FLOW TRACKING OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUBSTANCES
First Claim
1. A method in a computing device for tracking the environmental impact of an organization using an enterprise resource planning system, the method comprising:
- providing a description of processes of the organization;
providing a description of links between processes, each link specifying a source process and a destination process for a substance;
providing a description of conversions of substances input into the process to substances output as a result of those conversions;
generating of an initial input flow indicating input of a input substance into a process; and
transitively calculating output substances resulting from conversion of the input substance into output substances and generating flows corresponding to the output substances flowing into processes as indicated by the links between processes until no more flows can be generated.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An environmental tracking system provides facilities for modeling the processes of an organization that have an impact on the environment. The environmental tracking system allows each process to be modeled by its input substances and its resulting output substances. The environmental tracking system allows links to be established between the processes, such as indicating a source process and a destination process for a substance. Each process performs a conversion of input substances to output substances in accordance with conversion parameters specified for the process. Once the model of the processes of an organization is established, the environmental tracking system can track the flow of substances through the organization based on the model.
15 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method in a computing device for tracking the environmental impact of an organization using an enterprise resource planning system, the method comprising:
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providing a description of processes of the organization; providing a description of links between processes, each link specifying a source process and a destination process for a substance; providing a description of conversions of substances input into the process to substances output as a result of those conversions; generating of an initial input flow indicating input of a input substance into a process; and transitively calculating output substances resulting from conversion of the input substance into output substances and generating flows corresponding to the output substances flowing into processes as indicated by the links between processes until no more flows can be generated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A computing device for tracking environmental impact of an organization comprising:
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a component that provides a user interface for inputting processes of the organization, links specifying source processes and destination processes for a substance, and conversions of substances input into the source process to substances output as a result of those conversions; a component that generates initial input flows indicating the input of input substances into processes of the organization; and a component that processes flows by calculating output substances resulting from the conversion of the input substances indicated by a flow into output substances and generates flows corresponding to the output substances flowing into processes as indicated by the links between processes, wherein the component further processes any flows that are generated. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A computer-readable storage medium containing instructions for controlling a computing device to track the environmental impact of an organization, by a method comprising:
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providing a description of processes of the organization, each process representing a function of the organization, a function of a supplier of a substance to an organization, or a function relating to the ecosphere; providing a description of links between processes, each link specifying a source process and a destination process for a substance, the source process for outputting the substance and the destination process for inputting the substance; providing a description of conversions of substances input into a process to substances output as a result of that conversions, a conversion indicating for each common quantity in a common unit of measure of an input substance, the resulting substance(s) and the resulting quantity(ies) in resulting unit(s) of measure generated as a result of conversion of an input substance; generating initials input flows indicating the input of input substances into processes, the initial input flow being generated from invoices of a supplier of an input substance and from meters measuring the quantity of input substances supplied to the organization; and transitively calculating output substances resulting from conversion of the input substances into output substances and generating flows corresponding to the output substances flowing into processes as indicated by the links between processes until no more flows can be generated. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification