A Perspective on Constraint Research in Industry 11/20/2018 A Perspective on Constraint Research in Industry Lisa Purvis 10 October 2003 Hi Everyone! My name is Lisa Purvis, and I’m delighted to be here today to talk with you about my research work at Xerox that involves constraints. My goal for today I, really to give you a good insight into what it’s like to do research in industry, and to show you that there are applications for constraints.

Outline Background Xerox projects involving constraints 11/20/2018 Background Xerox projects involving constraints Constraint-Based Scheduling Constraint-Based Document Creation What it’s like to do industry research So what I’d like to tell you about today is first, a bit about my own background. And then about the projects that I have been doing that involve constraints And finally, my own general observations and thoughts about what it’s like to do research in industry. And please, ask questions during the talk so we can make it interactive! Stop me at any time for questions. 11/20/2018

Background BS Computer Science, Clarkson University, 1988 11/20/2018 BS Computer Science, Clarkson University, 1988 Software Developer at IBM in CT, 1988 – 1992 MS Computer Science & Eng, RPI, 1992 Ph.D. Computer Science & Eng, Univ of Connecticut, 1995 Advisor: Dr. Pearl Pu, EPFL Research Scientist, Jackson Laboratory, Maine, 1995-1996 Research Scientist, Xerox, NY, 1996 - present Most of this I think we already sort of went over, but I also want to tell you about the lessons that I learned from these experiences. A couple of the things that I learned, and these are personal observations. For me, geography mattered. Not all big companies are the same. Figure out what is important to you, and ask questions so you know what it’s like at the companies you interview with. e.g. typical workweek, overtime expected? talk to people who would be your peers, ask for 10 minutes with someone who works with your would-be manager 11/20/2018

Background “Reasoning By Remembering” Architectural Design 11/20/2018 Ph.D. Thesis: “Intelligent Design Problem Solving Using Case-Based and Constraint-Based Techniques” “Reasoning By Remembering” Architectural Design I’d like a Victorian house, 4 br, 2.5 ba, walkout basement, ... Let me tell you where I started on this journey of getting into the constraints community. I finished my Ph.D. thesis in 1995, and it was on the topic of case-based and constraint-based reasoning in design. In case you’re not familiar with case-based reasoning, it is sometimes called “reasoning by remembering”. And humans use it in their own problem solving every day. For instance, in architectural design. 11/20/2018

Background “Reasoning By Remembering” Medical Diagnosis 11/20/2018 Ph.D. Thesis: “Intelligent Design Problem Solving Using Case-Based and Constraint-Based Techniques” I have sneezing, headache, achiness. “Reasoning By Remembering” Medical Diagnosis Also in medical diagnosis. 11/20/2018

Background Case-Based Reasoning Cycle 11/20/2018 Case-Based Reasoning Cycle Problem New case in design problem solving, likely to be more than one case how to combine the cases with a formalized process? use a repair-based CSP algorithm (min-conflicts / Minton) Revise Retrieved case(s) Retrieve Repaired case Revise Previous cases Retain The case-based reasoning cycle is typically described as follows. My thesis work was looking at this adaptation step. In design problem solving, you can imagine that there are many situations in which more than one case matches the new problem. 11/20/2018

Background Jackson Laboratory 11/20/2018 Jackson Laboratory bioinformatics, intelligent user interfaces to gene development and genome databases. Xerox Constraint-based scheduling Constraint-based document creation After my Ph.D., I went to work at the Jackson Lab oratory, in the hopes of using AI in the field of bioinformatics….to help biology researchers better understand genes and how they impact human development. Then I went to Xerox and I have been working on two projects that involve constraints to some degree. The first was a project that had already been started when I joined Xerox, and it had to do with constraint-based scheduling. The second is a project that I’m working on now and I proposed as a research project, on constraint-based document creation. 11/20/2018

Xerox Projects Involving Constraints 11/20/2018 Constraint-Based Scheduling Constraints model the reprographic system Constraint solver schedules the operations required to produce a document. Sheet.exit = sheet.entry + time for 8 pitches Duplex loop Sheet in Sheet out print invert At Xerox we make a lot of different kinds of machines, copiers, printers, multifunction devices, and now also solutions and services. One of our newest machines is called the “iGen3”. It is a big huge production press, used for high-end production jobs. An iGen3 is made up of feeders, markers, and stackers. And one of the main benefits of the machine is that you can configure it with any combination of these 3 types of modules. Within the machine, there are issues such as controlling the paper as it moves through the machine, so everything happens on time. In previous systems, this kind of scheduling was hardcoded. Since the iGen3 can be configured in many different ways, it was impractical to hardcode a scheduling algorithm. So a constraint-based approach was developed, that allowed each machine module to describe its capabilities in terms of constraints, and then a constraint propagation would occur. Interesting paper here on constraint tractability theory. 11/20/2018

Xerox Projects Involving Constraints 11/20/2018 Constraint-Based Document Creation Transition of Variable Information Document Applications Simple Transaction Bills, Statements Catalogs, Brochures, Postcards, Reports, Sales Material 11/20/2018

Constraint-Based Document Creation 11/20/2018 11/20/2018

Constraint-Based Document Creation 11/20/2018 11/20/2018

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Constraint-Based Document Creation 11/20/2018 Eye-catching flyer for customer X. Content Repository Document Wizard 11/20/2018

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Constraint-Based Document Creation 11/20/2018 Making document design easier 11/20/2018

What It’s Like To Do Industry Research 11/20/2018 pure research vs. applied research university collaboration intellectual property (papers vs. patents) research community “teaching” aspect a need to think broadly Pure research: - constraint propagation as mutation (research problem comes first) Applied Research: - way to automatically compose documents (application comes first) University Collaboration: - great opportunity here. Everyone wants to work on “real” problems. - University Affairs Committee Intellectual property: - publishing….mostly applic. Papers. But I don’t find that bad. - not so many papers as in academia - patents instead! Patent process. Rewards for patents. Research Community - fewer people that are truly doing research in industry. E.g. CBR and GE – best paper. Constraint Tractability – best paper. Opportunities come up, you are one of a few competing for it. Teaching aspect. Convincing others of the greatness of your work. Relevavnce to the company. Think broadly: company identifies areas of focus (office document solutions). What technologies could be used to enable new offerings in this area? Not just your own!! 11/20/2018