Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
  • G06Q10/10—Office automation; Time management

Definitions

• the present invention relates generically to the possibility of making interactions, on the part of certain users, exploiting the global information network, by means of digital and virtual forms of representation designed to favour the analysis of the form of an object/project and more specifically describes a system and a method for representation and interactive management of resources (both production resources and non-production resources) during a process of implementation for the production of a project.
• the new global economy is the reference model for the future. It is hence necessary to work within said system, and the acquisition of markets, which geographically may even be very far apart from one another, is an increasingly real need, not only from the standpoint of the expansion in itself, but also as regards the ever-increasing possibility of obtaining local incentives and advantages of a geographical nature.
• a purpose of the present invention is, then, to provide a system for representation and interactive management of projects, which will offer the possibility for various remote users, located geographically in workstations that may even be considerably distant from one another, of displaying a production process and being able to intervene in real time on the management of the various steps of implementation thereof.
• Another purpose of the invention is to propose a system for representation and interactive management of projects which will enable a considerable reduction in the total production costs and the organizational problems deriving from the distance existing between the various production centres, so enabling an extreme speed of analysis and of decision-making organization to be achieved.
• a further purpose of the invention is to provide a system for representation and interactive management of projects, so as to offer, at each moment, an overview of the production process and .
• the communication system forming the subject of the present invention records the project development, enabling cataloguing of the morphological modifications of the object/project on the Timeline.
• Communication also comprises a process of transfer of the files, which is obtained by means of a private web server on which the files that are to be transferred to other participants in the project are uploaded.
• FIG. 1 illustrates the screen on which a basic layout of the system for representation and interactive management of projects according to the present invention appears
• FIG. 2 also illustrates a window, for the composition of the messages, through an appropriate control located on the basic screen of Figure 1.
• the reference number 10 designates a Timeline, i.e., a time bar or segment described by a line of points 1) corresponding to a single day comprised between the end and the start of a project.
• the reference number (20) designates the cursors for scrolling of the Timeline (10), and the single day 17 represented by the contents box is indicated by the date entered on the top right 21 of the Timeline.
• Appearing on the Timeline are Control icons 11 and Presentation icons 12 (note: the progressive number under the Control and Presentation icons indicates the succession thereof) , which contain files for immediate display of the current object/project.
• Control icons 11 and Presentation icons 12 include folders containing the files that enable description of the project in progress; these softkeys, control and presentation, which include folders arranged in chronological order on the Timeline 10, statically document the evolution of the project in question at the reference date. If the user is dealing with more than one project at the same time, it will be possible for him to display the same screen (the one represented in Figure 1) independently for each individual project 16 and interact in the same way with the screen itself.
• the system and the transmission system are encrypted and totally secure to guarantee maximum privacy and confidentiality.
• the basic screen of Figure 1 of the system for representation forming the subject of the present invention is made up of a set of blocks, such as the Timeline 10, already mentioned previously, a Forum section 13 and the softkeys Outbox 14 and Inbox 15. Furthermore, a cascade list 16 located on the top left of the screen enables selection of the specific project.
• Control or Presentation as complement of the Timeline 10 or, using the cursors 20, scroll the Timeline 10 on the day that he wishes and automatically see the Forum 13, and position himself on the corresponding date, or the next date (as illustrated in the example of Figure 1) , to control the corresponding communications .
• the Control and Presentation icons represent official moments of project relation with the client. These icons are connections to file folders that contain the object/project in question, presented in the modalities that are most appropriate for the specific case .
• the Flag icon 18 and 19 represents the transition of a file or sets of files that has taken place between the users that participate in the project. Track is kept of the object of said transition for a given period, after which there will be kept in the Forum only the name of the file or files that have travelled within the Inovo Data Interchange.
• the icons Outbox 14 and Inbox 15 constitute the management module of the transactions of the files between the users, whilst the icons Flag 18 indicate the transactions of attached files or sets of files that have been made.
• Inbox icon 15 Contained in the Inbox icon 15 are the files received via the system of interactive management according to the invention, whilst the user concerned will find in the Outbox icon 14 the files that have been sent.
• the icon Outbox moreover enables preparation of the dispatch and contains the list of the files sent, via the system software application, to the participants in the project. Operation of the system for representation and interactive management of projects, according to the present invention, is substantially as described in what follows.
• the users that have access to the system can be assigned to one project, no project, or a number of projects, whilst within each project there are no other separations in terms of variations of the functionalities. Each access is in turn limited to the projects in which the user participates.
• the Timeline 10 of the project in question which represents the extension of the project as a function of time.
• the first day contemplated on the bar 10 coincides with the opening of the project, and the last day contemplated coincides with its closing.
• the bar 10 displays on the screen a time window of 30 days, but makes available cursors 20 enabling scrolling of the Timeline.
• the days present on the bar 10 are coloured in a different way according to whether it is a working day or holiday and are indicated in particular by icons set in the corresponding position if on that day there has been a Control 11, a Presentation 12, or simply a data transaction 18.
• icons Control 11 or Presentation 12 Figure 1 corresponding to a day 17 in which there is a Control or a Presentation, it is possible to consult the files associated to the event.
• Presentation and Control are represented graphically by means of an interface of exploration of the directories, which contains the files divided according to type and use (three-dimensional and two- dimensional texts, and multimedia files) . Updating of Timeline, Control, and Presentation comes about, finally, by the action of the System Manager.
• the application When the application is accessed, the current day is displayed on the bar 10 (reference 25) if said date is internal to the project; otherwise, if the project is already terminated, the last day is highlighted and, if the project still has to start, the first day indicated as date of start of project is highlighted.
• Control and Presentation icons By scrolling the Timeline until a particular day is reached, it is possible to see the Forum 13 scrolling simultaneously and hence check the communications regarding that particular day, and the enabled user will be able to access the data files contained in the system in the Control and Presentation icons, in read-mode, download-mode and direct-printing mode.
• the variations of the Control and Presentation list are notified to the user via the presence of new icons of Control 11 or Presentation 12, by a message in the Forum 13 and by an e-mail message (optional) that the user receives at his own address.
• the contents of Control 11 and Presentation 12 can immediately be downloaded into the memory and/or displayed on a display.
• the Forum 13 is interconnected to the scrolling of the Timeline 10 and constitutes the basic platform for exchange of messages and drawing up of a project agenda, which is available to all the participants in the project and accompanies the project itself.
• the Forum 13 will be closed, and it will not be possible to make further additions, whilst to each message dictated during running of the project, there may be attached sets of files, including large ones reversed from the folder Outbox 14 and downloaded by the addressee in the folder Inbox 15) .
• the users hence have access to the Control 11 and Presentation 12 material regarding a project, in addition to the possibility of participating in the Forum and the possibility of transmitting files to the users that participate in the project.
• the Forum messages may be read by all the participants in the workgroup of the project displayed.
• the files attached to the message can be sent only to the users selected by the sender.
• the peculiar characteristics of the Forum 13 are those of storing in an official way all the communications regarding the project and offering a tool for communication between the participants in the project.
• the transactions of material with indication of the sender and of the addressees and the names of the files attached to the message are highlighted. It is possible, then, to enter a new message in the Forum 13 by clicking on an appropriate softkey 22 and signal entry of a communication in the Forum 13 to the persons concerned, also using e-mail means (see Figure 2) .
• the function can be selected by means of a further check box 23 within the softkey 22 for sending the message within the Forum 13.
• Transfer of the files attached to the message of the Forum 13 is obtained using an application which enables in a fast (even for files that are very weighty in terms of Mbytes), safe, complete and inaccessible way the software material to be delivered to the addressees involved in the workgroup.
• a control softkey attaches the file to the message of the Forum 13 (window subsequent to the function depending upon the softkey 22) .
• the above software application forms an integral part of the communication system of the Forum 13, in the sense that no file may be sent without prior notification in the Forum 13 of the transaction that has been made, the sender and the addressee. The sender will be informed of the successful outcome of the transaction by the mere presence of the corresponding message within the Forum 13.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Strategic Management (AREA)
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation (AREA)
• Human Resources & Organizations (AREA)
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Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=33446455

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Citations (2)

• 2003
  • 2003-05-14 IT ITTO20030351 patent/ITTO20030351A1/it unknown
• 2004
  • 2004-05-13 WO PCT/IB2004/001659 patent/WO2004102443A1/it not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (2)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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