Item tracking systems and real-time inventory management

• US 6,681,990 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Chen, Ye, Lin, Tao, Swan, Richard J., Vogler, Hartmut K., Beckett, R. Scott, Vrieling, James, Van der Veen, Wouter
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US10/159,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20030222141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385
• US Class Current: 235/385
• 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: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, to support real-time inventory management. Changes to the inventory including the addition or removal of an item from the inventory are reported to the item tracking system in real-time. An inventory planner normally operates on a periodic schedule to perform inventory management functions. The inventory planner can receive alerts from an early warning agent that can cause the inventory planner to perform at least some inventory management functions, outside of its normal periodic schedule. In particular, the agent can send an alert to the inventory planner to cause the inventory planner to determine whether replenishment of store inventory is needed. To make this determination, the inventory planner can retrieve real-time inventory data from the item tracking system.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a monitoring system including;

a tag reader configured to read tags from tagged items located within an inventory; and

means for detecting and reporting that an item has been added to or removed from the inventory;

one or more item tracking systems, each item tracking system including;

a memory that stores information about tagged items;

input processing logic configured to process messages containing information about changes in the location of a tagged item and to store the information in the memory; and

a query interface configured to respond to queries about the tagged items; and

an event router including;

a registry of subscribers, the subscribers including the one or more item tracking systems; and

means for receiving an event from the monitoring system and sending the event to the one or more item tracking systems.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the event includes a unique digital identifier for an item, a unique digital identifier for a reader and a timestamp.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the event further includes a parameter that indicates whether the item has been added to the inventory or whether the item has been removed from the inventory.

4. Apparatus comprising:

a monitoring system including;

a tag reader configured to read tags from tagged items located within an inventory; and

means for detecting and reporting that an item has been added to or removed from the inventory;

a first computer program configured to determine whether replenishment of the inventory is needed;

a second computer program configured to determine whether to send an alert to the first computer program; and

an event router including;

a registry of subscribers, the subscribers including the first computer program; and

means for receiving an event from the monitoring system and sending the event to the second computer program.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the event includes a unique digital identifier for an item, a unique digital identifier for a reader and a timestamp.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the event further includes a parameter that indicates whether the item has been added to the inventory or whether the item has been removed from the inventory.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second computer program is configured to apply a pre-determined set of rules to determine whether to send the alert.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second computer program is further configured to analyze inventory data to detect trends in the data.

9. Apparatus comprising:

a monitoring system including;

a tag reader configured to read tags from tagged items located within an inventory; and

means for detecting and reporting that an item has been added to or removed from the inventory;

a plurality of event routers, each event router including;

a registry of subscribers; and

means for receiving an event from the monitoring system and sending the event to one or more of the subscribers; and

a mapping component including;

a memory that stores mappings between an item identifier and an event router and between a reader identifier and an event router; and

means for receiving an item or reader identifier from the monitoring system and using the item or reader identifier to locate an event router.

10. Apparatus comprising:

a monitoring system including;

a tag reader configured to read tags from tagged items located within an inventory; and

means for detecting and reporting that an item has been added or removed from the inventory;

an item tracking system including;

a memory that stores information about tagged items;

input processing logic configured to process messages containing information about changes in the location of a tagged item and to store the information in the memory; and

a query interface configured to respond to queries about the tagged items;

a first computer program configured to determine whether replenishment of the inventory is needed; and

a second computer program configured to receive an event from the monitoring system and to determine whether to send an alert to the first computer program.

11. A system comprising:

a monitoring system including;

a tag reader configured to read tags from tagged items located within an inventory; and

means for detecting and reporting that an item has been added to or removed from the inventory;

an item tracking system including;

a memory that stores information about tagged items;

input processing logic configured to process messages containing information about changes in the location of a tagged item and to store the information in the memory; and

a query interface configured to respond to queries about the tagged items;

a first computer program configured to determine whether replenishment of the inventory is needed;

a second computer program configured to receive an event from the monitoring system and to determine whether to send an alert to the first computer program;

an event router including;

a registry of subscribers, the subscribers including the item tracking system, the first computer program and the second computer program; and

means for receiving an event from the monitoring system and sending the event to one or more of the subscribers; and

a mapping component including;

memory that stores mappings between an item identifier and an event router and between a reader identifier and an event router; and

means for receiving an item identifier from the monitoring system and using the item identifier to locate an event router.