Tooling system

• US 10,146,976 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2017
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Difr-Tek Digital, LLC
• Original Assignee: Proper Digital LLC
• Inventors: O'Brien, Geoffrey C., Brolley, Sean M., Rusch, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Claude J
• Application Number:
  US15/681,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20180039807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2033/705 Mould inspection means, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/1796 Moulds carrying mould related information or codes, e.g. bar codes, counters
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 31/006 Handling moulds, e.g. between a mould store and a moulding machine movable moulds B29C33/34; for injection moulding B29C45/1756
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/70 Maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/17 Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/18 Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to execute positioning, movement or co-ordinated operations by means of programme data in numerical form G05B19/418 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37137 Encoder combined with barcode label, reader
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49304 Tool identification, code
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/50275 Safety, verify correct code of chosen tool, probe
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/30 : Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing

Abstract

A tooling system may comprise a tool scanner, a tool database, and a user interface device. The tool scanner may be configured to scan a tool identifier on a tool. The tool database may have tool information associated with the tool identifier. The user interface device may be in communication with the tool scanner and the tool database. The user interface device may receive tool information from the tool database in response to the scan by the tool scanner, concurrently display a tool issue description and a tool issue image from the tool information of the tool database, receive a tool area selection with respect to the tool issue image, and provide access to a tool issue history from the tool database in response to the tool area selection.

Claims

1. A tooling system comprising:

a tool scanner configured to scan a tool identifier on a tool;

a tool database having tool information associated with the tool identifier, wherein the tool information includes at least one of spare parts information or voice recognition information, and further includes information regarding at least one section of a tool image, the at least one section including at least one of a first area or a second area on a cavity side of a mold, and at least one of a third area or a fourth area on a core side of the mold; and

a user interface device in communication with the tool scanner and the tool database, wherein the user interface device;

receives tool information from the tool database in response to the scan by the tool scanner, and

provides access to at least a portion of the tool information from the tool database.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tool information further includes tool set-up information, design information, maintenance instructions, tool condition, manufacture date, warranty information, and authenticity information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the tool scanner includes at least one of an optical scanner and a voice scanner, and

wherein the tool identifier is at least one of a near field communication (NFC) tag, a bar code, a quick response (QR) code, a universal product code (UPC), and a radiofrequency identification (RFID).

4. The system of claim 1, the user interface device performing at least one of:

concurrently displays at least two of;

a tool issue description,

the tool image including a tool issue image from the tool information of the tool database, and

the at least one section including a plurality of sections on the tool issue image;

concurrently displays boxes, windows, areas, or buttons associated with the tool set-up information, design information, maintenance instructions, tool condition, manufacture date, warranty information, and authenticity information from the tool information of the tool database; and

receives a tool area selection with respect to at least one of the plurality of sections on the tool issue image, wherein providing access to the tool issue history from the tool database is further in response to the tool area selection of the at least one of the plurality of sections.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface device further concurrently displays a tool location from at least one of a global positioning system (GPS) and cellular triangulation.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface device further sends tool information to a predetermined list of contacts associated with the tool.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the tool scanner includes at least one of a code scanner, a cellular phone, or an optical machine.

8. A method of a tooling system, the method comprising:

providing a tool scanner configured to scan a tool identifier on a tool, a tool database having tool information associated with the tool identifier, and a user interface device in communication with the tool scanner and the tool database, wherein the tool information includes at least one of spare parts information or voice recognition information, and further includes information regarding at least one section of a tool image, the at least one section including at least one of a first area or a second area on a cavity side of a mold, and at least one of a third area or a fourth area on a core side of the mold;

receiving tool information from the tool database in response to the scan by the tool scanner; and

providing access to at least a portion of the tool information from the tool database.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the tool scanner includes at least one of an optical scanner and a voice scanner, and

wherein the tool information further includes tool set-up information, design information, maintenance instructions, tool condition, manufacture date, warranty information, and authenticity information.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the tool identifier is at least one of a near field communication (NFC) tag, a bar code, a quick response (QR) code, a universal product code (UPC), and a radiofrequency identification (RFID).

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising at least one of:

concurrently displaying at least two of;

a tool issue description,

the tool image including a tool issue image from the tool information of the tool database, and

the at least one section including a plurality of sections on the tool issue image;

concurrently displaying boxes, windows, areas, or buttons associated with the tool set-up information, design information, maintenance instructions, tool condition, manufacture date, warranty information, and authenticity information from the tool information of the tool database; and

receiving a tool area selection with respect to at least one of the plurality of sections on the tool issue image, wherein the providing access to the tool issue history from the tool database is in response to the tool area selection of the at least one of the plurality of sections.

12. The method of claim 8, further concurrently displaying a tool location from at least one of a global positioning system (GPS) and cellular triangulation.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending tool information to a predetermined list of contacts associated with the tool.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the tool scanner includes at least one of a code scanner, a cellular phone, or an optical machine.

15. A method for a user interface device for a tool, the method comprising:

communicating with a tool scanner configured to optically or verbally scan a tool identifier associated with a tool, a tool database having tool information associated with the tool identifier, and a user interface device being in communication with the tool scanner and the tool database, wherein the tool information includes at least one of spare parts information or voice recognition information, and further includes information regarding at least one section of a tool image, the at least one section including at least one of a first area or a second area on a cavity side of a mold, and at least one of a third area or a fourth area on a core side of the mold;

receiving voice recognition information from the tool scanner regarding the tool; and

providing access to at least a portion of the tool information in response to the voice recognition information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the tool information further includes tool set-up information, design information, maintenance instructions, tool condition, manufacture date, warranty information, and authenticity information.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the tool scanner includes at least one of an optical scanner and a voice scanner to scan the tool identifier associated with the tool, and

wherein the tool identifier is at least one of a near field communication (NFC) tag, a bar code, a quick response (QR) code, a universal product code (UPC), and a radiofrequency identification (RFID).

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising at least one of:

concurrently displaying at least two of;

a tool issue description,

the tool image including a tool issue image from the tool information of the tool database, and

the at least one section including a plurality of sections on the tool issue image;

concurrently displaying boxes, windows, areas, or buttons associated with the tool set-up information, design information, maintenance instructions, tool condition, manufacture date, warranty information, and authenticity information from the tool information of the tool database; and

receiving a tool area selection with respect to at least one of the plurality of sections on the tool issue image, wherein the providing access to the tool issue history from the tool database is in response to the tool area selection of the at least one of the plurality of sections.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising concurrently displaying a tool location from at least one of a global positioning system (GPS) and cellular triangulation.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending tool information to a predetermined list of contacts associated with the tool.