Scheduling system

1. A scheduling system, comprising:

an interface configured to receive input data and display output data; and

a device providing for generating said output data from said input data;

wherein said interface selectively provides for a queue-list view and a calendar view of said output data;

wherein said input data includes:

a plurality of organization characteristics:

a plurality of machine characteristics, comprising:

a plurality of machine maintenance characteristics including a maintenance frequency and a maintenance duration;

a plurality of machine capacity characteristics including a throughput rate, a build tray capacity, and a raw material capacity; and

a plurality of job characteristics relating to a plurality of jobs, comprising:

a plurality of job input characteristics, including an input type, an input quantity, and a design;

a plurality of job output characteristics including an output type and an output quantity; and

a plurality of job schedule characteristics including a priority value, a deadline, a refill time, a start time, a duration, and a completion time.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of machine characteristics relate to a fabrication machine.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein said plurality of job characteristics include a design, and wherein said fabrication machine produces a physical output using said design.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interface provides for toggling between said queue-list view and said calendar view.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said machine capacity characteristic is a build tray capacity, wherein a first color is used on said interface to indicate when said build tray capacity is substantially empty and wherein a second color is used on said interface to indicate when said build tray is substantially full.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein said interface uses a third color to indicate at least one of: a tentative reservation; an unfinished design reservation; a high priority reservation; a low priority reservation; and a maintenance event.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said input data includes an availability of an operator on at least one of: a weekend; a holiday; an extra shift; and an intra-shift break.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a scheduling heuristic and a plurality of jobs described by said plurality of job characteristics, said plurality of jobs including a first job and a second job, at feast one of: (a) a shorter-than-average job and (b) a longer-than-average job, wherein said scheduling heuristic determines a job schedule, wherein said first job is a longer-than-average job and wherein said second job is at least one of: (c) longer in duration than said first job; and (d) a shorter-than average-job.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein said scheduling heuristic provides for at least one of:

automatically scheduling said first job for an overnight period of time;

automatically suggesting the merging said second job with said first job into a single build tray;

automatically suggesting the filling in a block of unscheduled time with a low priority job;

automatically adjusting a build start time to delay a required refill until an operator is scheduled to be available;

automatically adjusting a run rate such that a required refill is delayed until at least one operator is present;

automatically scheduling machine maintenance; and

automatically scheduling a refilling of the machine.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interface provides for a drag-drop of a CAD file into an existing reservation.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interface automatically creates a warning when a job will not be completed before a deadline associated with said job.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein a reservation is transmitted through said interface before a design associated with said reservation is complete.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interface is configured to capture at least one of: a deadline; a priority value; and a user affiliation.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein a present day job schedule can be viewed substantially simultaneously with a future day job schedule without transmitting an instruction to the interface after the present day job schedule is viewed.

15. A system for scheduling jobs on a machine, comprising:

a means for receiving a plurality of input attributes and to display a plurality of output attributes in a calendar-view format;

wherein said input attributes include:

a plurality of job characteristics relating to a plurality of jobs comprising:

a plurality of job input characteristics including an input type, an input quantity and a design;

a plurality of job output characteristics including an output type and an output quantity;

a plurality of job scheduling characteristics including a priority value, a deadline, a refill time, a start time, a duration, and a completion time;

a plurality of machine characteristics comprising:

plurality of machine maintenance characteristics including a maintenance frequency and a maintenance duration; and

a plurality of machine capacity characteristics including a throughout rate, a build tray capacity, and a raw material capacity; and

an organization characteristic;

wherein said output attributes include a start time associated with a job identifier; and

a means for generating a schedule including said output attributes, wherein said output attributes are generated from said input attributes.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a means to automatically manufacture a plurality of physical outputs from a plurality of physical inputs in accordance with said schedule.

17. The system of claim 15 , further comprising:

a means for producing a physical output from a design and an inputted resource;

a means for making said inputted resource accessible to said means for producing said physical output;

wherein said means for receiving said plurality of Input attributes is further configured to:

transmit said design to said means for producing said physical output;

access availability attributes relating to an operator; and

set at least one of:

a deadline;

a priority value;

a scheduling rule; and

an advance reservation for an unfinished design.

18. A method for implementing a job scheduling application, comprising:

configuring a calendar-view interface for the display of job scheduling information;

adapting the calendar-view interface to automatically access information that can be displayed on a queue-list interface; and

programming a scheduling heuristic to facilitate an automated schedule modification performed on a job input, said scheduling heuristic provides for at least one of:

automatically scheduling said first job for an overnight period of time;

automatically suggesting the merging said second job with said first job into a single build tray;

automatically suggesting the filling in a block of unscheduled time with a low priority job;

automatically adjusting a build start time to delay a required refill until an operator is scheduled to be available;

automatically adjusting a run rate such that a required refill is delayed until at least one operator is present;

automatically scheduling machine maintenance; and

automatically scheduling a refilling of the machine.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

defining a color-coded scheme for displaying at least one of:

a priority value for a job;

a utilization metric for a build on a machine;

a job that will not be completed until after an associated deadline;

a job reservation that is not associated with a completed design;

a indicator, wherein said indicator is at least one of a resource consumption indicator, a status indicator, and an operator intervention indicator; and

a tentative job reservation.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

instructing the job scheduling application to prohibiting the setting of at least one of:

a priority value that exceeds the authorization of a particular user;

an interruption to a job that is currently in process;

a disruption to the maintenance schedule of a machine; and

an advance reservation that is outside a time frame of time that can be scheduled.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the job scheduling application is hosted by an office workflow system.

22. The method of claim 18 , wherein said job scheduling application is in communication with one or more fabrication machines.