Prioritizing product development lines

• US 20060116950A1
• Filed: 11/18/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Poffenberger, Michael L., Starbird, Ray H., Hightower, Scott C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0216 Investment accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for maintaining building serviceability information for geographic locations. The disclosed systems and methods may include forming a future market in which the product developments lines are equated to stocks. Furthermore, the disclosed systems and methods may include determining participants in a trading session of the future market and setting rules governing how the trading session in the future market will operate. Moreover, the disclosed systems and methods may include opening the trading session for the participants, closing the trading session for trading and evaluating market session trends and participant purchases to determine the priority of a product line in relation to other product lines.

Claims

1. A method of prioritizing product development lines within an organization, the method comprising:

forming a future market in which the product development lines are equated to stocks;

determining participants in a trading session of the future market;

setting rules governing how the trading session in the future market will operate;

opening the trading session for the participants;

closing the trading session for trading; and

evaluating market session trends and participant purchases to determine the priority of a product line in relation to other product lines.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when a market session is open, participants trade the stocks based on a likelihood of the product line equated with the stock will transition into a design phase.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining how questions concerning certain stocks are presented to the participants.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising determining acceptable answers to the questions presented to the participants.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising setting the stocks to their initial values prior to opening a market session.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising monitoring the trading session and adjusting the trading session due to circumstances occurring during the trading session.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising collecting supplemental data for a market session for correlating market session data and a baseline interpretation of product development importance by the organization.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising awarding the participants for their participation in the trading session based on predetermined criteria.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising reporting market session data to individuals within the organization.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the priority of a product lines is used by an organization to allocate resources.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the participants are provided with information about the product lines associated with a given market session.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein market session data can be provided to individuals within an organization in a plurality of formats.

13. A computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for prioritizing product development lines within an organization, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

forming a future market in which the product developments lines are equated to stocks;

determining participants in a trading session of the future market;

setting rules governing how the trading session in the future market will operate;

opening the trading session for the participants;

closing the trading session for trading; and

evaluating market session trends and participant purchases to determine the priority of a product line in relation to other product lines.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein when a market session is open, participants trade the stocks based on a likelihood of the product line equated with the stock will transition into a design phase.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13 further comprising monitoring the trading session and adjusting the trading session due to circumstances occurring during the trading session.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13 further comprising collecting supplemental data for a market session for correlating market session data and a baseline interpretation of product development importance by the organization.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the priority of a product lines is used by an organization to allocate resources.

18. A system for prioritizing product development lines within an organization, the system comprising:

means for forming a future market in which the product developments lines are equated to stocks;

means for determining participants in a trading session of the future market;

means for setting rules governing how the trading session in the future market will operate;

means for opening the trading session for the participants;

means for closing the trading session for trading; and

means for evaluating market session trends and participant purchases to determine the priority of a product line in relation to other product lines.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein when a market session is open, participants trade the stocks based on a likelihood of the product line equated with the stock will transition into a design phase.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the priority of a product lines is used by an organization to allocate resources.