APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR OPERATING SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20100125488A1
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: SHIN, Dong-Soo
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,243 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction

Abstract

An apparatus and method for effectively operating Supply Chain Management (SCM) emerging as a management scheme preferred by mobile terminal manufacturers are provided. The method includes, upon detection of initial booting, gathering at least one of mobile terminal identifier information, product information, and subscriber location information, generating a sales information message comprising the gathered information, and transmitting the generated sales information message. Accordingly, an SCM system is reliably implemented in advance and determines statistical data regarding a time of sales of the mobile terminal. Further, the SCM system may determine statistical data for preferred models and colors of the mobile terminal. In addition, the determined statistical data may be utilized as marketing information or may be usefully utilized for point-of-sales inventory management by performing demand prediction.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a sales information message of a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

upon detection of initial booting, gathering at least one of mobile terminal identifier information, product information, and subscriber location information;

generating a sales information message comprising the gathered information; and

transmitting the generated sales information message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, upon detection of initial booting, determining whether a function for transmitting the sales information message is set, wherein the gathering process is performed when the function for transmitting the sales information message is set.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, upon successful transmission of the sales information message, releasing the function for transmitting the sales information message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal identifier information comprises at least one of an International Mobile station Equipment Identity (IMEI) and an Electronics Serial Number (ESN).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the product information comprises at least one of a model name, a color code, an operator code and a market type.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber location information comprises at least one of latitude and longitude coordinates as location information received from a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite, address information indicating a current location determined based on the latitude and longitude coordinates as location information received from the GPS satellite, and a cell IDentifier (ID) of a base station to which a subscriber belongs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sales information message comprises a short message, and is transmitted to a Short Message Service Center (SMSC).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sales information message is transmitted as a receiving-side address using any one of a Supply Chain Management (SCM) database server'"'"'s address of a corresponding operator and an SCM database server'"'"'s address of a corresponding manufacturer.

9. An apparatus for transmitting a sales information message in a mobile terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a storage unit for storing at least one of mobile terminal identifier information, product information, and subscriber location information; and

a sales information message generator/transmitter for extracting any one of the mobile terminal identifier information, the product information, and the subscriber location information from the storage unit upon detection of initial booting, for generating a sales information message by gathering the extracted information, and for transmitting the generated sales information message.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sales information message generator/transmitter determines whether a function for transmitting the sales information message is set upon detection of initial booting, extracts at least one of the mobile terminal identifier information, the product information, and the subscriber location information if the function for transmitting the sales information message is set, and releases the function for transmitting the sales information message upon successful transmission of the sales information message.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the mobile terminal identifier information comprises at least one of an International Mobile station Equipment Identity (IMEI) and an Electronics Serial Number (ESN).

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the product information comprises at least one of a model name, a color code, an operator code and a market type.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the subscriber location information comprises at least one of latitude and longitude coordinates as location information received from a GPS satellite, address information indicating a current location determined based on the latitude and longitude coordinates as location information received from the GPS satellite, and a cell IDentifier (ID) of a base station to which a subscriber belongs.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sales information message comprises a short message, and is transmitted to a Short Message Service Center (SMSC).

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sales information message is transmitted as a receiving-side address using any one of a Supply Chain Management (SCM) database server'"'"'s address of a corresponding operator and an SCM database server'"'"'s address of a corresponding manufacturer.

16. A method of operating Supply Chain Management (SCM) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

by a mobile terminal, generating a sales information message by gathering at least one of mobile terminal identifier information, product information upon detection of initial booting, and subscriber location information, and transmitting the generated sales information message to an address of an SCM database server;

by the SCM database server, transmitting the sales information message from the mobile terminal to an SCM system; and

by the SCM system, determining statistical data using the sales information message received from the mobile terminal via the SCM database server.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sales information message comprises a short message.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining of the statistical data comprises determining the statistical data regarding a time of sales of the mobile terminal by recognizing a time of receiving the sales information message.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining of the statistical data comprises determining statistical data for preferred models and colors of the mobile terminal using at least one of the product information and the subscriber location information included in the sales information message.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising, by the SCM system, one of utilizing the determined statistical data as marketing information and utilizing the determined statistical data for point-of-sales inventory management by performing demand prediction.

21. An apparatus for operating Supply Chain Management (SCM) in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a mobile terminal for generating a sales information message by gathering at least one of mobile terminal identifier information, product information, and subscriber location information upon detection of initial booting, and for transmitting the generated sales information message to an address of an SCM database server;

the SCM database server for transmitting the sales information message from the mobile terminal to an SCM system; and

the SCM system for determining statistical data using the sales information message received from the mobile terminal via the SCM database server.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the sales information message comprises a short message.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the SCM system determines statistical data regarding a time of sales of the mobile terminal by recognizing a time of receiving the sales information message.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the SCM system determines statistical data for preferred models and colors of the mobile terminal using at least one of the product information and the subscriber location information included in the sales information message.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the SCM system utilizes one of the determined statistical data as marketing information and the determined statistical data for point-of-sales inventory management by performing demand prediction.