Network branch placement tool

• US 7,577,576 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Walter Baechtiger
• Original Assignee: Walter Baechtiger
• Inventors: Baechtiger, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Sterrett; Jonathan G
• Application Number:
  US10/699,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20050096971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,118 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7
• US Class Current: 705/7.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00

Abstract

A method for placing branch locations having the steps of: (a) identifying at least one service provider branch location, (b) identifying at least one service receiver, (c) identifying a measure of service receiver value, (d) calculating the value of each of the service receivers based on the measure of service receiver value, (e) determining which of the service provider branch locations is the closest service provider branch location for each of the service receivers, and (f) determining a probability that each of the service receivers will utilize the closest service provider branch location.

Claims

1. A method for placing branch locations comprising the steps of:

(a) submitting geographical information for a plurality of service provider branch locations to a central processing unit of a computer system, wherein said geographical information comprises an exact or approximate location of each of said service provider branch locations;

(b) identifying a plurality of groups of service receivers from a list of service receivers recorded within or accessible by the central processing unit, and instructing the central processing unit to calculate a population number of service receivers within each group of service receivers;

(c) submitting a measure of service receiver value to the central processing unit through the computer system, wherein the measure of service receiver value represents a product of (i) the population number of service receivers within each group of service receivers and (ii) an average income level of the service receivers within each group of service receivers;

(d) instructing the central processing unit to calculate the value of each of said groups of service receivers based on said measure of service receiver value;

(e) instructing the central processing unit to determine which of said service provider branch locations is the closest service provider branch location by average travel time for each of said groups of service receivers using a routing system, wherein the routing system extracts, from a database, drive time information for road segments between each of the service receivers within each group and each of said service provider branch locations;

(f) instructing the central processing unit to calculate a probability value of whether service receivers within each group of services receivers will utilize said closest service provider branch location, wherein said probability value is based upon (i) an average drive time between said service receivers and said closest service provider branch location and (ii) consumer behavior statistics;

(g) instructing the central processing unit to calculate a value of service provider branch network for each service provider branch location, wherein the value of service provider branch network is calculated by summing for each group of service receivers for which each service provider branch location is said closest service provider branch location the products of (i) the value of each group of service receivers as calculated in step (d) and (ii) the probability value of whether each group of service receivers will utilize said service provider branch location as calculated in step (f);

(h) instructing the central processing unit to identify the service provider branch location having the highest value of service provider branch network;

(i) defining a probability threshold;

(j) determining the value of service provider branch network for each of said service provider branch locations based only on groups of service receivers having a probability value above said probability threshold;

(k) instructing the central processing unit to discard service provider branch locations having a value of service provider branch network below a threshold value;

(l) instructing the central processing unit to identify a mutated set of service provider branch locations, wherein the mutated set of service provider branch locations have a value of service provider branch network above the threshold value and exclude the service provider branch location having the highest value of service provider branch network;

(m) mutating geographical information for each service provider branch location within the mutated set of service provider branch locations to create modified geographical information, wherein said geographical information consists of a zip code and said mutation step comprises increasing or decreasing the zip code; and

(n) repeating steps (a) through (m) by submitting the modified geographical information to the central processing unit as the geographical information recited in step (a) until a stop criterion is satisfied.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said mutation step comprises increasing or decreasing the zip code by 10%.