Patent Publication Number: US-7593946-B2

Title: Labor market information analyzer for researchers, employers, staff and others

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This is a continuation-in-part application to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/000,754, filed Nov. 2, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,054,864 B1, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a computerized information system for analyzing labor market information and more particularly pertains to providing researchers, employers, staff, and the like with access through a single user-friendly interface to self-service industry, occupation, and education information. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   The ability to use the Internet or to use computers on a network to search databases for labor market information, or to request such information from government agencies, are known in the art. However, no single method or system currently provides a user-friendly self-service system that provides access to a comprehensive array of labor market information for researchers, employers, staff, and others, via the Internet or on a computer. The present invention fulfills some of the requirements for compliance with The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of Aug. 7, 1998. 
   Labor market information managed by the U.S. Department of Labor&#39;s Employment and Training Administration is stored in the America&#39;s Labor Market Information System (ALMIS) database structure. Systems to access this standard database structure are known in the art. The present invention complies with the ALMIS database structure for all applicable information. As such the system is able to share industry, occupation, and education data available from federal, state, and local agencies throughout the United States. 
   While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe computerized information system for analyzing labor market information that provide researchers, employers, staff, and others with access though a single user-friendly interface to self-service industry, occupation, and education information. 
   In this respect, the computerized information system for analyzing labor market information according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing researchers, employers, staff, and the like with user-friendly access through a single interface to self-service industry, occupation, and education information. 
   Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved computerized information system for analyzing labor market information which can be used by researchers, employers, staff, and the like through a single user-friendly interface to self-service industry, occupation, and education information. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of existing methods of analyzing labor market information, the present invention provides an improved computerized information system for analyzing labor market information. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved computerized information system for analyzing labor market information and method which has all the advantages of pre-existing methods and none of the disadvantages. 
   To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a computerized information system for analyzing labor market information by researchers, employers, staff, and the like, and allowing staff to manage and administer the system, providing researchers, employers, staff, and the like with access through a single interface to self-service industry, occupation, and education information, the system comprising in combination: a server having a plurality of analysis services including categorizing and processing, the categorizing services including a plurality of software components providing area profile, economic indicators, education, employer, population and census, income and wages, industry, labor force, occupation, and economic indicators, the processing services including a plurality of software components providing access control, automated data, cross-reference, de-normalization, demographic, depth-of-access, export, geography, grouping, income, education, economic projections, search, state control, timeframe, and user interface. The categorizing components comprising the education category including a plurality of software components providing education and training programs, education and training providers, and education and training program completers, the employer category including a plurality of software components providing employer listing by industry, and employer listing by occupation, the population and census category including a plurality of software components providing population, income, occupation by race and gender, and U.S. Census labor force, the income and wage category including a plurality of software components providing income, occupation wages, and covered employment wages, the industry category including a plurality of software components providing current employment statistics, covered employment and wages, industry employment and projections, and staffing patterns, the labor force category including a plurality of software components providing labor force employment and unemployment, unemployment insurance claimants, labor supply and demand, education and training completers, employment service job openings and applicants, and U.S. Census commuting patterns, the occupation category including a plurality of software components providing occupation wages, occupation employment and projections, unemployment insurance claimants, labor force supply and demand, occupational employment by industry, licensed occupations, and employment service job openings and applicants, the area profile category including a plurality of software components providing history or background, population, income, labor force statistics, unemployment insurance claimants, and unemployment wages, the economic indicators category including a plurality of software components providing building permits, tax revenues, property values, retail sales, and an inflation and price index. The processing components comprising the user interface component for selecting, displaying, and manipulating data sets, the export component for saving data sets in spreadsheet format or delimited text format, the de-normalization component for consistent record naming regardless of the original data format or coding, the grouping component for grouping and ungrouping of attributes and data sets, the depth-of-access component for drilling up and drilling down through data sets, the access control component for restricting public access to data sets and display options, the geography component for setting location to national, state, county, metropolitan statistical area, wage region, planning region, other statistical areas, and staff-defined geographies, the timeframe component for setting date ranges of year, quarter, month, or other date range, the demographic component for sorting appropriate data by demographic criteria, the income component for sorting appropriate data by type of income, the education component for sorting education providers by type of institution, the search component for finding data sets by keyword, the state control component for maintaining all or partial user-selected state parameters across data categories, the economic indicators component for viewing appropriate data sets projected into the future, cross-reference components for viewing related data sets between industry, occupation, and education data types, automated data components that return a data set from a broader level of geography, timeframe, or user-specified criteria where appropriate. A plurality of input/output client devices operatively coupled with the server for the two-way communication of information between the server and the client, the plurality of devices allowing access from researchers, employers, staff, and the like providing access through a single user-friendly interface to self-service industry, occupation, and education information. 
   In another aspect of the present invention, a labor market information analyzer system for user manipulation of labor market data is described having a server with components for categorizing data by at least two categories selected from the group consisting of education, employer, population and census, income and wage, industry, labor force, occupation, area profile and economic indicators. A database of standard data and proprietary data operatively coupled to the server and stores the labor market data. Input/output client devices are operatively coupled to the server for accessing the categorized data. 
   In another aspect of the present invention, a labor market information analyzer system for user manipulation of labor market data is described having a server with components for categorizing data by at least two categories selected from the group consisting of education, employer, population and census, income and wage, industry, labor force, occupation, area profile and economic indicators and access to both standard data and proprietary data operatively coupled to the server. Further, input/output client devices are coupled to the server to provide the categorized data. At least tow categories are needed to provide more complete views of the labor market in a given area or sector. 
   There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached. 
   In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting. 
   As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
   It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved computerized information system for analyzing labor market information which has all of the advantages of pre-existing methods of analyzing labor market information and none of the disadvantages. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved computerized information system for analyzing labor market information which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. 
   It is further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved computerized information system for analyzing labor market information which is of durable and reliable constructions. 
   An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved computerized information system for analyzing labor market information which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such computerized information system for analyzing labor market information economically available to the buying public. 
   Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a computerized information system for analyzing labor market information that provides researchers, employers, staff, and the like with user-friendly access through a single interface to self-service industry, occupation, and education information. 
   Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved computerized information system for analyzing labor market information comprising a server having a plurality of services for researchers, employers, staff, and the like and a database of information in standard and proprietary formats, and a plurality of input/output client devices. 
   These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is the system architecture of the computerized information system for analyzing labor market information. 
       FIG. 2  is a more detailed view of the system architecture showing the client, server, and database. 
       FIG. 3  are the primary server and database components comprising categorizing and processing services, and data access. 
       FIG. 4  is the categorizing component detail comprising all the components used to categorize labor market information. 
       FIG. 5  is the processing component detail comprising all the components used to process labor market information. 
       FIG. 6  is an industry category workflow example showing an operative description of analyzing labor market information. 
       FIG. 7  is an education category workflow example showing an operative description of analyzing labor market information. 
       FIG. 8  is an occupation category workflow example showing an operative description of analyzing labor market information. 
       FIG. 9  is a state control and depth-of-access workflow example showing an operative description of analyzing labor market information. 
       FIG. 10  is a cross-reference and automated data workflow example showing an operative description of analyzing labor market information. 
   

   The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the various Figures. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIG. 1  thereof, the preferred embodiment of the new and improved computerized information system for analyzing labor market information embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
   The present invention, a computerized information system for analyzing labor market information  10  is comprised of a client  12  operatively coupled to a server  14  running a plurality of software components operatively coupled to a database  72  containing a plurality of data. Software components in their broadest context include categorizing components  16  and processing components  18  comprising: a plurality of categorizing components  16  including area profile  20 , economic indicators  22 , education  24 , employer  26 , income and wages  28 , industry  30 , labor force  32 , occupation  34 , and population and census  36  and a plurality of processing components  18  including access control  40 , automated data  42 , cross-reference  44 , de-normalization  46 , demographic  48 , depth-of-access  50 , economic projections  52 , education  54 , export  56 , geography  58 , grouping  60 , income  62 , search  64 , state control  66 , timeframe  68 , and user-interface  70 . Such components are individually configured and correlated with respect to each other so as to attain the desired objective. To provide comparative data, at least two of these components are used in a query. 
   A computerized information system for analyzing labor market information  10  is used by researchers, job seekers, employers, staff, and others and allows all users to analyze labor market information through a single user interface  70 . For example, a job seeker looking to relocate to a specific geographic area can search for a combination of employers  26  and income  62  to determine if he/she is a good match for that geography. 
   The server  14  has a plurality of categorizing components  16  including area profile  20 , economic indicators  22 , education  24 , employer  26 , income and wages  28 , industry  30 , labor force  32 , occupation  34 , and population and census  36 . To provide comparative data, at least two of these categorizing components are used in a typical query. For example, a job seeker can find the educational opportunities  24  and wage information  28  of a geographical area to help decide if relocation is feasible. The same job seeker can also see what occupational areas  34  are available and information regarding population and census  36  to determine if the area is growing. 
   The area profile component  20  consists of a plurality of data sets including history or background  20 A, population  20 B, income  20 C, labor force statistics  20 D, unemployment insurance claimants  20 E, and unemployment wages  20 F 
   The economic indicators component  22  consists of a plurality of data sets including building permits  22 A, tax revenue  22 B, property values  22 C, retail sales  22 D, and inflation and price index  22 E. 
   The education component  24  consists of a plurality of data sets including education and training programs  24 A, education and training providers  24 B, and education and training completers  24 C. 
   The employer component  26  consists of a plurality of data sets including employer listing by industry  26 A and employer listing by occupation  26 B. 
   The income and wages component  28  consists of a plurality of data sets including income  28 A, occupation wages  28 B, covered employment wages  28 C, and U.S. census labor force  28 D. 
   The industry component  30  consists of a plurality of data sets including current employment statistics  30 A, covered employment wages  30 B, industry employment and projections  30 C, and staffing patterns  30 D. 
   The labor force component  32  consists of a plurality of data sets including labor force employment and unemployment  32 A, unemployment insurance claimants  32 B, labor supply and demand  32 C, education and training completers  32 D, employment service job openings and applicants  32 E, and U.S. census commuting patterns  32 F. 
   The occupation component  34  consists of a plurality of data sets including occupation wages  34 A, occupation employment and projections  34 B, unemployment insurance claimants  34 C, labor supply and demand  34 D, occupational employment by industry  34 E, licensed occupations  34 F, employment service job openings and applicants  34 G. 
   The population and census component  36  consisting of a plurality of data sets including population  36 A, income  36 B, occupation by race and gender  36 C, and U.S. census labor force  36 D. 
   The server  14  also having a plurality of processing components  18  including access control  40 , automated data  42 , cross-reference  44 , de-normalization  46 , demographic  48 , depth-of-access  50 , economic projections  52 , education  54 , export  56 , geography  58 , grouping  60 , income  62 , state control  64 , search  66 , timeframe  68 , and user-interface  70 . 
   The access control component  40  consisting of a plurality of processing objects including restrict access to data sets  40 A and restrict access to display options  40 B. 
   The automated data component  42  consists of a plurality of processing objects providing data from a broader geography  42 A, from a broader timeframe  42 B, and from a broader user-specified criteria  42 C. The cross-reference component  44  consisting of a plurality of processing objects providing data from related industry data set  44 A, related occupation data set  44 B, and related education data set  44 C. 
   The de-normalization component  46  consists of a processing object providing consistent record naming  46 A. The demographic component  48  consists of a plurality of processing objects including ethnicity  48 A, gender  48 B, and other demographic data  48 C. 
   The depth-of-access component  50  consisting of a plurality of processing objects providing drill down through data sets  50 A and drill up through data sets  50 B. The economic projections component  52  consists of processing objects providing future projections of appropriate data  52 A. 
   The education component  54  consists of a plurality of processing objects providing type of educational institution  54 A, education programs  54 B, and education program completers  54 C. 
   The export component  56  consists of a plurality of processing objects including save data set to spreadsheet format  56 A and save data set to delimited text  56 B. 
   The geography component  58  consists of a plurality of processing objects including national  58 A, state  58 B, county  58 C, metropolitan statistical areas  58 D, wage region  58 E, planning region  58 F, other statistical area  58 G, and staff-defined geographies  58 H. 
   The grouping component  60  consists of a plurality of processing objects including grouping attributes and data sets  60 A, and ungrouping attributes and data sets  60 B. 
   The income component  62  consists of a processing object providing type of income  62 A. The search component  64  consists of a processing object to find data set by keyword  64 A. 
   The state control component  66  consists of a plurality of processing objects including maintain all user-selected state parameters across data categories  66 A and maintain partial user-selected state parameters across data categories  66 B. 
   The timeframe component  68  consists of a plurality of processing objects including year  68 A, quarter  68 B, month  68 C, and other date range  68 D. 
   The user interface component  70  consists of a plurality of processing objects including select data set  70 A, display data set  70 B, and manipulate data set  70 C. 
   The present invention includes a database  72  of standard format data  74  including America&#39;s Labor Market Information System (ALMIS) format and other standard formats, and proprietary format data  76  optionally running stored procedures  78  to manage data. The database includes a plurality of data categories including access control data  80 , demographic data  82 , economic data  84 , education data  86 , industry data  88 , and occupation data  90 . The database  72  is operatively coupled with the server  14  for the two way communication of information. 
   The present invention further includes a plurality of input/output client devices  12  such as personal computers operatively coupled with the server  14  for the two way communication of information. This coupling can be a direct connection, a dial-up connection, a local area network or a wide area network such as the Internet. The plurality of client devices allows access from researchers, employers, staff, and others by providing labor market information analysis through a single user interface. 
   The present invention overcomes the problems and disadvantages of the prior art by providing labor market information analysis of demographic, economic, education, industry, and occupation data. The system ensures that the ability to analyze specific data is available to all users through a single user interface. Anyone with access to the Internet will be able to access the system. The system can provide analysis to users who might find it inconvenient to visit a physical location to barriers, such as lack of transportation, disability, or other barriers. 
   To enable broader access to labor market information analysis, the system can be equipped with interfaces specifically designed for blind or low vision users, Spanish-speaking users, and additional languages as required by the user community. 
   Data is stored in the ALMIS database structure defined by the U.S. Department of Labor&#39;s Employment and Training Administration. As such the system is able to share labor and economic data available from federal, state, and local agencies throughout the United States. 
   The present invention provides labor market information analysis using the latest three-tier system architecture. This structure eliminates the need for field deployment of applications to the user. The only access requirement is an Internet browser. All operations will be performed on the server side. 
   The present invention analyzes labor market information using a state-of-the-art delivery system providing functions via the Internet. It provides a total integration of the labor market information analysis in a way that allows staff and users of different skills and educational levels to use the system. Under current labor market information initiatives, local systems are envisioned as components of a larger regional, state, and national system. The present invention provides this function in one system since it will be based on a standard structure and integrates directly into systems such as America&#39;s Labor Market Information System (ALMIS) at the state and federal levels. 
   The present invention implements an adaptable labor market information analysis solution built from a software component library, permitting the system to be customized to the exact needs of state, regional, and local boards and agencies. The system can also be easily modified to meet changes in business rules and regulations and incorporate enhancements. 
   The present invention significantly improves labor market information analysis performance and user satisfaction by providing a common core of information and easy access to key analysis services, the system will dramatically increase the quality of service provided by the boards and agencies. The result will be a significant increase in user access to labor market information analysis. The system&#39;s easy and effective mechanisms will connect a larger pool of researchers, employers, staff and others, and deliver overall improved labor market information analysis. 
   The present invention significantly improves labor market information analysis by serving a significant number of users via a single easy-to-use interface. The system effectively bridges the gap between users needing labor market information analysis the data stored in different standard and proprietary formats. 
   The present invention provides unlimited use as an Internet/Intranet solution. There is no limit to the number of users who can access the system. Any authorized users, provided they have Internet access, can access the system from any location, or from a computer at the physical location of the labor market information analysis center. 
   The present invention analyzes open and non-proprietary data from existing state and federal standard databases. The system analyzes data stored in the America&#39;s Labor Market Information System (ALMIS) database structure defined by the U.S. Department of Labor&#39;s Employment and Training Administration. Any organization using the system can share the wealth of labor and economic data available from federal, state, and local agencies throughout the United States. 
   The present invention improves user choice by giving users options critical to a labor market information analyzer system. Researchers, employers, staff, and others will have choices in how and where they can obtain information and analysis, and will have access to the information needed to research and compile data from labor market information analysis. 
   As to the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
   With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
   Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.