Cycle planning tool with event conflict resolution for territory management

• US 8,560,380 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Purdue Pharma L.P.
• Original Assignee: Purdue Pharma L.P.
• Inventors: Aleksiejczyk, Kim, Ciszkowski, Mietek, Natarajan, Sayee, Stahl, Jake, Subramanian, Ramachandran
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nga B.
• Application Number:
  US13/234,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20120004941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/8, 705/9
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment

Abstract

Electronically creating a schedule plan of events which replicates one or more previously scheduled events. A source date range is acquired into a memory of a machine. A set of previously scheduled events within the source date range is identified. A target date range is received through a user interface. At least a portion of the previously scheduled events is assigned to a date within the received target date range to create the schedule plan. The schedule plan is posted to a calendar. Another method creates a schedule plan on the basis of one or more search criteria used for identifying any match from a database. At least a portion of any matches are assigned a time slot within a target date range of a calendar program.

Claims

1. A computer-assisted method for electronically creating a schedule plan of events for a representative by replicating one or more previously scheduled events, comprising the steps performed by a machine having a processor and a memory, of:

acquiring a source date range into the memory of the machine comprising at least two dates spanning at least two calendar days;

identifying a set of previously scheduled events within the source date range within the memory of the machine;

receiving and storing in the memory a target date range input through a user interface;

testing the target date range for a conflict with any of the previously scheduled events using a process executing in the machine;

assigning to one or more dates within the received target date range at least a first portion of the set of previously scheduled events to create the schedule plan on calendar dates that tested, using the process executing in the machine, as having an absence of the conflict within a workspace defined in the memory of the machine;

augmenting the schedule plan by assigning a second portion of the one or more previously scheduled events that tested, using the process executing in the machine, as having the conflict to at least one calendar date outside of the received target date range within the workspace of the machine;

presenting the workspace to the representative in a calendar view of the user interface;

accepting any edits made by the representative to the augmented schedule plan in the workspace; and

posting the schedule plan to a calendar program maintained by the machine in response to a button included in the user interface that is presented to the representative and which commits the schedule plan from the workspace to the calendar program upon the representative'"'"'s interaction with the button and after the step of accepting any edits to the augmented schedule plan in the workspace.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more previously scheduled events in the second portion is associated with a respective day-of-the-week value and wherein the augmenting step assigns the date outside of the received target date ranges so as to schedule the second portion of events on a corresponding day of the week.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigned portion of the one or more previously scheduled events includes at least one event in the source date range having a day-of-the-week value, wherein the assigned date within the target date range maintains the day-of-the-week value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step comprises retrieving an entry from the calendar.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the received target date range comprises at least one end of a date range, and wherein the assigning step is performed in a single action.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting step includes modifying within the workspace of the machine details concerning one or more of the previously scheduled events for subsequent posting to the calendar program.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting step includes modifying within the workspace of the machine whether to include or exclude one or more of the previously scheduled events prior to posting any of the events in the workspace to the calendar program.

6. A computer-assisted method for electronically creating a schedule plan of events of a representative, comprising the steps performed by a machine having a processor, a memory, and a database, of:

acquiring one or more search criteria into the memory of the machine;

receiving and storing in the memory a target date range comprising at least two dates spanning at least two calendar days input through a user interface;

executing a search of the database on the machine to identify at least one criterion match;

assigning to a workspace defined within the memory of the machine at least a portion of any matches to a time slot in a date included among one or more dates within the received target date range to create the schedule plan;

for any conflict, augmenting the schedule plan by assigning one or more previously scheduled events to a date outside of the received target date range within the workspace of the machine;

presenting the workspace to the representative in a calendar view of the user interface;

accepting any edits made by the representative to the augmented schedule plan in the workspace; and

populating the target date range of a calendar program with the memory assignments in the workspace in response to a button included in the user interface that is presented to the representative and which commits the augmented schedule plan to the calendar program upon the representative'"'"'s interaction with the button and after the step of accepting any edits to the augmented schedule plan in the workspace.

7. The method of claim 6, including the additional step of selecting one or more candidates, and wherein the portion of any matches include the selected candidates.

8. The method of claim 7, including the additional step, prior to the selecting step, of displaying through the user interface of the machine, the candidates and criterion matches.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the assigning step further comprises assigning in the memory at least a portion of any matches to a time slot in a date within the received target date range based on customer preference.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the customer preferences are stored in a database on the user'"'"'s machine.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the customer preferences are stored in a database on a central server.

22. The method of claim 6, wherein the accepting step includes modifying within the workspace of the machine details concerning one or more of the previously scheduled events for subsequent posting to the calendar program.

23. The method of claim 6, wherein the accepting step includes modifying within the workspace of the machine whether to include or exclude one or more of the previously scheduled events prior to posting any of the events in the workspace to the calendar program.

12. A computer-assisted method for electronically creating a schedule plan of events of a representative, comprising the steps performed by a machine having a processor, a memory, and a database, of:

acquiring one or more search criteria and a source date range comprising at least two dates spanning at least two calendar days for entry into the memory of the machine through a user interface;

receiving and storing in the memory a target date range input through the user interface;

executing a search of the database on the machine to identify at least one criterion match occurring in the source date range;

assigning to a workspace defined within the memory of the machine at least a portion of any matches to a time slot in a date included among one or more dates within the received target date range;

for any conflict, augmenting the schedule plan by assigning one or more previously scheduled events to a date outside of the received target date range within the workspace of the machine;

presenting the workspace to the representative in a calendar view of the user interface;

accepting any edits made by the representative to the augmented schedule plan in the workspace; and

populating the target date range of a calendar program with the memory assignments in the workspace in response to a button included in the user interface that is presented to the representative and which commits the augmented schedule plan to the calendar program upon the representative'"'"'s interaction with the button and after the step of accepting any edits to the augmented schedule plan in the workspace.

13. The method of claim 12, including the additional step of selecting one or more candidates, and wherein the portion of any matches include the selected candidates.

14. The method of claim 13, including the additional step, prior to the selecting step, of displaying through the user interface of the machine, the candidates and criterion matches.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the assigning step further comprises assigning in the memory at least a portion of any matches to a time slot in a date within the received target date range based on customer preference.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the customer preferences are stored in a database on the user'"'"'s machine.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the customer preferences are stored in a database on a central server.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the accepting step includes modifying within the workspace of the machine details concerning one or more of the previously scheduled events for subsequent posting to the calendar program.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the accepting step includes modifying within the workspace of the machine whether to include or exclude one or more of the previously scheduled events prior to posting any of the events in the workspace to the calendar program.