58 results about "Business practice" patented technology

An interactive, unified workstation is described that unifies in a single system multitude of functions pertaining to a practitioners practice that would otherwise require disjointed, more expensive, and less efficient individual workstations dedicated to a specific, limited task or a sub-set of tasks. The invention is directed towards benchmarking for a practitioner's business practice, and for clinical aspects of treatment planning; and integrating overall patient care planning functions. The unified workstation further facilitates access to archived database resources and facilitates both knowledge base services to practitioners and also hybrid treatment planning, wherein different types of appliance systems (fixed, such as brackets and wires, or removable, such as aligning shells) may be used during the course of treatment.

A system and method providing an environment for the composition, generation, integration and execution of business processes and / or transactions over a distributed computing-based network. In a preferred embodiment, a business process expert develops a business model by using a network browser to access the composition environment via the network. The preferred embodiment includes a Composer and a Player. The Composer allows a business process engineer to model the processes, process rules and data structures of an entity upon the basis of a plurality of software resources. The Player executes the modeled processes and access relevant data in real-time, according to rules and resources as related within a software structure generated by the business process engineer. The preferred embodiment dynamically constructs web pages based on the process, rule and data definitions prepared by a business process engineer / expert and does so through a Process Interpreter and Grammar Engine so as to encapsulate all the software resources necessary to complete the desired business process without the need of people programming, scripting or coding. Pages are constructed only when required, ensuring that the solutions are flexible, error free and based upon the most current business practices, providing agile, integrated, error free and real-time software solutions capabilities.

Some embodiments provide a credibility system that computes credibility scores to quantify the credibility of different businesses and to coalesce the generated credibility scores into various indices. The indices comparatively present the credibility of a particular business relative to other businesses along one or more dimensions. Based on the indices, the system identifies trends in the credibility of a particular business. The system derives preliminary credibility for a new business for which credibility data has not yet been obtained based on credibility that has been previously established for other businesses in an index associated with the new business. The system provides automated services for monitoring credibility of a business and for generating alerts to notify the business that its credibility has reached various thresholds. The system identifies business practices that improve upon or adversely affect the credibility of a particular business.

Information is received from a plurality of CRM / SFA sources within an operating environment and is mapped to specific business processes. Transactional data, learning systems information, technical support information and usage data is aggregated and used to provide a dimensional model of the data. The present invention provides a mapping view of technology usage to one or more business practices and reflects, among other things, the extent to which customer relationship management technology is impacting sales representative performance.

A multi-dimensional business information accounting software engine accepts input of user defined business specific textual or numeric information and conventional financial accounting data and converts them to indexed star schema multi-dimensional computer data as a journal entry. Upon user request the journal entry is analyzed by relational or other database methodology to generate conventional accounting statements such as general ledger, balance sheet, cash flow statements, profit and loss statements and earned income statements for user specified time periods. The multi-dimensional business information accounting software engine can also generate accounting statements of sliced data according to a range of business specific numeric information or accounting statements pertinent to a textual business specific information for a specified time period, providing the user sensitivity of different business specific information on accounting statements, so that the user can modify his business practices on real time.

A business practice management system includes a client contact management workflow made up of multiple stages of interaction between users of the system and clients of a business practice. Tasks, events, forms, and conditions of the stages provide conditions for moving from one stage to another, and define interactions between the users of the system, the clients of the business practice, and information relating to the assets of the business practice. A global business practice management workflow can also be included to manage assets as needed independently of client contact stages. User interfaces employ the workflows to interactively direct users of the system in managing multiple categories of assets of the business practice, including employees, client accounts, inventory, and records.

A system and method for a rules based engine which allows a user to act on and set rules with regard to data items. Known rules engines have typically only been applied to single item types (e.g., e-mail). The rules engine of the present invention provides a user with a way to build up sets of items from within a common store of items, and to develop common actions on items conforming to the sets. The common store of items may include different types of items, such as e-mails, documents, items constructed for arbitrary business workflow, etc. The invention allows a user to automate business practices or work flows (e.g., “notify me when items like this appear” and / or “automatically back up these types of items to my server”).

The invention provides a faster simpler method of manufacturing injected molded polyurethane footwear consisting of two or more parts with different compositions. The business practice of leasing this turnkey system and providing a full-time technician to administer the system allows for minimal investment by a business owner and yields the highest quality product. Simultaneously injecting two different formulas of polyurethane into two different cavities of the same mold will significantly cut production time and cost. The dual rotating or shuffling sole-plate makes it possible to inject the outsole and the insole / upper / shaft simultaneously without fear of mixing. Similarly other poly products consisting of,two or more parts may also be produced using this complex molding system. The unique multi-station linear molding table provides the necessary platform for these special complex molds and enables the changing of molds and / or service to the equipment without fully shutting down or halting all production.

A system and methods providing the automated configuration management and configuration information communication / deployment for a business process server computing application operating in a distributed computing environment is provided. In an illustrative implementation, a configuration management and configuration information communication / deployment tool operating in a distributed computing environment allows cooperating parties cooperating to operate a business process server computing application to more easily and efficiently update the configuration information of one or components of the business process server computing application responsive to changes in business practice changes between the cooperating parties. In the contemplated implementation, packages are requested by the cooperating parties using the configuration tool. The packages contain information indicative of desired business practice changes and the information required to reconfigure the business application to accommodate such changes. The tool allows for closed loop and real-time testing of the configuration changes.

A universal indicator may be provided to users accessing content over a network to help the users identify which content is safe and which content is not. The indicator may be a positive indicator for safe sites, or a negative indicator for unsafe sites, and may be conspicuously positioned on a portion of the browser to alert users which Internet sites are safe. The positive icon may be displayed only if all of a predetermined set of criteria are met, wherein the predetermined criteria consider network vulnerabilities, server vulnerabilities, and unscrupulous business practice vulnerabilities.

System for optimization of production with added value and for integration of the best business practices, which is characterized in that it includes two base modules of services application software, said first base being a central module A connected, for data extraction, with the organization information system or database for the anticipation of costs and for the control of the piloting, common to all the models, said second base being a peripheral module B of learning acceleration and to structuring of technical information actionable by the user, said second module B being an interface connected to the first module A by the connection C.

In one embodiment, a centralized website may be generated, stored, and executed on servers, where the centralized website has a particular “look and feel” (e.g., a template). In association with granting online e-franchise rights to a secondary entity, a secondary website may be generated, stored, and executed (e.g., on the servers) for the secondary entity and its particular field of endeavor, where each secondary website has the same particular look and feel as the centralized website. Stored content for the secondary website may be managed and monitored to ensure that it (in addition to the business practice of the secondary entity) is operated in accordance with standards set forth by the centralized entity. In this manner, novel e-commerce models may be created and operated, such as a virtual community of associated alliance members that may be accessed by outside users familiar with and confident in the community.

The method and system includes selecting via an application one or more non-game tasks that need to be completed during a pre-determined amount of time. The one or more selected non-game tasks are associated with one or more graphical game entities. Events are periodically provided encouraging completion of the one or more selected non-game tasks via the one or more graphical game entities. Game points for completing all or a portion of the one or more selected non-game tasks. The game points include a measure of productivity for completing all or a portion of the one or more selected non-game tasks. Game points are displayed indicating how time spent on the one or more selected non-game tasks was utilized. The method and system functions as a time management tool for business objectives, business practices, personal objectives or activities or student objectives, etc. but is interactively played as a game.

Some embodiments provide a credibility system that computes credibility scores to quantify the credibility of different businesses and to coalesce the generated credibility scores into various indices. The indices comparatively present the credibility of a particular business relative to other businesses along one or more dimensions. Based on the indices, the system identifies trends in the credibility of a particular business. The system derives preliminary credibility for a new business for which credibility data has not yet been obtained based on credibility that has been previously established for other businesses in an index associated with the new business. The system provides automated services for monitoring credibility of a business and for generating alerts to notify the business that its credibility has reached various thresholds. The system identifies business practices that improve upon or adversely affect the credibility of a particular business.

A Software Engine that allows users to record accounting transactions in a double-entry bookkeeping system, without knowing which accounts to debit and credit. Each practical debit / credit combination is summarized by a single Financial Event Type. The potential for thousands of these Financial Event Types is made manageable by the Software Engine's organizing them into a hierarchical tree, allowing them to be grouped according to the company's business practice. The Financial Event Types and the hierarchical tree can be defined by the user.

This invention relates to data processing for financial, business practice, management or cost / price determination applications where there is a computerized arrangement for the management of interaction between individuals or entities that are connected by social networking and specifically to a system and method for an integrated workflow process, social, contact and web management solution.

A method, apparatus, and computer program product for providing a consulting assessment environment. Consultants may use the environment to define templates that encode questionnaires and domain knowledge regarding business practices, as well as reporting criteria to specify the content and format of the assessment results. Consultants or their clients may use the environment to automate the process of performing assessments and generating reports from those assessments. These assessments may analyze the current state of the business, compare the business's current state with desired states or with best practices, and perform risk / benefit and / or cost / benefit analyses, according to the specifications made in the templates on a real-time basis for producing immediate assessment results and actions. An information hiding feature is provided to allow sensitive domain knowledge encoded within the templates, such as trade secrets, to be made inaccessible to clients.

Disclosed are a method and apparatus for fact collection and analysis whereby relevant facts can be used in multiple implementations to accomplish due diligence or decision making processes, and used for automated adaptive quantification, assessment, analysis, rating and scoring of due diligence or decision options for a business, entity or organization in a proactive and reactive manner. Due diligence or decision topics such as, but not limited to, mergers, acquisitions, debt or equity financings, strategic planning, risk assessments, audits of the processes of the organization including human resources, regulated activities, intellectual property, contracting and other business practices may benefit from the use and application of the system.

A method is described for a consumer driven business practice that allows the consumer easy access to refractive spectacles without the need for an initial professional evaluation, thereby reducing the barriers implicit to the current process of obtaining such devices. The method may also serve the purpose of providing a general vision screening which would benefit public health. A professional evaluation may be provided after the manufacturing and distribution of the refractive spectacles or in the event of a failed vision screening.

The method and system includes selecting via an application one or more non-game tasks that need to be completed during a pre-determined amount of time. The one or more selected non-game tasks are associated with one or more graphical game entities. Events are periodically provided encouraging completion of the one or more selected non-game tasks via the one or more graphical game entities. Game points for completing all or a portion of the one or more selected non-game tasks. The game points include a measure of productivity for completing all or a portion of the one or more selected non-game tasks. Game points are displayed indicating how time spent on the one or more selected non-game tasks was utilized. The method and system functions as a time management tool for business objectives, business practices, personal objectives or activities or student objectives, etc. but is interactively played as a game.

A floor operations automation system can include an intelligent video module, profiles, decision rules, and a decision module. The intelligent video module can be configured to generate video analytics data from video captured by video cameras within a retail location. The profiles can contain data that represents a business practice or policy of the retail location and / or user-specified preferences for decision-related variables. The decision rules can express actions to be performed in response to predefined conditions within the retail location. The decision module can be configured to decide upon action to be performed, based upon the video analytics data, the profiles, and the decision rules. The decision can be made without direct input from a human agent of the retail location. The actions can affect a business system and / or a human agent associated with the retail location.

A method to align and effectively apply business practices or culture within the business units in one or more business entities is provided. In the first phase, a practices charter defining future state business practices is developed. A practices charter is developed from an initial set of differing alternatives statements regarding future business practices, in view of a right-versus-right spectrum. A practices charter is an output of the reconciliation of differing alternatives statements in right-versus-right spectrums. In a second phase, a practices charter is applied to hypothetical issues to develop realistic outcome narratives describing hypothetical situations and dilemmas. In a third phase, discrepancies between outcome narratives and a current state of business practice are identified, and a prioritized action program is developed to address identified discrepancies. Finally, progress is evaluated by utilizing outcome narratives to identify achievements and to target areas needing further improvement and additional actions.

A software method and utility for business practice management based on a prescribed workflow with defined interactions between the users of the system, the clients of the business practice, and information relating to the clients or assets of the business practice. The system facilitates management of assets and human resources, including employees, client accounts, inventory, and records using a modular approach.

A quantitative system and method that employs data sources external to an insurance company to generate a statistical model that may be used to more accurately and consistently predict commercial insurance profitability (the “predictive statistical model”). The system and method are able to predict individual commercial insurance policyholder profitability on a prospective basis regardless of the internal data and business practices of a particular insurance company.

A quantitative system and method that employs data sources external to an insurance company to generate a statistical model that may be used to more accurately and consistently predict commercial insurance profitability (the “predictive statistical model”). The system and method are able to predict individual commercial insurance policyholder profitability on a prospective basis regardless of the internal data and business practices of a particular insurance company

A software method and utility for business practice management based on a prescribed workflow with defined interactions between the users of the system, the clients of the business practice, and information relating to the clients or assets of the business practice. The system facilitates management of assets and human resources, including employees, client accounts, inventory, and records using a modular approach.

Disclosed are a method and apparatus for fact collection and analysis whereby relevant facts can be used in multiple implementations to accomplish due diligence or decision making processes, and used for automated adaptive quantification, assessment, analysis, rating and scoring of due diligence or decision options for a business, entity or organization in a proactive and reactive manner. Due diligence or decision topics such as, but not limited to, mergers, acquisitions, debt or equity financings, strategic planning, risk assessments, audits of the processes of the organization including human resources, regulated activities, intellectual property, contracting and other business practices may benefit from the use and application of the system.

A practice management consulting system and related methods are provided for facilitating the communication of business consulting information and advice to a user, without the need for hiring a business consultant. A user of the system can interact with a user interface provided by a browser running on a computing device accessible by the user. Educational materials pertaining to business practice management can be accessed by the user by selecting from a set of links displayed in the user interface. A plurality of user-selectable interactive processes can be made available by the system for analyzing the performance of the user's business pertaining to the office, finances, overhead, budget, and / or referrals associated with the business. The user can enter business information to be processed by the system. The system can display the results of the processing, comprising business consulting advice pertaining to the business practice of the user.