Integrated tracking system

• US 6,785,582 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2002
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Araujo, Juan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Masinick, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US10/082,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20030163216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 700/101, 700/106, 700/107, 705/1, 705/5, 705/7, 707/102
• US Class Current: 700/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

The present invention relates to an integrated tracking system and method for providing a company and its customers with information about part and repair status. The tracking system broadly comprises a central processing unit for receiving data about a plurality of parts to be tracked. The central processing unit includes a staging table module for receiving and gathering the inputted data, a master table module for receiving the inputted data from the staging table module and for analyzing, organizing, and standardizing the inputted parts data, and a temporary table module for aggregating transactional records about the parts, which transactional records contain performance metrics on the parts.

Claims

1. A method for tracking parts comprising:

providing a central processing unit having a staging table module, a master table module, and a temporary table module;

inputting data about a plurality of parts from a plurality of business units into the central processing unit;

collecting said inputted data in said staging table module; and

analyzing, organizing, and standardizing said inputted part data in said master table module and creating an information database about customer orders and part status;

wherein said creating step comprises creating a centralized repair parts information database and storing said centralized repair parts information database in said master table module.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising accessing said information database in said master table module and aggregating data concerning particular transactions into transactional records in said temporary table module.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said aggregating step comprises aggregating said data by purchase order line item.

4. A method according to claim 2, further comprising providing access to said information database to a remote requestor.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said access providing step comprises accessing said central processing unit via a portal and the Internet.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said accessing means includes requesting customized reports and said method further comprises creating said customized reports from said information database information and delivering said customized reports to said requestor.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said customized report requesting step comprises providing an input screen having a plurality of fields and said requestor selecting a desired set of said fields.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein said delivering step comprises delivering said customized reports to said requestor via at least one of e-mail and an onscreen display.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising issuing notifications about changes in part status to a customer.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said analyzing steps comprises analyzing said data to determine an identity of each said business unit from which said data has been inputted and to obtain information about each part description, and each part designation used by each said business unit for each said part being tracked.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising analyzing said inputted data to gather information about part shipments and scrap parts and segregating said information about said part shipments and said scrap parts.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein said standardizing step comprises assigning a standardized company name to each business unit and a standardized part description and number for each said part being tracked.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein said analyzing step comprises analyzing repair part data in said master table module, said organizing step comprises organizing said repair part data, and said standardizing step comprises standardizing said repair part data so that all said repair part data is in a common format and so that all repair parts are described by standardized names and numbers.

14. An integrated system for tracking parts comprising:

means for inputting data about a plurality of parts to be tracked into a central processing unit;

a staging table module means in said central processing unit for receiving and gathering said inputted data;

a master table module means in said central processing unit for receiving said inputted data from said staging table unit and for analyzing, organizing, and standardizing said inputted part data; and

a temporary table module means in said central processing unit for aggregating transactional records about each said part, wherein each said transactional record contains performance metrics on a particular part.

15. An integrated tracking system further according to claim 14, further comprising means for accessing and requesting information from said central processing unit about a particular repair order status.

16. An integrated tracking system according to claim 15, wherein said accessing means comprises a portal for allowing access to said central processing unit via the Internet.

17. An integrated tracking system according to claim 15, further comprising means for delivering a report about said particular repair order status to a requestor.

18. An integrated tracking system according to claim 14, wherein said master table module means is programmed to segregate shipment and scrap details for each part from said part data.

19. An integrated tracking system according to claim 14, wherein said master table module means is programmed to change and standardize all designations for a particular part to a single part designation.

20. An integrated tracking system according to claim 14, wherein said master table module means is programmed to place all part data into a single format.

21. An integrated tracking system according to claim 14, wherein said temporary table module is programmed to aggregate all of said transactional records by purchase order line item.