Inventory control method and system

• US 5,237,496 A
• Filed: 03/24/1992
• Issued: 08/17/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Homma, Koichi, Mori, Hiroshi, Aizawa, Takayuki, Kagami, Akira, Akashi, Kichizo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Gail O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brutman, Laura
• Application Number:
  US07/856,540
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 364/403, 364/401, 283/55
• US Class Current: 705/7.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

In an inventory control method and system, changes of sales for individual goods are forecasted and the excess or deficiency of a stock of each of the goods at the present point of time is estimated from the results of forecast. In order to facilitate an inventory control, merchandise information is sorted and displayed in accordance with the degree of urgency, the degree of importance or the like of inventory adjustment on the basis of the results of estimation.

Claims

1. An inventory control method comprising computer aided steps of:

forecasting a cumulative total of sales for goods by using a result of sales from other goods which are selected and inputted with the use of an interactive graphics system, which may exhibit a similar sales change pattern to the goods;

obtaining a sum of an actual result of sales and an actual stock for the goods;

comparing the sum with the forecasted cumulative total of sales for the goods by displaying the forecasted information on a graph as reference information and comparing the reference information to actual inventory information;

determining an excess or deficiency of the actual stock for the goods on the basis of the graphic comparing;

outputting information of the goods corresponding to the determined excess or deficiency of the actual stock inventory for the goods, wherein said outputted information is in the form of a percent ratio and is labeled, the stock warning index, to provide the necessary level of priority and degree of urgency corresponding to the goods; and

,

adjusting the actual stock inventory in accordance with the outputted information.

2. The inventory control method according to claim 1, wherein the result of sales from the other goods is used as a sales change model pattern, and further including creating a whole model pattern by using an interactive graphics system.

3. An inventory control system comprising:

a means for forecasting a cumulative total of sales for goods by using a result of sales stored in a database for other goods which may exhibit a similar sales change pattern to the goods;

a means for obtaining a sum of an actual result of sales and an actual stock for the goods stored in a sales/stock results file;

a means for interactively and graphically comparing the obtained sum with the forecasted cumulative total of sales for the goods;

a means for determining an excess or deficiency of the actual stock inventory for the goods on the basis of a result from the comparing means;

a means for outputting information comprising a stock warning index, which prioritizes an urgency of adjusting the actual stock inventory resulting from the determined excess or deficiency of the actual stock inventory for the goods; and

,

a means for adjusting the actual stock inventory in accordance with the stock warning index.

4. The inventory control system according to claim 3, wherein in the means for forecasting the result of sales for the other goods stored in the sales/stock results file, is used as a sales change model pattern.

5. An inventory control system comprising:

a means for forecasting a change in sales for goods that are subject to inventory control, by using a model pattern of a predetermined change of sales for the goods stored in a time-to-sales-correspondence file;

a means for monitoring a difference between the forecasted change in sales for the goods and an actual change in sales for the goods stored in a sales/stock results including means for daily monitoring by calculation of a stock warning index;

a means for outputting the stock warning index for allowing modification of the model pattern if the monitored difference is larger than a predetermined level; and

,

a means for adjusting actual stock inventory in accordance with said outputted stock warning index.

6. The inventory control system according to claim 5, wherein the forecasting means is operated before the goods are on sale.