AUDITING AND FORENSICS FOR AUTOMATED TOOL CONTROL SYSTEMS

• US 20130346261A1
• Filed: 06/12/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: PHILLIPS, Preston, FLY, David C., LIPSEY, Matthew J., CHWAN, Joseph Jr., ROGERS, Frederick J.
• Application Number:
  US13/916,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346261A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/02 with dispensing arrangements A47F1/04 takes precedence; for cigars or cigarettes A24F15/04; for cigarette papers A24F17/00; for hand towels or toilet paper A47K; for photographic paper G03B; coin-freed G07F
• CPC Class Codes: B25H 3/00 Storage means or arrangements for workshops facilitating access to, or handling of, work tools or instruments containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents B65D83/00; nail dispensers B25C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25H 3/028 by sliding extraction from within a common frame
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/213 Feature extraction, e.g. by transforming the feature space; Summarisation; Mappings, e.g. subspace methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00912 for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/22 in combination with an identity check of the pass holder
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/23 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

An inventory control system is provided for monitoring the removal and replacement of objects stored in the system. The system includes a storage container including a plurality of storage locations for storing objects; a sensing device configured to detect the presence or absence of objects in the storage locations; a display device; and a data processor. The data processor is configured to receive work order data identifying a particular work order; receive information associated with the work order based on the work order data; and display the information associated with the work order on the display device.

Claims

1. An inventory control system for monitoring the removal and replacement of objects stored in the system, the system comprising:

a storage container including a plurality of storage locations for storing objects;

a sensing device configured to detect the presence or absence of objects in the storage locations;

a display device; and

a data processor configured to;

receive work order data identifying a particular work order;

receive information associated with the work order based on the work order data; and

display the information associated with the work order on the display device.

2. The inventory control system of claim 1, further comprising a barcode reader operatively connected to the data processor, for reading a barcode of the work order;

wherein the barcode of the work order includes the work order data.

3. The inventory control system of claim 1, further comprising a manual data entry device operatively connected to the data processor, for enabling a user to manually enter the work order data.

4. The inventory control system of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the work order includes at least one of a tool list, work instructions, an inspection form, a drawing, a photograph, and technical specifications.

5. The inventory control system of claim 1, further comprising a data storage device operatively connected to the data processor;

wherein the information associated with the work order is stored in the storage device.

6. The inventory control system of claim 1, further comprising a network communications device operatively connected to the data processor and to a remote database;

wherein the information associated with the work order is stored in the remote database.

7. The inventory control system of claim 1, wherein the display device is a touch screen for displaying a graphical display, and

wherein the data processor is configured to:

generate the graphical display such that a user selects a work task by touching a portion of the graphical display; and

receive the work order data based on the user'"'"'s selection.

8. The inventory control system of claim 1, wherein the data processor is configured to associate a user with the work order and at least one of the objects stored in the system that has been removed from the system.

9. The inventory control system of claim 8, further comprising a manual data entry device operatively connected to the data processor, for enabling the user to manually enter information;

wherein the data processor is configured to associate the information entered by the user with the work order.

10. The inventory control system of claim 1, wherein the data processor is configured to associate a specific work location with the work order, and to display the work location on the display device.

11. The inventory control system of claim 4, further comprising a user display device wirelessly connected to the data processor, wherein the data processor is configured to transfer the information associated with the work order to the user display device.

12. The inventory control system of claim 1, further comprising a manual data entry device operatively connected to the data processor, for enabling the user to manually enter information;

wherein the information associated with the work order comprises a document requiring feedback from a user, and the data processor is configured to receive the document after it has been filled out by the user with the manual data entry device.

13. The inventory control system of claim 1, wherein the objects stored in the system comprise tools, the storage container comprises a plurality of drawers or trays, the information associated with the work order includes a tool list, and the data processor is configured to:

cause the display device to display the tool list;

determine whether each of the tools on the tool list is present in one of the drawers or trays;

cause the display device to display alternative tool locations for each of the tools that is not present;

cause the display device to display information relating to which of the drawers or trays contains each of the tools that are present.

14. The inventory system of claim 13, wherein the data processor is configured to cause the display device to display, responsive to a user opening one of the drawers or trays containing one of the tools on the tool list, at least one of an image of a layout of the drawer or tray with the tool highlighted, an image of the tool, and information relating to the tool.

15. The inventory system of claim 13, wherein the data processor is configured to cause the display device to display a list of users and locations for each of the tools that is not present.

16. An inventory control system for monitoring the removal and replacement of objects stored in the system, the system comprising:

a storage container including a plurality of storage locations for storing objects, wherein the objects include a kit having a plurality of sub-components;

a sensing device configured to detect the presence or absence of the objects in the storage locations;

a display device; and

a data processor configured to;

receive information relating to the kit and the sub-components, including at least one of a listing of the sub-components and an image of the kit, and

display the information relating to the kit and the sub-components on the display device when the sensing device detects the presence of the kit at one of the storage locations after it has detected the absence of the kit at the one of the storage locations.

17. The inventory control system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to display the information relating to the kit and the sub-components by an operator of the system.

18. The inventory control system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to:

prompt a user to confirm all the sub-components of the kit are present; and

display an alert on the display device, and transmit the alert to an operator of the system, when the user does not confirm all the sub-components of the kit are present.

19. An inventory control system for monitoring the removal and replacement of objects stored in the system, the system comprising:

a storage device including a container having a plurality of storage locations for storing objects, a sensing device configured to detect the presence or absence of objects in the storage locations, a locking mechanism for preventing access to the storage locations, and a data processor operatively connected to the locking mechanism and the sensing device; and

an administrative computer remote from the storage device and operatively connected to the data processor, the administrative computer configured to provide commands to the data processor to remotely control the storage device locking mechanism.

20. The inventory control system of claim 19, wherein the administrative computer is configured to activate the locking mechanism, and to prevent deactivation of the locking mechanism until it sends a command to unlock the boxes, or an authorized user or more than one authorized user present their credentials to the locking mechanism.

21. An inventory control system for monitoring the removal and replacement of objects stored in the system, the system comprising:

a storage container including a plurality of storage locations for storing objects;

a sensing device configured to detect the presence or absence of objects in the storage locations; and

a data processor configured to;

receive information representing user access rights and to allow or deny access by the user to the tool storage device based on the user'"'"'s access rights;

wherein the data processor is further configured to require that the information representing user access rights includes at least two types of user authentication to allow access to the tool storage device.

22. The inventory control system of claim 21, wherein the types of user authentication include something a user has, something a user knows, and a biometric factor of the user.

23. An inventory control system for monitoring the removal and replacement of objects stored in the system, the system comprising:

a plurality of storage containers, each including a plurality of storage locations for storing objects;

an image sensing device configured to capture image data of the containers, including image data of the plurality of storage locations;

a display device; and

a data processor configured to;

receive information representing captured images of the storage locations and data representing the usage of the objects associated with the images;

display on the display device audit images of the storage container; and

apply a filtering technique to display the audit images according to user definable usage data fields associated with the audit images;

wherein the filtering technique is for selecting audit images associated with one event out of a plurality of events occurring in the system, and the filtering technique comprises filtering out any object-specific events for objects other than an object of interest, and filtering out any container-specific events for containers other than a container of interest.

24. An inventory control system for monitoring the removal and replacement of objects stored in the system, the system comprising:

a storage container including a plurality of storage locations for storing objects;

an image sensing device configured to capture image data of the container, including image data of the plurality of storage locations;

a display device; and

a data processor configured to;

receive information representing images of the storage locations,

display a plurality of images of the storage locations simultaneously on the display, and

link the plurality of images to allow simultaneous zoom and pan of the images.