Process delay monitoring system

• US 20040249722A1
• Filed: 03/23/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kuroda, Hideyuki, Sugamura, Shiyouji, Nishikido, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,209,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

This invention makes it possible to reduce excess inventory, reduce costs due to unnecessary shipping costs, and to improve reliability.

The invention comprises: a server 10 and brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal 20 that belong to a brand manufacturer which is the order-receiving party; a dealer'"'"'s terminal 30 that belongs to the dealer which is the ordering party and that is connected to the server 10 via a communications line 50 such that they can communicate with each other; and a parts manufacturer'"'"'s terminal 40 that belongs to the parts manufacturer and that is connected to the server 10 via a communications line 50 such that they can communicate with each other; and where the server 10 has a function of managing information about processing and process delays from the time when the order for parts is received from the dealer'"'"'s terminal 30 until the scheduled delivery of the parts, and has a function of providing that information when there is access from the dealer'"'"'s terminal 30.

Claims

1. A process-delay-monitoring system comprising:

a server and brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal that belong to a brand manufacturer which is the order-receiving party;

a dealer'"'"'s terminal that belongs to the dealer which is the ordering party and that is connected to said server via a communications line such that they can communicate with each other; and

a parts manufacturer'"'"'s terminal that belongs to a parts manufacturer and that is connected to said server via a communications line such that they can communicate with each other; and

wherein

said server has

a function of managing information about processing and process delays from the time when an order for parts is received from said dealer'"'"'s terminal until the scheduled delivery of the parts, and has a function of providing information about said processing and process delays of the parts being managed, when there is access from said dealer'"'"'s terminal;

said brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal is used when entering various information and has a communications and display function;

said dealer'"'"'s terminal is connected to said server and is used when giving instructions for ordering said parts and viewing information about said processing and process delays of the parts, and has a communications and display function; and

said parts manufacturer'"'"'s terminal receives procurement information from said brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal related to the procurement of said parts, and has a communications and display function; and

wherein

an order contract number is used when accessing said server from said dealer'"'"'s terminal and brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal to view information about said processing and process delays for a part.

2. The process-delay-monitoring system of claim 1 wherein said server comprises:

a received-order database in which the contents of the order received from said dealer'"'"'s terminal is registered;

a work-in-progress database in which the received-order information contained in the received-order contents registered in said received-order database, an ITEM No. for managing that received-order information, and an ID number attached to said ITEM No. are registered;

a procurement database in which procurement information for said parts ordered from said parts manufacture is registered;

an inventory database in which inventory information for said part and delivery information from said parts manufacturer are registered;

a registered-information-management-function unit that has a function of registering said received-order contents in said received-order database, registering said received-order information in said work-in-progress database, and registering said procurement information in said procurement database and said work-in-progress database;

a management-number-issuing-function unit that has the function of issuing ITEM Nos. for managing said received-order information after said received-order information has been registered;

an inventory-check-function unit that has the function of checking from said inventory database whether or not there is inventory after said received-order information has been registered by said registered-information-management-function unit;

an allocation-process-function unit that has the function of performing an allocation process for the inventory when said inventory-check-function unit checked and determined there was inventory;

a distribution-calculation-function unit that has the function of calculating the distribution and cost of the insufficient part of an order based on the quantity when said inventory-check-function unit checked and determined there was insufficient inventory;

a schedule-creation-function unit that has the function of creating a schedule of processing after the date and time that the allocation process was performed when the allocation process was performed by said allocation-process-function unit;

a schedule-correction-function unit that has the function of calculating a corrected procedure of processing after it is determined by comparison with the standard procedure that there will be a delay for the insufficient portion, when said inventory-check-function unit checked and determined there was insufficient inventory; and

a search-function unit that has the function of searching the information registered in said work-in-progress database according to a work-in-progress-search instruction from said dealer'"'"'s terminal or said brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal when there is access from said dealer'"'"'s terminal or said brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal, and providing said information to said dealer'"'"'s terminal or said brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal; and

where

said management-number-issuing-function unit has the function of issuing an ID number that is attached to said ITEM No. for managing said procurement information when said inventory-check-function unit checked and determined there was insufficient inventory.

3. The process-delay-monitoring system of claim 2 wherein said registered-information-management-function unit

registers said ITEM NO. that was issued by said management-number-issuing-function unit and the ID number that is attached to said ITEM No. in said work-in-progress database,

registers the results of the calculation by said distribution-calculation-function unit in said work-in-progress database,

registers the schedule created by said schedule-creation-function unit in said work-in-progress database, and

registers the corrected schedule that was created by said schedule-correction-function unit in said work-in-progress database.

4. A process-delay-monitoring method comprising:

a server and brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal that belong to the brand manufacturer which is the order-receiving party;

a dealer'"'"'s terminal that belongs to the dealer which is the ordering party and that is connected to said server via a communications line such that they can communicated together; and

a parts manufacturer'"'"'s terminal that belongs to the parts manufacturer that is connected to said server via a communications line such that they can communicated together; and

that monitors process delays from the time when the order for parts is received from said dealer'"'"'s terminal until the scheduled delivery of said parts, and where said server has

a process of managing information about processing and process delays from the time when the order for parts is received from said dealer'"'"'s terminal until the scheduled delivery of said parts, and

a process of providing information about the processing and process delays of said parts being managed, when there is access from said dealer'"'"'s terminal or brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal; and

where

said brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal is used when entering various information and has a communications and display process;

said dealer'"'"'s terminal is connected to said server and is used when giving instructions for ordering said parts and viewing information about processing and process delays of said parts, and has a communications and display process; and

where

said parts manufacturer'"'"'s terminal receives procurement information from said brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal related to the procurement of said parts, and has a communications and display process; and

where

an order contract number is used when accessing said server from said dealer'"'"'s terminal to view information about processing and process delays for said part.

5. The process-delay-monitoring method of claim 4 wherein,

said server comprises:

a received-order database in which the contents of the order received from said dealer'"'"'s terminal is registered;

a work-in-progress database in which the received-order information contained in the received-order contents registered in said received-order database, an ITEM No. for managing that received-order information, and an ID number attached to said ITEM No. are registered;

a procurement database in which procurement information for said part ordered from said parts manufacturer is registered; and

an inventory database in which inventory information for said part and delivery information from said parts manufacturer are registered; and

has

a process of registering said received-order contents in said received-order database, registering said received-order information in said work-in-progress database, and registering said procurement information in said procurement database and said work-in-progress database by a registered-information-management-function unit;

a process of issuing an ITEM No. for managing said received-order information by a management-number-issuing-function unit after said received-order information has been registered;

a process of checking from said inventory database by an inventory-check-function unit whether or not there is inventory after said received-order information has been registered by said registered-information-management-function unit;

a process of performing an allocation process by an allocation-process-function unit for the inventory when said inventory-check-function unit checked and determined there was inventory;

a process of calculating the distribution and cost of the insufficient part of an order by a distribution-calculation-function unit based on the quantity when said inventory-check-function unit checked and determined there was insufficient inventory;

a process of creating a schedule by a schedule-creation-function unit for processing after the date and time that the allocation process was performed when the allocation process was performed by said allocation-process-function unit;

a process of calculating by a schedule-correction-function unit a corrected procedure for processing after it is determined by comparison with the standard procedure that there will be a delay for the insufficient inventory, when said inventory-check-function unit checked and determined there was insufficient inventory; and

a process of searching the information registered in said work-in-progress database by a search-function unit according to a work-in-progress-search instruction from said dealer'"'"'s terminal or brand manufacturer'"'"'s terminal when there is access from said dealer'"'"'s terminal, and providing said information to said dealer'"'"'s terminal; and

where

said management-number-issuing-function unit has a process of issuing an ID number that is attached to said ITEM No. for managing said procurement information when said inventory-check-function unit checked and determined there was insufficient inventory.

6. The process-delay-monitoring method of claim 5 wherein

said registered-information-management-function unit can has

a process of registering said ITEM NO. that was issued by said management-number-issuing-function unit and said ID number that is attached to said ITEM No. in said work-in-progress database,

a process of registering the results of the calculation by said distribution-calculation-function unit in said work-in-progress database,

a process of registering the schedule created by said schedule-creation-function unit in said work-in-progress database, and

a process of registering the corrected schedule that was created by said schedule-correction-function unit in said work-in-progress database.