1. A method in a data processing system for assessing self-managing capabilities of an automated computing system, the method comprising:
presenting, by the data processing system, automated computing education material to a customer that educates the customer on how the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system are assessed by the data processing system;
presenting, by the data processing system, an assessment survey including a plurality of assessment survey questions for each of a plurality of automation computing assessment categories to the customer about a current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer, the plurality of automation computing assessment categories in the assessment survey include a problem management category for identifying, isolating, and resolving issues that negatively impact Information Technology services, an availability management category for ensuring availability of Information Technology services, a security management category for securing business resources and data against unauthorized intrusion, a solution deployment category for identifying, planning, testing, distributing, installing, and validating deployment of Information Technology solutions, a user administration category for managing a life cycle of a user’s access to available resources, and a performance and capacity management category for managing and monitoring system performance;
receiving, by the data processing system, answers to the plurality of assessment survey questions for each of the plurality of automation computing assessment categories from the customer about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer to form received assessment survey answers;
assigning, by the data processing system, a computer automation rank according to an automation computing evaluation scale that includes a plurality of predetermined levels of automation computing capabilities used to measure on-demand readiness of automated computing systems to each automation computing assessment category in the plurality of automation computing assessment categories based on the received assessment survey answers about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer to form an assigned rank for each automation computing assessment category, the plurality of predetermined levels of automation computing capabilities include a basic maturity level that indicates the customer uses manual analysis and problem solving, a managed maturity level that indicates the customer uses centralized tools and performs manual actions, a predictive maturity level that indicates the customer monitors, correlates data, and recommends action, an adaptive maturity level that indicates the customer uses a system that monitors, correlates data, and takes action, and an autonomic maturity level that indicates dynamic business policy based management;
providing, by the data processing system, data for achieving a target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system to the customer based on the assigned rank for each automation computing assessment category in the plurality of automation computing assessment categories in order for the customer to become more self-managing automation computing capable, wherein providing the data for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system includes determining operational efficiency savings for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system relative to the automation computing capabilities of the customer;
receiving, by the data processing system, changes to the received assessment survey answers about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer to form changed assessment survey answers for determining how the changes to the received assessment survey answers affect the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer; and
determining, by the data processing system, a change in the computer automation rank for each automation computing assessment category in the plurality of automation computing assessment categories based on the changed assessment survey answers.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the automated computing educational material identifies each computer automation rank in the automation computing evaluation scale that includes the plurality of predetermined levels of automation computing capabilities used to measure a current on-demand readiness of the automated computing systems.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the automated computing educational material identifies each of the plurality of automation computing assessment categories.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of assessment survey questions for each of the plurality of automation computing assessment categories includes multiple-choice answers.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing data for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system includes:
determining solutions for automated computing based on the received assessment survey answers about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing data for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system includes:
determining recommendations for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system based on the received assessment survey answers about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
using an artificial intelligence application to analyze historical information using a set of rules to create an analysis output for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer.
8. A data processing system for assessing self-managing capabilities of an automated computing system, the data processing system comprising:
a bus system;
a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device stores a set of instructions; and
a processor device connected to the bus system, wherein the processor device executes the set of instructions to:
present automated computing education material to the customer that educates a customer on how the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system are assessed by the data processing system;
present an assessment survey including a plurality of assessment survey questions for each of a plurality of automation computing assessment categories to the customer about a current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer, the plurality of automation computing assessment categories in the assessment survey include a problem management category for identifying, isolating, and resolving issues that negatively impact Information Technology services, an availability management category for ensuring availability of Information Technology services, a security management category for securing business resources and data against unauthorized intrusion, a solution deployment category for identifying, planning, testing, distributing, installing, and validating deployment of Information Technology solutions, a user administration category for managing a life cycle of a user’s access to available resources, and a performance and capacity management category for managing and monitoring system performance;
receive answers to the plurality of assessment survey questions for each of the plurality of automation computing assessment categories from the customer about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer to form received assessment survey answers;
assign a computer automation rank according to an automation computing evaluation scale that includes a plurality of predetermined levels of automation computing capabilities used to measure on-demand readiness of automated computing systems to each automation computing assessment category in the plurality of automation computing assessment categories based on the received assessment survey answers about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer to form an assigned rank for each automation computing assessment category, the plurality of predetermined levels of automation computing capabilities include a basic maturity level that indicates the customer uses manual analysis and problem solving, a managed maturity level that indicates the customer uses centralized tools and performs manual actions, a predictive maturity level that indicates the customer monitors, correlates data, and recommends action, an adaptive maturity level that indicates the customer uses a system that monitors, correlates data, and takes action, and an autonomic maturity level that indicates dynamic business policy based management;
provide data for achieving a target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system to the customer based on the assigned rank for each automation computing assessment category in the plurality of automation computing assessment categories in order for the customer to become more self-managing automation computing capable, wherein providing the data for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system includes determining operational efficiency savings for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system relative to the automation computing capabilities of the customer;
receive changes to the received assessment survey answers about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer to form changed assessment survey answers for determining how the changes to the received assessment survey answers affect the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer; and
determine a change in the computer automation rank for each automation computing assessment category in the plurality of automation computing assessment categories based on the changed assessment survey answers.
9. A computer readable storage medium encoded with computer executable instructions for assessing automated computing capabilities, the computer readable storage medium comprising:
computer executable instructions for presenting automated computing education material to a customer that educates the customer on how the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system are assessed by the data processing system;
computer executable instructions for presenting an assessment survey including a plurality of assessment survey questions for each of a plurality of automation computing assessment categories to the customer about a current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer, the plurality of automation computing assessment categories in the assessment survey include a problem management category for identifying, isolating, and resolving issues that negatively impact Information Technology services, an availability management category for ensuring availability of Information Technology services, a security management category for securing business resources and data against unauthorized intrusion, a solution deployment category for identifying, planning, testing, distributing, installing, and validating deployment of Information Technology solutions, a user administration category for managing a life cycle of a user’s access to available resources, and a performance and capacity management category for managing and monitoring system performance;
computer executable instructions for receiving answers to the plurality of assessment survey questions for each of the plurality of automation computing assessment categories from the customer about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer to form received assessment survey answers;
computer executable instructions for assigning a computer automation rank according to an automation computing evaluation scale that includes a plurality of predetermined levels of automation computing capabilities used to measure on-demand readiness of automated computing systems to each automation computing assessment category in the plurality of automation computing assessment categories based on the received assessment survey answers about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer to form an assigned rank for each automation computing assessment category, the plurality of predetermined levels of automation computing capabilities include a basic maturity level that indicates the customer uses manual analysis and problem solving, a managed maturity level that indicates the customer uses centralized tools and performs manual actions, a predictive maturity level that indicates the customer monitors, correlates data, and recommends action, an adaptive maturity level that indicates the customer uses a system that monitors, correlates data, and takes action, and an autonomic maturity level that indicates dynamic business policy based management;
computer executable instructions for providing data for achieving a target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system to the customer based on the assigned rank for each automation computing assessment category in the plurality of automation computing assessment categories in order for the customer to become more self-managing automation computing capable, wherein providing the data for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system includes determining operational efficiency savings for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system relative to the automation computing capabilities of the customer;
computer executable instructions for receiving changes to the received assessment survey answers about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer to form changed assessment survey answers for determining how the changes to the received assessment survey answers affect the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer; and
computer executable instructions for determining a change in the computer automation rank for each automation computing assessment category in the plurality of automation computing assessment categories based on the changed assessment survey answers.
10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the automated computing educational material identifies each computer automation rank in the automation computing evaluation scale that includes the plurality of predetermined levels of automation computing capabilities used to measure a current on-demand readiness of the automated computing systems.
11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the automated computing educational material identifies each of the plurality of automation computing assessment categories.
12. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the plurality of assessment survey questions for each of the plurality of automation computing assessment categories includes multiple-choice answers.
13. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computer executable instructions for providing data for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system include:
computer executable instructions for determining solutions for automated computing based on the received assessment survey answers about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer.
14. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computer executable instructions for providing data for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system include:
computer executable instructions for determining recommendations for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system based on the received assessment survey answers about the current level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer.
15. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:
computer executable instructions for using an artificial intelligence application to analyze historical information using a set of rules to create an analysis output for achieving the target level of the self-managing capabilities of the automated computing system of the customer.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An automated micro-well plate handling device for removing a removable micro-well plate from within a vertically stacked plurality of removable micro-well plates and transferring said removable micro-well plate to a receiving area, comprising:
A) a transfer station,
B) a vertical storage device for storing in a vertical stack a plurality of removable micro-well plates, wherein said vertical storage device creates a vertical clearance space under each of said removable micro-well plates,
C) a shovel unit for sliding into said vertical clearance space underneath said removable micro-well plate and for removing said removable micro-well plate from said vertical storage device and placing said removable micro-well plate at said transfer station, and
D) a gripper unit for gripping said removable micro-well plate at said transfer station and transporting it to said receiving area.
2. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 1 further comprising a telescopic gripper arm.
3. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 2 wherein said telescopic gripper arm comprises a retractable and extendable tape.
4. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 1 further comprising a linear actuator for vertically positioning said shovel and said gripper.
5. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 4 wherein said linear actuator is rotatable.
6. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 5 wherein said rotatable linear actuator is positioned over a slip ring, wherein electrical signals are transferred through said slip ring.
7. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 1 further comprising an embedded controller for controlling said automated micro-well plate handling device.
8. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 7, wherein said embedded controller comprises a web site for controlling said automated micro-well plate handling device, wherein said web site is accessible via a remote computer.
9. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 8, wherein said remote computer accesses said web site via a computer network.
10. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 1 further comprising a rotatable shovelgripper assembly wherein said shovel and said gripper are connected to said rotatable shovelgripper assembly.
11. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 2 further comprising a rotatable shovelgripper assembly connected to said telescopic gripper arm wherein said shovel and said gripper are connected to said rotatable shovelgripper assembly.
12. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 1 wherein said gripper is a rotatable gripper.
13. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 12 wherein said rotatable gripper grabs said shovel prior to said shovel sliding into said vertical clearance space.
14. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 1 further comprising a gantry for horizontal positioning of said shovel and said gripper.
15. An automated micro-well plate handling device for removing a removable micro-well plate from within a vertically stacked plurality of micro-well plates and transferring said removable micro-well plate to a receiving area, comprising:
A) a vertical storage device for storing said vertically stacked plurality of micro-well plates, wherein said vertical storage device comprises a means for creating a vertical clearance space under said removable micro-well plate,
B) a shovel for sliding into said vertical clearance space underneath said removable micro-well plate and for removing said removable micro-well plate from said vertical storage device,
C) a gripper for gripping said removable micro-well plate after said removable micro-well plate has been removed from said vertical storage device,
D) a receiving area for receiving said removable micro-well plate from said gripper,
E) a transfer station, wherein said removable micro-well plate is placed on said transfer station by either said shovel or said gripper,
F) an extendable and retractable telescopic gripper arm,
G) a linear actuator for vertically positioning said shovel and said gripper, and
H) a slip ring positioned underneath said linear actuator, wherein electrical signals are transferred through said slip ring.
16. A method for removing a removable micro-well plate from within a vertically stacked plurality of micro-well plates and transferring said removable micro-well plate to a receiving area, comprising the steps of:
A) storing in a vertical storage device said vertically stacked plurality of micro-well plates so that a vertical clearance space is created under said removable micro-well plate,
B) sliding a shovel into said vertical clearance space underneath said removable micro-well plate,
C) using said shovel to remove said removable micro-well plate from said vertical storage device,
D) using a gripper to grab said removable micro-well plate after said removable micro-well plate has been removed from said vertical storage device, and
E) receiving at a receiving area said removable micro-well plate from said gripper.
17. An automated micro-well plate handling device for removing a removable micro-well plate from within a vertically stacked plurality of micro-well plates and transferring said removable micro-well plate to a receiving area, comprising:
A) a means for storing said vertically stacked plurality of micro-well plates, wherein said means for storing creates a vertical clearance space under said removable micro-well plate,
B) a means for sliding into said vertical clearance space underneath said removable micro-well plate and for removing said removable micro-well plate from said means for storing,
C) a means for gripping said removable micro-well plate after said removable micro-well plate has been removed from said means for storing, and
D) a means for receiving said removable micro-well plate from said means for gripping.
18. An automated media storage device handler for removing a removable media storage device from within a vertically stacked plurality of media storage devices and transferring said removable media storage device to a receiving area, comprising:
A) a vertical storage device for storing said vertically stacked plurality of media storage devices, wherein said vertical storage device creates a vertical clearance space under said removable media storage device,
B) a shovel for sliding into said vertical clearance space underneath said removable media storage device and for removing said removable media storage device from said vertical storage device,
C) a gripper for gripping said removable media storage device after said removable media storage device has been removed from said vertical storage device, and
D) a receiving area for receiving said removable media storage device from said gripper.
19. The automated media storage device handler as in claim 18, wherein said media storage device is a slide.
20. An automated micro-well plate handling device for removing a removable micro-well plate from within a vertically stacked plurality of removable micro-well plates and transferring said removable micro-well plate to a receiving area, comprising:
A) a vertical storage device for storing in a vertical stack a plurality of removable micro-well plates, wherein said vertical storage device creates a vertical clearance space under each of said removable micro-well plates,
B) a shovel unit for sliding into said vertical clearance space underneath said removable micro-well plate and for removing said removable micro-well plate from said vertical storage device and placing said removable micro-well plate at said transfer station, and
C) a gripper unit for gripping said removable micro-well plate at said transfer station and transporting it to said receiving area.
21. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 20 further comprising a transfer station, wherein said removable micro-well plate is placed on said transfer station by said shovel prior to being grabbed by said gripper.
22. The automated micro-well plate handling device as in claim 20 further comprising a transfer station, wherein said removable micro-well plate is placed on said transfer station by said gripper prior to being grabbed by said shovel.