Container and inventory monitoring methods and systems

• US 6,148,291 A
• Filed: 01/26/1998
• Issued: 11/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wireless Media Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: K&T of Lorain Limited
• Inventors: Radican, Joseph E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, Tod R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Myhre, James W.
• Application Number:
  US09/013,392
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 705/22, 705/28, 705/29
• 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 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station

Abstract

Container and inventory monitoring methods and systems provide detailed logistical control of containers, shipping racks and resident and in-transit inventory. The methods and systems create and maintain accurate real-time records of the location, movement and load status of containers, racks and inventory within the facility boundaries and between facilities such as factories, assembly plants, warehouses, shipping yards and freight switching facilities. Detailed data on container switching, unloading and loading activity is recorded and archived. A virtual inventory accounting is provided by tracking from customer release orders to supplier shipments and rack returns.

Claims

1. A computerized system for monitoring and recording location and load status of shipping containers relative to a facility with an associated yard defined by a boundary within which containers are to be monitored by the system, and a controlled entry point to the boundary, the system comprising:

means for recording identification codes of containers which enter the boundary,

means for communicating and recording information on movements, location and load status of containers within the boundary in response to movement and changes in location and load status of containers made according to instructions received from the facility,

means for generating reports of recorded information on locations and load status of containers within the boundary, and

means for generating reports on container locations and load status relative to designated docks associated with a facility.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the reports on container locations and load status relative to designated docks associated with a facility are presented as dock availability reports which list a plurality of dock designations and an identification code of a container associated with a designated dock.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein movements of containers within the boundary are recorded in the form of a carrier dock activity report which displays a number of containers located at a dock of a facility during a designated day, a starting point of a container prior to arriving at a dock, a load status of the container as it was removed from a dock, and a number of switches of container during the designated day.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein movements of containers within the boundary are recorded in the form of a dock activity report which for a designated dock on a designated day records an identity of a container brought to the dock, an inbound load status of the container and an outbound load status of the container, an in dock time and an exit dock time, and a dock dwell time.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein movements of containers within the boundary are recorded in the form of a live unload report which records the date, time, dwell time and identification of containers which move from an entry point of the boundary to a dock.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein movements of containers within a boundary are recorded in the form of an arrival count report which records a total number of containers arrived to a facility per a specified time period.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the arrival count report records a total number of containers arrived to a facility per day.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the arrival count report records an average number of containers arrived to a facility per day.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the arrival count report records a total number of containers arrived to a facility per hour.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the arrival count report records an average number of containers arrived to a facility per hour.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein the arrival count report records an average number of containers arrived to a facility per hour per a twenty-four hour period.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the arrival count report records a total number of containers arrived to a facility per hour per day.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the arrival count report records an average number of containers arrived to a facility per hour per day.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein movements of containers within a boundary are recorded in the form of a switch count report which records a total number of container switches per a specified period of time.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the switch count report includes a total number of switches per day.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the switch count report includes an average number of switches per day.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the switch count report includes an total number of switches per hour per day.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the switch count report includes an average number of switches per hour per day.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein movements of containers within a boundary are recorded in the form of a live unload exception report which records a container identification, date and time of arrival, date and time of first move, number of moves, date and time of departure, and load status.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the live unload exception report further comprises a detail page report which includes an archival history of switching and load status of a designated container.

21. A method for using a computer to monitor usage of one or more docks associated with a facility, wherein the usage involves the presence or absence of a container at a dock, the method of comprising the steps of:

(a) recording the presence of an identified container at a particular identified dock,

(b) recording the absence of an identified container at a particular identified dock,

(c) producing a report which identifies monitored docks and identifies containers present at identified docks, and also identifies docks at which a container is absent.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of producing a dock availability report which numerically lists one or more docks of a facility and identifies a container present at the identified docks and a carrier associated with the identified containers.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising the steps of producing a report for a selected dock which indicates a total number of containers brought to the selected dock during a specified time period.

24. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of producing a report for a selected dock which indicates a total number of containers removed from the selected dock during a specified time period.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of producing a report for selected docks which indicates a total number of containers left at the selected docks during a specified time period.

26. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of producing a report which indicates a load status of containers removed from identified docks.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the load status is selected from the group consisting of partial load, empty load, empty racks, and live unload.

28. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of producing a report which indicates a total number of switches for an identified container before or after the container is brought to an identified dock.

29. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of producing a dock activity report for a particular dock which indicates the date and time of arrival of an identified container at the dock, the date and time of departure of the container from the dock, and a total time the container was at the dock.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the dock activity report further includes the identity of a yard from which the identified container was moved to the dock, and the identity of a yard to which the container was moved from the dock.

31. The method of claim 21 wherein the report produced is a live unload report which identifies containers which are taken directly to an identified dock upon arrival at a facility and which further indicates an IN DOCK TIME, an EXIT DOCK TIME and a DWELL TIME.

32. A method of generating a live unload exception report for monitoring containers intended to be unloaded at a dock of a facility upon arrival at the facility without being first placed in a yard associated with the facility, but which were switched at least once before arriving at a dock, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) identifying live unload containers from information received by an advance shipping notice,

(b) recording a date and time of arrival of an identified live unload container,

(c) recording a date and time of contact with the live unload container by a switcher which flags the container as a live unload exception, and

(d) recording a total number of switches of the container before the container arrives at a dock.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising the steps of recording the date and time of departure and load status of a live unload exception container.

34. The method of claim 32 further comprising the step of recording for the live unload exception report for an identified carrier and container at least one of the items selected from the group of:

load status, yard location, date and time of switches, arrival, last move, retention/detention, unload, loading or partial unloading of racks, completed reload, or departure.

35. A method of monitoring receiving yards for shipping containers with respect to the presence and location of containers within a yard having a plurality of slots wherein each slot is adapted to hold at least one container, the method comprising the steps of providing a graphical representation of a receiving yard including identified slots within the yard and identifying one or more containers associated with the identified slots, whereby location of containers within a yard can be determined.