Dynamic inventory management of deployed assets

• US 20080017709A1
• Filed: 03/02/2006
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HCL Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kennedy, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,417,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A dynamic inventory management method can include the step of attaching a location tag to a deployable asset. A mobile entity can be associated with the location tag. A tag scanner can scan for location tags within a range of the tag scanner. Data can be conveyed from the tag scanner to a communicatively linked inventory control system. The scanning and conveying steps can be repeated to dynamically update the inventory control system.

Claims

1. A dynamic inventory management method comprising:

attaching a location tag to a deployable asset;

associating a mobile entity with the location tag;

a tag scanner scanning for location tags within a range of the tag scanner;

conveying data from the tag scanner to a communicatively linked inventory control system; and

repeating the scanning and conveying step to dynamically update the inventory control system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag scanner is linked to a position detection device, said method further comprising:

automatically determining a proximate location for at least one of the tag scanner and the location tag using the position detection device, wherein the data of the conveying step includes the proximate location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the location tag includes an RFID tag, wherein the position detection device includes a GPS component, wherein the conveying step is performed by a mobile computing device linked to the GPS component, and wherein the mobile computing device includes a wireless transceiver for communicating with the inventory control system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the inventory control system automatically ascertaining that the mobile entity lacks an inventory item managed by the inventory control system based upon the conveyed data; and

the inventory control system automatically performing at least one programmatic action responsive to the ascertaining step, wherein said programmatic action is an adjustment to compensate for the lack of the inventory item.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the adjustment of the performing step comprises:

the inventory control system determining a location of a replacement item; and

contacting an entity controlling the replacement item to arrange for the replacement item to be delivered to the mobile entity.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the replacement item is a deployable asset that includes an attached location tag.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein a relative location of the mobile entity and a plurality of potential replacement items is tracked by the inventory control system, said determining step further comprising:

selecting one of the potential replacement items as the replacement item based at least in part upon a proximity of the replacement item to the mobile entity.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the replacement item is one of a plurality of potential replacement items managed by the inventory control system, wherein the inventory control system manages a data attribute for a relative mission need, wherein a value for the attribute is associated with each of the potential replacement items, said determining step further comprising:

selecting one of the potential replacement items as the replacement item based at least in part upon the relative mission needs of the potential replacement items.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

the inventory control system notifying at least one of the mobile entity and a controller of the mobile entity of the ascertained lack.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory control system manages inventory for a plurality of geographically dispersed deployed assets.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the deployed assets are mission critical assets.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a mission associated with the mission critical assets is a military mission, and wherein the inventory management system is communicatively linked to a mission control system configured to be used by military leaders having supervisory responsibility for the military mission.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory control system is linked to a plurality of consoles via a plurality of networks, wherein the plurality of networks have different security levels, and wherein the inventory control system adjusts content to a highest allowable security level corresponding to a carrier network when conveying data to the consoles via the networks.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the location tag is a passive tag, said method further comprising:

the tag scanner periodically polling the location tags to determine deployable assets proximately located to the tag scanner.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of claim 1 are performed by at least one of a service agent and a computing device manipulated by the service agent, the steps being performed in response to a service request.

16. A machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having a plurality of code sections, said code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

attaching a location tag to a deployable asset;

associating a mobile entity with the location tag;

a tag scanner scanning for location tags within a range of the tag scanner;

conveying data from the tag scanner to a communicatively linked inventory control system; and

repeating the scanning and conveying step to dynamically update the inventory control system.

17. An asset management system comprising:

a plurality of deployed assets, each deployed asset associated with a location tag;

at least one tag scanner configured to periodically scan a region to discover the location tags within the region;

at least one location communication hub linked to the at least one tag scanner configured to wirelessly communicate asset information obtained from the tag scanner and the location tags to at least one remotely located inventory control server; and

the inventory control server configured to continuously update an asset database with information provided by the at least one location communication hub.

18. The asset management system of claim 17, wherein each deployed asset is a mission critical asset assigned to a soldier, and wherein each location tag is an RFID tag.

19. The asset management system of claim 17, wherein the at least one location communication hub further comprises a position detection device, wherein the at least one communication hub wirelessly communicates position information of each deployed asset along with the asset information.

20. The asset management system of claim 17, wherein the inventory control server is configured to dynamically determine a deficient one of the plurality of assets, wherein a deficient asset is an asset assigned to a mobile entity, which is not detected by the tag scanner located near the mobile entity, wherein the inventory control server is configured to dynamically determine a surplus asset capable of replacing the deficient asset, and wherein the inventory control server dynamically reassigns the surplus asset to the mobile entity.