METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SCHEDULING MOBILE AGENTS UTILIZING RAPID TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION

A system and a method is disclosed for scheduling mobile agents. The system includes a dispatcher and at least one data processor that embodies a scheduling engine. A transceiver is coupled to the dispatcher for performing two-way communication with mobile agents through mobile agent transceivers. The dispatcher is responsive to a reception of a message or signal that is transmitted from a mobile agent for entering the received signal into the scheduling engine. The scheduling engine is responsive to an occurrence of a triggering event and to signals received from mobile agents for recomputing a schedule of activities for a plurality of the mobile agents, and for causing information descriptive of the recomputed schedule to be selectively transmitted to none, one, or more than one of the mobile agents through the transceiver. The two-way communication can use radio devices capable of entering and displaying text messages. A signal transmitted from the mobile agent may include information for specifying, by example, that the mobile agent has arrived at the location of a next scheduled activity; or that the mobile agent has completed a scheduled activity; or that the mobile agent has failed to complete a scheduled activity; or that the mobile agent is extending a duration of a currently scheduled activity beyond the time scheduled for the termination of the current activity; or that the mobile agent lacks one or more resources needed to complete a current activity; or that the mobile agent lacks one or more skills needed to complete the current activity.