Minimizing use of parts that will reach their end of life prior to the products for which those parts are usable
First Claim
1. A method of managing use of parts in products, said method comprising:
- obtaining estimated end of life data for a part usable in at least one product, said estimated end of life data being non-part supplier provided; and
using the estimated end of life data to manage use of the part in a product.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Use of parts in products is managed to minimize the use of parts that will reach their end of life prior to the products for which those parts are usable. To manage use of a part, end of life data for the part is estimated and compared to the actual or projected end of life data of a product for which the part is to be used or is used. If the comparison indicates that the part will reach its end of life prior to the product, then various factors are considered to determine whether the part is to be used in the product. The factors include cost, scheduling, alternate part availability, redesign options and/or other factors.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of managing use of parts in products, said method comprising:
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obtaining estimated end of life data for a part usable in at least one product, said estimated end of life data being non-part supplier provided; and
using the estimated end of life data to manage use of the part in a product. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A memory for storing data for access by code being executed in a communications environment, said memory comprising:
a database used by said code to facilitate management of use of a part in a product, said database comprising estimated end of life data for the part, said estimated end of life data being non-part supplier provided.
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14. A system of managing use of parts in products, said system comprising:
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means for obtaining estimated end of life data for a part usable in at least one product, said estimated end of life data being non-part supplier provided; and
means for using the estimated end of life data to manage use of the part in a product. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. An article of manufacture comprising:
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at least one computer usable medium having computer readable program code logic to manage use of parts in products, the computer readable program code logic comprising;
obtain logic to obtain estimated end of life data for a part usable in at least one product, said estimated end of life data being non-part supplier provided; and
use logic to use the estimated end of life data to manage use of the part in a product. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification