Automated real-time appointment control by continuously updating resources for possible rescheduling of existing appointments

• US 7,472,181 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property
• Inventors: Hollinger, Mary F., Allen, Diana S.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US09/896,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20030005124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,741 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/218, 705/2, 705 5- 8, 701/201
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

An appointment control system provides high speed, real-time appointment setting capabilities. The sequential processing of service orders and a continuously updated dispatch database, ensure appointment setting reliability, in that there is little opportunity for overbooking technician network resources. The appointment control system, thereby, minimizes the occurrence of missed and rescheduled appointments. In the event a technician network resource is reduced, the dispatch database can be instantly modified to reflect the change. The appointment control system is configured to automatically recognize a modification in the dispatch database and to transmit notices to appointment setters that appointments utilizing that technician network resource must be changed. Where possible, the appointment control system will automatically reassign such appointments to other available technician network resources, without requiring the involvement of the appointment negotiators.

Claims

1. A computerized appointment setting system for assigning a service order to a network resource, comprising:

an appointment negotiator operative to

receive a service order from a customer, the service order comprising a requested appointment time; and

deliver an appointment confirmation or an appointment rejection to the customer;

a dispatch database comprising a technician and an appointments table, the dispatch database operative to maintain a dispatch database record of appointments previously assigned to a network resource; and

an appointment control system operative to

receive the service order from the appointment negotiator;

receive updated availability and capacity information associated with the network resource;

determine whether the network resource can fulfill the service order based on the updated availability and capacity information;

assign a requested appointment associated with the service order to the network resource and send an appointment confirmation to the appointment negotiator, in response to a determination that the network resource can fulfill the service order;

continuously update the dispatch database to determine whether a change has occurred to the dispatch database record associated with the network resource;

determine whether the change affects the appointment associated with the service order, in response to a determination that a change to the dispatch database record associated with the network resource has occurred;

determine whether another network resource from the technician table is qualified to fulfill the service order and is available at the requested appointment time, in response to a determination that the change affects the appointment associated with the service order;

if another qualified network resource is available to fulfill the service order at the requested appointment time, automatically reassign the appointment to the other qualified network resource without requiring the involvement of the appointment negotiator;

notify the appointment negotiator to reschedule the service order, in response to a determination that no other qualified network resource is available to fulfill the service order at the requested appointment time, wherein the appointment negotiator contacts the customer to reschedule the service order at an alternative appointment time; and

automatically reassign the requested appointment associated with the service order to another network resource in order to fulfill the requested appointment at the alternative appointment time, in response to notifying the appointment negotiator to reschedule the service order and the appointment negotiator contacting the customer.

2. The appointment setting system of claim 1, wherein the appointment control system is a computer-implemented system that is electronically accessible by the appointment negotiator.

3. The appointment setting system of claim 1, wherein the dispatch database record is an electronic record comprising a network resource schedule.

4. The appointment setting system of claim 1, wherein the dispatch database record is an electronic record comprising a set of tasks to which the network resource can be assigned.

5. The appointment setting system of claim 1, wherein the dispatch database further comprises appointments assigned to the another network resource.

6. The appointment setting system of claim 1, wherein the appointment control system is further operative to deliver the appointment rejection to the appointment negotiator, in response to a determination that the network resource cannot fulfill the service order.

7. The appointment setting system of claim 1, wherein the appointment control system is further operative to receive the service order from a third party through a third party gateway.

8. The appointment setting system of claim 1, wherein if the appointment cannot be reassigned, rescheduling the service order.

9. A computerized method for setting an appointment, the method comprising:

receiving a service order from an appointment negotiator, the service order comprising a requested appointment time;

receiving updated availability and capacity information associated with a network resource from a dispatch database comprising a technician table and an appointments table, wherein the dispatch database is configured to maintain real time availability and capacity information associated with a plurality of network resources;

determining whether the network resource can fulfill the service order based on the updated availability and capacity information;

sending an appointment rejection to the appointment negotiator, in response to a determination that the network resource cannot fulfill the service order;

sending an appointment confirmation to the appointment negotiator and assigning a requested appointment associated with the service order to the network resource for completion of the requested appointment, in response to a determination that the network resource can fulfill the service order;

continuously updating the dispatch database to reflect a reduction in a capacity value associated with the network resource, in response to sending the appointment confirmation;

determining whether availability of the network resource has changed;

if the availability of the network resource has changed, then determining whether the change affects the appointment associated with the service order;

if the change affects the appointment associated with the service order, then determining whether another network resource is qualified to fulfill the service order and is available at the requested appointment time;

if another qualified network resource is available to fulfill the service order at the recuested appointment time, automatically reassign the appointment to the other qualified network resource without requiring the involvement of the appointment negotiator

no other qualified network resource is available to fulfill the service order at the requested appointment time, then notifying the appointment negotiator to reschedule the service order, wherein the appointment negotiator contacts a customer requesting the service order to reschedule the service order at an alternative appointment time; and

automatically reassigning the appointment to another network resource to fulfill completion of the requested appointment at the alternative appointment time in response to notifying the appointment negotiator to reschedule the service order and the appointment negotiator contacting the customer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the service order comprises the requested appointment time, an appointment location, and a service task.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether a network resource can fulfill the service order comprises accessing the dispatch database to determine whether the network resource is qualified to perform the service task.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether a network resource can fulfill the service order comprises accessing the dispatch database to determine whether the network resource can be near the appointment location approximatelly at the requested appointment time.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether a network resource can fulfill the service order comprises accessing the dispatch database to determine whether the network resource is committed to another service order at the requested appointment time.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein updating a dispatch database to reflect a reduction in a capacity value associated with the network resource comprises modifying a dispatch database record to indicate a commitment of the network resource to perform the service task at the requested appointment time and at the appointment location.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising delivering the appointment rejection to the appointment negotiator, in response to a determination that the change affects the appointment associated with the service order.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving the service order from a third party, via a third party gateway.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein if the appointment cannot be reassigned, rescheduling the service order.

18. A computerized method for setting an appointment, the method comprising:

receiving a service order from an appointment negotiator, the service order comprising a requested appointment time;

determining whether a network resource can fulfill the service order, by checking the records of a dispatch database for updated availability and capacity information associated with the network resource, wherein the dispatch database comprises a technician table and an appointments table and is configured to maintain real time availability and capacity information associated with a plurality of network resources;

sending an appointment rejection to the appointment negotiator, in response to a determination that the network resource cannot fulfill the service order;

sending an appointment confirmation to the appointment negotiator, in response to a determination that the network resource can fulfill the service order according to a requested appointment time;

assigning the appointment to the network resource based on the requested appointment, wherein the appointment is scheduled for the network resource;

updating the dispatch database record to reflect the assignment of the appointment to the network resource, in response to sending the appointment confirmation;

continuously determining whether a change has occurred to the dispatch database record;

determining whether the change affects the appointment, in response to a determination that the change has occurred to the dispatch database record;

determining whether another network resource from the technician table is qualified to fulfill the service order and is available at the requested appointment time, in response to a determination that the change affects the appointment associated with the service order;

if another qualified network resource is available to fulfill the service order at the requested appointment time, automatically reassign the appointment to the other qualified network resource without requiring the involvement of the appointment negotiator

notifying the appointment negotiator to reschedule the service order, in response to a determination that no other qualified network resource is available to fulfill the service order at the requested appointment time, wherein the appointment negotiator contacts a customer requesting the service order to reschedule the service order at an alternative appointment time; and

automatically reassigning the appointment to another network resource to fulfill the requested appointment at the alternative appointment time, in response to notifying the appointment negotiator to reschedule the service order and the appointment negotiator contacting the customer.