Method, apparatus and computer program product for organizing hierarchical information

• US 7,885,958 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Denton, Brian Trevor, Milne, Robert John, Sullivan, Andrew James, Elmer, Brent Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Wassum; Luke S
• Application Number:
  US11/276,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20070203919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/727
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer program product for organizing hierarchical information according to a defined objective.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of organizing hierarchical information for a service, the method comprising:

organizing, by a computing device, the hierarchical information into combinations of attribute groupings comprising of node attribute groups and node end-item prompts;

sorting, by said computing device, said combinations of attribute groupings in an ascending sequence based on;

end-item prompt node values equal to end-item prompt node service time values divided by a product of end-item prompt node demand frequency values and end-item prompt node cost of waiting values; and

attribute group node values equal to attribute group node service time values divided by a sum of all of said a products of end-item prompt node demand frequency values and end-item prompt node cost of waiting values that descend from each attribute group node;

determining, by said computing device, according to an objective function, potential combinations of the combinations of attribute groupings that implement the service; and

selecting, by said computing device, a potential combination of said potential combinations that has a best objective function value based on a relationship between;

a ratio of a number of end-item prompts in one potential attribute group set with a least number of end-item prompts as compared to a number of end-item prompts in another attribute group set with a greatest number of end-item prompts; and

a ratio of service time weighted number of prompts in the set to the highest service time weighted number of prompts of any feasible set,

where said objective function comprises minimizing a total weighted average customer waiting time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning, by said computing device, each of the potential combinations a value that reflects their placement within the other potential combinations according to the objective function.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the service is an automated response service.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the service is a search engine.

5. An apparatus for organizing hierarchical information for a service, the apparatus comprising:

a processor organizing the hierarchical information into combinations of attribute groupings comprising of node attribute groups and node end-item prompts;

said processor sorting said combinations of attribute groupings in an ascending sequence based on;

end-item prompt node values equal to end-item prompt node service time values divided by a product of end-item prompt node demand frequency values and end-item prompt node cost of waiting values; and

attribute group node values equal to attribute group node service time values divided by a sum of all of said a products of end-item prompt node demand frequency values and end-item prompt node cost of waiting values that descend from each attribute group node;

said processor determining according to an objective function, potential combinations of the combinations of attribute groupings that implement the service; and

said processor selecting a potential combination of said potential combinations that has a best objective function value based on a relationship between;

a ratio of a number of end-item prompts in one potential attribute group set with a least number of end-item prompts as compared to a number of end-item prompts in another attribute group set with a greatest number of end-item prompts; and

a ratio of service time weighted number of prompts in the set to the highest service time weighted number of prompts of any feasible set,

where said objective function comprises minimizing a total weighted average customer waiting time.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

said processor assigning each of the potential combinations a value that reflects their placement within the other potential combinations according to the objective function.

7. A computer storage medium readable by a computer tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer for performing a method for organizing hierarchical information for a service, the method comprising:

organizing the hierarchical information into combinations of attribute groupings comprising of node attribute groups and node end-item prompts;

sorting said combinations of attribute groupings in an ascending sequence based on;

end-item prompt node values equal to end-item prompt node service time values divided by a product of end-item prompt node demand frequency values and end-item prompt node cost of waiting values; and

attribute group node values equal to attribute group node service time values divided by a sum of all of said a products of end-item prompt node demand frequency values and end-item prompt node cost of waiting values that descend from each attribute group node;

determining according to an objective function, potential combinations of the combinations of attribute groupings that implement the service; and

selecting a potential combination of said potential combinations that has a best objective function value based on a relationship between;

a ratio of a number of end-item prompts in one potential attribute group set with a least number of end-item prompts as compared to a number of end-item prompts in another attribute group set with a greatest number of end-item prompts; and

a ratio of service time weighted number of prompts in the set to the highest service time weighted number of prompts of any feasible set,

where said objective function comprises minimizing a total weighted average customer waiting time.