Phillip L Nelson

US Patent:

6347256, Feb 12, 2002

Filed:

Nov 2, 1998

Appl. No.:

09/184776

Inventors:

Yuri V. Smirnov - Palo Alto CA
Phillip C. Nelson - San Jose CA
Jeffrey B. Winner - Los Altos CA
Yuh-Wen Soung - Saratoga CA
John L. Flight - Sunnyvale CA

Assignee:

printCafe System, Inc. - Pittsburg PA

International Classification:

G06F 1900

US Classification:

700100, 700 97

Abstract:

A directed graph includes a first number of state nodes and a second number of task nodes. The task nodes are interconnected with the state nodes to define one or more paths through the directed graph, each of the paths including an alternating series of one or more of the state nodes and one or more of the task nodes. Thus, any predecessor state node in one of the paths represents a precondition for a subsequent task node along that path. Further, any following state node of that task node represents a result of applying one or more actions that correspond to the task node. The state nodes may be virtual representations of inventory items of a manufacturing environment. Thus, collectively the state nodes may define a bill of materials for the manufacturing environment. Similarly, the task nodes may each define a virtual representation of a manufacturing process within the manufacturing environment. In other words, the task nodes may collectively define routings for the manufacturing environment.

US Patent:

6546364, Apr 8, 2003

Filed:

Dec 18, 1998

Appl. No.:

09/216355

Inventors:

Yuri V. Smirnov - Palo Alto CA
Phillip C. Nelson - San Jose CA
Jeffrey B. Winner - Los Altos CA
Yuh-Wen Soung - Saratoga CA
Cristos J. Goodrow - San Francisco CA
John L. Flight - Sunnyvale CA

Assignee:

Impresse Corporation - Sunnyvale CA

International Classification:

G06F 945

US Classification:

703 22, 700100, 705 8, 703 2

Abstract:

A scheduling engine and an associated workflow engine may be configured to build workflows that describe sequences of tasks to be performed in a dynamically changing environment. The workflow engine may be configured to monitor the execution of the tasks within the environment and to provide the scheduling engine with information regarding deviations of task executions from the workflows. When such deviations are detected, the workflow engine may trigger the scheduling engine to rebuild the workflows for as yet uncompleted tasks. The scheduling engine may receive the information regarding the deviations via a declarative model of the physical environment. In general, the tasks may be a set of job requests to be processed in a manufacturing environment (e. g. , a print shop). Also, the scheduling engine may be made up of an aggregate planner and a detailed scheduler.

US Patent:

62790099, Aug 21, 2001

Filed:

Dec 4, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/205828

Inventors:

Yuri V. Smirnov - Palo Alto CA
Phillip C. Nelson - San Jose CA
Jeffrey B. Winner - Los Altos CA
Yuh-Wen Soung - Saratoga CA
Cristos J. Goodrow - San Francisco CA

Assignee:

Impresse Corporation - Sunnyvale CA

International Classification:

G06F 1730

US Classification:

707103

Abstract:

A workflow generated from a declarative model of a real world process represents the procedural steps to accomplish the process. In one embodiment, the declarative model may include a first number of state nodes and a second number of task nodes interconnected with the state nodes. In such cases, generating a workflow may be accomplished by choosing one of a number of paths through the model, each of the paths comprising an alternating series of one or more of the state nodes and one or more of the task nodes with any predecessor state node in one of the paths representing a precondition for a subsequent task node along the one of the paths and any following state node of the subsequent task node along the one of the paths representing a result of applying one or more actions that correspond to that task node. As part of a computer assisted scheduling system, the model may be configured to receive updates reflecting changes in the real-world manufacturing environment. Such changes may represent completed tasks, and/or a change in the availability of one or more resources represented in the model.

US Patent:

62789015, Aug 21, 2001

Filed:

Dec 18, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/215747

Inventors:

Jeffrey B. Winner - Los Altos Hills CA
Phillip C. Nelson - San Jose CA
Cristos J. Goodrow - San Francisco CA

Assignee:

Impresse Corporation - Sunnyvale CA

International Classification:

G06F 1900

US Classification:

700 99

Abstract:

An aggregate plan for a set of job requests to be processed in a manufacturing environment may be produced given capacities for resources of the manufacturing environment, the capacities being represented by bins in multiple dimensions, some of which may be used by the jobs on an alternative basis. In such a scheme, producing the aggregate plan may be accomplished by selecting a subset of the job requests according to a procedure for packing the bins. For example, packing the bins may be accomplished by selecting from among ordered lists of the job requests grouped according to costs for one or more of the resources. The ordered lists of job requests may be ordered in terms of value. In some cases, at least some of the job requests may have different values versus cost for different ones of the resources. Each alternative be represented as a separate bin.

US Patent:

63211335, Nov 20, 2001

Filed:

Dec 4, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/205245

Inventors:

Yuri V. Smirnov - Palo Alto CA
Phillip C. Nelson - San Jose CA
Jeffrey B. Winner - Los Altos CA
Cristos J. Goodrow - San Francisco CA

Assignee:

Impresse Corporation - Sunnyvale CA

International Classification:

G06F 1900

US Classification:

700100

Abstract:

An order promising scheme includes the ability to query a hierarchical scheduling module configured to generate workflows for a series of jobs to be processed in a manufacturing environment to determine the earliest reasonable completion time for one or more additional jobs to be processed in the manufacturing environment. The querying may involve first querying an aggregate planning level of the hierarchical scheduling module to determine whether the one or more additional jobs may be processed. Further, the querying may require querying a detailed scheduling level of the hierarchical scheduling module to determine whether the one or more additional jobs may be processed in the event that the aggregate planning level returns a negative reply to the first query by the order promising module. The querying of the hierarchical scheduling module may be performed in response to user inquiries submitted via a user interface. The hierarchical scheduling module is kept apprised of a current state of the manufacturing environment through updates to a virtual representation of the manufacturing environment.