British Telecommunications Public Limited Company

John J O'Donoghue

Ian Barry Crabtree

Richard John Titmuss

Matthew J Polaine

Jeremy M Bowskill

Alexander Loffler

Nader Azarmi

Christos Voudouris

Ian S Alletson

David Lesaint

Paul Walker

Robert N W Laithwaite

Andrew P Noble

Information sources are selected in accordance with a subject matter of interest to a user, where the subject matter of interest is identifiable by a plurality of sets of subject-related data, and each set has an indication of at least one context in which the set is of interest to the user. The state of the user is tracked, one or more contexts are identified from the tracked state, at least some sets of subject-related data are selected in accordance with a predetermined relationship between at least some of the identified contexts and said indication of context, a list of information sources is generated based on the selected sets of subject-related data, and the list is transmitted to a terminal associated with the user so as to allow the user to select an information source of interest and thereby to access information from the source.

Information provider

A method of changing a user profile involves the system suggesting a change which includes one or more selection choices representative of the suggested change. The user makes one or more selections which results in temporal modification of the user profile. The method further involves monitoring user action in respect of the temporal modification, and, in accordance with the user action satisfying predetermined criteria, permanently changing the user profile based on the user selections.

Method of updating interests

A plurality of resources, typically service operatives, are allocated to a plurality of tasks by a method in which initial information relating to the tasks to be allocated and the resources available to perform the tasks is provided. An initial series of schedules is first generated allocating resources to the tasks, and then modifying the individual schedule of at least one resource in response to updated information. Changes to individual schedules may be made in response to such updated information independently of the schedule generation. The initial, series of schedules may be generated in a two-stage process in which a rule-based system allocates tasks selected as being difficult to allocate (e.g., because they are linked to other tasks). then a stochastic (non-systematic) search system compiles the rest of the schedule. Periodically, the stochastic system may be interrupted to allow a further rule-based system to analyze the schedules created thus far, and fix the best ones in the schedule, so that the stochastic system can then concentrate on improving the remaining schedules. In order to allow the system to handle rapid changes in the requirements for tasks and the resources, on a scale faster than the time required to generate the schedules, a schedule modification system is arranged to make changes in the short term in between schedule updates delivered by the schedule generation system.

Method and apparatus for resource allocation when schedule changes are incorporated in real time

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Ipswich, United Kingdom

John J O'Donoghue