Exchange of article-based information between multiple enterprises

• US 6,941,184 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Ebert, Peter S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paladini, Albert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Masinick, Michael D.
• Application Number:
  US10/136,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20030132853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 700/115, 707/1, 705/28, 705/29, 705/22
• US Class Current: 700/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for making information available between enterprises. In one aspect, a method includes: receiving from a first enterprise multiple instances of tag-read-data for first articles including information read automatically from tags bound to the articles, article locations, and data derived from a first data processing system of the first enterprise; receiving from a second enterprise multiple instances of tag-read-data for second articles and data derived from a second data processing system of the second enterprise; using the tag-read-data to maintain virtual representatives for the articles in a virtual world, where tag-read-data received from either enterprise for a particular article is used to update the virtual representative corresponding to the article; and making available information from updated virtual representatives and from the virtual world to both the first enterprise and the second enterprise.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving from a first enterprise multiple instances of tag-read-data, each instance including information read automatically from a tag bound to an article including at least a unique digital identifier, each instance also including status information including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound article, the multiple instances of tag-read-data received from the first enterprise collectively including information read from tags bound to first multiple articles, the tag-read-data including data derived from a first data processing system of the first enterprise;

using the tag-read-data received from the first enterprise to maintain virtual representatives in a virtual world, the virtual representatives including a virtual representative for each one of the multiple articles, each virtual representative representing the status of its corresponding article;

receiving from a second enterprise multiple instances of second tag-read-data, each instance including information read automatically from a tag bound to an article including at least a unique digital identifier, each instance also including status information including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound article, the multiple instances of tag-read-data received from the second enterprise collectively including information read from a tag bound to at least one of the first multiple articles, the tag-read-data received from the second enterprise including data derived from a second data processing system of the second enterprise;

using the tag-read-data received from the second enterprise to maintain virtual representatives in the virtual world, the virtual representatives including a virtual representative for each of the second multiple articles, each a virtual representative representing the status of its corresponding article, where tag-read-data received from either enterprise for a particular article is used to update the a virtual representative corresponding to the article;

making available information from updated virtual representatives and from the virtual world to both the first enterprise and the second enterprise;

receiving one or more instances of context information, each instance describing an associated non-taggable environmental circumstance, the context information indicating a status including a location of the circumstance, the multiple instances of context information collectively including information describing multiple circumstances;

using the received context information to maintain a virtual representative far each of the associated circumstances in the virtual world, each virtual representative representing the status of its corresponding circumstance; and

detecting interactions occurring in the virtual world between the circumstances and the articles as represented by their respective virtual representatives.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information in the virtual world about articles is mapped to virtual-world-wide standardized dimensions of time, three-dimensional space, and unique identity, whereby articles can be tracked relative to each other through space and time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

location of articles is represented in the virtual world by latitudes, longitudes, and altitudes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving sensor information obtained from a sensor associated with an article; and

updating the virtual representative of the article with the sensor information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the virtual representatives whenever that status of their associated articles changes as reflected in information received by a system operating to maintain the virtual world.

6. The method or claim 1, further comprising:

generating an alert for a user of the virtual world whenever a detected interaction is determined to affect any of the articles represented in the virtual world, where the user is a human being or a computer program.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving hierarchy information describing a hierarchy among articles represented in the virtual world; and

using the received hierarchy information to create a virtual representation of the hierarchy.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the hierarchy is a relationship among articles in which some particular articles are contained within another article.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the tags bound to the first multiple articles include radio frequency identification tags.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

each of the radio frequency identification carries an ePC electronic product code as a unique identifier.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental circumstance is a traffic condition or a weather condition.

11. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, for context-aware and real time tracking of articles, the product comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

receive from a first enterprise multiple instances of tag-read-data, each instance including information read from a tag bound to an article, including at least a unique digital identifier read automatically from the tag, each instance also including status information including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound article, the multiple instances of tag-read-data received from a first enterprise collectively including information read from tags bound to first multiple articles, the tag-read-data including data derived from a first data processing system of the first enterprise;

use the tag-read-data received from the first enterprise to maintain virtual representatives in a virtual world, the virtual representative including a virtual representative for each one of the multiple articles, each virtual representative representing the status of its corresponding article;

receive from a second enterprise multiple instances of second tag-read-data, each instance including information read from a tag bound to an article, including at least a unique digital identifier read automatically from the tag, each instance also including status information including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound article, the multiple instances of tag-read-data received from a second enterprise collectively including information read from a tag bound to at least one of the first multiple articles, the tag-read-data received from a second enterprise including data derived from a second data processing system of the second enterprise;

use the tag-read-data received from the second enterprise to maintain virtual representatives in the virtual world, the virtual representatives including a virtual representative for each one of the second multiple articles, each a virtual representative representing the status of its corresponding article, where tag-read-data received from either enterprise for a particular article is used to update the virtual representative corresponding to the article;

make available information from updated virtual representatives and from the virtual world to both the first enterprise and the second enterprise;

receive one or more instances of context information, each instance describing an associated non-taggable environmental circumstance, the context information indicating a status including a location of the circumstance, the multiple instances of context information collectively including information describing multiple circumstances;

use the received context information to maintain a virtual representative for each of the associated circumstances in the virtual world, each virtual representative representing the status of its corresponding circumstance; and

detect interactions occurring in the virtual world between the circumstances and the articles as represented by their respective virtual representatives.

12. The product of claim 11, wherein:

the information in the virtual world about articles is mapped to virtual-world-wide standardized dimensions of time, three-dimensional space, and unique identity, whereby articles can be tracked relative to each other through space and time.

13. The product of claim 12, wherein:

location of articles is represented in the virtual world by latitudes, longitudes, and altitudes.

14. The product of claim 11, further comprising instructions to:

receive sensor information obtained from a sensor associated with an article; and

update the virtual representative of the article with the sensor information.

15. The product of claim 11, further comprising instructions to:

update the virtual representatives whenever that status of their associated articles changes as reflected in information received by a system operating to maintain the virtual world.

16. The product of claim 11, comprising instructions to:

generate an alert for a user of the virtual world whenever a detected interaction is determined to affect any of the articles represented in the virtual world, where the user is a human being or a computer program.

17. The product of claim 11, further comprising instructions to:

receive hierarchy information describing a hierarchy among articles represented in the virtual world; and

use the received hierarchy information to create a virtual representation of the hierarchy.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the hierarchy is a relationship among articles in which some particular articles are contained within another article.

19. The product of claim 11, wherein:

the tags bound to the first multiple articles include radio frequency identification tags.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

each of the radio frequency identification carries an ePC electronic product code as a unique identifier.

32. The product of claim 11, wherein the environmental circumstance is a traffic condition or a weather condition.

21. A system, comprising:

means for receiving from a first enterprise multiple instances of tag-read-data, each instance including information read automatically from a tag bound to an article including at least a unique digital identifier, each instance also including status information including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound article, the multiple instances of tag-read-data received from the first enterprise collectively including information read from tags bound to first multiple articles, the tag-read-data including data derived from a first data processing system of the first enterprise;

means for using the tag-read-data received from the first enterprise to maintain virtual representatives in a virtual world, the virtual representatives including a virtual representative for each one of the multiple articles, each virtual representative representing the status of its corresponding article;

means for receiving from a second enterprise multiple instances of second tag-read-data, each instance including information read automatically from a tag bound to an article including at least a unique digital identifier, each instance also including status information including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound article, the multiple instances of tag-read-data received from the second enterprise collectively including information read from a tag bound to at least one of the first multiple articles, the tag-read-data received from the second enterprise including data derived from a second data processing system of the second enterprise;

means for using the tag-read-data received from the second enterprise to maintain virtual representatives in the virtual world, the virtual representatives including a virtual representative for each of the second multiple articles, each a virtual representative representing the status of its corresponding article, where tag-read-data received from either enterprise for a particular article is used to update the virtual representative corresponding to the article;

means for making available information from updated virtual representatives and from the virtual world to both the first enterprise and the second enterprise;

means for receiving one or more instances of context information, each instance describing an associated non-taggable circumstance, the context information indicating a status including a location of the circumstance, the multiple instances of context information collectively including information describing multiple circumstances;

means for using the received context information to maintain a virtual representative for each of the associated circumstances in the virtual world, each virtual representative representing the status of its corresponding circumstance; and

means for detecting interactions occurring in the virtual world between the circumstances and the articles as represented by their respective virtual representatives.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the information in the virtual world about articles is mapped to virtual-world-wide standardized dimensions of time, three-dimensional space, and unique identity, whereby articles can be tracked relative to each other through space and time.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein:

location of articles is represented in the virtual world by latitudes, longitudes, and altitudes.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving sensor information obtained from a sensor associated with an article; and

means for updating the virtual representative of the article with the sensor information.

25. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for updating the virtual representatives whenever that status of their associated articles changes as reflected in information received by a system operating to maintain the virtual world.

26. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for generating an alert for a user of the virtual world whenever a detected interaction is determined to affect any of the articles represented in the virtual world, where the user is a human being or a computer program.

27. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving hierarchy information describing a hierarchy among articles represented in the virtual world; and

means for using the received hierarchy information to create a virtual representation of the hierarchy.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein:

the hierarchy is a relationship among articles in which some particular articles are contained within another article.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the tags bound to the first multiple articles include radio frequency identification tags.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein:

each of the radio frequency identification carries an ePC electronic product code as a unique identifier.

33. The system of claim 21, wherein the environmental circumstance is a traffic condition or a weather condition.