Inventory management system and method

• US 6,418,416 B1
• Filed: 01/03/2000
• Issued: 07/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SupplyPro, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SupplyPro, Inc.
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Dean G., Holmes, William K.
• Primary Examiner(s): OLSZEWSKI, ROBERT PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/476,536
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28, 705/29, 705/23, 705/22, 705/26, 221/10, 221/12, 221/28, 312/215, 707/3, 707/9
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines

Abstract

A method and system of dispensing items in a controlled manner from cabinets or similar enclosures, re-ordering the dispensed articles or items, and providing inventory and other information about the items and users in the system. The invention utilizes a distributed network and permits users to browse and search for any item across multiple enclosures from any location. The method and system can track inventory, generate administrative reports, and independently initiate orders based on aggregate inventory levels of multiple enclosures to gain the benefit of volume discounts, minimize deliveries, maximize availability of items, or generate individual orders based on specific enclosures to maintain just-in-time inventory levels. The method and system also track the removal and stocking of items through unique identification strings, so that individual access, use, and theft of items can be monitored.

Claims

1. A method of doing business, wherein a third-party company facilitates the supply of articles from vendor companies to consumer companies, the third-party company performing the steps comprising:

supplying cabinets to multiple consumer companies, the multiple consumer companies storing articles within the cabinets;

establishing a third-party server located at the third-party company;

receiving inventory information on the third-party server regarding the articles contained within each of the cabinets;

analyzing the inventory information at the third-party server; and

placing orders through the third-party server with at least one of the vendor companies for replacement articles based on analyzing the inventory information, the replacement articles to be supplied directly to the cabinets at the consumer companies by the vendor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein access to the articles stored within the cabinets is governed by a controller computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the inventory information is compiled by the controller computer.

4. The method of claims 3, wherein the inventory information is received by the third-party server from the controller computer via one of a network or modem.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the network includes the Internet.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein access to the third-party server can be gained via a network.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the inventory information received on the third-party server can be accessed by any computer connected to the Internet.

8. A method of doing business, wherein a third-party company facilitates the supply of articles from vendor companies to consumer companies, the third-party company performing the steps comprising:

receiving inventory information from cabinets located in at least one of the consumer companies regarding articles contained within the cabinets,

compiling the inventory information for all cabinets in a third-party server,

using the third-party server to analyze the inventory information to assess inventory levels in each of the cabinets, and to place orders with at least one of the vendor companies the vendor companies supply replacement articles directly to the cabinets located in the consumer companies based on analyzing the inventory information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each cabinet is secured and has a controller computer associated with it, the controller computer governing access to the cabinet.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the inventory information is communicated from the controller computer to the third-party server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the inventory information is communicated via the Internet.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the third-party server places the orders with the vendor companies based on preset ordering rules programmed into the third-party server.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the orders are placed over a network.

14. A method of doing business, wherein a third-party company facilitates the supply of articles from a vendor company to a consumer company, the third-party company supporting a third-party server and performing the steps comprising:

supplying a cabinet to a consumer company, the consumer company being remote from the third-party server and storing articles within the cabinet the cabinet including a controller which compiles up-to-date inventory information regarding the articles contained within the cabinet, the third-party server periodically polling the controller to retrieve inventory information from the controller,

analyzing the inventory information at the third-party server, and

placing an order through the third-party server with a vendor company to supply replacement articles to the cabinet located in the consumer company based on analyzing the inventory information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the inventory information communicated from the cabinets to the third-party server includes information regarding the number and type of articles within the cabinet.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the inventory information is communicated from the controller to the third-party server via a public network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the public network includes the Internet.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the orders are placed via a public network and the vendors can access the inventory information via the third-party server.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the vendor accesses the third-party server via the Internet.

20. A method of doing business, wherein a third-party company facilitates the supply of articles from a vendor company to a consumer company, the third-party company supporting a third-party server and performing the steps comprising:

supplying a cabinet to a consumer company, the consumer company storing articles within the cabinet,

receiving inventory information on the third-party server via a public network regarding the articles contained within the cabinet,

analyzing the inventory information at the third-party server, and

placing orders through the third-party server with a vendor company via a public network for replacement articles based on analyzing the inventory information, the replacement articles to be supplied directly to the cabinet at the consumer company by the vendor.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the public network includes the Internet.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the inventory information is stored on the third-party server at the third-party company and the inventory information can be accessed by logging onto the third-party server through the Internet.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein a link is established via the Internet between a remote computer and the third-party server, the remote computer sending to the third-party server via the link a specific inquiry regarding the availability of a particular article in the cabinet.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein a link is established via the Internet between a remote computer and the third-party server, the third-party server governing access to the inventory information by a user of the remote computer and directing the user to the location of a particular article identified by the user.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein order information recording the orders placed with the vendor company is tracked on the third-party server at the third-party company and is accessed by the vendor company via the Internet.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein multiple cabinets are supplied to multiple consumer companies, the third-party server at the third-party company receives and analyzes inventory information regarding the articles contained within each of the cabinets, and the third-party server places orders with multiple vendor companies based on the analysis of the inventory information received from each of the cabinets at the multiple consumer companies.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the cabinet includes at least one lockable compartment.

28. A method of doing business, wherein a third-party company facilitates the supply of articles from a vendor company to a consumer company, the third-party company performing the steps comprising:

establishing a third-party server at the third-party company,

storing on the third-party server packaging information regarding the number of a particular article packed by the vendor company within a package of the particular article,

supplying a cabinet to a consumer company, the consumer company storing the particular article within the cabinet,

receiving inventory information at the third-party server via a public network regarding the number of the particular article contained within the cabinet,

analyzing the inventory information at the third-party server, and

placing orders through the third-party server with a vendor company via a public network for packages of the particular article based on analyzing the inventory information and the packaging information, the packages of the particular article to be supplied directly to the cabinet at the consumer company by the vendor.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the analysis of the inventory information at the third-party server includes tracking the consumption of the particular article over a period of time.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising determining the maximum amount of the article to be ordered based on the consumption of the particular article over a period of time.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the consumption of the article over a period of time is measured according to a delivery interval and the maximum amount of the article ordered is determined using a safety multiplier.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising determining the minimum amount of the article to be ordered based on the maximum amount of the article to be ordered, a lead time, and the delivery interval.