Method and system for matching entities in an auction

• US 9,456,086 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2010
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Patent Armory Inc. (Jeffrey M. Gross)
• Original Assignee: Steven Mark Hoffberg, Toby Heller, Wai Wu
• Inventors: Wu, Wai, Heller, Toby, Hoffberg, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N
• Application Number:
  US12/719,827
• Time in Patent Office: 2,395 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-26602, 379/210.01, 379/266.03, 379/266.04, 379/266.05, 379/266.06, 379/266.07, 379/266.08, 379/266.09, 379/266.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8061 Selecting least cost route depending on origin or type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

A method for matching a first entity with at least one second entity selected from a plurality of second entities, comprising defining a plurality of multivalued scalar data representing inferential targeting parameters for the first entity and a plurality of multivalued scalar data of each of the plurality of second entities, representing respective characteristic parameters for each respective second entity; and performing an automated optimization with respect to an economic surplus of a respective match of the first entity with the at least one of the plurality of second entities, and an opportunity cost of the unavailability of the at least one of the plurality of second entities for matching with an alternate first entity.

Claims

1. A method for matching a first subset selected from a plurality of first entities with a second subset selected from a plurality of second entities, comprising:

storing in a memory a plurality of multivalued scalar data representing inferential targeting parameters for the first subset;

storing in the memory a plurality of multivalued scalar data of each of the plurality of second entities, representing respective characteristic parameters for each respective second entity;

performing, using an automated processor, an optimization with respect to at least an economic surplus of a respective mutually exclusive match of the first subset with the second subset, and an opportunity cost of the unavailability of the second subset for matching with an alternate subset of the plurality of first entities; and

outputting a signal in dependence on the optimization.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first subset has a cost of a match and a benefit of a match, and the plurality of second entities each have a cost of a match, and a benefit of a match, the optimization being responsive to both the cost and benefit for each member of the first subset and the second subset.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the match is used to establish a real time communication link between the first subset and the second subset.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing in a memory a plurality of multivalued scalar data representing inferential targeting parameters for a third subset of the plurality of first entities;

performing using an automated processor, the optimization further with respect to an economic surplus of a respective match of the third subset with a fourth subset of the second entities, and an opportunity cost of the unavailability of the fourth subset for matching with an alternate subset of the plurality of first entities, wherein membership in the second and fourth subsets is mutually exclusive; and

outputting a signal in dependence on the second optimization.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of multivalued scalar data representing inferential targeting parameters of the first entities comprise characteristics of an information requirement, and the plurality of multivalued scalar data representing inferential targeting parameters of the second entities comprise characteristics an information availability, wherein the match defines a communication routing.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the optimization comprises an economic optimization attributing a non-trivial economic value to each of the plurality of multivalued scalar data representing inferential targeting parameters for first entities and the second entities, adapted to maximize a predicted aggregate economic surplus value dependent on a routing over a period of time of a plurality of concurrent communications each having a respective economic surplus value.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of second entities comprise agents of at least one call center.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automated processor accesses the memory storing the plurality of multivalued scalar data of each of the plurality of second entities to retrieve a data structure representing a plurality of skill weights for each of a plurality of agents, the optimization being conducted according to an algorithm adapted to predict an efficiency of a respective agent with respect to the prospective match with the first subset normalized by a respective cost of the respective agent.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automated processor executes under control of a software operating system having a message queue, wherein the automated processor communicates with a communication router controlled by the automated processor under the control of the operating system responsive to the signal via messages passed through the message queue.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the optimization further receives an extrinsic perturbation independent of the stored plurality of multivalued scalar data of each of the first subset and plurality of second entities, to provide discrimination in control of the matching.

11. A method for matching a first entity with a second entity, comprising:

storing a plurality of multivalued scalar data representing inferential targeting parameters for the first entity;

storing a plurality of multivalued scalar data of each of the plurality of second entities, representing inferential targeting parameters for a plurality of second entities;

performing using an automated processor, based on at least the stored plurality of multivalue scalar data, an economic optimization seeking to maximize a normalized economic surplus of a respective mutually exclusive match of the first entity with the second entity, in conjunction with an opportunity cost of the unavailability of the second entity as a result of the match; and

outputting a signal in dependence on the optimization.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the signal is used to control a routing of a communication wherein the routing is not explicitly defined by an initiator of the communication, the plurality of multivalued scalar data each being a non-trivial economic value associated with a plurality of characteristics of the first entity and the plurality of second entities.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the automated processor predicts, as a part of the optimization, a duration of the communication and a set of competing matches for the plurality of second entities.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein a plurality of first entities are concurrently and mutually exclusively matched with respective second entities.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the match is used to control a real time communication.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of multivalued scalar data of the second entities comprises a plurality of skill weights for each of a plurality of agents, the optimization further comprising predicting both an efficiency and a cost of a respective agent with respect to a match with the first entity.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the optimization economically optimizes an efficiency and a cost of a respective agent with respect to a match with the first entity, and the economic benefit as a result of the match, with respect to alternate matches of the first and second entity, and competing matches of different first entities with the respective second entity.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein signal comprises at least one message passed through a message queue of a computer operating system, which is communicated to a communication router operating under the operating system for control over a routing of a communication.

19. The method according to claim 11, further comprising receiving an extrinsic perturbation independent of the plurality of multivalued scalar data, the optimization being performed at least in dependence on the extrinsic perturbation, to provide discrimination the matching of the first entity and the second entity.

20. A method for matching a first subset of first entities having a plurality of members with a second subset of second entities having a plurality of members, comprising:

storing in a first memory location a plurality of multivalued scalar data representing inferential targeting parameters for at least the first subset;

storing in a second memory location a plurality of multivalued scalar data representing characteristic parameters for at least the second subset;

performing, using an automated processor, an optimization, to select a mutually exclusive matching of respective members of the first subset with members of the second subset which imposes an opportunity cost on at least the respective members of the first or second subset, which maximizes an economic surplus with respect to a plurality of alternate matchings of the members of the first subset with the members of the second subset, to thereby account for the opportunity cost; and

outputting a signal representing the selected matching in dependence on the optimization.