Method of and Apparatus
For Communicating and Scheduling Change Requests
United States Patent
6,611,275
Zey , et al.
August 26, 2003
Method of and apparatus for
communicating and scheduling change requests
Abstract
A method for communicating and scheduling maintenance
requests, utilizing a program storage device readable by
a server machine, which includes the steps of providing a
maintenance request form having fields where information
about a maintenance request can be set forth, e.g.,
fields identifying the maintenance requester and a
proposed date when the maintenance will take place;
providing maintenance request information to the server;
storing the maintenance request information in a
database; providing to a user a calendar having boxes
corresponding to days of a month showing the maintenance
request in a box corresponding to the maintenance
requester's proposed date when the maintenance will take
place, and showing status information associated with the
maintenance request indicating whether the maintenance
request has been approved, denied, or is pending
approval; and providing an administrator interface with
which an administrator can make changes to the status
information associated with the maintenance request.
Inventors:
Zey; David A.
(Fuquay-Varina, NC); Stokes; Michael L.
(Clayton, NC)
Tanju Yurtsever et al, "Equipment management
system (EMS)", Nov. 1995, IEEE, pp.
248-254.*
Doug Barney, "Scheduling tool gains remote
capabilities", Mar. 20, 1995, InfoWorld,
v17, n12, p43 (1).*
Tom Henderson et al, "Network delivery
truck", Jan. 1996, LAN Magazine, v11, n1,
p147 (4).
Primary Examiner: Bayerl; Raymond J. Assistant Examiner: Bautista; X. L.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of communicating and scheduling requests for
computer system maintenance, the method comprising:
providing to a change requester a change request form
having fields with which the change requester can provide
information indicating contact information for the change
requester, a proposed date when the computer system
maintenance will take place, and who will be impacted by
the computer system maintenance;
receiving change request information from the change
requester in response to the change requester providing
information for at least some of the fields of the change
request form;
storing the change request information in a database,
transmitting the change request information to a change
administrator, and transmitting the change request
information to whoever was indicated as being impacted by
the maintenance; and
providing to a user a calendar displaying indicia
associated with the change request information, as well
as status information associated with the change request
information.
2. A method of communicating and scheduling requests for
computer system maintenance in accordance with claim 1
wherein the fields of the change request form comprise a
field with which the change requester can indicate the
nature of the impact.
3. A method of communicating and scheduling requests for
computer system maintenance in accordance with claim 1
wherein the fields of the change request form comprise a
field with which the change requester can indicate
whether or not the request is for maintenance to
hardware.
4. A method of communicating and scheduling requests for
computer system maintenance in accordance with claim 1
wherein the fields of the change request form comprise a
field with which the change requester can indicate
whether or not the request is for emergency maintenance.
5. A method of communicating and scheduling requests for
computer system maintenance in accordance with claim 1
wherein, with the field for indicating who will be
impacted by the maintenance, the change requester can
select from predefined groups of people, and wherein the
transmitting the change request information to whoever
was indicated as being impacted by the maintenance
comprises transmitting the change request information to
respective members of the selected predefined group.
6. A method of communicating and scheduling requests for
computer system maintenance in accordance with claim 1
wherein providing the change request form comprises
providing an Internet web form to the change requester
via TCP/IP communications.
7. A method of communicating and scheduling requests for
computer system maintenance in accordance with claim 1
and further comprising assigning a schedule number to the
change request information and associating the change
request information with the schedule number.
8. A method of communicating and scheduling requests for
computer system maintenance in accordance with claim 7
wherein, with the administrator interface, the change
administrator can change the status information to
indicate whether the maintenance is approved or denied,
the method further comprising receiving changed status
information, and providing to a user the calendar with
the changed status information.
9. A method of communicating and scheduling requests for
computer system maintenance in accordance with claim 1
and further comprising providing to the change
administrator an administrator interface with which the
change administrator can make changes to the status
information.
10. A method of communicating and scheduling maintenance
requests, the method comprising steps of:
providing to a maintenance requester a maintenance
request form having fields with which the maintenance
requester can provide information about a maintenance
request, including fields identifying the maintenance
requester, and a proposed date when maintenance will take
place;
receiving maintenance request information that the
maintenance requester provided using the maintenance
request form;
storing the maintenance request information in a
database;
providing to a user a calendar having boxes corresponding
to days of a month, showing the maintenance request in a
box corresponding to the maintenance requester's proposed
date when the maintenance will take place, and showing
status information associated with the maintenance
request indicating whether the maintenance request has
been approved, denied, or is pending an approval
decision; and
providing to the maintenance administrator an
administrator interface with which the administrator can
make changes to the status information associated with
the maintenance request.
11. A method of communicating and scheduling maintenance
requests in accordance with claim 10 and further
comprising, after providing to the maintenance
administrator the administrator interface, receiving
changed status information, and providing to a user the
calendar, with the calendar showing the changed status
information.
12. A method of communicating and scheduling maintenance
requests in accordance with claim 10 and further
comprising, after providing to the maintenance
administrator the administrator interface, receiving
changed status information, and providing to a user the
calendar with the changed status information indicated
with a change of color.
13. A method of communicating and scheduling maintenance
requests in accordance with claim 10 and further
comprising assigning a schedule number to the maintenance
requester information and associating the maintenance
requester information with the schedule number.
14. A method of communicating and scheduling maintenance
requests in accordance with claim 13 wherein showing the
maintenance request in a box comprises showing the
schedule number in the box, and wherein the method
further comprises, after providing to the maintenance
administrator the administrator interface, receiving
changed status information, and providing to a user the
calendar with the changed status information indicated
with a change of color of the schedule number.
15. A method of communicating and scheduling maintenance
requests in accordance with claim 13 wherein showing the
maintenance request in a box comprises showing the
schedule number in the box, and wherein the method
further comprises, after providing to the maintenance
administrator the administrator interface, receiving
changed status information, and providing to a user the
calendar with the changed status information indicated
with a change of color of the schedule number and, if the
changed status information includes a change in the
proposed date when the maintenance will take place, with
the schedule number moved to a different box.
16. An apparatus comprising:
a server having a memory, and a database defined in the
memory; and
a plurality of user's client machines configured to
selectively communicate with the server, one of the
user's client machines defining a change administrator's
client machine, one of the user's client machines
defining a change requester's client machine, the server
being configured to provide to the change requester's
client machine a change request form having fields with
which a change requester can provide information
indicating an e-mail address for the change requester, a
maintenance request type, a proposed date and time when
maintenance will take place, an estimated duration for
the maintenance, who will be impacted by the maintenance,
the nature of the impact, and the impact if the
maintenance is not performed; the server being configured
to receive from the change requester's client machine
change request information from the change requester in
response to the change requester providing information
for at least some of the fields of the change request
form; the server being configured to store the change
request information in the database, to provide the
change request information to the change administrator's
client machine, and to transmit the change request
information to user's client machines associated with
whoever was indicated as being impacted by the
maintenance; and the server being configured to provide
to a user's client machine a calendar displaying indicia
associated with the change request information, as well
as status information associated with the change request
information.
17. An apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein the
fields of the change request form further comprise a
field with which the change requester can indicate a name
of a requesting group.
18. An apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein,
with the change request form, the change requester can
indicate whether or not the request is for maintenance to
hardware.
19. An apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein,
with the field for indicating who will be impacted by the
maintenance, the change requester can select from
predefined groups of people, and wherein, to transmit the
change request information to whoever was indicated as
being impacted by the maintenance, the server transmits
the change request information to respective members of
the selected group.
20. An apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein the
change request form comprises an Internet web form, and
wherein the server is configured to provide the change
request form via TCP/IP communications.
21. An apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein the
server is further configured to assign a schedule number
to the change request information and associate, in the
database, the change request information with the
schedule number.
22. An apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein the
server is further configured to provide to the change
administrator's client machine an administrator interface
with which the administrator can make changes to the
status information.
23. An apparatus in accordance with claim 22 wherein,
with the administrator interface, the administrator can
change the status information to indicate whether the
maintenance is approved or denied, the server being
further configured to receive changed status information,
and provide to a user's client machine the calendar with
the changed status information.
24. A program storage device readable by a server
machine, the program storage device tangibly embodying a
program of instructions executable by the server machine
to cause the server machine to:
provide to a maintenance requester's client machine a
maintenance request form having fields with which a
maintenance requester can provide information about a
maintenance request, including fields identifying the
maintenance requester, and a proposed date when
maintenance will take place;
receive maintenance request information that the
maintenance requester provided using the request form;
store the maintenance request information in a database,
and transmit the maintenance request information to a
maintenance administrator's client machine;
provide to a user's client machine a calendar having
boxes for days of a month, showing the maintenance
request in a box corresponding to the maintenance
requester's proposed date when the maintenance will take
place, and showing status information associated with the
maintenance request indicating whether the maintenance
request has been approved, denied, or is pending an
approval decision; and
provide to an administrator's client machine an
administrator interface with which the administrator can
make changes to the status information for the
maintenance request.
25. A program storage device in accordance with claim 24
and further comprising, after providing to an
administrator an administrator interface, receiving
changed status information, and providing to a user the
calendar with the changed status information.
26. A program storage device in accordance with claim 24
and further comprising, after providing to an
administrator an administrator interface, receiving
changed status information, and providing to a user the
calendar with the changed status information indicated
with a change of color.
27. A program storage device in accordance with claim 24
and further comprising assigning a schedule number to the
maintenance request information and associating the
maintenance request information with the schedule number.
28. A program storage device in accordance with claim 27
wherein showing the maintenance request in a box
comprises showing the schedule number in the box, and
wherein the program of instructions is further executable
to, after providing to an administrator an administrator
interface, receiving changed status information, and
providing to a user the calendar with the changed status
information indicated with a change of color of the
schedule number.
29. A program storage device in accordance with claim 27
wherein showing the maintenance request in a box
comprises showing the schedule number in the box, and
wherein the program of instructions is further executable
to, after providing to an administrator an administrator
interface, receiving changed status information, and
providing to a user the calendar with the changed status
information indicated by a change of color of the
schedule number and, if the changed status information
includes a change in proposed date when the maintenance
will take place, with the changed status information
indicated by a change in the box within which the
schedule number appears.
30. A method of communicating and scheduling requests for
computer system maintenance, the method comprising:
providing to a change requester a change request form
having fields with which the change requester can provide
information indicating contact information for the change
requester, the maintenance request type, a proposed date
when the computer system maintenance will take place, and
who will be impacted by the computer system maintenance;
receiving change request information from the change
requester in response to the change requester providing
information for at least some of the fields of the change
request form;
storing the change request information in a database,
transmitting the change request information to a change
administrator, and transmitting the change request
information to whoever was indicated as being impacted by
the maintenance;
providing to a user a calendar displaying indicia
associated with the change request information, as well
as status information associated with the change request
information;
providing to the change administrator an administrator
interface with which the administrator can make changes
to the status information associated with change request
information; and
after providing to the change administrator the
administrator interface, receiving changed status
information, and providing to a user the calendar with
the calendar showing the changed status information.
31. A method of communicating and scheduling maintenance
requests, the method comprising steps of:
providing to a maintenance requester a maintenance
request form having fields with which the maintenance
requester can provide information about a maintenance
request, including fields identifying the maintenance
requester, the maintenance request type, and a proposed
date when maintenance will take place;
receiving maintenance request information that the
maintenance requester provided using the maintenance
request form;
storing the maintenance request information in a
database;
providing to a user a calendar having boxes corresponding
to days of a month, showing the maintenance request in a
box corresponding to the maintenance requester's proposed
date when the maintenance will take place, and showing
status information associated with the maintenance
request indicating whether the maintenance request has
been approved, denied, or is pending an approval
decision;
providing to the maintenance administrator an
administrator interface with which the administrator can
make changes to the status information associated with
the maintenance request;
receiving changed status information from the maintenance
administrator in response to the maintenance
administrator providing changed status information on the
administrator interface; and
after providing to the maintenance administrator the
administrator interface and receiving changed status
information, providing to a user the calendar with the
calendar showing the changed status information.
32. A method of communicating and scheduling maintenance
requests in accordance with claim 31 wherein the changed
status information is indicated with a change of color.
33. A method of communicating and scheduling maintenance
requests in accordance with claim 31 and further
comprising assigning a schedule number to the maintenance
requester information and associating the maintenance
requester information with the schedule number.
34. A method of communicating and scheduling maintenance
requests in accordance with claim 33 wherein showing the
maintenance request in a box comprises showing the
schedule number in the box, and wherein the changed
status information is indicated with a change of color of
the schedule number.
35. A method of communicating and scheduling maintenance
requests in accordance with claim 33 wherein showing the
maintenance request in a box comprises showing the
schedule number in the box, and wherein the changed
status information is indicated with a change of color of
the schedule number and, if the changed status
information includes a change in the proposed date when
the maintenance will take place, the schedule number is
moved to a different box.
36. An apparatus comprising:
a server having a memory, and a database defined in the
memory; and
a plurality of user's client machines configured to
selectively communicate with the server, one of the
user's client machines defining a change administrator's
client machine, one of the users client machines defining
a change requester's client machine,
the server being configured to provide to the change
requester's client machine a change request form having
fields with which a change requester can provide
information indicating an e-mail address for the change
requester, a maintenance request type, a proposed date
and time when maintenance will take place, an estimated
duration for the maintenance, who will be impacted by the
maintenance, the nature of the impact, and the impact if
the maintenance is not performed;
the server being configured to receive from the change
requester's client machine change request information
from the change requester in response to the change
requester providing information for at least some of the
fields of the change request form;
the server being configured to store the change request
information in the database, to provide the change
request information to the change administrator's client
machine, and to transmit the change request information
to user's client machines associated with whoever was
indicated as being impacted by the maintenance;
the server being configured to provide to a user's client
machine a calendar displaying indicia associated with the
change request information, as well as status information
associated with the change request information;
wherein the server is further configured to provide to
the change administrator's client machine an
administrator interface with which the administrator can
make changes to the status information, and wherein, with
the administrator interface, the change administrator can
change the status information to indicate whether the
maintenance is approved or denied, and the server being
further configured to receive changed status information
and provide to a user's client machine the calendar with
the changed status information.
37. A program storage device readable by a
server-machine, the program storage device tangibly
embodying a program of instructions executable by the
server machine to cause the server machine to:
provide to a maintenance requester's client machine a
maintenance request form having fields with which a
maintenance requester can provide information about a
maintenance request, including fields identifying the
maintenance requester, a maintenance request type, and a
proposed date when maintenance will take place;
receive maintenance request information that the
maintenance requester provided using the request form;
store the maintenance request information in a database,
and transmit the maintenance request information to a
maintenance administrator's client machine;
provide to a user's client machine a calendar having
boxes for days of a month, showing the maintenance
request in a box corresponding to the maintenance
requester's proposed date when the maintenance will take
place, and showing status information associated with the
maintenance request indicating whether the maintenance
request has been approved, denied, or is pending an
approval decision;
provide to an administrator's client machine an
administrator interface with.which the administrator can
make changes to the status information for the
maintenance request; and
after providing to an administrator an administrator
interface, receive changed status information and provide
to a user the calendar with the changed status
information.
38. A program storage device in accordance with claim 37
wherein the changed status information is indicated with
a change of color.
39. A program storage device in accordance with claim 37
and further comprising assigning a schedule number to the
maintenance request information and associating the
maintenance request information with the schedule number.
40. A program storage device in accordance with claim 39
wherein showing the maintenance request in a box
comprises showing the schedule number in the box, and
wherein the program of instructions is further executable
to provide to a user the calendar with the changed status
information indicated with a change of color of the
schedule number.
41. A program storage device in accordance with claim 39
wherein showing the maintenance request in a box
comprises showing the schedule number in the box, and
wherein the program of instructions is further executable
to provide to a user the calendar with the changed status
information indicated by a change of color of the
schedule number and, if the changed status information
includes a change in proposed date when the maintenance
will take place, with the changed status information
indicated by a change in the box within which the
schedule number appears.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to change management. The invention
also relates to methods of and apparatus for requesting
and communicating requests for computer system
maintenance or change.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Maintenance of computer systems is known as change
management. With current change management, requests for
changes and other communications can be quite cumbersome
and different from one division of an organization to
another. In many large organizations, communications of
requests and communications of the status of those
requests typically take place by e-mail.
Some organizations may have a web page for request
submittals, but after the request is submitted,
subsequent communications typically take place by e-mail.
Such subsequent communications may involve, for example,
approvals, denials, cancellations, status requests,
scheduling, and re-scheduling.
Because of this lack of structure, requested maintenance
is sometimes performed even though appropriate approvals
have not been granted. Alternatively, the maintenance may
not occur because the appropriate approvals have not been
received by the requester. Proper communication is
important, but difficult in a large organization.
Using calendars to organize information in a computer
network environment is known in the art. See, for
example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,431 to Webster et al.
(incorporated by reference).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a method of communicating and
scheduling maintenance requests and an apparatus defined
by the method. A maintenance requester is provided a
maintenance request form having various fields. The
maintenance requester can provide information about a
maintenance request with the fields which include, for
example, a field with which the maintenance requester can
provide identifying information, and a field with which
the maintenance requester can provide a proposed date
when maintenance will take place. Maintenance request
information that the maintenance requester provided using
the maintenance request form is received and stored in a
database. A user is provided a calendar having boxes
corresponding to days of a month, showing the maintenance
request in a box corresponding to the maintenance
requester's proposed date when the maintenance will take
place, and showing status information associated with the
maintenance request indicating whether the maintenance
request has been approved, denied, or is pending an
approval decision.
In one aspect of the invention, an administrator
interface is provided to the maintenance administrator
with which the administrator can make changes to the
status information associated with the maintenance
request. In another aspect of the invention, changed
status information is indicated with a change of color.
In one aspect of the invention, a schedule number is
assigned to the maintenance requester information and the
maintenance requester information is associated with the
schedule number.
In another aspect of the invention, the fields include a
field with which the maintenance request can indicate who
will be impacted by the computer system maintenance, and
the change request information is transmitted to whoever
was indicated as being impacted by the maintenance.
Other features and advantages of the invention will
become apparent from the following claims and detailed
description, reference being made to the figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system in
accordance with one aspect of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating providing a change
request form, and receiving and storing a maintenance
request, using the system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating receiving and
processing a request for a calendar display using the
system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating receiving and
processing a request for an administrator interface using
the system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating receiving and
processing a request for a user console interface from
which reports can be generated using the system of FIG.
1.
FIG. 6 is a map illustrating how FIGS. 7-10 are to be
assembled.
FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10, when assembled in the manner shown
in FIG. 6, illustrate the change request form of FIG. 2.
FIG. 11 illustrates the calendar display of FIG. 3.
FIG. 12 is a map illustrating how FIGS. 13-15 are to be
assembled.
FIGS. 13, 14, and 15, when assembled in the manner shown
in FIG. 12, illustrate the administrator interface of
FIG. 4.
FIG. 16 is a map illustrating how FIGS. 17-18 are to be
assembled.
FIGS. 17 and 18, when assembled in the manner shown in
FIG. 16, illustrate the user console interface of FIG. 5.
FIG. 19 illustrates a sample report generated by the
system responsive to a request made using the
administrator interface of FIGS. 13-15 or the user
console interface of FIGS. 17-18.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 embodying one aspect of
the invention. The system 10 comprises a server 12, which
can be a minicomputer, a microcomputer, a mainframe
computer, a personal computer (PC) such as a personal
computer of the type having an Intel (.TM.) processor or
clones thereof, Apple (.TM.), Macintosh (.TM.), or
PowerPC (.TM.) personal computer or clones thereof, or
any other appropriate device or system for performing the
server functions described below. In one embodiment, the
server 12 includes memory 14, and other typical
components (not shown) such as a processor, input devices
(e.g.; keyboard and mouse), output devices (e.g.; monitor
and printer), ROM, RAM, serial ports, parallel ports,
communication hardware, which may either be internal or
external, such as internal communication cards (e.g.,
modem card or network card) or external communication
hardware (e.g., external modem), etc. In the illustrated
embodiment, the server 12 runs a network operating
system. More particularly, in the illustrated embodiment,
the server 12 has a multi-user, multi-tasking operating
system such as UNIX, LINUX (e.g., if the server is a
personal computer), etc.
The server has a database 16 defined in the memory 14. In
the illustrated embodiment, such memory comprises a hard
disk drive having information arranged thereon to define
the database, but the memory could alternatively be
defined, at least in part, by one or more of the
following: CD-ROMs, random access memory (RAM), read only
memory (ROM), optical storage, floptical storage, tape
storage, or any other appropriate data storage medium.
The system 10 further comprises (see FIG. 1) a plurality
of client machines 18a, 18b, 18c, etc. Any of the client
machines 18a, 18b, 18c, etc. can be used by a user to
access a change request form (e.g., a maintenance request
form). Such a user is hereinafter referred to as a
requestor. Any of the client machines 18a, 18b, 18c, etc.
can also be used by a user to access a calendar showing
scheduled change requests (e.g., maintenance requests),
by a user to access a user console to run reports, or by
a change manager (also referred to herein as an
administrator) to access an administrator console (also
referred to herein as an administrator interface). The
administrator is a person who is granted rights to change
status information associated with the change requests,
e.g., to approve, deny, or reschedule requests. These
actions are performed using an administrator console
screen, as will be described in greater detail below. A
client machine only provides an administrator console
when the operator of the client machine supplies a user
name and password authenticating the user as an
administrator. In one embodiment, any user or
administrator can view all change requests, regardless of
who made the request, using any of the client machines
18a, 18b, 18c, etc.
The clients comprise terminals, such as Web-TV (.TM.) or
iMac (.TM.) terminals, computers such as minicomputers,
microcomputers, mainframe computers, personal computers
such as personal computer including an Intel (.TM.)
processor or clones thereof or Apple (.TM.), Macintosh
(.TM.), or PowerPC (.TM.) personal computers or clones
thereof, or any other appropriate computers or terminals.
The client 18a may be a different computer than the
client 18b, which in turn may be different from the
client 18c, etc. The clients 18a, 18b, 18c, etc. include
typical components (not shown) such as processors, input
devices (e.g.; keyboard and mouse), output devices (e.g.;
monitor and printer), RAM, ROM, memory (hard drive, disk
drive, tape unit, CD-ROM, etc.), serial ports parallel
ports, communication hardware, which may either be
internal or external, such as internal communication
cards (e.g., modem card or network card) or external
communication hardware (e.g., external modem), etc.
The clients communicate with the server by a
communications network 19. In the illustrated embodiment,
the clients communicate with the server via the Internet.
In an alternative embodiment, the clients communicate
with the server via an Intranet. Other communication
networks may be employed. Any appropriate communications
hardware can be employed, such as telephone modems, DSL
connections, ISDN connections, cable modems, satellite
modems, etc., in any combination. When in operation, the
clients 18a, 18b, 18c, etc. respectively run web browsers
such as Netscape (.TM.), WebTV (.TM.), Internet Explorer
(.TM.), or any other appropriate web browser. In one
embodiment, the change request form is a web page form,
the administrator console is a web page form, and the
calendar is a web page.
The server 12, in operation, executes a program of
instructions (e.g., computer program code) for performing
various functions described below. The program of
instructions is tangibly embodied in a program storage
device which, in the illustrated embodiment, is defined
by the memory 14. The program of instructions, in one
embodiment, is transmitted over a communications network
(e.g., the Internet, a phone line using modems, a
satellite communications network, etc.) for sale or
distribution.
The program code can be written in any appropriate
programming language. In the illustrated embodiment, the
program code comprises HTML (hypertext markup language)
code including a Java applet. In an alternative
embodiment, the program code comprises HTML code
including HTML forms and PERL scripts. Other embodiments
are possible.
FIG. 2 illustrates how the program of instructions is
coded, in accordance with one aspect of the invention,
for receiving and storing a maintenance request.
In operation, at a step S1, the server running the
instructions receives from a maintenance requester's
client machine a demand for a maintenance request form.
This can be, for example, by pressing a button 26 (see
FIG. 11) on a web page including a change maintenance
calendar 22 or by pointing a browser to a particular URL
using a client machine. After performing step S1, the
server proceeds to step S2.
At a step S2, the server provides to a maintenance
requester's client machine a maintenance request form 20
(see FIGS. 7-10) having a variety of fields. The fields
include, for example, those with which a maintenance
requester can provide information about a maintenance
request, identify the maintenance requester, and provide
a proposed date when maintenance will take place. In the
particular embodiment shown in FIGS. 7-10, the fields
include a field 34 with which the requester can indicate
his/her last name, a field 36 with which the requester
can indicate his/her first name, a field 38 with which
the requester can indicate his/her middle initial, a
field 40 with which the requester can indicate his/her
phone number, a field 42 with which the requester can
indicate his/her e-mail address, a field 44 with which
the requester can indicate a title for the maintenance
request, a field 46 with which the requester can indicate
a name of a group requesting the maintenance, a field 48
with which the requester can indicate the maintenance
request type (e.g., emergency, non-emergency, software,
hardware, etc.), a field 50 with which the requester can
indicate the proposed date of the maintenance, a field 52
with which the requester can indicate the proposed time
of the maintenance, a field 54 with which the requester
can indicate the estimated duration of the maintenance, a
field 56 with which the requester can indicate the nature
of the work, a field 58 with which the requester can
indicate the group or groups impacted, a field 60 with
which the requester can indicate the impact to the system
or groups if the maintenance is performed, a field 62
with which the requester can indicate the impact if the
maintenance is not performed, a field 64 with which the
requester can indicate what premaintenance activities are
required (if any), fields 66 with which the requester can
indicate the name, phone number, pager number, and
outside line of each support participant (e.g., the
people who would perform the maintenance), a field 68
with which the requester can indicate what testing is
required after the maintenance (e.g., pass/fail
criteria), and a field 70 with which the requestor can
indicate a back-out procedure.
If the requester submits a request indicated as being of
a certain type, such as an emergency request type, with
field 48, additional action is taken. For example, when
an emergency request type is submitted the server sends a
text page via pager and an e-mail to the change manager
(the maintenance administrator) indicating the request
type "EMERGENCY REQUEST," the request schedule
number and the requester's name and phone number.
The fields can be in the form of text boxes, radio
buttons, pull down menus, or any other appropriate type
used in HTML forms. Different or additional fields are
employed in alternative embodiments. The form 20 further
includes a button 72 for submitting the change request
information, and a button 74 for clearing the form. After
performing step S2, the server proceeds to step S3.
At a step S3, the server receives maintenance request
information that the maintenance requester provided using
the request form in step S2. More particularly, instead
of receiving the entire form, only information or codes
indicating selections or entries made using pull down
menus, radio buttons, text boxes, or other formats is
received, in the illustrated embodiment, for step S3.
After performing step S3, the server proceeds to step S4.
At step S4, the server, in any order, stores the
maintenance request information in the database 16, and
transmits (e.g., sends an e-mail including the
information) the maintenance request information to the
maintenance administrator's client machine. More
particularly, the maintenance request information is
automatically sent to a predetermined list of e-mail
addresses.
The server also assigns a schedule number 28 to the
maintenance request information as shown in FIG. 11. The
schedule number 28 then becomes available for display on
the calendar 22 on the day as specified by the requester
within the request form 20. In one embodiment, the
schedule number 28 is in a predetermined format. For
example, in one embodiment, in a format including three
letters identifying a site name, four numbers for the
year, two numbers for the month and three numbers
indicating the number sequence for the month. An example
of a schedule number 28 for the request generated in
accordance with this type of format is CAY199906001. The
maintenance request information within the database 16
can be retrieved by the calendar 22, by an administrator
console or interface 30 (FIGS. 13-15), and by a user
console 32 (FIGS. 17-18), e.g., using the schedule
number. After performing step S4, the server proceeds to
an idle state.
FIG. 3 illustrates how the program of instructions is
coded, in accordance with one aspect of the invention,
for receiving and processing a request for a calendar
display.
At a step S5, the server running the instructions
receives from a user's client machine 18a, 18b, 18c, etc.
a demand for a calendar. This can be, for example, by
pressing a button or link on a web page or by pointing a
browser to a particular URL using a client machine. This
can be the same client machine used with the request form
in FIG. 2, or a different client machine. After
performing step S5, the server proceeds to step S6.
At a step S6, the server provides to a user's client
machine a calendar 22 (see FIG. 11), which is described
below in greater detail. The change maintenance calendar
22 is, in appearance, a typical calendar with boxes 24
for each day of the current month (or a selected month).
The term "box", as used herein, doesn't
necessarily refer to a rectangular geometric shape, but
instead refers to an area on the calendar corresponding
to a day of the month.
The screen that includes the calendar 22 includes the
button 26 which, when selected, brings up a change
request form 20 to be completed by the requester. The
calendar 22 also includes days of the week indicia 76.
The screen that includes the calendar 22 includes a text
box 78 in which a request number can be entered, and a
button 80 for bringing up details associated with the
request number entered in the text box 78 from the
database 16.
The calendar 22 shows the schedule number 28 associated
with the maintenance request in a box 24 corresponding to
the maintenance requester's proposed date when the
maintenance will take place. If there have been other
maintenance requests, those too will be displayed on the
calendar.
The calendar 22 also shows status information associated
with the maintenance request indicating whether the
maintenance request has been approved, denied, or is
pending an approval decision. An area or field on the
screen including the calendar 22 includes
non-alphanumeric indicia to indicate the status of the
request. In the illustrated embodiment, the status
information is indicated using color on the calendar 22.
For example, in one embodiment, the schedule number is
initially a predetermined color (e.g., the schedule
number is highlighted with a predetermined color, or the
text of the schedule number is a predetermined color),
such as yellow, to indicate a request has been submitted
and is awaiting action by the change manager.
In the illustrated embodiment, when an emergency request
is submitted it will initially be red on the calendar 22,
which indicates it is a emergency request and is awaiting
action by the change manager.
When the change manager provides a change of status for a
change request, such as an approval, via the
administrator console 30, nonalphanumeric indicia in an
area or field on the calendar 22 changes to indicate a
change in the status of the request. For example, in the
illustrated embodiment, the schedule number will be a
color that changes to green which indicates the request
has been approved. Alternatively, when the change manager
provides a rejection via the administrator console 30 for
a change request, the request schedule number disappears
from the calendar 22 but still resides within the
database and is accessible to the change manager via the
administrator console 30. From the administrator console
30, the change manager can reschedule the rejected
request and it will reappear on the calendar 22 on the
day selected by the change manager with indicia
indicating the change request was rescheduled (e.g., by
showing the schedule number with the rescheduled color of
blue).
If the change manager reschedules a request via the
administrator console 30, the rescheduled request will
move to the new day selected by the change manager. In
the illustrated embodiment, the schedule number of the
rescheduled request will appear with the color of blue on
the calendar 22 indicating that it is a rescheduled
request and is awaiting a next action by the change
manager such as an approval.
In one embodiment, the calendar 22 has a legend area or
box 150 explaining the meanings of status.indicia (e.g.,
color representations). In the illustrated embodiment,
the legends describing an association between a color and
a status are shown on the calendar 22 in the respective
colors. For example, the text "Yellow: Pending"
shown on the calendar 22 is displayed in yellow, the text
"Green: Approved" is displayed in green, the
text "Black: Completed" is displayed in black,
the text "Blue: Rescheduled" is displayed in
blue, and the text "Red: Emergency" is
displayed in red. Other associations between colors and
status can be employed.
In one embodiment, users accessing the calendar 22 have
the ability to click on a dropdown box (not shown) which
lists all change request schedule numbers on the calendar
22 for the entire month.
In the illustrated embodiment, the user may select a
specific schedule number (by clicking on a schedule
number entry shown on the calendar 22 or from the
drop-down box described above) and view the entire
request. More particularly, in the illustrated
embodiment, the schedule number entries are hyperlinks.
When positioning a mouse pointer over an entry shown on
the calendar 22, in one embodiment, the request title
associated with the schedule request is displayed, such
as in a window adjacent the mouse pointer (e.g., in a
manner similar to a quick tip) or elsewhere in the
browser window.
The month displayed is the present month, as indicated by
the system date of the server. In the illustrated
embodiment, users have the ability to select previous or
subsequent months to view as long as the months contain
active request information, using a pull down menu 152
(while administrators can select previous of subsequent
months having any request information). In an alternative
embodiment, users have the ability to view any month
having any request information in the database. When
viewing another month, the user also has the ability to
view the actual request as mentioned above. In one
embodiment, requesters have the ability to submit
requests in advance for the next month and have the
ability to view the same.
In one embodiment, old stored schedule numbers are
viewable and the associated requests are retrievable via
the calendar 22 as well as via the administrator console
30 and user console 32 for some amount of time (e.g., for
the previous twelve months) after which point the request
will be archived.
After performing step S6, the server proceeds to an idle
state.
FIG. 4 illustrates how the program of instructions is
coded, in accordance with one aspect of the invention,
for receiving and processing a request for an
administrator console 30.
At a step S7, the server running the instructions
receives from an administrator's client machine a demand
for an administrator console or interface 30. This can
be, for example, by pressing a button or link on a web
page or by pointing a browser to a particular URL using a
client machine. This can be the same client machine used
with the request form of FIG. 2, the calendar 22 of FIG.
3, or a different client machine. The user of the client
machine, in the illustrated embodiment, is authenticated
as being an administrator using a user name and password
scheme. In one embodiment, there are more than one users
who are administrators. After performing step S7, the
server proceeds to step S8.
At step S8, the server provides to an administrator's
client machine an administrator or administrative console
30 (FIGS. 13-15) with which the change manager or
administrator can make changes to the status information
for a selected maintenance request. The administrator
console 30 is used by the change manager to provide
approvals, denials, rejections, rescheduling or
indicating completion of a submitted change request
appearing within the calendar 22. The administrator
console 30 includes fields for the schedule number of the
request for which the change manager wishes to take
action (e.g., change status).
Using the administrator console 30, the change manager
has the ability to change the status of requests. In the
illustrated embodiment, the change manager has the
ability to perform the following request management
functions using the administrator console 30: view a
request associated with a schedule number by entering the
schedule number in text box 82 and pressing button 84,
provide an approval using text box 86 and button 88,
reject a request using text box 90 and button 92,
reschedule a request using text box 94 and button 96,
modify a request using text box 98 and button 100, or
mark a request as completed using text box 102 and button
104. Other or different fields are employed in
alternative embodiments.
Here, as with all the forms described herein, alternative
interface formats can be employed. For example, instead
of multiple buttons, there can be a single button.
Instead of multiple text boxes, there can be a single
text box for entering a schedule number and a pull down
menu or radio buttons for indicating the type of request
management function that is desired.
In one embodiment, the administrator console 30 further
includes a text box for informational messages or
comments to be sent to the requester by the change
manager when providing approvals or rejections.
When the change manager (administrator) provides a denial
or rejection via the administrator console 30 for a
change request, an e-mail message is auto-generated to
the requester, using the requester's submitted e-mail
address, advising that approval for the request has been
either denied or rejected. The reason for denial
information as provided by the change manager within the
text box of the administrator console 30 (in embodiments
where such a text box is used) will be included within
the e-mail.
When the change manager provides an approval via the
administrator console 30 for a change request, an e-mail
message is auto-generated to the requester via the
submitted requester's e-mail address advising that
approval for the request has been granted.
The change manager also has the ability to compile
reports via the administrator console 30. By selecting a
date range in conjunction with other variables, the
change manager can create custom reports on maintenance
activities. Various options are available to the change
manager for creating custom reports. For example, in the
illustrated embodiment, reports can be pulled (generated)
to view or show open requests, using text box 106 and
button 108, to view pending requests, using text box 110
and button 112, to view by date (start date and end date
to define date range), using text box 114 and button 116
and text boxes 118 and 120 for the start date and the end
date, to view requests by group (individual or all
groups), using pull down menu 122 and button 124, to view
requests by type (individual or all types), using pull
down menu 126 and button 128, or to view requests by
location (individual or all locations), using pull down
menu 130 and button 132.
In one embodiment, the change manager is able to perform
various database functions from the administrator console
30 which allow information to be added or deleted to
specified fields. Such database functions available from
the administrator console 30 include: add a group, using
text box 134 and button 136, delete a group, using text
box 138 and button 140, add a location, using text box
142 and button 144, and delete a location, using text box
146 and button 148. Other or different functions are
available in alternative embodiments. In one embodiment,
functions available further include add a pager pin
number (e.g., for an emergency request), delete a pager
pin number, and add an e-mail address (which, in one
embodiment, causes any previously entered e-mail address
to be overwritten). After performing step S8, the server
proceeds to step S9.
At step S9, the server receives the status change
information. After performing step S9, the server
proceeds to step S10.
At step S10, the server updates the database with the
status change information. After performing step S10, the
server proceeds to an idle state.
FIG. 5 illustrates how the program of instructions is
coded, in accordance with one aspect of the invention,
for receiving and processing a request for a user console
or interface from which reports can be generated. The
user console is a tool accessible by the user
specifically developed for reporting purposes. This
provides the same functionality as the
"reports" function of the administrator
console.
At a step S11, the server running the instructions
receives from a user's client machine a demand for a user
console. This can be, for example, by pressing a button
or link on a web page or by pointing a browser to a
particular URL using a client machine. This can be the
same client machine used with the request form of FIG. 2,
the calendar 22 of FIG. 3, the administrator console 30
of FIG. 4, or a different client machine. After
performing step S11, the server proceeds to step S12.
At step S12, the server provides to the user's client
machine a user console with which the user can request
reports relating to maintenance requests.
For example, by selecting a date range in conjunction
with other variables, the user can create custom reports
on maintenance activities. Various options are available
to the user for creating custom reports. For example, in
the illustrated embodiment, reports can be pulled
(generated) to view or show open requests, to view
pending requests, to view by date (start date and end
date to define date range), to view requests by group
(individual or all groups), to view requests by type
(individual or all types), or to view requests by
location (individual or all locations). After performing
step S12, the server proceeds to step S13.
At step S13, the server receives a report request. After
performing step S13, the server proceeds to step S14.
At step S14, the server accesses the database, and
generates the report requested. After performing step
S14, the server proceeds step S15.
At step S15, the server provides the report to the client
machine of the user who requested the report. A sample
report is shown in FIG. 19.
The report includes schedule numbers 154, which are
hyperlinked in the illustrated embodiment as they are in
the calendar 22. The report also includes scheduled dates
156, request types 158, request titles 160, and status
162 for the respective schedule numbers 154. In the
illustrated embodiment, the report is a web page. The web
page report also includes, in the illustrated embodiment,
radio buttons or other selectors 164 for sorting
(reordering) the displayed information (schedule numbers
and associated dates, request types, request titles, and
status) by date or request type. The report also
includes, in the illustrated embodiment, radio buttons or
other selectors 166 for filtering (reducing the amount
information displayed) by status (e.g., pending,
rejected, or completed), and also includes a submit
button 168 for effecting the sorting and/or filtering
based on the selected radio buttons. After performing
step S15, the server proceeds to an idle state.
In the illustrated embodiment, the server runs a
multi-user, multitasking operating system. Accordingly,
the processes of FIGS. 2-5 can occur in any order,
simultaneously or in any combination, or multiple
instances of one or more of the processes of FIGS. 2-5
can be running at the same time (e.g. if multiple users
and/or administrators are accessing the server at the
same time).
The protection sought is not to be limited to the
disclosed embodiments, which are given by way of example
only, but instead is to be limited only by the scope of
the appended claims as properly interpreted in accordance
with the doctrine of equivalents.
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