Information management apparatus dealing with waste and waste recycle planning supporting apparatus

• US 5,699,525 A
• Filed: 06/04/1993
• Issued: 12/16/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Baba, Kenji, Kubota, Masayoshi, Embutsu, Ichiro, Matsuzaki, Harumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Gail O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bainbridge, Barton L.
• Application Number:
  US08/071,492
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 364/400, 364/401, 364/409, 364/424.01, 364/424.02, 364/444, 364/443, 364/478, 235/383
• US Class Current: 705/7.26
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 2017/0089 Recycling systems, wherein the flow of products between producers, sellers and consumers includes at least a recycling step, e.g. the products being fed back to the sellers or to the producers for recycling purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2219/10 Environmental application, e.g. waste reduction, pollution control, compliance with environmental legislation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/82 Recycling of waste of electrical or electronic equipment [WEEE]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation

Abstract

An information management apparatus dealing with waste in a waste recycling system comprises an information management device for managing information on waste of each depository, and a device of determining the waste collection method based on the information and the process volume of a recycling processor. The apparatus determines the waste collection method so that recycling products can be delivered stably.

Claims

1. An information management apparatus dealing with waste in a waste recycling system which collects waste stored in a plurality of depositories and reclaims the waste for recycling, said apparatus comprising:

an information management means receiving input information from input means, storing said information in a database and outputting said information, for managing information on the kind and quantity of waste stored in each depository of said plurality of depositories; and

a waste collection method determination means for determining the route of collection of waste, which is transported from said plurality of depositories to a recycling processor, using at least one of the process volume of said recycling processor and the stock volume of a stockyard of said recycling processor and said information output by said information management means.

2. An information management apparatus dealing with waste according to claim 1, wherein said waste collection method determination means comprises a computation means for performing computations to determine said route of collection of waste using a multi-layered neural network model.

3. An information management apparatus dealing with waste according to claim 1, wherein said waste collection method determination means further determines the kind and quantity of waste for recycling and depositories from which said kind and quantity of waste are to be collected, by fetching said information from said database, calculating a supply volume of waste using demand data for a reclamation product, searching said information for reclamation product waste to be collected, selecting ones of said reclamation product waste to be collected, and setting a collection route requiting minimum cost and time.

4. An information management apparatus dealing with waste according to claim 1, further comprising:

a barcode input means which is connected to said information management means through a communication network, for scanning and entering barcode data attached to respective objects of waste to designate the kind and quantity of waste in said depositories, said information management means managing information sent from said barcode input means.

5. An information management apparatus dealing with waste according to claim 4, wherein said barcode input means includes an identification code label reading means for reading optical identification code labels appended to said objects of waste.

6. An information management apparatus dealing with waste in a waste recycling system which collects waste stored in a plurality of depositories, reclaims the waste for recycling and supplies recycling products to demanding parties, said apparatus comprising:

an information management means receiving input information from input means, storing said information in a database and outputting said information, for managing information on the kind and quantity of waste stored in each depository of said plurality of depositories; and

a waste collection method determination means for determining the route of collection of waste, which is transported from said plurality of depositories to a recycling processor, using at least one of the process volume of said recycling processor and the stock volume of a stockyard of said recycling processor and said information output by said information management means.

7. An information management apparatus dealing with waste according to claim 6, wherein said waste collection method determination means comprises a computation means for performing computations to determine said route of collection of waste using a multi-layered neural network model.

8. An information management apparatus dealing with waste according to claim 6, wherein said waste collection method determination means further determines the kind and quantity of waste desirable for recycling, and depositories from which said kind and quantity of waste are to be collected, by fetching said information from said database, calculating a supply volume of waste using demand data for a reclamation product, searching said information for reclamation product waste to be collected, selecting ones of said reclamation product waste to be collected, and setting a collection route requiring minimum cost and time.

9. An information management apparatus dealing with waste according to claim 6, further comprising:

a barcode input means which is connected to said information management means through a communication network, for scanning and entering barcode data attached to respective objects of waste to designate the kind and quantity of waste in said depositories, said information management means managing information sent from said barcode input means.

10. An information management apparatus dealing with waste according to claim 9, wherein said barcode input means includes an identification code label reading means for reading optical identification code labels appended to objects of waste.

11. An information management apparatus dealing with waste in a waste recycling system which collects waste stored in a plurality of depositories and reclaims the waste for recycling, said apparatus comprising:

an information management means receiving input information from input means, storing said information in a database and outputting said information, for collecting information on the kind and quantity of waste stored in said plurality of depositories and managing the information of each depository of said plurality of depositories; and

a waste collection method determination means for determining the route of collection of waste, which is transported from said depositories to a recycling processor, using at least one of the process volume and stock volume of said recycling processor, said information output by said information management means and geographic information of the area of collection.

12. An information management apparatus dealing with waste according to claim 11, wherein said waste collection method determination means determines the kind and quantity of waste for recycling and the depositories from which said kind and quantity of waste are to be collected, by fetching said information from said database, calculating a supply volume of waste using demand data for a reclamation product, searching said information for reclamation product waste to be collected, selecting ones of said reclamation product waste to be collected, and setting a collection route requiring minimum cost and time.

13. An information management apparatus dealing with waste according to claim 11, wherein said waste collection method determination means comprises a computation means for performing computations to determine said route of collection of waste using a multi-layered neural network model.

14. An information management apparatus dealing with waste in a waste recycling system which collects waste stored in a plurality of depositories, reclaims the waste for recycling and supplies recycling products to demanding parties, said apparatus comprising:

an information management means receiving input information from input means, storing said information in a database and outputting said information, for collecting information on the kind and quantity of waste stored in said plurality of depositories and managing the information of each depository of said plurality of depositories;

a recycling process volume determination means for determining the process volume of a recycling processor by tatting into consideration a quantity of recycling products demanded by said demanding parties; and

a waste collection method determination means for determining the route of collection of waste, which is transported from said depositories to said recycling processor, using the process volume determined by said recycling process volume determination means, said information output by said information management means, geographic information of the area of collection and the stock volume of said recycling processor.

15. An information management apparatus dealing with waste according to claim 14, wherein said waste collection method determination means determines the kind and quantity of waste for recycling and the depositories from which said kind and quantity of waste are to be collected, by fetching said information from said database, calculating a supply volume of waste using demand data for a reclamation product, searching said information of reclamation product waste to be collected, selecting ones of said reclamation product waste to be collected, and setting a collection route requiting minimum cost and time.

16. An information management apparatus dealing with waste according to claim 14, wherein said waste collection method determination means comprises a computation means for performing computations to determine said route of collection of waste using a multi-layered neural network model.