Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
PREDICTIVE RISK MANAGEMENT
FOR SUPPLY CHAIN RECEIVABLES FINANCING
Britta Balden
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of supply chain
receivables financing
and more particularly to programmatic risk mitigation in supply chain
receivables
financing.
[0003] Description of the Related Art
[0004] A supply chain is a network between a company and its suppliers
to produce
and distribute a specific product, and the supply chain represents the steps
it takes to get
the product or service to the customer. Supply chain management is a crucial
process
because an optimized supply chain results in lower costs and a faster
production cycle.
Business logistics management refers to the production and distribution
process within
the company, while supply chain management includes suppliers, manufacturers,
logistics and transportation companies and retailers that distribute the
product to the end
customer. Supply chains include every business that comes in contact with a
particular
product, including companies that assemble and deliver parts to the
manufacturer.
[0005] Factoring is a financial transaction and a type of debtor finance
in which a
business in the supply chain sells at a discount its accounts receivable of a
buyer to a
third party often referred to as a factor. A business in a supply chain often
will "factor"
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receivable assets to meet present and immediate cash needs generally to
support
manufacturing and growth efforts. Factoring is commonly referred to as
accounts
receivable factoring, invoice factoring, and sometimes accounts receivable
financing.
But, accounts receivable financing is a term most accurately used to describe
this form of
asset based lending against accounts receivable.
[0006] In factoring, the initial sale of a receivable by a
seller in the supply chain
transfers ownership of the receivable to the factor, such that the factor
obtains all of the
rights associated with the receivables. Accordingly, the receivable becomes
the asset of
the factor, and the factor obtains the right to receive the payments made by
the debtor for
the invoice amount, and is free to pledge or exchange the receivable asset
without
unreasonable constraints or restrictions. Usually, the account debtor is
notified of the
sale of the receivable, and the factor makes all collections; however, non-
notification
factoring, where the seller collects the accounts sold to the factor, as agent
of the factor,
also occurs.
[0007] If the factoring transfers the receivable "without
recourse", the factor must
bear the loss if the account debtor does not pay the invoice amount. If the
factoring
transfers the receivable "with recourse", the factor has the right to collect
the unpaid
invoice amount from the seller. However, any merchandise returns that may
diminish the
invoice amount that is collectible from the accounts receivable are typically
the
responsibility of the seller, and the factor will typically hold back paying
the seller for a
portion of the receivable being sold, known as the "factor's holdback
receivable" in order
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to cover the merchandise returns associated with the factored receivables
until the
privilege to return the merchandise expires. As can be seen, then, in
factoring without
recourse, the factor must reliably estimate the risk of non-payment of a
factored invoice
by a buyer to the seller of merchandise.
[0008] Factored invoices go unpaid for many reasons. The most common
reason is
the failure of the buyer to pay the factored invoice. The risk of non-payment,
however,
may be accounted for in connection with the acquisition of credit insurance.
However,
credit insurance does not account for the circumstance where the seller of
goods to the
buyer for which the buyer is invoiced cannot deliver goods of sufficient
quality or when
the seller cannot deliver goods of sufficient quality or when the seller
cannot deliver the
invoiced goods in a timely manner, these three factors defining a "perfect
order". In
those instances, a dispute arises between buyer and seller leaving the factor
in limbo and
at risk of non-payment. Accordingly, mitigating the risk of non-payment of a
factored
invoice due to an "imperfect order" would be desirable in order to improve the
flow of
goods in industrial processes.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the
art in respect
to the mitigation of the risk of non-payment of a factored invoice and provide
a novel and
non-obvious method, system and computer program product for the predictive
risk
management of supply chain receivables financing. In an embodiment of the
invention, a
method for predictive risk management of supply chain receivables financing
includes
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specifying in a user interface of a host computer program executing in memory
of a host
computing system, an invoice for goods supplied in a supply chain and selected
for asset
backed financing and determining by the host computer program both a buyer and
a
supplier in the supply chain associated with the invoice. The method also
includes
retrieving from the memory a set of prior transactions in the supply chain
involving
products contracted for supply from the identified supplier and characterizing
by the host
computer program each of the transactions in the set as a perfect order or an
imperfect
order. Finally, the method includes computing by the host computer program a
ratio of
perfect to imperfect transactions in the set as a supply chain excellency
score for the
identified supplier and displaying in the user interface an alert on condition
that the
supply chain excellency score falls below a threshold value indicating a
predicted risk of
non-payment of the invoice selected for asset backed financing.
[0010] In one aspect of the embodiment, the method additionally
includes filtering
from the set, each of the transactions characterized as perfect and, for each
remaining
transaction in the set, determining a root cause in the supply chain of the
imperfect
characterization and whether or not the root cause has been remediated, and
modifying
the supply chain excellency score upwards on account of the root cause having
been
remediated, but modifying the supply chain excellency score downwards on
account of
the root cause not having been remediated. In this regard, the determination
of the root
cause can include the untimely delivery of corresponding goods, an improper
quantity of
goods delivered or a poor quality of goods delivered. As well, the supply
chain
excellency score can be modified downwards by a lesser amount when the goods
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associated with the root cause are supplied indirectly by the identified
supplier to the
buyer from an upstream supplier in the supply chain, but by a greater amount
when the
goods associated with the root cause are supplied directly to the buyer by the
identified
supplier.
[0011] In another aspect of the embodiment, the method
additionally includes
computing a composite excellency score for each corresponding one of the
remaining
ones of the transactions in the set by first computing for each of the
remaining ones of the
transactions a component excellency score for each supplier in the supply
chain
associated with a corresponding one of the remaining ones of the transactions
in the set
and second compositing the component excellency scores into the composite
excellency
score. Then, the composited excellency scores for each of the remaining ones
of the
transactions are combined into the supply chain excellency score. As well,
when
combining the composited excellency scores, the composited excellency scores
for more
recent ones of the remaining ones of the transactions may be weighted more
heavily than
composited excellency scores for less recent ones of the remaining ones of the
transactions.
100121 In another embodiment of the invention, a supply chain
invoice financing risk
mitigation data processing system is configured for predictive risk management
of supply
chain receivables financing. The system includes a host computing system
having one or
more computers, each with memory and at least one processor. The system also
includes
a risk mitigation module executing in the memory of the host computing system.
The
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module includes program code enabled during execution in the memory to specify
in a
user interface of the module, an invoice for goods supplied in a supply chain
and selected
for asset backed financing, to determine both a buyer and a supplier in the
supply chain
associated with the invoice, to retrieve from the memory a set of prior
transactions in the
supply chain involving products contracted for supply from the identified
supplier, to
characterize each of the transactions in the set as a perfect order or an
imperfect order, to
compute a ratio of perfect to imperfect transactions in the set as a supply
chain excellency
score for the identified supplier, and to display in the user interface an
alert on condition
that the supply chain excellency score falls below a threshold value
indicating a predicted
risk of non-payment of the invoice selected for asset backed financing.
[0013] Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in
the description
which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be
learned by
practice of the invention. The aspects of the invention will be realized and
attained by
means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the
appended claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the
following
detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not
restrictive of the
invention, as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute part of
this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with
the
description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The embodiments
illustrated
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herein are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the
invention is not
limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown, wherein:
[0015] Figure 1 is pictorial illustration of a computer-implemented
process for
predictive risk management of supply chain receivables financing;
[0016] Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a data processing system
adapted for
predictive risk management of supply chain receivables financing;
[0017] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a computer-implemented
process for
predictive risk management of supply chain receivables financing; and,
[0018] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating a computer-implemented
process for
excellency score computation in predictive risk management of supply chain
receivables
financing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] Embodiments of the invention provide for a computer-implementation of
predictive risk management of supply chain receivables financing to thereby
improve the
flow of goods in industrial processing. In accordance with an embodiment of
the
invention, an invoice selected for factoring can be analyzed to identify a
buyer and seller
engaged in a transaction within a supply chain. A past set of transactions
associated with
the seller may then be analyzed to identify those of the transactions in the
set that are
characterized as perfect transactions without fault of improper quantity,
quality or timing
of delivery. As well, those of the transactions in the set characterized as
imperfect also
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may be identified so that a supply chain excellency score may be assigned to
the seller
based upon the number of perfect transactions in the set, the number of
imperfect
transactions in the set and/or the nature of the imperfect transactions in the
set. To the
extent that the score falls below a threshold value, an alert is generated for
the benefit of
the factor indicating a higher than ordinary risk of financing the buyer on
the strength of
the invoice.
[0020] Importantly, in reading the present specification it is to be
understood that the
invention does not envision, encompass or embody implementation by pencil/pen
and
paper or a mere series of mental steps. The nature of the present invention is
such that as
a practical matter it cannot be implemented within realistic timeframes
without the use of
computer technology. As such, the person skilled in the art will understand
that the use
of a computer to implement the embodiments described herein is essential.
[0021] In further illustration, Figure 1 is a pictorial illustration of a
process for predictive
risk management of supply chain receivables financing. As shown in Figure 1, a
supply
chain of a buyer 110 and one or more suppliers 120A supply goods 100 to the
buyer 110.
The supplier 120 directly supplying the goods 100 to the buyer 110, or
indirectly
supplying the goods 100 to the buyer 110 by way of one or more upstream
suppliers
120B, 120N issues an invoice 130 to the buyer 110. Invoice financing risk
mitigation
logic 140 analyzes the invoice 130 to identify both the buyer 110 and the
supplier 120A.
Thereafter, invoice financing risk mitigation logic 140 computes an excellency
score 170
for the supplier 120A based upon the number of perfect transactions present in
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transaction set 160 of past transactions with the supplier 120A. To the extent
that the
computed excellency score 170 falls below a threshold value, invoice financing
risk
mitigation logic 140 renders an alert in user interface 150 indicating a
higher than
ordinary risk in factoring the invoice 130.
[0022] In this regard, each of the transactions in the transaction set
160 may be
characterized by invoice financing risk mitigation logic 140 as either perfect
or imperfect.
That is to say, a perfect transaction in the transaction set 160 is a
transaction in which a
promised good is delivered by a supplier 120A, 120B, 120N to a buyer 110 in
the correct
quantity ordered, of the correct quality ordered and within a time frame
specified by the
order. Conversely, an imperfect transaction is a transaction in which a
promised good is
delivered by the supplier 120A, 120B, 120N in the supply chain to a buyer 110
in any,
some or all of an incorrect quantity, poorer than acceptable quality or
outside the
promised time frame of delivery. As will be recognized, a root cause of the
imperfect
order may be internal to a particular one of the suppliers 120A, 120B, 120N,
or external
to the particular one of the suppliers 120A, 120B, 120N in consequence of a
failure of an
upstream one of the suppliers 120B, 120N.
[0023] Whereas the invoice financing risk mitigation logic 140 assigns a
maximum
value to the excellency score 170 for the supplier 120A when all transactions
in the
transaction set 160 are characterized as perfect, the invoice financing risk
mitigation logic
140 assigns less than the maximum possible value to the excellency score 170
when one
or more of the transactions in the transaction set 160 are characterized as
imperfect. In
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this regard, the reduction in value to the excellency score 170 may be
dependent upon a
number of the transactions in the transaction set 160 characterized as perfect
in
comparison to the number of the transactions in the transaction set 160 that
are
characterized as imperfect.
[0024] However, invoice financing risk mitigation logic 140 may
assign different
values to the excellency score 170 depending upon the root cause of each
transaction
characterized as imperfect and whether or not the root cause has been
remediated so as to
render the likelihood of recurrence of the root cause low. As well, the
invoice financing
risk mitigation logic 140 may assign different values to the excellency score
170
depending upon whether or not the root cause is the result of a failure
internal to the
supplier 120A, or the result of a failure in an upstream one of the suppliers
120B, 120N.
Even further, the invoice financing risk mitigation logic 140 may reduce the
excellency
score 170 by a lesser amount when the mode in which the data collected by the
supplier
120A is collected on an automated basis by a corresponding data processing
system, but
by a greater amount when the mode in which the data collected by the supplier
120A is
collected through manual data entry. Likewise, the invoice financing risk
mitigation
logic 140 may reduce the excellency score 170 by a lesser amount when the mode
in
which the data collected by the supplier 120A is transmitted for analysis by
the invoice
financing risk mitigation logic 140 utilizing automated, secure means
including
encryption, direct application programming interface (API) connectivity or
message
routing through a message broker, but by a greater amount when the mode in
which the
data transmitted by the supplier 120A is manual such as by manually scanning a
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document, or through manual data entry. Importantly, while certain types of
data that are
used in implementing the technology may be collected or entered manually, it
is only the
data collection and or entry that may be manual, and the technology that uses
this data,
that is, the invention as claimed, is implemented entirely by way of computer.
[0025] Finally, the invoice financing risk mitigation logic 140
may compute a score
for each of the transactions in the transaction set 160 and combine the
computed scores
into the excellency score 170 with the scores for more recent transactions in
the
transaction set 160 being weighted as more important during combination than
less recent
transactions in the transaction set 160. As well, each of the computed scores
for a
transaction in the transaction set 160 may be a composition of different
composite scores
for each of the suppliers 120A, 120B, 120N in a supply chain supplying a
corresponding
one of the goods 100 to the buyer 110 in a corresponding one of the
transactions
beginning with an originating one of the suppliers 120N and culminating with
the
supplier 120A providing the corresponding one of the goods to the buyer 110.
[0026] The process described in connection with Figure 1 is
implemented in a data
processing system of one or more computers, each with memory and at least one
processor. In yet further illustration, Figure 2 schematically shows a data
processing
system adapted for predictive risk management of supply chain receivables
financing.
The system includes a host computing system 210 of one or more computers, each
with
memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled over computer
communications network 220 to different enterprise computing systems 230 of
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respectively different suppliers in a supply chain. A supply chain data
aggregation node
250 executes in the memory of the host computing system 210 and aggregates in
a supply
chain transactions data store 240 transaction data recorded as between
different suppliers
engaging in different transactions supply goods to other suppliers and
ultimately a
corresponding buyer, as evidenced from data records in the supplier enterprise
systems
230.
100271 In
this regard, an external data source interface 260 is provided through which
the different enterprise computing systems 230 report the transaction data to
the supply
chain transactions data store 240. To that end, the external data source
interface 260
provides a data communications layer 270 that programmatically supports direct
API
access to the supply chain transactions data store 240 by exposing different
programmatic
operations accepting data for uploading to the supply chain transactions data
store 240.
As well, the external data source interface 260 provides a data communications
layer 270
that supports message based communications in which selected ones of the
different
enterprise computing systems 230 transmit messages encapsulating the data for
uploading
to the supply chain transactions data store 240. Finally, the data
communications layer
270 supports manual submission of the data for uploading to the supply chain
transactions data store 240 by publishing a user interface over the computer
communications network permitting direct manual data entry of the data to be
uploaded
to the supply chain transactions data store 240, or by permitting uploading of
a document
able to be directly parsed in order to extract the data to be uploaded to the
supply chain
transactions data store 240, or able to be transformed into a parseable
document by way
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of optical character recognition and then parsed in order to extract the data
to be uploaded
to the supply chain transactions data store 240. Again, while data may be
entered
manually, implementation of the technology as claimed is entirely by way of
computer.
[0028] In each case, a data collection layer 290 of the
external data source interface
260 processes the uploaded data to ensure completeness based upon a pre-stored
schema,
a degree of integrity and authenticity of the uploaded data based upon one or
more rules
pertaining to the manner in which the uploaded data had been collected in the
different
enterprise computing systems 230 and the manner in which the data had been
communicated to the external data source interface. More particularly, the
data collection
layer 280 stores with the uploaded data an indication not only of the mode in
which the
data is communicated to the external data store interface 260, but also the
mode in which
the data had been collected in each of the different enterprise computing
systems 230 as
reported by the different enterprise computing systems 230 to the external
data store
interface 260. Finally, a data analysis layer 280 of the external data store
interface 260
ensures data consistency across other transactions in the supply chain by
ensuring the
uploaded data from one of the different enterprise computing systems 230 maps
to
uploaded data from another of the different enterprise computing systems 230
when a
transaction involves the movement of product across suppliers in the supply
chain
corresponding to both of the different enterprise computing systems 230.
[0029] Of note, a predictive risk management module 300 also
executes in the
memory of the host computing system 210. The predictive risk management module
300
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includes program code that when executed in the host computing system 210, is
enabled
to identify an invoice of a supplier selected for asset backed financing. The
program
code additionally is enabled to identify a set of past transactions in the
supply chain
transactions store 240 for the supplier and to characterize ones of the past
transactions as
either perfect or imperfect, the perfect transactions involving a delivery of
goods to a
buyer in the the ordered quantity, of the ordered quality and within the
ordered time
frame. The program code yet further is enabled to compute an excellency score
for the
supplier based upon a number of transactions characterized as perfect relative
to the total
number of the past transactions. The program code even yet further is enabled
to modify
the excellency score so as to produce a better excellency score based upon
data uploaded
to the supply chain transactions store 240 having been uploaded utilizing
automated
methods as opposed to manual methods, and also based upon data identified as
having
been collected in the different enterprise computing systems 230 in an
automated fashion
as opposed to the use of manual data entry. Finally, the program code is
enabled to
display an alert to an operator when the computed excellency score falls below
a
threshold value. Again, while certain information may have been provided
manually, and
information about the mode of information provision may be recorded for use in
certain
processing steps, implementation of the claimed technology is entirely
computer-based.
100301 In even yet further illustration of the operation of the
predictive risk
management module 300, Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a computer-
implemented
process for predictive risk management of supply chain receivables financing.
Beginning
in block 310, an invoice selected in a user interface of a computer program
managing
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supply chain financing. In block 320, a buyer and seller are identified in the
computer
program from the invoice. In block 330, a transaction store is queried to
locate past
transactions in which the identified supplier provided goods to a requesting
buyer.
Thereafter, in decision block 340, it is determined whether or not imperfect
transactions
are present in the past transactions. In decision block 350, if all of the
past transactions
are determined to have been perfect, in block 360 a maximum value is assigned
to an
excellency score for the supplier and in block 370, the computer program
renders a
display of nominal risk in factoring the invoice. But, in the event that in
decision block
350 it is determined that not all of the past transactions were perfect, the
process
continues through block 380.
100311 In block 380, a count of the perfect and imperfect
transactions amongst the
past transactions for the supplier is determined. Then, in block 400, an
excellency score
is computed in respect to the count. In decision block 390, to the extent that
the
computed excellency score falls below a threshold value, in block 395 an alert
is
generated in the user interface indicating an above normal risk in factoring
the invoice.
Otherwise, in block 370 the computer program renders a display of nominal risk
in
factoring the invoice.
100321 In even yet further illustration of the process of
computing the excellency score
for the supplier based upon the presence of one or more imperfect
transactions, Figure 4
is a flow chart illustrating a computer-implemented process for excellency
score
computation in predictive risk management of supply chain receivables
financing.
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Beginning in block 405, a transaction set of past transactions for the
selected supplier is
retrieved from a data store and in block 410, the transaction set is filtered
to exclude
therefrom, transactions characterized as perfect leaving in the transaction
set only
transactions characterized as imperfect. Then, in block 415, a first
transaction in the
filtered set is selected for processing and in block 420, a root cause of
failure for the
selected transaction is identified, for instance, a deficiency in delivered
quantity of goods,
a deficiency in delivered quality of goods, or a deficiency in delivering the
goods within a
pre-specified time frame.
[0033] In decision block 425, it is determined if the root cause is
internal to the
supplier, or external to the supplier in consequence of a failure by an
upstream supplier to
deliver the goods to the selected supplier. If not, in block 430 a composite
score for the
transaction is reduced by a small amount, but if so, in block 440 the
composite score for
the transaction is reduced by a large amount. As well, in decision block 445
it is
determined whether or not the root cause has since been remediated so as to
reduce the
likelihood of the failure to occur again. For instance, to the extent that the
root cause is
associated with the upstream supplier in the supply chain such as a third
party logistics
entity, if it is reported that the upstream supplier has been removed from the
supply chain
by the selected supplier, the root cause is considered remediated. In this
regard, to the
extent that each supplier in a supply chain indicated for a particular
transaction provides
data associated with a corresponding identifier, for each transaction, the
involved
suppliers may be automatically identified such that the presence or absence of
an
identifier for a particular supplier indicates which suppliers are upstream to
other ones of
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the suppliers. As such, the presence of an upstream supplier identified as a
root cause of
an imperfect transaction for one transaction, but the absence of the same
upstream
supplier in a subsequent transaction for the same selected supplier indicates
the removal
of the upstream supplier from the supply chain.
[0034] In any event, if in decision block 445 it is determined that the
root cause has
since been remediated so as to reduce the likelihood of the failure to occur
again, in block
450 only a small reduction in the composite score is applied. Otherwise, in
block 445 a
larger reduction in the composite score is applied. Thereafter, in decision
block 460 it is
determined if additional transactions in the set remain to be processed. If
so, in block 465
a next transaction in the set is selected for processing in order to compute a
composite
score for the next transaction. Otherwise, in block 470 the composite scores
computed
for each of the transactions in the set are each weighted based upon a recency
of the
transactions with the most recent transactions receiving the highest weighting
and the
least recent transactions receiving the lowest weighting. Finally, in block
475 the
weighted composite scores are combined to form the excellency score of the
selected
supplier. In the description of the process shown in Figure 4, it is to be
understood that
the terms "small" and "large" are used in their relative sense.
[0035] As can be seen from the above description, the predictive risk
management
technology described herein represents significantly more than merely using
categories to
organize, store and transmit information and organizing information through
mathematical correlations. The predictive risk management technology is in
fact an
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improvement to the technology of supply chain management, as it provides an
enhanced
means for mitigating the risk of non-payment of a factored invoice due to an
"imperfect
order". This facilitates the more efficient delivery of goods along a supply
chain.
Moreover, the scoring system may encourage removal from the supply chain of
upstream
suppliers associated with root causes of failure, thereby improving the supply
chain as a
whole. As such, the predictive risk management technology is not merely a
business
method, but an improvement to an aspect of the industrial processing of goods.
[0036] The present technology may be embodied within a system, a method, a
computer
program product or any combination thereof. The computer program product may
include a computer readable storage medium or media having computer readable
program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of
the present
technology. The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that
can
retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The
computer
readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an
electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage
device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the
foregoing.
[0037] A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer
readable storage
medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a
random
access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-
only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a
portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk
(DVD), a
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memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards
or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any
suitable
combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used
herein, is
not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or
other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a
waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a
fiber-optic
cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.
[0038] Computer readable program instructions described herein can be
downloaded to
respective computing/processing devices from a computer readable storage
medium or to
an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example,
the Internet,
a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. The
network may
comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless
transmission,
routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network
adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives
computer
readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer
readable
program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within
the
respective computing/processing device.
[0039] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of
the present
technology may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA)
instructions,
machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions,
state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in any
combination of one
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or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming
language or
a conventional procedural programming language. The computer readable program
instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's
computer,
as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on
a remote
computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,
the remote
computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network,
including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the
connection
may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using
an Internet
Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for
example,
programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or
programmable
logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by
utilizing
state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize
the
electronic circuitry, in order to implement aspects of the present technology.
[0040] Aspects of the present technology have been described above with
reference to
flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems)
and
computer program products according to various embodiments. In this regard,
the
flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture,
functionality, and
operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program
products according to various embodiments of the present technology. For
instance, each
block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or
portion of
instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for
implementing the
specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some
alternative
CA 2993716 2018-02-01
implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order
noted in the
Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed
substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the
reverse order,
depending upon the functionality involved. Some specific examples of the
foregoing
may have been noted above but any such noted examples are not necessarily the
only
such examples. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams
and/or
flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams
and/or flowchart
illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems
that perform
the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware
and
computer instructions.
[0041] It also will be understood that each block of the flowchart
illustrations and/or
block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block
diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer
program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose
computer,
special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a
machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the
computer or
other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing
the
functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or
blocks.
[0042] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer
readable
medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing
apparatus, or
other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions
stored in the
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computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including
instructions
which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block
or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a
computer, other
programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of
operational
steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other
devices to
produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which
execute on the
computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing
the
functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or
blocks.
[0043] An illustrative computer system in respect of which aspects of the
technology
herein described may be implemented is presented as a block diagram in Figure
5. The
illustrative computer system is denoted generally by reference numeral 500 and
includes
a display 502, input devices in the form of keyboard 504A and pointing device
504B,
computer 506 and external devices 508. While pointing device 504B is depicted
as a
mouse, it will be appreciated that other types of pointing device, or a touch
screen, may
also be used.
[0044] The computer 506 may contain one or more processors or microprocessors,
such
as a central processing unit (CPU) 510. The CPU 510 performs arithmetic
calculations
and control functions to execute software stored in an internal memory 512,
preferably
random access memory (RAM) and/or read only memory (ROM), and possibly
additional
memory 514. The additional memory 514 may include, for example, mass memory
storage, hard disk drives, optical disk drives (including CD and DVD drives),
magnetic
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. .
disk drives, magnetic tape drives (including LTO, DLT, DAT and DCC), flash
drives,
program cartridges and cartridge interfaces such as those found in video game
devices,
removable memory chips such as EPROM or PROM, emerging storage media, such as
holographic storage, or similar storage media as known in the art. This
additional
memory 514 may be physically internal to the computer 506, or external as
shown in
Figure 5, or both.
[0045] The computer system 500 may also include other similar means for
allowing
computer programs or other instructions to be loaded. Such means can include,
for
example, a communications interface 516 which allows software and data to be
transferred between the computer system 500 and external systems and networks.
Examples of communications interface 516 can include a modem, a network
interface
such as an Ethernet card, a wireless communication interface, or a serial or
parallel
communications port. Software and data transferred via communications
interface 516
are in the form of signals which can be electronic, acoustic, electromagnetic,
optical or
other signals capable of being received by communications interface 516.
Multiple
interfaces, of course, can be provided on a single computer system 500.
[0046] Input and output to and from the computer 506 is administered by the
input/output
(I/O) interface 518. This I/O interface 518 administers control of the display
502,
keyboard 504A, external devices 508 and other such components of the computer
system
500. The computer 506 also includes a graphical processing unit (GPU) 520. The
latter
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may also be used for computational purposes as an adjunct to, or instead of,
the (CPU)
510, for mathematical calculations.
[0047] The various components of the computer system 500 are coupled to one
another
either directly or by coupling to suitable buses.
[0048] Figure 6 shows an exemplary networked mobile wireless telecommunication
computing device, in the form of a smartphone 600, in respect of which aspects
of the
technology herein described may be implemented. The smartphone 600 includes a
display 602, an input device in the form of keyboard 604 and an onboard
computer
system 606. The display 602 may be a touchscreen display and thereby serve as
an
additional input device, or as an alternative to the keyboard 604. The onboard
computer
system 606 comprises a central processing unit (CPU) 610 having one or more
processors
or microprocessors for performing arithmetic calculations and control
functions to
execute software stored in an internal memory 612, preferably random access
memory
(RAM) and/or read only memory (ROM) is coupled to additional memory 614 which
will
typically comprise flash memory, which may be integrated into the smartphone
600 or
may comprise a removable flash card, or both. The smartphone 600 also includes
a
communications interface 616 which allows software and data to be transferred
between
the smartphone 600 and external systems and networks. The communications
interface
616 is coupled to one or more wireless communication modules 624, which will
typically
comprise a wireless radio for connecting to one or more of a cellular network,
a wireless
digital network or a Wi-Fi network. The communications interface 616 will also
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typically enable a wired connection of the smartphone 600 to an external
computer
system. A microphone 626 and speaker 628 are coupled to the onboard computer
system
606 to support the telephone functions managed by the onboard computer system
606,
and a location services module 622 (e.g. including GPS receiver hardware) may
also be
coupled to the communications interface 616 to support navigation operations
by the
onboard computer system 606. Input and output to and from the onboard computer
system 606 is administered by the input/output (I/O) interface 618, which
administers
control of the display 602, keyboard 604, microphone 626 and speaker 628. The
onboard
computer system 606 may also include a separate graphical processing unit
(GPU) 620.
The various components are coupled to one another either directly or by
coupling to
suitable buses.
[0049] The terms "computer system", "data processing system" and related
terms, as
used herein, are not limited to any particular type of computer system and
encompasses
servers, desktop computers, laptop computers, networked mobile wireless
telecommunication computing devices such as smartphones, tablet computers, as
well as
other types of computer systems.
[0050] Thus, computer readable program code for implementing aspects of the
technology described herein may be contained or stored in the memory 612 of
the
onboard computer system 606 of the smartphone 600 or the memory 512 of the
computer
506, or on a computer usable or computer readable medium external to the
onboard
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computer system 606 of the smartphone 600 or the computer 506, or on any
combination
thereof
[0051] Finally, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular
embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the
singular forms
"a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless
the context
clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms
"comprises"
and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of
stated
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not
preclude the
presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,
operations, elements,
components, and/or groups thereof.
[0052] The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all
means or step
plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any
structure, material,
or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements
as
specifically claimed. The description has been presented for purposes of
illustration and
description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the form
disclosed. Many
modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in
the art without
departing from the scope of the claims. The embodiment was chosen and
described in
order to best explain the principles of the technology and the practical
application, and to
enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the technology for
various
embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use
contemplated.
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100531 One or more currently preferred embodiments have been described by way
of
example. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a number of
variations and
modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. In
construing
the claims, it is to be understood that the use of a computer to implement the
embodiments described herein is essential.
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