280 results about "Cost estimate" patented technology

A method of initiating a wireless communication session with a communication network is provided. A cost estimate for the communication session is determined based on a quality of service level and a quantity of information to be communicated. The communication session is initiated when the cost estimate is accepted. In one embodiment, the user may select a second quality of service level for the communication session when the first cost estimate is not accepted and is provided a second cost estimate for the second quality of service level. In yet another embodiment, a communication session is initiated when there is sufficient balance available to the wireless communication device or a user's smart card for a communication session at a quality of service level selected by the user. In one embodiment, the method may be performed in accordance with a packet radio service network providing packet data services.

A design system is accessible to a designer and a plurality of manufacturers. The design system comprises a first user interface configured to receive design information for a component from the designer. The design system further comprises a second user interface configured to receive manufacturing information from the plurality of manufacturers. The manufacturing information comprises at least process cost information. The design system further comprises a database comprising the manufacturing information associated with each of the plurality of manufacturers. The design system further comprises a cost estimation module. The cost estimation module is configured to generate a cost estimate for producing the component for each of the plurality of manufacturers. The cost estimate is at least partially based on the process cost information. The cost estimation module is further configured to output the cost estimate for one or more of the plurality of manufacturers to the first user interface.

A system that allows the remote measurement of the size, geometry, pitch and orientation of the roof sections of a building and then uses the information to provide an estimate to repair or replace the roof, or to install equipment thereon. The system includes an aerial image file database that shows aerial images of buildings in a designated area according to address. The slope and orientation images are typically oblique perspective views and top plan views of the buildings in the area. The system also includes an image analysis and calibration feature that enables the viewer to closely estimate the size, geometry and orientation of the building's roof sections. The information can then be used to prepare a cost estimate for the repair or replacement of the roof or installation of roof equipment. By simply inputting the potential customer's address, the company is able to determine the size, geometry, pitch and orientation of the roof sections of the building at that address, and then quickly provide an accurate estimate to the customer.

A method of knowledge-based engineering cost and weight estimation of an HVAC air-handling assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle includes the steps of selecting a parametric model of an HVAC air-handling assembly design using a knowledge-based engineering library stored in a memory of a computer system. The method also includes the steps of selecting a component part from the parametric model of the HVAC air-handling assembly, determining a cost estimate of the component part using the knowledge-based engineering library and using a summation of the component part cost as the cost estimate of the HVAC air-handling assembly. The method further includes the steps of determining a weight estimate of the component part using the knowledge-based engineering library and using a summation of the component part weight as the weight estimate of the HVAC air-handling assembly. The method further includes the steps of using the cost and weight estimate in the HVAC air-handling assembly design.

A fair scheduling system with methodology for fairly scheduling queries for execution by a database management system is disclosed. The techniques involve obtaining computer-executable query jobs and cost estimates to execute the query jobs. For example, the cost estimate can be a number of results the query is expected to return. Based on the cost estimates, the fair scheduling system causes the database management system to execute the query jobs as separately executable sub-query tasks in a round-robin fashion which can decrease latency of low cost queries concurrently executing with high cost queries.

A method and system estimates manufacturing costs for conventional and advanced materials and processes based on process-oriented approach. A computer system input display for selecting one or more designs and one or more design parameters. Cost models are based upon process-oriented manufacturing cost estimates for a plurality of designs utilizing materials and manufacturing processes. Software is programmed to receive selected designs and selected design parameters from the input display and pass the selected designs and design parameters to the cost models. An output display shows the manufacturing costs estimated by the cost models for the selected designs and design parameters. A manufacturing process flow simulation model highlights and quantifies the magnitude of the manufacturing process cost drivers. An architecture including a relational database is also disclosed, and input and editing modules can be utilized to modify the cost model equations or to provide input from other software applications.

A system for routing electronic print orders includes a server connected to the network, the server having access to least one processor and a data repository, the server including a non-transitory physical medium and software running from the non-transitory physical medium, the software providing for acquiring current job capacity capabilities, delivery time estimates, historical production times, and current cost estimates for printing and shipping relative to one or more products resulting from completion of the one or more electronic print orders, scoring the values and comparing the scores to identify more preferable scores, and routing one or more of the electronic print orders according to the results of scoring performed by the second function.

A system for generating electronic cost repair estimates for damaged vehicles. The system includes one or more client computers connected to a server through a network. The server maintains a database of current vehicle part prices. The current vehicle part prices are downloaded to the client computers through the network. The vehicle part prices are used to generate a repair cost estimate.

A collision avoidance ECU estimates a traveling locus based on an estimated curve radius of an own vehicle in a basic traveling locus estimating unit, and in a changed traveling locus estimating unit, obtains separation distances between an own vehicle and white lines based on the relative positional relationship between an own vehicle and the white lines, and estimates, as a changed traveling locus, a route along the white lines with the obtained separation distances maintained. In a collision judging unit, when auto-steering control and departure warning control are not performed, collision judgment is performed based on the basic traveling locus estimated in the basic traveling locus estimating unit, and when the auto-steering control and departure warning control are performed, the traveling locus is changed to the changed traveling locus estimated in the changed traveling locus estimating unit and collision judgment is performed.

A web based insurance estimating system. The system includes a client computer that can launch client-side integrated processing software through a web-based application. The system also includes a server that generates information for a repair cost estimate web page. The repair cost estimate web page is displayed at the client computer. The repair cost estimate web page has properties that can be configured by a user at the client computer. The server can automatically populate fields of one or more web pages in response to a vehicle identification number entered by the user. The system can provide estimates for vehicles with less than four wheels such as motorcycles, snowmobiles and personal watercraft. One of the insurance damage web pages may graphically identify the location(s) of a paint code plate on a vehicle. The web page may also provide a list of selectable paint codes that allows the user to select a paint code for a vehicle.

An object of the invention is to provide a solar cell ordering system for planning a photovoltaic power system, making a cost estimate thereof, and placing an order thereof. A solar cell ordering system (50) includes roof shape creating means (1) for creating roof shape data (32) based on inputted roof information (31), module layout means (2) for designing a layout of a solar cell module using the roof shape data (32), and drawing up a list (34) of members of necessity for the photovoltaic power system, estimate creating means (3) for drawing up estimate information (37) using the list (34) of members and unit price information (36), and order information processing means (4) for placing an order for the members using the estimate information (37) and order application information (38).

An XML transformation tool that constructs a relational database with associated physical structures that can be populated with shredded XML data. A mapping transformation enumerator examines queries in the workload and enumerates mapping transformations that use XSD specific constraints and statistics on XML data and can be used to generate mappings from XSD to relational database schema that may lead to better performance in presence of physical design. A design tuner that searches mappings generated from a default mapping using enumerated transformations together with physical design structures associated with those mappings and selects a preferred mapping and the physical design structures. Cost estimates for performing queries in the workload are determined for the relational database implementing the mapping and associated physical design structures.

An integrated highly automated analysis system employs a technician terminal for displaying a plurality of inspection screens, and for entering inspection results. The system generates an inspection report after the inspection results have been input. A point-of-sale terminal is coupled to the technician terminal, and the system further generates a cost estimate report in response to the generation of the inspection report and also generates an invoice report. The system includes a plurality of databases, including an inspection guideline database, a specifications database (containing specifications), a customer/inspection database (containing prior inspection records), and a parts catalog database (containing part numbers and part costs).

An cost based optimizer optimizes access to at least a portion of hierarchically-organized documents, such as those formatted using eXtensible Markup Language (XML), by estimating a number of results produced by the access of the hierarchically-organized documents. Estimating the number of results comprises computing the cardinality of each operator executing query language expressions and further computing a sequence size of sequences of hierarchically-organized nodes produced by the query language expressions. Access to the hierarchically-organized documents is optimized using the structure of the query expression and/or path statistics involving the hierarchically-organized data. The cardinality and the sequence size are used to calculate a cost estimation for execution of alternate query execution plans. Based on the cost estimation, an optimal query execution plan is selected from among the alternate query execution plans.

Embodiments of the present invention include methods for semi-automatic quantity takeoff from computer aided design (CAD) drawings. For each drawing object a corresponding takeoff object is created. A takeoff object may include the dimension of geometry (e.g., numerical, lineal, area) to quantify, the object parameter to be quantified for all instances of the object, and the takeoff calculations to be performed. After a takeoff object is defined, the corresponding instances are automatically identified and quantified. The cost of each instance is then calculated and added to the project cost. Using automated methods, instead of manual techniques, reduces errors and increases the accuracy of the generated cost estimate. Advantageously, the takeoff objects may be saved in the system database and reused for different projects, thereby ensuring consistency between projects. Furthermore, reusing takeoff information, both between instances of an object and between projects, reduces the time required to perform cost estimates.

A learning-based method for estimating costs or statistics of an operator in a continuous query includes a cost estimation model learning procedure and a model applying procedure. The model learning procedure builds a cost estimation model from training data, and the applying procedure uses the model to estimate the cost associated with a given query. The learning procedure uses a feature extractor, a confidence adjustor and a cost estimator. The feature extractor collects relevant training data and obtains feature values. The extracted feature values are associated with costs and used to create the cost estimator. The extracted feature values, the associated costs, the cost estimator, and a user interface are used to create a confidence adjuster. When applying the confidence adjuster and the cost estimator to a continuous stream of data, the feature extractor extracts feature values from the data stream, uses the extracted feature values as input into the confidence adjuster to determine whether or not the cost estimator should be used, and if so, uses the extracted feature values as inputs into the cost estimator to obtain the desired cost values.