Methods of monitoring items or material from manufacturing processes
First Claim
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1. A method of monitoring items and/or materials from a manufacturing process, comprising the steps of:
- providing a manufacturing process, wherein the manufacturing process includes a plurality of stations associated with different portions of the manufacturing process, wherein each station includes a radio frequency identification (“
RFID”
) reader associated with the station;
providing a plurality of RFID tagged containers, wherein each container has an associated RFID tag;
locating at least one of the RFID tagged containers at least at one of the stations;
filling at least a portion of the RFID tagged container with items and/or materials generated from the manufacturing process;
interrogating the RFID tagged container with the RFID reader associated with the station to at least record the location of the station where the RFID tagged container is located, and recording the time of the interrogation;
obtaining information about the items and/or materials that were placed in the RFID tagged container at the station; and
deciding what action to perform with the items and/or materials in the RFID tagged container.
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Abstract
Methods of monitoring items and/or materials from a manufacturing process. One embodiment of the invention provides a method of monitoring items and/or materials from a manufacturing process using a plurality of RFID tagged containers, and a plurality of stations associated with different portions of the manufacturing process, where each station includes an RFID reader.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of monitoring items and/or materials from a manufacturing process, comprising the steps of:
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providing a manufacturing process, wherein the manufacturing process includes a plurality of stations associated with different portions of the manufacturing process, wherein each station includes a radio frequency identification (“
RFID”
) reader associated with the station;
providing a plurality of RFID tagged containers, wherein each container has an associated RFID tag;
locating at least one of the RFID tagged containers at least at one of the stations;
filling at least a portion of the RFID tagged container with items and/or materials generated from the manufacturing process;
interrogating the RFID tagged container with the RFID reader associated with the station to at least record the location of the station where the RFID tagged container is located, and recording the time of the interrogation;
obtaining information about the items and/or materials that were placed in the RFID tagged container at the station; and
deciding what action to perform with the items and/or materials in the RFID tagged container. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for tracking semi-finished goods, byproducts of the manufacturing process, or waste from a manufacturing process, comprising the steps of:
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providing a first manufacturing process for manufacturing a first finished good, wherein the manufacturing process includes a plurality of stations for receiving semi-finished goods, byproducts, or waste generated from the manufacturing process, wherein each station includes a radio frequency identification (“
RFID”
) reader associated with the station;
providing a plurality of RFID tagged containers, wherein each container has an associated RFID tag;
locating at least one of the RFID tagged containers at least at one of the stations;
filling at least a portion of the RFID tagged container with at least a semi-finished good, byproduct, or waste generated from the manufacturing process at the station;
interrogating the RFID tagged container with the RFID reader at the stations;
obtaining information about the goods, byproducts or waste in the RFID tagged container; and
deciding what action to perform with the semi-finished goods, byproducts, or waste in the RFID tagged containers. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of monitoring items and/or materials from a manufacturing process, comprising the steps of:
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providing a manufacturing process, wherein the manufacturing process includes a plurality of stations associated with different portions of the manufacturing process, wherein each station includes a radio frequency identification (“
RFID”
) reader associated with the station;
providing a plurality of RFID tagged containers, wherein each container has an associated RFID tag;
locating at least one of the RFID tagged containers at least at one of the stations;
filling at least a portion of the RFID tagged container with items and/or materials generated from the manufacturing process at the station;
interrogating the RFID tagged container with the RFID reader associated with the station to at least record the location of the station where the RFID tagged container is located, and recording the time of the interrogation;
obtaining information about the items and/or materials that were placed in the RFID tagged container at the station;
repeating the interrogating and obtaining steps multiple times to gather data over a length of time; and
using the data to optimize or improve the manufacturing process. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification