Automated structuring

• US 20040088070A1
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Muehl, Gordon, Irle, Klaus, Kienle, Walter G., Heusermann, Knut
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for the automated structuring of data representing a tangible system. The method includes receiving first item information describing a first tangible item of the system, receiving first item position information describing a position of the first item, receiving second item information describing a second tangible item of the system, receiving second item position information describing a position of the second item, and characterizing a relationship between the first item and the second item based at least in part upon the first item position information and the second item position information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for the automated structuring of data representing a system, comprising:

receiving first item information describing a first tangible item in the system;

receiving first item position information describing a position of the first item;

receiving second item information describing a second tangible item of the system;

receiving second item position information describing a position of the second item; and

characterizing a relationship between the first item and the second item based at least in part upon the first item position information and the second item position information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein characterizing the relationship comprises:

identifying that the first item and the second item are in a common location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying that the first item and the second item are in the common location comprises:

identifying that the first item and the second item are in a same room.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein characterizing the relationship comprises:

determining a position of the first item relative to the second item.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein characterizing the relationship comprises:

characterizing a component/subcomponent relationship between the first item and the second item.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein characterizing the relationship comprises:

characterizing a structural relationship between the first item and the second item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein characterizing the relationship comprises:

characterizing a position in a stream of the first item relative to the second item.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein characterizing the position in the stream comprises:

characterizing the position of the first item relative to the second item in a manufacturing line.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein characterizing the relationship between the first item and the second item comprises:

locating a third item and a fourth item having a previously characterized relationship; and

copying the previously characterized relationship to characterize the relationship between the first item and the second item.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the first item belongs to a first item category;

the second item belongs to a second item category;

locating the third item comprises locating the third item belonging to the first item category; and

locating the fourth item comprises locating the fourth item belonging to the second item category.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

characterizing the relationship between the first item, the second item, and a plurality of additional items based at least in part upon the first item position information, the second item position information, and additional position information regarding the plurality of additional items.

12. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for the automated structuring of data representing a tangible system, the computer program product being operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive information identifying two tangible items in the system;

select a relationship between two other items based at least in part upon a common characteristic of the two items in the system and the two other items; and

characterize a relationship between the two items in the system based at least in part upon the selected relationship between the two other items.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the product is operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive information identifying the positions of the two items.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the product is operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive information identifying positions of the two items from an interrogator that identifies the two items by interrogating tags on the two items.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the product is operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive information identifying the positions of the two items from a mobile interrogator.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the product is operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive information from a wireless interrogator that wirelessly interrogates the tags on the two items.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the product is operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive information identifying the positions of two items in an assembly line.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the product is operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

eliminate redundant information regarding at least one of the two items.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the product is operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

eliminate the redundant information based upon a time of collection of the redundant information.

20. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the product is operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

identify the categories of the two items in the system from the received information.

21. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the product is operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

characterize the relationship between the two items in the system as a component/subcomponent relationship.

22. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the product is operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive information identifying positions of a plurality of additional items in the system; and

pool the information identifying the items based upon a shared characteristic of the items.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the product is operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

pool the information identifying the items based upon a shared position of the items.