Method and system for automating inventory management in a supply chain
First Claim
1. A method for a inventory management system to receive an electronic order from a registered user to either send user specified material to a connected warehouse or to extract a user specified material from the said warehouse, further triggering the said system to compute and output the current cost of the order by calculating the freight and carriage costs associated with the said order.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a method of calculating and comparing the levels of inventory to a stored set of parameters, triggering shipment and/or call for shipment/orders, automatic ordering of specific inventory and calculation of freight, shipment documentation processing & transportation costs based on the said order being triggered.
38 Citations
63 Claims
- 1. A method for a inventory management system to receive an electronic order from a registered user to either send user specified material to a connected warehouse or to extract a user specified material from the said warehouse, further triggering the said system to compute and output the current cost of the order by calculating the freight and carriage costs associated with the said order.
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3. A method for a inventory management system to be connected to at least 1 warehouse allowing the user of the said system to electronically send an order to trigger a retrieval of a user specified inventory item for shipment to a user specified destination according to a user specified budget for the shipment costs associated with the said triggered activity
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4. A method for a inventory management system to be connected to at least 1 warehouse allowing the user of the said system to electronically send an order to trigger an acceptance and shipment of incoming, user specified inventory from a user specified location according to a user specified budget for the shipment costs associated with the said triggered activity
- 5. A method for a computer implemented process where registered users within a inventory management system can input inventory quantity incoming to a connected warehouse or inventory quantity outgoing from a connected warehouse, further allowing the said system to generate a estimate of costs associated with the user'"'"'s input in a suitable electronic file format
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7. A method for a processor to be electronically connected to a warehouse, accepting electronic data to update and record the total stock of inventory items into a suitable electronic file format, comparing with any input of orders made by any registered user of the said processor, and subtracting or adding the order quantity to the said total stock value within a predetermined time cycle stored within the said processor
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8. A method for determination of the total combined value of a plurality of inventory from multiple inventory hubs to a single physical location where said determination is to be implemented via a electronic communications network comprising of the following steps;
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Single physical location to send a pull signal to a plurality of registered or predetermined inventory hubs via a connected communications network;
Said network to transmit said signal using TCP/IP as the carrier format and XML, HTML, ASCII text, digital binary bits as the primary data format;
Said signal may include additional instructions where the manner of which each predetermined inventory, inventory lot, inventory SKU, material part number, material lot number, material code number is to be merged at a particular physical transit point, or how said instructions will determine the manner by which a plurality of inventory material is to be merged into a single assembled or semi-assembled collection of inventory prior to physical delivery to a ultimate physical destination hub
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- 9. A system for implementing an electronic communications network designed for the purposes of collecting the rates, prices and other transactional details relating to shipping, transportation and freight agents/parties, storing said data into a database connected to the said network, comparing said database to a plurality of electronic requests for quotation of the said shipping, transportation and freight details by any registered user of the said network, and finally computing and matching the said request to one or more optimized quotation answers
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12. A system for a singular material hub to be present in the domain of an electronic network, where the said hub may comprise of separate and distinct physical locations which may be unknown to a registered user of the said network, for the purpose of reducing material transport routing and planning requirements by the said user
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13. A system for a singular material hub to be present within an electronic communications network that is connected to at least one supply chain intermediary, allowing the said intermediary to present to a plurality of registered users of the said hub a singular point of sending inventory materials for storage, transit, warehousing, merging, stocking, distribution, assembly, manufacture, processing, shipment and/or transport, where said hub may physically be composed of more than one geographical location, which may be unknown to the said user, for the purposes of reducing route and related material planning requirements by the said user
- 14. A system for a inventory material hub to accept material input from a plurality of auxiliary physical storage units for the purpose of providing by means of the said hub, a staging area for the said material from the said units to be assembled or be packed or processed into a single package for routing to a final location by which the flow of the said method shall be governed by a series of instructions that are unique and are carried over a uniform electronic communications network between the said hub, said storage units and the said final location
- 19. A method and apparatus for an electronic network to be connected to a plurality of material hubs, where each said material hub shall comprise of at least one processor and authentication unit, for the purposes of allowing a physical delivery of material, goods or inventory moved from one said hub to another to be authenticated and be confirmed between the recipient of the recipient material hub and the sending party of the other material hub by means of a portable electronic device capable of accepting the said authentication and delivery confirmation, of which the said device is also connected to the said communications network
- 23. A system for an electronic procurement and inventory management application that is processor-implemented over an electronic communications network, for the purposes of allowing input of specific manufacturing procurement and material requirement data from 1 or more client user, and sending said data to a range of client suppliers related and registered to the said user, receiving from the said suppliers appropriate responses, and generating a consolidated reporting file that provides the said client user with information relating to the overall ability of the said client user to fulfil the total procurement and material requirement as originally input by the said client user
- 29. A system for an inventory processing unit to accept electronic rules from a registered device and/or user, making use of the said rules to determine the manner by which a specific quantity of inventory material should be stored at a plurality of physical storage locations
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30. A system for an inventory processing unit to perform electronic control and inventory administration comprising the following steps;
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Displaying to a plurality of registered users a single storage facility, Having the inventory processing unit be connected to a plurality of storage facilities, Having the said unit display only a single storage facility regardless of the actual number of physical storage facilities having being connected to the said unit, Displaying and allowing inventory control and administration to be performed, managed and operated via the said single displayed facility to a registered user or a plurality of said users. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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31. A system for an inventory processing unit to be electronically connected to a plurality of warehouses and/or storage facilities, further displaying in a suitable form to a plurality of users a single warehouse representing the total stock of all inventory physically present from all said connected warehouses.
- 33. A system for an inventory processing unit to be electronically connected to a plurality of warehouses and/or storage facilities, allowing said unit to record the individual inventory material details and quantity from each said warehouses, further displaying to at least 1 user the total consolidated detail and quantity from the said warehouses
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35. A system for an inventory processing unit to be electronically connected to a plurality of warehouses and/or storage facilities, allowing said unit to record the individual inventory material details and quantity from each connected warehouse, presenting and displaying to at least 1 user the total detail and quantity derived from all said connected warehouses
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36. A system for an inventory processing unit to receive electronic orders from at least 1 user of the said unit, to move and/or control the movement of a specified quantity and detail of inventory material from a single designated storage hub being displayed to the said user, to a user designated destination, comprising the following steps;
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Inventory processing unit displaying to user a single designated storage hub, Inventory processing unit being connected to a plurality of storage hubs, Inventory processing unit accepting an electronic order from the user to move a specific quantity of a designated inventory material type to a user specified destination Inventory processing unit polling the said connected hubs the total quantity of inventory material being designated by the user that is available Creating and generating a list detailing the quantity of designated inventory material to extract from each said connected hub to match the said order being given by the said user to the inventory processing unit
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- 37. A system for an inventory processing unit to be connected to a plurality of warehouses, allowing to display to a registered user a single designated virtual warehouse, further allowing the said user to activate via the single virtual warehouse the movement of a user specified inventory item and its related quantity
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39. A system for a inventory processing unit to be connected electronically to a series of designated warehouses, further displaying the contents of each individual warehouse into a single, consolidated virtual warehouse to a registered user
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40. A system for a inventory processing unit to be connected electronically to a series of designated warehouses, displaying a consolidated view of the contents of all said warehouses into a single virtual warehouse to a user, further allowing the user to activate the movement of a specified inventory item of a specified quantity without the knowledge of the individual quantity available at each of the individual designated warehouses
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41. A system for a inventory processing unit to be connected electronically to a series of designated warehouses, allowing a designated user to operate and control predetermined inventory items at any of the said warehouses via a single virtual warehouse identity being displayed to the said user
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42. A system for a inventory processing unit to be connected electronically to a series of designated warehouses, allowing a designated user to operate, control and assign ownership rights of a predetermined inventory item range at any of the said warehouses via a single virtual warehouse identity and/or object being displayed to the said user
- 43. A system for a inventory processing unit to be connected electronically to a series of designated warehouses, displaying a predetermined range of inventory items from each individual warehouse into a single virtual warehouse identity and/or object to a user
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47. A system for a inventory processing unit to be connected electronically to a series of warehouses in multiple geographical locations, displaying to a user a single virtual warehouse identity that is a representation of the said connected warehouses
- 48. A system for a inventory processing unit to be connected electronically to a series of warehouses in multiple geographical locations, displaying to a user a single virtual warehouse identity that is a representation of the said connected warehouses, further allowing the user to send orders to the inventory processing unit to either extract or store a user specified quantity and type of inventory item
- 51. A method and apparatus for a inventory management system to be electronically connected to a plurality of warehouses, allowing the said system to also receive the status information from each said warehouse of its contents, further allowing the system to display the collective content information and its related data to a single electronic entity termed a virtual warehouse and/or hub
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52. A method and apparatus for a inventory management system to be electronically connected to a plurality of warehouses, allowing the said system to also receive the status information from each said warehouses, further allowing the said system to display to a plurality of users a single virtual hub and/or warehouse that reflects the collective information and/or data that is a representation of the said connected warehouses
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53. A method and apparatus for a inventory management system to be electronically connected to a plurality of warehouses, allowing the said system to display the collective information and/or data derived from the said connected warehouses to a single representation of a virtual material hub and/or warehouse
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61. A method and apparatus for a plurality of warehouses and its inventory items to be electronically connected to a computer driven computer application allowing said application to display the consolidated item details and quantity into a single electronic representation of a virtual warehouse to a user of the said application, further allowing the said user to perform inventory operations comprising of the following steps;
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Allowing user to instruct the said application to extract a user specified quantity, type and detail of inventory item from the displayed virtual warehouse to a user specified destination and/or a plurality of user specified destinations, Accepting the user instruction, having the computer application poll the cumulative total and relevant individual inventory item level available from each connected warehouse, Comparing and computing if the user instructed quantity is below the said cumulative total available from all connected warehouses, Generating a electronic list of individual quantity, detail and type of inventory item for extraction and shipment to a user specified destination/destinations from each connected warehouses - View Dependent Claims (63)
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62. A method and apparatus for a plurality of warehouses and its inventory items to be electronically connected to a computer driven computer application allowing said application to display the consolidated item details and quantity into a single electronic representation of a virtual warehouse to a user of the said application, further allowing the said user to perform inventory operations comprising of the following steps;
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Allowing user to instruct the said application to accept a user specified quantity, type and detail of inventory item from at least one user specified location for shipment and storage into the displayed virtual warehouse, Accepting the user instruction, having the computer application poll all connected warehouses to the virtual warehouse for storage space availability, Comparing and computing if the user instructed quantity and storage space requirement of inventory items for shipment and storage is below the cumulative total storage space available from all connected warehouses, Generating a electronic list of individual quantity, detail and type of inventory item for shipment and storage to each of the connected warehouses
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Specification