises means for adding a script into the current plan wherein each task of the script template and the predetermined dependencies between the tasks of the script template are added into the current plan.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein said plan error correction means further comprises means for choosing a different resource to repair a plan error.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein said plan error correction means further comprises means for detecting a condition that results in an inapplicable or ineffective task that is corrected byte system.

21. An intelligent planning and cueing method for dynamically detecting and correcting plan errors caused by plan changes using a first electronic system comprising an input module, a storage module, an automatic planning module and an output module for communicating with a second electronic system and a second electronic system comprising a second input module and a second output module, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of task descriptions using the first and second input modules, each task description describing a task of the user, wherein said task further comprise one of a script comprising a programmed sequence of tasks or a network of task dependencies so that the dependency of the tasks in the script are maintained when a task in the script is added, delayed, removed, started early or completed early;

storing a current plan comprising the plurality of task descriptions using the storage module;

automatically detecting and immediately correcting errors in the current plan, using the planning module, that occur whenever the plan is modified or a cue response is received that causes a plan error that is automatically corrected by the planning module, the automatic detecting and correcting further comprises one or more of automatically adding and removing tasks in the plan; and

presenting the cue or plan information based on the corrected current plan using the second output module.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first electronic system comprises a server computer and the second electronic system comprises one or more of a pager, a portable digital assistant, telephone and another software application that executes tasks on behalf of the user.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein data about the plan is communicated from the first electronic system to the second electronic system.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein feedback data is communicated from the second electronic system to the first electronic system.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein said tasks further comprise a goal that can be achieved by a plurality of alternative tasks identified through one or more of a goal and condition of the task.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein said plan errors further comprise one or more of missed task deadline, missing or inapplicable task in the plan, task sequence or timing of the tasks in the script and wherein said plan error correction further comprises one or more of adding, removing, replacing, and reordering tasks in the plan.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the task description further comprises one or more script templates, each script template comprising a plurality of tasks having predetermined dependencies between the tasks and wherein the planning further comprises adding a script into the current plan wherein each task of the script template and the predetermined dependencies between the tasks of to script template are added into the current plan.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein said error correction further comprises choosing a different resource to repair a plan error.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein said error correction further comprises detecting a condition that results in an inapplicable or ineffective task tat is corrected by the system.