Method for maintaining the quality of produced products

• US 6,889,109 B1
• Filed: 11/03/2000
• Issued: 05/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Solan, Brendan, Esselink, Chad E.
• Primary Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZ, PAUL L
• Application Number:
  US09/706,063
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 700/109, 700/114, 700/115, 700/214, 700/215, 700/219, 700/221, 700/222, 700/225, 340/505, 342/450, 342/457, 705/28, 702/81, 702/84, 702/188
• US Class Current: 700/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method 10 for maintaining the quality of produced goods by selectively, automatically, and remotely identifying the location of the goods 11 within a storage facility 19, thereby allowing modifications to be efficiently made to the located goods 11 in order to maintain the quality of the goods 11.

Claims

1. A method of identifying and locating a vehicle to be repaired that is stored in a storage facility for storing vehicles prior to shipment, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving the vehicle at the storage facility for storing vehicles prior to shipment;

storing the vehicle within the storage facility at a stored location;

placing a selectively readable tag on the stored vehicle, wherein the selectively readable tag operatively identifies the stored location of the vehicle within the storage facility and a shipping status of the stored vehicle;

saving the stored location of the stored vehicle within the storage facility and the shipping status in a computer database operatively in communication with the selectively readable tag;

identifying a stored vehicle to be repaired using the computer database;

updating the shipping status of the stored vehicle to be repaired on the selectively readable tag and in the computer database to prevent shipment of the stored vehicle;

dynamically locating the stored vehicle to be repaired within the storage facility by operatively reading the selectively readable tag;

performing a repair on the stored vehicle to be repaired; and

updating the shipping status of the repaired vehicle on the selectively readable tag and the computer database to release the repaired vehicle for shipment from the storage facility after the vehicle is repaired.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the selectively readable tag is an electronic device having a receiving and transmitting means.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of dynamically locating the stored vehicle to be repaired further includes the steps of selectively reading the selectively readable tag using a tag reading device operatively in communication with the computer database.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

using a vehicle identification number assigned to the stored vehicle to identify the stored vehicle and electronically storing the vehicle identification number on the selectively readable tag to be read by the tag reading device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the shipping status is an indicator indicates of releasability of the stored vehicle from the storage facility.

6. The method of claim 1 further including the step of updating the selectively readable tag with the stored location of the vehicle within the storage facility if the stored vehicle is moved to another location within the storage facility.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of dynamically locating the stored vehicle to be repaired further includes the steps of selectively reading the selectively readable tag from a remote location using a plurality of tag reading devices positioned within the storage facility that are operatively in communication with the computer database.

8. A method of identifying and locating a vehicle to be repaired that is stored in a storage facility for storing vehicles prior to shipment, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving the vehicle at the storage facility for storing vehicles prior to shipment;

storing the vehicle within the storage facility at a stored location;

placing a selectively readable tag on the stored vehicle, wherein the selectively readable tag is an electronic device having a receiving and transmitting means that operatively identifies the location of the stored vehicle within the storage facility and a shipping status of the stored vehicle;

saving the stored location of the stored vehicle within the storage facility and the shipping status in a computer database operatively in communication with the selectively readable tag, wherein the shipping status indicates availability of the stored vehicle for shipment;

identifying a stored vehicle to be repaired using the computer database;

dynamically locating the stored vehicle to be repaired within the storage facility by remotely reading the selectively readable tag using a tag reading device;

updating the shipping status of the stored vehicle to be repaired on the selectively readable tag and in the computer database to prevent shipment of the stored vehicle to be repaired;

performing a repair on the stored vehicle to be repaired; and

updating the shipping status of the repaired vehicle on the selectively readable tag and the computer database to release the repaired vehicle for shipment after the vehicle is repaired.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

using a vehicle identification number assigned to the stored vehicle to identify the stored vehicle and electronically storing the vehicle identification number on the selectively readable tag to be read by the tag reading device.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of dynamically locating the stored vehicle to be repaired further includes the steps of selectively reading the selectively readable tag from a remote location using a plurality of tag reading devices positioned within the storage facility that are operatively in communication with the computer database.

11. The method of claim 8 further including the step of updating the stored location of the stored vehicle within the storage facility if the stored vehicle is moved to another location within the storage facility.

12. A method of identifying and locating a vehicle to be repaired that is stored in a storage facility for storing vehicles prior to shipping, said method comprising the steps of:

positioning at least one tag reading device within the storage facility for storing vehicles prior to shipping;

receiving the vehicle at the storage facility;

storing the vehicle within the storage facility at a stored location;

placing a selectively readable tag on the stored vehicle, wherein the selectively readable tag is an electronic device having a receiving and transmitting means that operatively identifies the location of the stored vehicle within the storage facility;

using a vehicle identification number assigned to the stored vehicle to identify the stored vehicle and electronically storing the vehicle identification number on the selectively readable tag so that it is readable by the at least one tag reading device;

assigning a shipping status indicator to the stored vehicle that is electronically stored on the tag and readable by the tag reading device, wherein the shipping status indicator indicates releasability of the stored vehicle from the storage facility;

saving the stored location of the stored vehicle within the storage facility and the shipping status indicator in a computer database operatively in communication with the selectively readable tag;

identifying a stored vehicle to be repaired using the computer database;

dynamically locating the stored vehicle to be repaired within said storage facility by remotely reading the selectively readable tag using the at least ore tag reading device;

updating the shipping status indicator of the stored vehicle to be repaired on the selectively readable tag and in the computer database to prevent shipment of the stored vehicle to be repaired;

performing a repair on the stored vehicle to be repaired;

updating the shipping status indicator electronically stored on the selectively readable tag and in the computer database after the stored vehicle to be repaired is repaired; and

releasing the stored vehicle to be repaired for shipment from the storage facility after the vehicle is repaired.

13. The method of claim 12 further including the step of updating the stored location of the stored vehicle within the storage facility if the stored vehicle is moved to another location within the storage facility.