Wireless communication product fulfillment system

• US 6,029,143 A
• Filed: 06/06/1997
• Issued: 02/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brightpoint Incorporated (HNA Technology Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Brightpoint Incorporated (HNA Technology Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Howard, David L. R., Mosher, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Voelte, Emanuel Todd
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morgan, George D.
• Application Number:
  US08/871,873
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28, 705/22, 705/7, 705/29, 705/8, 705/34, 705/39, 705/40, 364/468.01, 364/468.05, 455/419, 455/409
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A wireless communication product fulfillment system is disclosed. This system includes a computerized management technique for maintaining inventory data, ordering data, assembly data, and shipping data regarding wireless communication product kits of different configurations. These kits may correspond to orders from agents of different wireless communication service providers. The kit configurations may each specify a different brand of wireless communication device, such as a wireless telephone or pager. The fulfillment system further facilitates efficient operation by direct electronic data interfacing with multiple ordering agents and wireless communication service carriers.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication product fulfillment, comprising:

(a) establishing a digital database for a wireless communication service provider in a memory of a computer system;

(b) maintaining inventory corresponding to a number of wireless communication components including at least two different brands of wireless communication devices provided by at least two different suppliers, the inventory being represented by inventory data in the digital database for the wireless communication service provider;

(c) providing a first electronic communication channel between the computer system and a remote site to transmit ordering data corresponding to orders for each of the brands of wireless communication devices from one or more customers at the remote site, the ordering data being in a predetermined format for transmission into the memory of the computer system from the remote site, the computer system being configured to recognize the predetermined format of the ordering data for automatic transfer into the digital database;

(d) assembling a number of packages in accordance with the ordering data transmitted to the computer system, the packages each including one of the brands of wireless communication devices, said assembling including providing an identifier in the digital database uniquely associated with each of the wireless communication devices being packaged to facilitate activation by the wireless communication service provider; and

(e) shipping the packages in accordance with the orders, said shipping including updating the digital database to indicate shipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said assembling includes programming the wireless communication devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising electronically reporting said shipping to the wireless communication service provider.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating said establishing, providing, assembling, and maintaining for each of a number of different wireless communication service providers.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a document for inclusion in each of the packages, the document being automatically customized in accordance with the ordering data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system automatically translates the ordering data from the predetermined format into a format compatible with the digital database.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a second electronic communication channel with the wireless communication service provider to import device programming data into the computer system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising electronically transmitting fulfillment data to the wireless communication service provider to facilitate activation of the wireless communication devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory and the computer system are provided in a fulfillment center located separately from the remote site and the wireless communication service provider and said assembling is performed at the fulfillment center.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a second electronic communication channel with the wireless communication service provider to import device programming data into the computer system; and

electronically transmitting fulfillment data to the wireless communication service provider to facilitate activation of the wireless communication devices assembled in the packages.

11. A wireless telephone product fulfillment method, comprising:

(a) operating a computer system to provide a number of databases each corresponding to one of at least three different wireless telephone service providers, the databases each including component inventory data for a respective one of the wireless telephone service providers, the inventory data for each database representing a number of wireless telephones from one or more suppliers;

(b) receiving wireless telephone service provider data along a first electronic communication channel established between the computer system and a first remote site corresponding to a first one of the wireless telephone service providers, the wireless telephone service provider data being directly received into the computer system from the first one of the wireless telephone service providers for importation into a corresponding one of the databases;

(c) utilizing the wireless telephone service provider data to generate a number of kits, the kits each including one of a number of wireless telephones represented by the component inventory data for the first one of the wireless telephone service providers; and

(d) shipping the kits to one or-more customers of the first one of the wireless telephone service providers at a second remote site different from the first remote site.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless telephone service provider data includes at least one identifier to be loaded into each of the wireless telephones during said utilizing.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless telephone service provider data includes ordering information specifying the kits.

14. The method for claim 11, wherein each of the kits includes a number of items each having a serial number, and further comprising:

(e) recording the serial number for each of the items in the database corresponding to the one wireless communication service provider; and

(f) assigning a serial number representative of each of the kits.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising automatically electronically reporting fulfillment data to the first one of the wireless telephone service providers for activation of the wireless telephones, the fulfillment data including an identifier for each of the wireless telephones.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a document for inclusion in each of the kits, the document being automatically customized in accordance with the service provider data.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the computer system is located at a fulfillment center and further comprising establishing a second electronic communication channel between the computer system and a third remote site corresponding to a second one of the wireless telephone service providers to receive data in the computer system from the second one of the wireless telephone service providers.

18. A system for wireless communication device fulfillment, comprising:

a computer including;

(a) first means for maintaining inventory control over a number of wireless communication devices for a number of different wireless communication service providers, the devices being provided by different wireless communication device suppliers;

(b) second means for electronically receiving ordering data from a number of ordering agents each associated with a respective one of the wireless communication service providers, the ordering agents each receiving orders from one or more customers of the respective one of the wireless communication service providers;

(c) third means for providing an output signal to initiate assembly of at least one wireless communication kit including one or more of the wireless communication devices in accordance with the ordering data; and

(d) fourth means for automatically reporting fulfillment status to each of the wireless communication service providers to update switching software; and

an assembly station responsive to the output signal from said computer to provide information to assemble the at least one wireless communication kit, said assembly station including a device operable to program a unique identifier into each of the one or more wireless communication devices included in the at least one wireless communication kit.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of assembly stations each operatively coupled to said computer.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said computer is configured to electronically receive wireless communication device programming information for the one or more wireless communication devices from the respective one of the wireless communication service providers.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said assembly station includes a printer responsive to said computer to generate a document for inclusion in the wireless communication kit.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein said assembly station is further configured to selectively load an operational program into the one or more wireless communication devices.