RECALLED PRODUCT INVENTORY NOTIFICATION, REMOVAL, AND VERIFICATION SYSTEM

• US 20120209780A1
• Filed: 02/09/2012
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bushland Hancock Enterprises LLC
• Original Assignee: Bushland Hancock Enterprises LLC
• Inventors: Hancock, Roger, Bushland, John, Denker, Brian, Istok, Jacque
• Granted Patent: US 9,697,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/303
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/014 Providing recall services for goods or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation

Abstract

A recall management system allows generating, tracking, and verifying product recalls. The system provides notifications of a product recall to affected and unaffected businesses in the supply chain, as well as notification of the public and government agencies that may be affected. Verification of received notifications and the quantity of product removed from supply in response to the recall allows for closure of recall activity. Recalls may be extended over time as additional products needing to be recalled from the particular supplier of the recalled product are identified. Product returns over time are added to the total product recovered and scorecards updated in real-time as the return information is tabulated. Affected businesses and government agencies have visibility to both recall message receipt and product recovered as a part of total product recalled.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A server adapted for monitoring and managing product recalls, the server comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor and storing computer instructions therein, the processor being configured to execute the program instructions, the program instructions including;

prompting a recall initiator via a recall wizard to enter information on a recall event, the recall event identifying at least one product to be recalled and product disposition instructions;

storing the recall event in a recall database;

identifying a plurality of customers associated with the recall initiator;

identifying for each of the identified customers, a customer type and a customer status, the customer type identifying a role of the customer in a supply chain, and the customer status identifying a relationship of the customer to the recalled product;

providing messages to the customers relating to the recall event based on the identified customer status, wherein a first customer identified with a first customer status receives a first message with the product disposition instructions, and a second customer identified with a second customer status receives a second message different from the first message;

displaying all or a portion of the product recall information to the first and second customers;

providing to the first customer one or more tools based on the customer type associated with the first customer, the one or more tools being unavailable to the second customer based on the customer type associated with the second customer, wherein at least one of the one or more tools is invoked for modifying the recall event displayed to the first customer;

receiving from the first customer a quantity of the product disposed according to the product disposition instructions;

updating a total disposition quantity based on the received quantity; and

generating an output based on the total disposition quantity.

19. The server of claim 18, wherein the recall wizard is configured to guide the recall initiator through a step-by-step process for receiving the product recall information.

20. The server of claim 18, wherein the portion of the product recall information displayed to each of the customers is configured to be customized based on the customer type associated with the customer.

21. The server of claim 18, wherein the message to each of the customers is configured to be customized based on the customer type assigned to the customer.

22. The server of claim 18, wherein the identifying of the customer type is based on input from the recall initiator.

23. The server of claim 18, wherein the customer type is selected from a group consisting of a distributor, retailer, and consumer.

24. The server of claim 18, wherein the first customer status identifies the first customer as receiving the recalled product, and the second customer status identifies the second customer as not receiving the recalled product.

25. The server of claim 18, wherein the program instructions for identifying the customer status includes program instructions for:

determining for each of the first and second customers an amount of the recalled product provided to the customer;

in response to determining that the amount provided to the first customer is greater than 0, assigning the first customer status to the first customer;

in response to determining that the amount provided to the second customer is not greater than 0, assigning the second customer status to the second customer.

26. The server of claim 18, wherein the one or more tools include a tool for adding, by the first customer, a plurality of other customers to the recall event.

27. The server of claim 26, wherein the one or more tools include a tool for generating, by the first customer, notifications of the recall event to the plurality of other customers.

28. The server of claim 18, wherein the one or more tools include a tool for adding, by the first customer, a second product to be recalled.

29. The server of claim 18, wherein the one or more tools include a tool for editing, by the first customer, information on the product to be recalled.

30. The server of claim 18, wherein each message includes a link for accessing at least a portion of the product recall information, and the displaying of the product recall information is in response to receipt of actuation of the link.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the identifying of the customer type is based on input from the recall initiator.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the customer type is selected from a group consisting of a distributor, retailer, and consumer.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the first customer status identifies the first customer as receiving the recalled product, and the second customer status identifies the second customer as not receiving the recalled product.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the identifying the customer status includes:

determining for each of the first and second customers an amount of the recalled product provided to the customer;

in response to determining that the amount provided to the first customer is greater than 0, assigning the first customer status to the first customer with the first customer status;

in response to determining that the amount provided to the second customer is not greater than 0, assigning the second customer status to the second customer.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein the one or more tools include a tool for adding, by the first customer, a plurality of other customers to the recall event.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the one or more tools include a tool for sending, by the first customer, notifications of the recall event to the plurality of other customers.

31. A method for monitoring and managing product recalls, the method comprising:

prompting a recall initiator via a recall wizard to enter information on a recall event, the recall event identifying at least one product to be recalled and product disposition instructions;

storing the recall event in a recall database;

identifying a plurality of customers associated with the recall initiator;

identifying for each of the identified customers, a customer type and a customer status, the customer type identifying a role of the customer in a supply chain, and the customer status identifying a relationship of the customer to the recalled product;

providing messages to the customers relating to the recall event based on the identified customer status, wherein a first customer identified with a first customer status receives a first message with the product disposition instructions, and a second customer identified with a second customer status receives a second message different from the first message;

displaying all or a portion of the product recall information to the first and second customers in response to receipt of actuation of the link in respectively the first and second messages;

providing to the first customer one or more tools based on the customer type associated with the first customer, the one or more tools being unavailable to the second customer based on the customer type associated with the second customer, wherein at least one of the one or more tools is invoked for modifying the recall event displayed to the first customer;

receiving from the first customer a quantity of the product disposed according to the product disposition instructions;

updating a total disposition quantity based on the received quantity; and

generating an output based on the total disposition quantity.