Distributed management service for an auto-identification system

• US 20060149566A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Lin, Tao
• Granted Patent: US 8,386,324 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

An auto-identification system is described that includes a plurality of distributed auto-id nodes that are operable to track physical objects as they move through an operation of an enterprise, such as, for example, a supply chain network or a sales network. The auto-id nodes are distributed across sites of the network, and are in communication with enterprise application systems and/or data acquisition systems such as RFID readers or sensor devices. By focusing on their respective sites, the auto-id nodes minimize the amount of data tracked by their respective enterprise applications. Further, a distributed management service may be in communication with all of the auto-id nodes, so as to distribute rules governing the operation of the enterprise to at least one of the auto-id nodes. The distributed management service may be used for, for example, generating and updating new rules, distributing the rules into the local auto-id nodes, and operating the rules for handling the data collected from different auto-id nodes.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of auto-id nodes, each at one of a plurality of sites of an enterprise and each associated with at least one tracking device that is operable to track events associated with physical objects that are associated with an operation associated with the enterprise; and

a distributed management service in communication with the auto-id nodes and operable to distribute rules governing the operation of the enterprise to at least a first one of the auto-id nodes, for execution at the auto-id node, based on the events.

2. The system of claim 1 comprising a rule monitor that is operable to monitor the events and thereby the operation associated with an auto-id network, wherein the rules are designed at least partially based on monitoring results of the rule monitor.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the rule monitor is operable to query at least one of the auto-id nodes for event data related to a process of the at least one auto-id node, so as to obtain the monitoring results in response to the query.

4. The system of claim 2 comprising a learning engine that is operable to generate or modify the rules, based on the monitoring results.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the distributed management service comprises a rule distributor that is operable to distribute the rules to the first auto-id node within a modular rule set.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the rule monitor is operable to monitor execution of the rules at the first auto-id node for inclusion in the monitoring results, and wherein the rule distributor is operable to distribute the rules to a second one of the auto-id nodes, based on the monitoring results.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the rule distributor is operable to access event data related to a process of the second auto-id node, and further operable to distribute the rules to the second auto-id node based on the event data.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the rules are formulated as a business process model governing the operation associated with the enterprise.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the tracking devices include an auto-id reader or an environment sensor device.

10. A method comprising:

determining rules for governing an operation associated with a physical object and an enterprise;

distributing the rules to a first one of a plurality of auto-id nodes, each of the auto-id nodes being associated with a tracking device that generates events based on a use of the physical object within the operation; and

executing the rules within the first auto-id node, based on the events.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the determining the rules comprises:

monitoring the events and thereby the operation associated with the enterprise; and

designing the rules at least partially based on monitoring results of the monitoring.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein monitoring the events comprises querying at least one of the auto-id nodes for event data related to a process of the at least one auto-id node, so as to obtain the monitoring results in response to the query.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein distributing the rules comprises distributing the rules to the first auto-id node within a modular rule set.

14. The method of claim 13 comprising:

monitoring execution of the rules at the first auto-id node for inclusion in the monitoring results; and

distributing the rules to a second one of the auto-id nodes, based on the monitoring results.

15. The method of claim 14 comprising:

accessing event data related to a process of the second auto-id node; and

distributing the rules to the second auto-id node based on the event data.

16. An apparatus comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions including:

a first code segment for determining rules for governing an operation associated with a physical object and an enterprise;

a second code segment for distributing the rules to a first one of a plurality of auto-id nodes, each of the auto-id nodes being associated with a tracking device that generates events based on a use of the physical object within the operation; and

a third code segment for executing the rules within the first auto-id node, based on the events.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the first code segment comprises:

a fourth code segment for monitoring the events and thereby the operation associated with the enterprise; and

a fifth code segment for designing the rules at least partially based on monitoring results of the monitoring.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the fourth code segment comprises a sixth code segment for querying at least one of the auto-id nodes for event data related to a process of the at least one auto-id node, so as to obtain the monitoring results in response to the query.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 comprising:

a sixth code segment for monitoring execution of the rules at the first auto-id node for inclusion in the monitoring results; and

a seventh code segment for distributing the rules to a second one of the auto-id nodes, based on the monitoring results.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 comprising:

an eighth code segment for accessing event data related to a process of the second auto-id node; and

a ninth code segment for distributing the rules to the second auto-id node based on the event data.