Remote materials management system

• US 20030130964A1
• Filed: 02/12/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Frederick J. Hudson
• Original Assignee: Frederick J. Hudson
• Inventors: Hudson, Frederick J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,313,549 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/404
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management

Abstract

A materials management system, and a method of controlling a materials management flow including at least one inventoried item, are disclosed. The materials management system may include a remote operation center that provides a coordination of at least one portion of the materials management system, and that receives at least one attribute of at least one material flow item in the at least one portion of the materials management system, and at least one receiving station that transmits the at least one attribute to the remote operation center, and that receives the at least one update attribute from the remote operation center, over an external interconnection. The method includes the steps of scanning the at least one inventoried item upon entry into the materials management system at a first local receiving station, scanning the at least one inventoried item at an at least one secondary receiving station prior to delivery of the item, scanning the at least one inventoried item at at least one tertiary receiving station upon delivery of the item, scanning the at least one least one tertiary receiving station upon delivery of the item, and reconciling placement of the item at at least one of the at least one secondary receiving station and the at least one tertiary receiving station at a remote operation center externally connected to the first local receiving station, the at least one secondary receiving station, and the at least one tertiary receiving station.

Claims

1. A materials management system, comprising:

a remote operation center that coordinates at least one portion of the materials management system, and that receives at least one attribute of at least one material flow item, wherein the at least one material flow item enters the at least one portion of the materials management system, and wherein said remote operation center updates the at least one attribute to at least one updated attribute to reflect entry of the at least one material flow item into the at least one portion; and

at least one receiving station in the at least one portion that transmits the at least one attribute to the remote operation center, and that receives the at least one update attribute from the remote operation center, over an interconnection external to the at least one portion;

wherein the at least one attribute and the at least one updated attribute are reconciled at the receiving station.

2. The materials management system of claim 1, wherein the remote operation center is accessible from any communicative connection with the external interconnection.

3. The materials management system of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute and the at least one updated attribute comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of a specific location, color, shape, size, addressee, status, a signatures record, present location, desired delivery destination, contents, and weight.

4. The materials management system of claim 1, wherein the remote operation center comprises at least one copy link.

5. The materials management system of claim 4, wherein the copy link provides a link from the remote operation center to real-time operations at at least one of the receiving stations.

6. The materials management system of claim 4, wherein the copy link provides a link from the remote operation center to legacy systems at at least one of the receiving stations.

7. The materials management system of claim 1, wherein the at least one receiving station comprises an infrared scanner communicatively connected to a programmable electronic device.

8. The materials management system of claim 7, wherein the programmable device is a PDA.

9. The materials management system of claim 8, wherein the external interconnection comprises a wireless modem communicatively connected to the PDA.

10. The materials management system of claim 8, wherein the external interconnection comprises a docking station communicatively connected to the PDA, and wherein the PDA batches at least one of the at least one attributes for a predetermined interval prior to transmittal to the remote operation center.

11. The materials management system of claim 1, wherein at least one receiving station comprises a barcode printer, and wherein at least one updated attribute comprises a barcode that is printed at the barcode printer for placement on the at least one material flow item.

12. The materials management system of claim 1, wherein at least one updated attribute comprises previous ones of the receiving stations through which the at least one material flow item has passed.

13. The materials management system of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one receiving stations comprises a delivery station, and wherein the delivery station comprises a final receiving station through which the at least one material flow item passes.

14. A method of controlling a materials management flow including at least one inventoried item, comprising:

scanning the at least one inventoried item upon entry into the materials management flow at a first local receiving station;

scanning the at least one inventoried item at at least one secondary receiving station prior to delivery of the item;

scanning the at least one inventoried item at at least one tertiary receiving station upon delivery of the item;

scanning the at least one least one tertiary receiving station upon delivery of the item; and

reconciling placement of the item at at least one of the at least one secondary receiving station, and the at least one tertiary receiving station, at a remote operation center externally connected to the first local receiving station, the at least one secondary receiving station, and the at least one tertiary receiving station.

15. A method of controlling a material flow, comprising:

coordinating of at least one portion of the materials management system at a remote operation center;

externally transmitting at least one attribute to the remote operation center from at least one receiving station;

receiving the at least one attribute of at least one material flow item in the at least one portion of the materials management system at the remote operation center;

updating the at least one attribute to at least one updated attribute at the remote operation center;

externally transmitting the at least one update attribute from the remote operation center to the at least one receiving station; and

reconciling the at least one attribute and the at least one updated attribute.

16. A method of controlling materials in a material flow, in accordance with at least one updated attribute of each of the controlled materials, comprising:

receiving the at least one updated attribute at an at least one local receiving station, in accordance with an entry of the at least one updated attribute;

transmitting an at least one local attribute, from the at least one local receiving station, to a remote operation center, responsively to said receiving the at least one updated attribute, wherein the at least one updated attribute, and the at least one local attribute at the local receiving station, and a receipt of the transmitted at least one local attribute at the remote operation center, are substantially simultaneously reviewable at the at least one local receiving station.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising modifying the at least one local attribute at the remote operation center, wherein the modified at least one local attribute is additionally substantially simultaneously reviewable at the at least one local receiving station.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising controlling the material flow of the controlled material at said at least one receiving station in accordance with the at least one modified attribute and the at least one updated attribute.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said controlling comprises receiving at least one user command from the local receiving station, wherein the user command is responsive to the substantially simultaneous review at the at least one local receiving station by the user.