International Business Machines Corporation

Manivannan Thavasi

Ivory Wellman Knipfer

George Michael Hurtis

Jeffrey George Komatsu

Jason S Lee

Thembani Togwe

Antoine George Sater

Yajun Tu

Brian Timothy Kreifels

Nia W Fong

John L Fjellanger

A novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for controlling movement of assets is provided. A method for controlling movement of assets can include reading a first information from a first electronic marker coupled to an asset and reading a second information from a second electronic marker of a transport mechanism in possession of the asset. The method can further include storing in a record the first and second information and a third information comprising a location of the asset. The method can further include retrieving at least one rule comprising at least one value and an action. The method can further include executing a statistical test on the information in the record and executing the action of the at least one rule if a result of the statistical test is outside a predefined confidence level. Information from the record is then added to the empirical data.

Dynamic asset monitoring using automatic updating of rules

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to staging manufactured items and provide a method, system and computer program product for staging items in a manufacturing environment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for staging items in a manufacturing environment can be provided. The method can include defining attributes of staging locations in a distribution area of the manufacturing environment, defining a set of staging strategies for use in the distribution area of the manufacturing environment, receiving a manufactured item in the distribution area and obtaining characteristics of the manufactured item, and comparing the obtained characteristics of the manufactured item to the set of staging strategies to select the staging strategy to apply to the manufactured item.

Dynamic item-space allocation and retrieval

Performing an inventory count is provided. A scan of an object is initiated according to a profile in order to perform the inventory count of the object. A scan result is compared with a recorded level for the object to determine if a variance exists between the scan result and the recorded level. A variance analysis is performed if the variance exists.

Automatic inventory variance identification

An operating system of an information handling system (IHS) initializes a security tool to provide security management during user-to-user transactions. The security tool may determine a relationship between the users and, in response, invoke a user personal profile and application profile information that pertains to the users and the transaction. The security tool determines an initial observed confidence level that indicates a degree of certainty with respect to the accuracy of user authentication. The security tool may continuously determine observed confidence levels from current user actions, learned behavior, and other information within a security information store. The security tool may compare a currently observed confidence level to a predetermined confidence threshold. The tool may halt the transaction if the observed confidence level does not exceed the predetermined confidence threshold thus indicating a breach in security confidence.

Transaction authentication management including authentication confidence testing

A novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for controlling movement of assets is provided. A method for controlling movement of assets can include reading a first information from a first electronic marker coupled to an asset and reading a second information from a second electronic marker of a transport mechanism in possession of the asset. The method can further include storing in a record the first and second information and a third information comprising a location of the asset. The method can further include retrieving at least one rule comprising at least one value and an action and comparing information in the record to the at least one value. The method can further include executing the action of the at least one rule if the information in the record matches the at least one value.

Dynamic asset monitoring using electronic markers

An operating system of an information handling system (IHS) initializes a security tool to provide security management during user-to-user transactions. The security tool may determine the user's type and invokes a user personal profile and application profile information that pertains to the transaction. The security tool may use the user personal profile and application profile information during user authentications. The security tool determines an initial authentication level and may modify that authentication level during user-to-user transaction operations. The security tool may perform substantially continuous user authentication during transaction operations by employing learned behavior, historical knowledge, and other information that the security tool maintains in a security information store.

Transaction authentication management system with multiple authentication levels

automatic inventory variance identification

A method and system makes date-time conversions and complex date-time calculations between dates of different calendaring systems. The conversion method herein allows embedded, real-time conversion in computer applications and systems between multiple calendaring systems. A date of a first date-time format is converted to any date of a second date-time format after a transformation to a temporal reference or epoch date. The conversion method can be embedded into any code space to enable full date-time conversion abilities. The real-time conversion of the conversion method requires no conversion tables and no post-processing manipulation thus eliminating the need for individual programmers to re-create the same date cross reference tables, or post processing algorithms. The conversion method supports conversion between any two date-time formats including the various existing Gregorian conventions.

Real time universal date and time conversion

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to staging manufactured items and provide a method, system and computer program product for staging items in a manufacturing environment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for staging items in a manufacturing environment can be provided. The method can include defining attributes of staging locations in a distribution area of the manufacturing environment, defining a set of staging strategies for use in the distribution area of the manufacturing environment, receiving a manufactured item in the distribution area and obtaining characteristics of the manufactured item, comparing the obtained characteristics of the manufactured item to the set of staging strategies to select the staging strategy to apply to the manufactured item and applying the selected staging strategy to the manufactured item to assign the manufactured item to storage in one of the staging locations in the distribution area based on matching the obtained characteristics of the manufactured item to the defined attributes of the one of the staging locations. The method can further include the retrieval of the manufactured item from the staging location at the appropriate time to allow for subsequent processing or shipment, and may include multiple iterations of the staging-retrieval process as required by the particular implementation.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a method, system, and storage medium for providing a dynamic multi-dimensional commodity modeling process. The system includes a data collection component operable for collecting raw data, a dynamic multi-dimensional commodity model component, and a commodity tree generated by the dynamic multi-dimensional commodity model component. The system also includes a closed loop/corrective action component operable for resolving nonconformance issues resulting from analysis of the raw data and commodity tree, and an analytic engine in communication with the data collection component, the multi-dimensional commodity model component, and the closed loop/corrective action component. The analytic engine receives the raw data from the data collection component, receives the commodity tree, performs analytics on the raw data according to rules defined by the commodity tree, and transmits any nonconformance data resulting from performing the analytics to the closed loop/correction action component for resolution of any identified nonconformances.

Method, system, and storage medium for providing a dynamic, multi-dimensional commodity modeling process

An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a method, system, and storage medium for providing a dynamic multi-dimensional commodity modeling process. The method comprises creating a commodity hierarchy data structure. The commodity hierarchy data structure includes at least one top level node and at least one leaf node dependent upon the top level node. The method further comprises assigning uniform attributes to nodes in the hierarchy and selectively assigning at least one dimensional attribute to a node for invoking an analysis based upon the dimensional attribute. The dependent nodes inherit dimensional attributes assigned to corresponding upper level nodes. Other embodiments include an apparatus, a system, and storage medium.

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Rochester, MN, United States of America

Manivannan Thavasi