Method and system for tracking units of an order

• US 20020147602A1
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Helms, Gary
• Application Number:
  US09/833,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20020147602A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking

Abstract

A method and system for interfacing with an existing order processing system to track orders to the unit level. The unit order system provides a unit order database that includes a record for each unit of each item of each order in the order database of the existing order processing system. The existing order processing system is used in its normal manner to update the order database. The unit order system periodically accesses the order database to identify new or changed orders. The unit order system then updates the unit order database to reflect the new, changed, or canceled orders. When a new order is identified, the unit order system adds a record to the unit order database for each unit of each item of each new order. The unit order system can track ship date, order date, cost information, and so on at the unit level.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for tracking orders for multiple units of items, each order having one or more items, each item having an associated quantity of units of that item, the method comprising:

providing an order database with a plurality of orders that have been booked, the order database being updated to reflect current orders;

updating a unit order database to include a record for each unit of each item of each order of the order database; and

when status of a unit of an item of an order changes, setting a status in a record of the unit order database for a unit of the item of the order to reflect the changed status

so that the status of each unit of each item of an order can be tracked separately.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the updating of the unit order database includes adding a record for each unit of each item for each new order of the order database.

3. The method of claim 2 including identifying that an order in the order database is new when the unit order database contains no records corresponding to that order.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the updating of the unit order database includes when the quantity of units of an item of an existing order has changed,

adding a record for increased unit of the item;

and

setting a record to canceled for each decreased unit of the item.

5. The method of claim 4 including identifying that the quantity of units of an item of an existing order has changed by comparing the quantity of units of the item indicated in the order database to a quantity of units of the item indicated by the records of that order in the unit order database.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the updating of the unit order database includes adding a record for each unit of each item of each uncanceled order of the order database.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the updating of the unit order database occurs on a periodic basis.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the period is daily.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the status is shipping status and the set status is ship date of the unit.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the status is open or closed and the set status indicates closed when the unit of the item has been shipped and cost information has been provided.

11. A computer system for tracking orders for multiple units of items, each order having one or more items, each item having an associated quantity of units of that item, comprising:

means for updating a unit order database to include a record for each unit of each item of each order of an order database, the order database having orders that have been booked, the order database being updated to reflect current orders; and

means for setting a status in a record of the unit order database for a unit of the item of the order to reflect a changed status when the status of a unit of an item of an order changes

so that the status of each unit of each item of an order can be tracked separately.

12. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the means for updating of the unit order database includes means for adding a record for each unit of each item for each new order of the order database.

13. The computer system of claim 12 including means for identifying that an order in the order database is new when the unit order database contains no records corresponding to that order.

14. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the means for updating of the unit order database includes when the quantity of units of an item of an existing order has changed, adding a record for increased unit of the item and setting a record to canceled for each decreased unit of the item.

15. The computer system of claim 14 including identifying that the quantity of units of an item of an existing order has changed by comparing the quantity of units of the item indicated in the order database to a quantity of units of the item indicated by the records of that order in the unit order database.

16. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the means for updating of the unit order database includes adding a record for each unit of each item of each uncanceled order of the order database.

17. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the updating of the unit order database occurs on a periodic basis.

18. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the period is daily.

19. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the status is shipping status and the set status is ship date of the unit.

20. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the order database is a database of the ORACLE Order Entry system.

21. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the status is open or closed and the set status indicates closed when the unit of the item has been shipped and cost information has been provided.

22. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to track orders for multiple units of items, each order having one or more items, each item having an associated quantity of units of that item, the orders being stored in an order database that is updated to reflect current orders, by a method comprising:

updating a unit order database to include a record for each unit of each item of each order of the order database; and

when status of a unit of an item of an order changes, setting a status in a record of the unit order database for a unit of the item of the order to reflect the changed status

so that the status of each unit of each item of an order can be tracked separately.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein the updating of the unit order database includes adding a record for each unit of each item for each new order of the order database.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 including identifying that an order in the order database is new when the unit order database contains no records corresponding to that order.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein the updating of the unit order database includes when the quantity of units of an item of an existing order has changed, adding a record for increased unit of the item and setting a record to canceled for each decreased unit of the item.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 including identifying that the quantity of units of an item of an existing order has changed by comparing the quantity of units of the item indicated in the order database to a quantity of units of the item indicated by the records of that order in the unit order database.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein the updating of the unit order database includes adding a record for each unit of each item of each uncanceled order of the order database.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein the updating of the unit order database occurs on a periodic basis.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the period is daily.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein the status is shipping status and the set status is ship date of the unit.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein the status is open or closed and the set status indicates closed when the unit of the item has been shipped and cost information has been provided.

32. A method in a computer system for tracking orders for multiple units of items at an individual unit level when an order entry system supports tracking only at the order or item level, the method comprising:

periodically identifying changes to orders of an order database of the order entry system; and

updating a unit order database to reflect the identified changes to the orders of the order database, the unit order database having a record for each unit of each item of each unit so that the status of each unit of each item of an order can be tracked separately.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the updating of the unit order database includes adding a record for each unit of each item for each new order of the order database.

34. The method of claim 33 including identifying that an order in the order database is new when the unit order database contains no records corresponding to that order.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the updating of the unit order database includes when the quantity of units of an item of an existing order has changed, adding a record for increased unit of the item and setting a record to canceled for each decreased unit of the item.