Patent ID: 6975999

Claim:
A method for managing a geographical distribution of business representatives, the method comprising: receiving, with a microprocessor-based system, a trace defining a closed geographical area, the trace being received as a representation of a line drawn by a user on an interface displaying a map having a plurality of geographical units to select a portion of the map, each geographical unit being associated with information indicating assignment of the each geographical unit to a business representative; identifying, with the microprocessor-based system, at least one geographical unit contained within and surrounded by a boundary of the closed geographical area, the at least one geographical unit and the closed geographical area being noncoextensive; modifying, with the microprocessor-based system, the map displayed on the interface to highlight the identified at least one geographical unit; identifying, with the microprocessor-based system, the business representative assigned to the at least one geographical unit for display to the user; receiving, with the microprocessor-based system, information provided by the user specifying a change in assignment of the at least one geographical unit to a new business representative; and modifying, with the microprocessor-based system, a stored characteristic associated with the at least one geographical unit to reflect the change in assignment of the at least one geographical unit to the new business representative.