System and method for managing the alteration of garments

• US 6,324,437 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1999
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: New Century Information Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: New Century Information Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Millman, Robert M., Frankel, Charles, Ding, Fang Zhong, Findlow, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., Mark A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel, Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US09/470,437
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 700/90, 700/100, 700/132, 700/111, 700/130, 700/113, 700/225, 700/166, 331/11, 705/1, 705/7, 705/32, 705/16, 705/24, 705/27, 705/26, 705/30, 706/26, 706/904, 706/53, 434/350, 370/413
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: A41H 1/06 in combination with marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1091 Recording time for administrative or management purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A system and method for managing garment alterations. The system includes a workroom processor having a display and operating a garment alteration application system. Alterations tickets are created using a garment alterations ticket terminal, or display interfaces on the workroom processor that prompt the user for garment alteration data. The alteration data is stored in an alteration ticket data structure that relates to the workflow of a typical workroom. Alterations tickets are presented in the ticket list from which the alteration ticket status updated according to work performed. The reports module generates corporate and workroom management reports based on data stored in relation to the alterations.

Claims

1. A system for managing the alteration of existing standard garments comprising:

a workroom processor comprising an input, a data storage and a display;

an alteration ticket data structure stored in the data storage, the alteration ticket data structure defining a sales receipt data field, a ticket data field, a garment data field, a fitting data field and an alterations data field;

means coupled to the input for prompting a user for garment data, alteration data, sales receipt data, fitting data and ticket data for a standard garment, and for storing said data in corresponding fields as an entry in the alteration ticket data structure, the alteration data representative of alterations to be made to the standard garment;

means coupled to the data storage for generating an alteration ticket corresponding to the entry in the alteration ticket data structure, the entry comprising the sales receipt data, the ticket data, the garment data, the fitting data and the alteration data;

means coupled to the display for presenting the entry on the display; and

means coupled to the input for prompting the user to update garment data and alteration data of the entry, and for automatically presenting the updated garment and alteration data on the display.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an alteration price list data structure stored in the data storage, the alteration price list data structure defining a gender data field, a work type data field, a garment type data field, a group data field, an alteration data field, an item data field, a price data field, a standard unit data field, and a price type data field.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of entries; and

means coupled to the display for generating a ticket list comprising the entries.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the alteration ticket data structure further comprises a customer data structure.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the ticket data structure further defines a ticket promised alteration date based on an earliest garment promised completion date.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the garment data field further defines an alterations data structure further comprising means coupled to the display for presenting the updated status of the entry as a coded icon.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for periodically receiving electronic alteration tickets via a communication interface connected to a garment alteration ticket terminal, the garment alteration tickets being associated with one or more standard garments to be altered, the garment alteration ticket terminal comprising:

a memory, an input and a display;

an alteration ticket data structure stored in the data storage, the alteration ticket data structure defining a sales receipt data field, a ticket data field, a garment data field, a fitting data field and an alterations data field;

means coupled to the input for prompting a user for garment alteration data and for storing the garment alteration data in the alteration ticket data structure, the garment alteration data representing alterations to be made to the one or more standard garments to be altered;

means coupled to the input for prompting a user for data relating to the request and for storing the data in the alteration ticket data structure;

means coupled to the memory for generating an electronic alteration ticket corresponding to an entry in the alteration ticket data structure, the entry including the ticket data, garment data and alterations data for a garment.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the communication interface comprises an infrared link.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the communication interface comprises a radio frequency link.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the communication interface comprises a cable link.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a voice response unit coupled to a telephone link to allow a customer to obtain a status report on a garment over the telephone link.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a reports module coupled to the alteration ticket data structures operative to generate workroom management reports.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

network means for connecting one or more workroom processors, the network means allowing for sharing of alterations tickets among the one or more workroom processors.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a central computer operative to receive workroom data from more than one workroom processor; and

a central reports module operative to generate comparative workroom reports.

15. A garment alteration ticket terminal for entry of information related to alteration of existing standard garments to conform to customer requirements, the garment alteration ticket terminal comprising:

a memory, an input and a display;

an alteration ticket data structure stored in the data storage, the alteration ticket data structure being associated with a standard garment to be altered and defining a sales receipt data field, a ticket data field, a garment data field, a fitting data field and an alterations data field;

means coupled to the input for prompting a user for garment data, alteration data, sales receipt data, fitting data and ticket data for the standard garment to be altered, and for storing said data in corresponding fields as an entry in the alteration ticket data structure;

means coupled to the memory for generating an electronic alteration ticket corresponding to the entry in the alteration ticket data structure, the entry comprising the sales receipt data, the ticket data, the garment data, and the alteration data; and

means for periodically communicating the electronic alteration tickets stored in the memory via a communications interface.

16. The garment alteration ticket terminal of claim 15 further comprising:

a plurality of entries; and

means coupled to the display for generating a ticket list comprising the entries.

17. The garment alteration ticket terminal of claim 15 further comprising a pricing data base.

18. The garment alteration ticket terminal of claim 15 further comprising a customer data base.

19. The garment alteration ticket terminal of claim 15 wherein the input comprises a pen input.

20. The garment alteration ticket terminal of claim 19 wherein the pen input is coupled to an input facility comprising an on-screen keyboard.

21. The garment alteration ticket terminal of claim 19 wherein the pen input is coupled to an input facility comprising a drop-list.

22. The garment alteration ticket terminal of claim 19 wherein the pen input is coupled to an input facility comprising a handwriting recognition package.

23. The garment alteration ticket terminal of claim 15 wherein the input includes a keyboard.

24. The garment alteration ticket terminal of claim 15 wherein the input includes a microphone coupled to a voice recognition module.

25. The garment alteration ticket terminal of claim 15 further comprising a ticket printer.

26. A method for determining a source of uncollected alteration fees in garment alteration business, the method comprising:

for each alteration performed, determining a difference between a customer paid amount and an amount that should have been collected for the alteration performed and

associating the difference with a respective sales associate and a respective fitter employed by the garment alteration business.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

determining the customer paid amount from a sales receipt; and

determining the amount that should have been collected from an alteration ticket.

28. A method for determining the cost for operating a garment alterations workroom, the method comprising:

determining hours of labor scheduled for a respective employee in the garment alterations workroom multiplied by the respective employee'"'"'s cost per hour to produce a wage cost;

adjusting for overtime at an overtime rate to produce an overtime cost;

multiplying by an appropriate multiplier for employee benefits to produce a benefit cost; and

summing the wage cost, the overtime cost and the benefit cost for each employee.

29. A method for allocating the cost of operating a garment alterations workroom across departments within a store, the method comprising:

determining total garments and repairs completed within each department;

determining the total minutes completed (alterations and repairs) within each department;

calculating percentage of completed garments by each department;

calculating percentage of completed minutes by each department; and

allocating the cost of operating the garment alterations workroom according to at least one of the percentage of completed garments and the percentage of completed minutes.