Automated identification of anomalous conditions in supply chain processes

• US 20050055254A1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensitech Incorporated (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sensitech Incorporated (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Schmidtberg, Rupert A., Leshuk, Jeffrey Allen
• Granted Patent: US 7,250,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2215/00 Details concerning sensor power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/00 Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems

Abstract

A product supply chain may be viewed not just as a series of discrete, unrelated shipment transactions, but as a “process” (or pipeline) that can be subject to statistical process control. The present invention is directed to novel systems and methods for collecting data concerning one or more aspects of a supply chain, for performing statistical analysis on the collected data to facilitate the identification of anomalies or inefficiencies in the process, and for communicating the results of such statistical analysis to those responsible for the supply chain so that remedial measures may be taken, if appropriate. Among other things, a method for analyzing a supply chain process is disclosed that involves automatically determining whether a plurality of data points, each representing at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a supply chain, match a pattern indicative of an anomalous condition in the supply chain process.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing a supply chain process, comprising a step of:

(a) automatically determining whether a plurality of data points, each representing at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a supply chain, match a pattern indicative of an anomalous condition in the supply chain process.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of:

(b) in response to determining that a plurality of data points match a pattern indicative of an anomalous condition in the supply chain process, automatically transmitting a notification of an identified anomaly to at least one person responsible for the supply chain process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (a) further comprises automatically analyzing one or more process control charts generated periodically or in response to the occurrence of certain events to identify one or more patterns in the charts that are indicative of anomalies in the supply chain process.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step (a) further comprises automatically generating one or more process control charts using data representing at least one determined value of the at least one monitored aspect of each of at least two shipments in the supply chain.

5. A system for analyzing a supply chain process, comprising:

at least one processor configured to automatically determine whether a plurality of data points, each representing at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a supply chain, match a pattern indicative of an anomalous condition in the supply chain process.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, in response to determining that a plurality of data points match a pattern indicative of an anomalous condition in the supply chain process, automatically transmit a notification of an identified anomaly to at least one person responsible for the supply chain process.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to automatically analyze one or more process control charts generated periodically or in response to the occurrence of certain events to identify one or more patterns in the charts that are indicative of anomalies in the supply chain process.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to automatically generate the one or more process control charts using data representing at least one determined value of the at least one monitored aspect of each of at least two shipments in the supply chain.

9. A computer-readable medium for use with at least one processor included in a system including at least one memory having stored therein data representing a plurality of data points, each data point representing at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a supply chain, the computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a step of:

(a) automatically determining whether the plurality of data points match a pattern indicative of an anomalous condition in the supply chain process.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, having additional instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the further step of:

(b) in response to determining that a plurality of data points match a pattern indicative of an anomalous condition in the supply chain process, automatically transmitting a notification of an identified anomaly to at least one person responsible for the supply chain process.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the step (a) further comprises automatically analyzing one or more process control charts generated periodically or in response to the occurrence of certain events to identify one or more patterns in the charts that are indicative of anomalies in the supply chain process.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the step (a) further comprises automatically generating the one or more process control charts using data representing at least one determined value of the at least one monitored aspect of each of at least two shipments in the supply chain.

13. A method for analyzing a supply chain process, comprising a step of:

(a) automatically determining whether any of a plurality of data points representing determined values of at least one monitored aspect of a supply chain falls without statistical process control limits for the supply chain process.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising a step of:

(b) in response to determining that at least one data point falls without statistical process control limits for the supply chain process, automatically transmitting a notification of an identified anomaly to at least one person responsible for the supply chain process.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step (a) further comprises automatically analyzing one or more process control charts generated periodically or in response to the occurrence of certain events to identify any data points falling without the process control limits of the chart.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step (a) further comprises automatically generating one or more process control charts using data representing at least one determined value of the at least one monitored aspect of each of at least two shipments in the supply chain.

17. A system for analyzing a supply chain process, comprising:

at least one processor configured to automatically determine whether any of a plurality of data points representing determined values of at least one monitored aspect of a supply chain falls without statistical process control limits for the supply chain process.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, in response to determining that at least one data point falls without statistical process control limits for the supply chain process, automatically transmit a notification of an identified anomaly to at least one person responsible for the supply chain process.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to automatically analyze one or more process control charts generated periodically or in response to the occurrence of certain events to identify any data points falling without the process control limits of the chart.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to automatically generate the one or more process control charts using data representing at least one determined value of the at least one monitored aspect of each of at least two shipments in the supply chain.

21. A computer-readable medium for use with at least one processor included in a system including at least one memory having stored therein data representing a plurality of data points, with each data point representing at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a supply chain, the computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a step of:

(a) automatically determining whether any of the plurality of data points falls without statistical process control limits for the supply chain process.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, having additional instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the further step of:

(b) in response to determining that at least one data point falls without statistical process control limits for the supply chain process, automatically transmitting a notification of an identified anomaly to at least one person responsible for the supply chain process.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the step (a) further comprises automatically analyzing one or more process control charts generated periodically or in response to the occurrence of certain events to identify any data points falling without the process control limits of the chart.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the step (a) further comprises automatically generating the one or more process control charts using data representing at least one determined value of the at least one monitored aspect of each of at least two shipments in the supply chain.