Method and system for collecting rich inventory via computer system

• US 20020026391A1
• Filed: 12/20/2000
• Published: 02/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bidpath.Com Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bidpath.Com Corporation
• Inventors: Carroll, Theodore A., Laster, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US09/742,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20020026391A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An efficient method for collecting rich inventory data including a unique control number, one or more parameters, image data, and/or audio data for each of a plurality of items being inventoried. A programmable digital camera (or a portable computer with an image capture system and microphone) is employed to collect the image data and/or audio data for the items. The unique control number is assigned for each item to be inventoried, and at least one parameter relating to the item is selected by a user from a pre-populated list of parameters. This list of parameters is appropriate for the type of inventory being collected, e.g., an inventory of goods to be auctioned over the Internet. Next, an image and/or brief audio description for the items is recorded. Alphanumeric data defining the selected parameter(s) and any image data or audio data are associated with the unique control number. If more items are to be inventoried, the unique control number is automatically incremented, and any parameters previously selected will be applied to a next item, unless a user affirmatively selects a different control number and changes the parameters. The resulting data are all linked together within an extensible markup language (XML) data structure. In the XML data structure, each item has a specific XML segment that includes the unique control number, any selected parameters, and the names of any image or audio data files. All the XML segments are stored in a single XML file.

Claims

1. A method for generating rich inventory data for a plurality of items, such that any image data, any audio data, and any alphanumeric data relating to a specific inventory item are automatically correlated and associated with that specific inventory item, comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning a unique identifier to a specific item to be inventoried;

(b) enabling a user to select at least one parameter relating to said specific item from among a plurality of parameters, said at least one parameter comprising alphanumeric data;

(c) capturing at least one of an image and audio data relating to said specific item;

(d) storing said unique identifier, said at least one parameter, and said at least one of the image and the audio data relating to said specific item in a memory; and

(e) creating a data set in which a unique identifier, at least one parameter comprising alphanumeric data, and at least one of an image and audio data relating to each of the plurality of items are stored in the memory, by repeating steps (a) through (d) for each of remaining item in the plurality of items.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing comprises the steps of:

(a) storing said unique identifier and the alphanumeric data comprising said at least one parameter in a volatile memory; and

(b) storing said at least one of the image data and the audio data in a nonvolatile memory.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of storing further comprises the steps of:

(a) copying said identifier and said alphanumeric data from said volatile memory into a buffer memory;

(b) including a file name of any image data captured relating to a current specific item in said buffer memory;

(c) including a file name of any audio data captured relating to the current specific item in said buffer memory a file name of any audio data captured relating to said specific item;

(d) copying a contents of said buffer memory to said nonvolatile memory; and

(e) flushing said buffer memory before inventorying a next item from among the plurality of items.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

(a) the step of copying said identifier and said alphanumeric data from said volatile memory into the buffer memory comprises the step of including said identifier and said alphanumeric data in an extensible markup language fragment;

(b) the step of including within said buffer memory the file name of any image data captured comprises the step of including said file name in said extensible markup language fragment;

(c) the step of including within said buffer memory a file name of any audio data captured comprises the step of including said file name in said extensible markup language fragment; and

(d) the step of copying the contents of said buffer memory to said nonvolatile memory comprises the step of adding an end tag to said extensible markup language fragment, thereby generating a complete set of extensible markup language data that is copied to a master extensible markup language file in said nonvolatile memory, so that each specific item inventoried generates a unique set of extensible markup language data stored in said master extensible markup language file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the step of storing said unique identifier in the memory comprises the step of storing said unique identifier in a volatile memory;

(b) the step of storing said alphanumeric data in the memory comprises the step of storing said alphanumeric data in said volatile memory; and

(c) the step of creating a data set comprises, for each successive unique item, the steps of;

(i) copying said identifier and said alphanumeric data from said volatile memory into the buffer memory, said identifier and said alphanumeric data remaining in said volatile memory;

(ii) including within said buffer memory any image data captured relating to a specific item being currently inventoried, and a link to any image data captured relating to said specific item being currently inventoried;

(iii) including within said buffer memory any audio data captured relating to said specific item being currently inventoried, and a link to any audio data captured relating to said specific item being currently inventoried; and

(iv) moving a contents of said buffer memory to a nonvolatile memory before inventorying a next item from among the plurality of items.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein after generating the rich inventory data for any specific item, and before the generating rich inventory data for the next item, said volatile memory is not flushed, so that the unique identifier for a specific item that has just been inventoried remains in said volatile memory;

further comprising the step of automatically incrementing said unique identifier for the specific item that has just been inventoried, so that a new unique identifier is provided for the next item to be inventoried.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of assigning comprises the step of enabling a user to assign a unique identifier to the next item to be inventoried.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein after generating the rich inventory data for any specific item, and before generating the rich inventory data for the next item, said volatile memory is not flushed, so that any parameters selected for the specific item that has just been inventoried remain in said volatile memory;

and wherein the step of enabling a user to select at least one parameter comprises the steps of;

(a) initially assigning any parameters stored in said volatile memory to the next item to be inventoried; and

(b) enabling a user to remove and change any parameters so assigned.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of enabling a user to select at least one parameter comprises the step of providing a plurality of parameters that are relevant to a class of items that are to be inventoried.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said class of items that are to be inventoried comprise items that are to be auctioned;

and wherein the step of enabling the user to select at least one parameter further comprises the step of enabling the user to select a parameter the describes a physical condition of said specific item.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the class of items that are to be auctioned are to be assigned to a consignor, and wherein the step of enabling the user to select at least one parameter comprises the step of enabling the user to select a consignor for the specific item, from among a plurality of different consignors.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of enabling a user to select at least one parameter comprises the step of enabling a user to select a category that describes said specific item.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of enabling a user to capture one of an image and audio data relating to said specific item comprises the step of creating a separate data file for each different type of data captured, such that any image data collected are saved as an image data file and any audio data that are collected are saved as an audio data file.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of creating a separate data file for each different type of data captured comprises the step of using said identifier as a portion of a name of any separate data file.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a programmable system capable of capturing and storing data relating to at least one of an image, audio, and a set of alphanumeric characters.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a programmable system comprises the step of providing at least one of:

(a) a programmable digital camera; and

(b) a personal computer that is operatively coupled to an image capturing device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of coupling the programmable digital camera to a computer system by one of a wired and a wireless connection, to transfer data captured when generating the rich inventory data.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of enabling the user to select comprises the step of prompting the user to choose at least one parameter from among a plurality of different parameters that are displayed to the user.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of assigning comprises the step of automatically incrementing said unique identifier for each successive item being inventoried.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of creating a data set for the items being inventoried, said data set including the unique identifier assigned to each item, any alphanumeric data relating to the item, a name of any image data file in which any image data relating to the item are stored, and a name of any audio data file in which any audio data relating to the item are stored, said data set being saved to a master file in a nonvolatile memory.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of creating a data set comprises the step of creating an extensible markup language buffer in a volatile memory of the system.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of saving said data set to a master file in the nonvolatile memory comprises the steps of appending contents of the extensible markup language buffer to said master file;

and then clearing the extensible markup language buffer in said volatile memory.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of enabling the user to select at least one parameter comprises the step of enabling the user to select from among a plurality of parameters that describe a condition of said specific item.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of enabling the user to select at least one parameter comprises the step of enabling the user to select from among a plurality of parameters related to a category of items in which said specific item is included.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of enabling the user to select at least one parameter comprises the step of enabling the user to indicate a consignor to which the item will be assigned from among a plurality of different consignors.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of enabling a user to select at least one parameter comprises the step of storing each selected parameter in a volatile memory, such that each selected parameter is applied to a next item to be inventoried, unless a user affirmatively elects not to apply a selected parameter stored in said volatile memory to said next item to be inventoried.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of enabling a user to capture one of image data and audio data relating to said specific item comprises the step of creating a separate data file for each different type of data captured, such that any image data collected are saved as an image data file and any audio data collected are saved as an audio data file, and storing any image data file and audio data file thus created into said volatile memory.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of creating a separate data file for each different type of data captured comprises the step of employing said unique identifier in a name for each file created, so that for a specific item that has been inventoried, any image data file and any audio data file will have a file name that includes the unique identifier, but different file extensions.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of providing the system comprises the step of providing a programmable digital camera.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of capturing comprises at least one of the step of translating an image of the item being inventoried into an image data file and the step of recording a verbal input supplied to a microphone to an audio data file.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of enabling the user to select comprises the step of displaying a menu that includes available parameters from which the user chooses to define the alphanumeric data for each item being inventoried.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of enabling a user to transfer rich inventory data for each item that has been inventoried comprising at least one of the image data file, the audio data file, and the alphanumeric data for the item, to a computer system in correlation with said unique identifier for the item, using one of a wired and a wireless connection with the computer system.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 34, wherein the machine instructions cause the processor to generate separate image data and audio data files when both the image data and the audio data are captured for a specific item, said audio data not being included in the image data file.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 35, wherein the machine instructions cause the processor to create an extensible markup language data set for each item inventoried that includes said unique identifier for the item, said alphanumeric data for the item, a name of any image data file generated by capturing an image of the item, and a name of any audio data file generated by capturing audio data for the item, and to save said extensible markup language data set into a master extensible markup language file in a nonvolatile memory.

37. The article of manufacture of claim 34, wherein the machine instructions cause said processor to store said unique identifier and rich inventory data in a volatile memory separate from said data set, so that after the rich inventory data for each item are generated and stored in the volatile memory, and before the rich inventory data for a next item are generated and stored in the volatile memory, said unique identifier is automatically incremented by the processor.

38. The article of manufacture of claim 34, wherein for each item being inventoried, the machine instructions cause the processor to store any selected parameters in a volatile memory separate from said data set, so that after the rich inventory data for the item is generated and stored, any selected parameters stored in said volatile memory are applied to a next item being, unless a user selectively changes a parameter for the next item.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein said processor is included in a portable personal computer that is coupled to the image capturing device by one of a wired and a wireless connection.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein said image capturing device comprises a programmable digital camera.

19. A method for generating rich inventory data, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a system programmed for capturing and storing at least one of image data, audio data, and alphanumeric data for items being inventoried;

(b) assigning a unique identifier to a specific item being inventoried;

said unique control number being associated with a specific item being inventoried;

(c) enabling a user to select at least one parameter relating to said specific item from among a plurality of parameters to specify alphanumeric data associated with the specific item;

(d) capturing at least one of image data and audio data relating to said specific item with said system;

(e) storing the alphanumeric data, and said at least one of the image data and the audio data in association with the unique identifier for the specific item, so that alphanumeric data, and any image data and/or audio data stored are readily correlated with the unique identifier, and thus, with the specific item; and

(f) repeating steps (b)-(e) for each additional item to be inventoried.

34. An article of manufacture on which machine instructions are stored that are adapted to be executable by a processor, comprising:

(a) a memory medium; and

(b) a plurality of machine instructions comprising a computer program, which are stored on the memory medium, said plurality of machine instructions when executed by a processor, causing said processor to;

(i) enable a unique identifier to be assigned to a specific item to be inventoried;

(ii) enable a user to select at least one parameter relating to said specific item from among a plurality of parameters, producing alphanumeric data related to said specific item;

(iii) facilitate capturing at least one of image data and audio data related to said specific item;

(iv) correlate said unique identifier with said alphanumeric data and said at least one of the image data and the audio data related to said specific item; and

(v) create a data set comprising rich inventory data for a plurality of items being inventoried by repeating steps (i)-(iv) for each additional item to be inventoried.

39. A system for enabling rich inventory data to be generated for each item of a plurality of items, such that any image data, any audio data, and any alphanumeric data relating to a specific item are automatically correlated to said specific item, comprising:

(a) a memory in which a plurality of machine instructions defining a sequence of logical steps for generating said rich inventory data are stored;

(b) a display;

(c) an image capture device; and

(d) a processor that is controllably coupled to the display and to the image capture device by one of a wired and a wireless connection, and coupled to the memory to access the machine instructions, said processor executing said machine instructions and thereby implementing a plurality of functions, including;

(i) enabling a unique identifier to be assigned to a specific item being inventoried;

(ii) enabling a user to select at least one parameter relating to said specific item from among a plurality of parameters;

(iii) enabling a user to capture at least one of image data and audio data relating to said specific item;

(iv) storing said at least one parameter, and said at least one of the image data and the audio data in memory, in association with the unique identifier for the specific item being inventoried; and

(v) creating a data set of the rich inventory data by repeating steps (i)-(iv) for each additional item to be inventoried.