System for controlling quality and traceability of products

• US 20050027726A1
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: John Deere Agri Services, Inc. (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: John Deere Agri Services, Inc. (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Inventors: Guivarch, Baptiste, Roth, Yves-Marie, Gestraud, Nicolas, Guivarch, Lionel, Texier, Vincent
• Application Number:
  US10/922,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20050027726A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

A service platform comprises: (a) a traceability database intended to receive, from computer apparatus of each actor in the logistics chain, an identifier of an operation carried out, an identifier of the operator, information concerning the date the operation was carried out, and an identifier of the operation carried out immediately upstream of or downstream of the given actor; (b) a database, recording (in memory) the rights of access of each actor, to information stored in the respective databases of the other actors; and (c) a routing database, providing the information needed for routing of the information between the actors, depending on data furnished by the traceability database and depending on the right-of-access database.

Claims

1. A platform for facilitating communication between or among actors in a logistics chain for manufacturing or processing of products, the service platform comprising:

a traceability database for receiving from at least one of a local traceability database and computer equipment of each actor in the logistics chain, an operation identifier of an operation carried out, an operator identifier of the operator, date information concerning the date the operation was carried out, and a context operation identifier of the operation carried out immediately upstream of or downstream of the given actor;

a relationship database for recording the rights of access of each actor, to information stored in the respective local databases of the other actors; and

a routing database, providing the information needed for routing of the information between the actors, depending on data furnished by the traceability database and the relationship database.

2. The platform according to claim 1 wherein the routing database further comprises issuer identification and issuer location of issuers of sets of specifications, and operator identifiers and operator location of operators who use these sets of specifications.

3. The platform according to claim 2 further comprising:

an issuer database of said issuers of the specifications;

operator databases of said operators using the specifications,

a server for placing in interrelation the issuer database, at least one of the operators and the operator databases with the aid of data furnished by the routing database, and by the relationship database.

4. The platform according to claim 2 further comprising:

linking establishment means for establishing links between data in the logistics chain, and for establishing links to traceability data stored under the auspices of or in facilities of at least certain actors.

5. The platform according to claim 2 further comprising:

acquisition equipment for acquiring data and transmitting the acquired data to the traceability database, the acquired data comprising the operation identifier, the operator identifier, the date information, and the context operation identifier of the operation carried out immediately upstream of or downstream of the data acquisition equipment.

6. The platform according to claim 2 further comprising a receiver for receiving a set of specifications comprising operation identifiers of operations and further comprising a verifier for verifying that the operation identifiers recorded satisfy said set of specifications.

7. The platform according to claim 6 wherein the specifications further comprise at least one of the products to be used, parameters for a corresponding product, and ranges of parameters for the corresponding product.

8. The platform according to claim 1 further comprising:

linking establishment means of establishing links between data in the logistics chain, and for establishing links to traceability data stored under the auspices of or in the facilities of at least certain actors.

9. The platform according to claim 1 further comprising:

acquisition equipment for acquiring data and transmitting the acquired data to the traceability database, the acquired data comprising the operation identifier, the operator identifier, the date information, and the context operation identifier of the operation carried out immediately upstream of or downstream of the data acquisition equipment.

10. The platform according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises a sender for sending an information signal, message, or alarm to the actors to which it is connected by an intermediary of the platform, in the event of nonconformity of the product or the processing to the set of specifications.

11. The platform according to claim 1 wherein the local databases comprise traceability databases associated with corresponding actors and residing upon a common server, where each of the local traceability databases is protected from a communications via its respective firewall and supports transmission of the operation identifier, the date information, the operator identifier, and the operation context identifier to the traceability database.

12. The platform according to claim 1 wherein the traceability database further comprises at least one of a parcel file associated with a parcel of land associated with a particular lot of a raw product, a receiving file associated with receipt of the particular lot, a file of entrance into manufacturing associated with entrance of the raw product into a manufacturing process to product a finished product, a manufacturing report for the finished product, and a packaging report.

13. The platform according to claim 1 wherein the raw product comprises potatoes, the finished product comprises potato chips, and the packaging report comprises a bagging report.

14. The platform according to claim 1 wherein the raw product comprises a grain and the finished product comprises at least one of grain flour and food product.

15. A method for facilitating communication between or among actors in a logistics chain for manufacturing or processing of products, the method comprising:

receiving for entry into a central traceability database an operation identifier of an operation carried out, an operator identifier of the operator, date information concerning the date the operation was carried out, and a context operation identifier of the operation carried out immediately upstream of or downstream of the given actor;

recording in a relationship database the rights of access of each actor, to information stored in the respective local traceability databases of the other actors; and

routing of the information between the actors based on a routing database depending on data furnished by the central traceability database and the relationship database.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the routing database further comprises issuer identification and issuer location of issuers of sets of specifications, and operator identifiers and operator location of operators who use these sets of specifications.

17. The method according to claim 15 further comprising:

establishing links between data in the logistics chain and establishing links to traceability data stored under the auspices of or in the facilities of at least certain actors.

18. The method according to claim 15 further comprising:

acquiring data and transmitting the acquired data to the central traceability database, the acquired data comprising the operation identifier, the operator identifier, the date information, and the context operation identifier of the operation carried out immediately upstream of or downstream of the data acquisition equipment.

19. The method according to claim 15 further comprising:

receiving a set of specifications comprising operation identifiers of operations and further comprising a verifier for verifying that the operation identifiers recorded in memory to satisfy said set of specifications.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the specifications further comprise at least one of the products to be used, parameters for a corresponding product, and ranges of parameters for the corresponding product.

21. The method according to claim 19 further comprising:

sending an information signal, message, or alarm to the actors to which it is connected by an intermediary in the event of nonconformity of the product or the processing to the set of specifications.