Providing product availability information for use by offline computers

• US 20050096998A1
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Dust, Stephan, Gieselmann, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,620,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

Techniques describe providing product availability information for use by offline computers. More particularly, a category of product availability for a product is determined at one computer system, often a central logistics or sales system, and transmitted to another computer, typically, though not necessarily, a mobile computer. The category of product availability is accessible at the mobile computer even when the computer is offline—that is, is not connected to the computer that determined the category of product availability.

Claims

1. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, provide an indication as to whether a product is available, the computer program product configured to:

receive an identification of a particular product identified in a data collection stored on a first computer system, wherein the particular product is associated with a data entry that identifies the particular product and the data entry has one of multiple categories of product availability associated therewith; and

provide the one of multiple categories of product availability that is associated with the data entry when a second computer system is not accessible to the first computer system and a request is received.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 further configured to:

access a second data collection on a second computer system, the second data collection including;

product information, each product information entry is associated with an amount of product that is available and a category of product availability that is based on the amount of product that is available, and

threshold information that includes a threshold entry for each category of product availability wherein each threshold entry is associated with a product information entry; and

use threshold entries to determine, based on an amount of a product that is available, a category of product availability for the product information entry that is associated with the product,

associate the determined category of product availability with the product information entry,

and

transmit the determined category of availability for the product information entry to the first computer system.

3. The computer program product of claim 2 further configured to store the determined category of product availability and the association of the determined category of product availability with the product information entry in the second data collection.

4. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein:

the second data collection includes product group information, each product group entry is associated with (a) product information entries, and (b) threshold entries for determining a category of product availability for product information entries that are associated with the product group entry, and

the computer program product is further configured to use the threshold entries associated with a particular product group entry to determine a category of product availability for at least one product information entry that is associated with the particular product group.

5. The computer program product of claim 2 further configured to determine a category of product availability based on an implicit threshold for the category of product availability derived from at least one threshold entry of the second data collection.

6. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein:

each product information entry in the data collection is associated with a distribution channel,

each product information entry in the product information of the second data collection is associated with an amount of product that is available in one of multiple distribution channels,

threshold information includes threshold entries for each of category of product availability wherein each threshold is associated with a product information entry that includes a particular distribution channel, and

the computer program product is further configured to;

use the threshold entries for each category of product availability for a product information entry and an associated distribution channel to determine, based on an amount of product that is available in the distribution channel, a category of product availability for the product information entry,

associate the determined category of product availability and the associated distribution channel with the product information entry, and

transmits the determined category of product availability for the product entry associated with the distribution channel to the first computer system.

7. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein:

each product information entry in the data collection is associated with a location,

each product information entry in the product information of the second data collection is associated with an amount of product that is available in one of multiple locations,

threshold information includes threshold entries for each of category of product availability wherein each threshold is associated with a product information entry that includes a particular location, and

the computer program product is further configured to;

use the threshold entries for each category of product availability for a product information entry and an associated location to determine, based on an amount of product that is available in the location, a category of product availability for the product information entry,

associate the determined category of product availability and the associated location with the product information entry, and

transmits the determined category of product availability for the product entry associated with the location to the first computer system.

8. The computer program product of claim 2 further configured to use a middleware messaging system for routing messages that include categories of product availability between the first computer system and the second computer system.

9. A computer-implemented method for providing an indication whether a product is available, the method comprising:

receiving an identification of a particular product identified in a data collection stored on a first computer system, wherein the particular product is associated with a data entry that identifies the particular product and the data entry has one of multiple categories of product availability associated therewith; and

providing the one of multiple categories of product availability that is associated with the data entry when a second computer system is not accessible to the first computer system and a request is received.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

accessing a second data collection on a second computer system, the second data collection including;

product information, each product information entry is associated with an amount of product that is available and a category of product availability that is based on the amount of product that is available, and

threshold information that includes a threshold entry for each category of product availability wherein each threshold entry is associated with a product information entry;

using threshold entries to determine, based on an amount of a product that is available, a category of product availability for the product information entry that is associated with the product;

associating the determined category of product availability with the product information entry; and

transmitting the determined category of availability for the product information entry to the first computer system.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising storing the determined category of product availability and the association of the determined category of product availability with the product information entry in the second data collection.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the second data collection includes product group information, each product group entry is associated with (a) product information entries, and (b) threshold entries for determining a category of product availability for product information entries that are associated with the product group entry, and

the method further comprising using threshold entries associated with a particular product group entry to determine a category of product availability for at least one product information entry that is associated with the particular product group.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising determining a category of product availability based on an implicit threshold for the category of product availability derived from at least one threshold entry of the second data collection.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein:

each product information entry in the data collection is associated with a distribution channel,

each product information entry in the product information of the second data collection is associated with an amount of product that is available in one of multiple distribution channels,

threshold information includes threshold entries for each of category of product availability wherein each threshold is associated with a product information entry that includes a particular distribution channel, and

the method further comprising;

using the threshold entries for each category of product availability for a product information entry and an associated distribution channel to determine, based on an amount of product that is available in the distribution channel, a category of product availability for the product information entry;

associating the determined category of product availability and the associated distribution channel with the product information entry; and

transmitting the determined category of product availability for the product entry associated with the distribution channel to the first computer system.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein:

each product information entry in the data collection is associated with a location,

each product information entry in the product information of the second data collection is associated with an amount of product that is available in one of multiple locations,

threshold information includes threshold entries for each of category of product availability wherein each threshold is associated with a product information entry that includes a particular location, and

the method further comprising;

using the threshold entries for each category of product availability for a product information entry and an associated location to determine, based on an amount of product that is available in the location, a category of product availability for the product information entry;

associating the determined category of product availability and the associated location with the product information entry; and

transmitting the determined category of product availability for the product entry associated with the location to the first computer system.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising using a middleware messaging system for routing messages that include categories of product availability between the first computer system and the second computer system.

17. A system for providing an indication as to whether a product is available, the system being configured to:

receive an identification of a particular product identified in a data collection stored on a first computer system, wherein the particular product is associated with a data entry that identifies the particular product and the data entry has one of multiple categories of product availability associated therewith; and

provide the one of multiple categories of product availability that is associated with the data entry when a second computer system is not accessible to the first computer system and a request is received.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the system is further configured to:

access a second data collection on a second computer system, the second data collection including;

product information, each product information entry is associated with an amount of product that is available and a category of product availability that is based on the amount of product that is available, and

threshold information that includes a threshold entry for each category of product availability wherein each threshold entry is associated with a product information entry;

use threshold entries to determine, based on an amount of a product that is available, a category of product availability for the product information entry that is associated with the product;

associate the determined category of product availability with the product information entry; and

transmit the determined category of availability for the product information entry to the first computer system.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein:

the second data collection includes product group information, each product group entry is associated with (a) product information entries, and (b) threshold entries for determining a category of product availability for product information entries that are associated with the product group entry, and

the system is further configured to use the threshold entries associated with a particular product group entry to determine a category of product availability for at least one product information entry that is associated with the particular product group.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the system is further configured to determine a category of product availability based on an implicit threshold for the category of product availability derived from at least one threshold entry of the second data collection.