Patent ID: 8311953
Filing Date: 2012-11-13
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, at a computer system that includes a computer processor, a first repair request for a first computer hardware component of a first computer; receiving a second repair request for a second computer hardware component of the first computer; selecting, by the computer system, first numerical tokens that describe the first repair request wherein the first tokens include one or more first pairs of tokens that are related as hardware component and subcomponent and wherein each of the first tokens is associated with a different level of a hierarchy of tokens; selecting second numerical tokens that describe the second repair request wherein the second tokens include one or more second pairs of tokens that are related as hardware component and subcomponent and wherein each of the second tokens is associated with a different level of the hierarchy of tokens; for each level of the hierarchy of tokens, selecting each unique individual token from the first tokens and the second tokens, wherein selection of the unique individual tokens causes one or more redundant tokens from the first tokens and the second tokens to not be included in the selected unique individual tokens; and determining, by the computer system, an aggregate cost of the first request and the second request from the selected unique individual tokens.