Method of identifying the disposition of plug-in units at a warehouse

• US 4,889,977 A
• Filed: 12/21/1987
• Issued: 12/26/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Southwestern Bell Telephone Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Southwestern Bell Telephone Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haydon, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Cherry, Johnny D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WACYRA, EDWARD MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US07/135,719
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 209/3.1, 209/3.3, 209/546, 209/549, 235/375, 235/376, 235/377, 235/383, 235/385, 235/462, 235/472, 340/321, 340/635, 364/401, 364/403, 379/1, 379/32, 379/457
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/02 Constructional details

Abstract

A method of identifying the disposition of portable modular plug-in units (11) of telecommunications equipment. A bar code (15) is first placed on each plug-in unit (11). A scanner (21) or a personal computer (25) is then programmed to identify which plug-in units (11) are to be scrapped, which are to be modified, which are to be tested, and which require no action. Each bar code (15) is scanned with a scanning wand (17) and then the scanner (21) or computer (25) is read to determine what action to take regarding each plug-in unit (11).

Claims

1. A method of identifying the disposition of portable modular plug-in units of telecommunications equipment, the method comprising the steps of:

placing a bar code on each plug-in unit identifying that unit;

installing said plug-in units in telecommunications equipment;

removing at least some of the plug-in units from the telecommunications equipment and transporting the removed plug-in units to a warehouse or the like;

storing data in a scanner to identify which of the removed plug-in units are to be scrapped, which are to be modified, which are to be tested, and which require no action;

at said warehouse or the like, scanning the bar code of each of said removed plug-in units with a scanning wand attached to the scanner to identify that unit; and

comparing said stored data with the identity of each removed plug-in unit as read by the scanner to determine what action to take regarding the removed plug-in unit.

2. A method of identifying the disposition of portable modular plug-in units of telecommunications equipment, the method comprising the steps of:

placing a bar code on each plug-in unit identifying that unit;

installing said plug-in units in telecommunications equipment;

removing at least some of the plug-in units from the telecommunications equipment and transporting the removed plug-in units to a warehouse or the like;

inputting data into a computer as to which plug-in units are to be scrapped, which are to be modified, which are to be tested, and which require no action;

down loading data from the computer into a scanner;

at said warehouse or the like, scanning the bar code of each of said removed plug-in units with a scanning wand attached to the scanner to identify that unit; and

comparing the stored data with the identity of each removed plug-in unit as read by the scanner to determine the desired disposition of each plug-in unit.