Manufacturing scheduling process with improved modeling, scheduling and editing capabilities for solving finite capacity planning problems
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for deriving at least one plan for scheduling a use of available resources to satisfy one or more demands for goods or services comprising the steps of:
- describing an environment which models the available resources;
defining each of the demands as one or more orders where each of the orders has one or more line items;
selecting a plan for scheduling the demands based upon the environment; and
evaluating the plan for the purpose of either (a) accepting the plan, or (b) rejecting the plan and initiating steps for creating a new plan.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for solving finite capacity problems such as how to satisfy a customer'"'"'s request for a manufactured product, by describing the environment in which the problem exists in the form of a demand (e.g., customer order), including the available resources for satisfying the demand, defining the demand, selecting a plan for achieving the various objectives of the demand in an optimal order, and evaluating whether the plan will work. Also disclosed is a computer program product implementing the invention, and a system for coordinating multiple sources of input into a system implementing the disclosed invention.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for deriving at least one plan for scheduling a use of available resources to satisfy one or more demands for goods or services comprising the steps of:
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describing an environment which models the available resources;
defining each of the demands as one or more orders where each of the orders has one or more line items;
selecting a plan for scheduling the demands based upon the environment; and
evaluating the plan for the purpose of either (a) accepting the plan, or (b) rejecting the plan and initiating steps for creating a new plan. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19)
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12. A computer program product having a computer readable medium having computer readable code recorded thereon for solving finite capacity problems in a variety of different environments comprising:
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first receiving means for receiving information about available resources;
second receiving means for receiving information about demands;
modeling means for modeling an environment based upon (a) said information about said available resources and (b) said information about said demands;
defining means for defining said demands as one or more orders where each of said orders has one or more line items;
selecting means for selecting a plan for scheduling the demands based upon said environment; and
evaluating means for evaluating said plan for the purpose of either (a) accepting said plan, or (b) rejecting said plan and initiating steps for creating a new plan.
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16. A system for monitoring and coordinating contemporaneous data inputs from multiple sources in a system for planning or managing the manufacture of a product, said monitoring and coordinating system comprising:
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(a) means for providing desired data responsive to a change in said desired data;
(b) plural object centers with each of said plural object centers having (i) means for receiving said desired data, (ii) means for sending said desired data, (iii) means for storing said desired data, and (iv) stored data regarding other object centers of said plural object centers;
(c) at least one data processor; and
(d) a communication medium linking said means for generating and sending desired data, said plural object centers, and said at least one data processors.
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Specification