Automated parts labeling system

• US 6,986,462 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Ly, Sidney, Venkatesh, Sid
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US10/135,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20030201320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 235/385, 235/470, 235/485, 235/487, 235375-376, 235/472.01, 235/472.03, 705 22- 23, 705/28, 705/408, 700/125, 700/227, 238/81, 238/101
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations

Abstract

A system for marking parts including an automated parts labeling (APL) software module for producing information labels for marking parts, a processor for executing the APL software module, and at least one of peripheral label device communicatively connected to the processor for receiving part identification information from the processor and marking said information labels.

Claims

1. A system for marking manufacturing assembly parts with identification information, said system comprising:

a processor;

an automated parts labeling (APL) module executed by said processor for generating at least one interactive panel;

a processor-user interface for displaying the interactive panel; and

at least two dissimilar part marking devices simultaneously communicatively connected to said processor, each dissimilar part marking device configured to;

mark a different type of manufacturing assembly part; and

mark a surface of duplicated manufacturing assembly parts with same identification data identifying the duplicated manufacturing assembly parts;

wherein said at least two dissimilar part marking devices comprise at least two different ones of an ink jet printer, a metal tag marking device, a synthetic tag marking device and a stencil tag generating device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said processor-user interface comprises at least one of a display, a keyboard, a mouse, and a bar code scanner.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said interactive panel comprises a plurality of data entry fields, each said peripheral part marking device having at least one said data entry field related thereto, and said processor-user interface is utilized to input identification data in said data entry field.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said bar code scanner is utilized to automatically input said identification data in said data entry fields.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said interactive panel further comprises a plurality of print buttons, each said print button specific to an independent one of said peripheral part marking devices, said print buttons being used for communicating said input identification data to the respective said peripheral part marking device.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said interactive panel further comprises a label format window for selecting a format of said input identification data.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein said interactive panel further comprises a metal tag window for use when a metal label is desired.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein said interactive panel further comprises a transfer button for use when manually entering identification data using said keyboard.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing assembly parts comprise at least one of mechanical parts, electrical parts and chemical solutions.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing assembly parts are configured to be used in conjunction with at least one other manufacturing assembly part to assemble at least one of a device, circuit, structure, machine, equipment, synthetic and composition.

11. A method for marking manufacturing assembly parts with identification information, wherein said method comprises:

generating at least one interactive panel utilizing a processor, wherein the interactive panel allows a user to automate marking at least two dissimilar manufacturing assembly parts with identification data specific to each manufacturing assembly part, the identification data used to identify the respective part;

entering the identification data, utilizing a processor-user interface, in the interactive panel; and

marking each manufacturing assembly part with the identification data specific to the respective manufacturing assembly part utilizing at least two dissimilar peripheral part marking devices simultaneously communicatively connected to the processor, each dissimilar manufacturing assembly part being marked using a different one of the dissimilar part marking devices, wherein the dissimilar part marking devices comprise at least two different ones of an ink jet printer, a metal tag marking device, a synthetic tag marking device and a stencil tag generating device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the processor-user interface includes at least one of a display, a keyboard, a mouse, and a bar code scanner, and wherein generating at least one interactive panel comprises displaying the interactive panel utilizing the processor-user interface.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the interactive panel includes a label format window and a data window having a plurality of data entry fields, each of the peripheral part marking devices having at least one data entry field related thereto, and wherein entering identification data comprises:

selecting an identification data format utilizing the label format window; and

entering identification data in the data entry fields utilizing the processor-user interface.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein entering data further comprises automatically entering data utilizing the bar code scanner.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the data window further includes a transfer button, and wherein entering identification data further comprises:

selecting the transfer button; and

manually entering the identification data utilizing the keyboard.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the data window further includes a plurality of print buttons, each print button specific to an independent one of the peripheral part marking devices, and wherein marking each manufacturing assembly part comprises:

loading the respective peripheral part marking devices with an information label suitable for use with the respective peripheral part marking device; and

selecting a specific one of print buttons such that the processor communicates the identification data to the respective peripheral part marking device, whereby the respective peripheral part marking device marks the information label with the identification data in the selected data format.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the interactive panel includes a metal tag window including a data entry field and a print button, and wherein marking each manufacturing assembly part comprises:

entering data in the data entry field utilizing the processor-user interface;

loading the peripheral part marking device with a metal information label; and

selecting the print button such that the processor communicates the identification data to the peripheral part marking device, whereby the peripheral part marking device marks the metal information label with the identification data.

18. A method for using a computer to mark manufacturing assembly parts with identification information, the method comprising:

displaying at least one interactive panel on a processor-user interface, said interactive panel having a plurality data entry fields, wherein each data entry field is related to a specific one of a plurality of dissimilar peripheral part marking devices simultaneously communicatively connected to the computer and each dissimilar peripheral part marking device configured to mark a surface of a different type of manufacturing assembly part;

receiving identification data entered in said data entry fields using said processor-user interface, wherein the identification data is used to identify a plurality of duplicated manufacturing assembly parts; and

communicating with the dissimilar peripheral part marking devices, thereby instructing one of said dissimilar peripheral part marking devices to mark the like manufacturing assembly parts with said identification data, wherein the dissimilar part marking devices comprise at least two different ones of an ink jet printer, a metal tag marking device, a synthetic tag marking device and a stencil tag generating device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein displaying at least one interactive panel comprises providing instructions interpretable by the computer to instruct the computer to display said interactive panel having a label format window, a data window including said data entry fields and a plurality of print buttons, each print button associated with an independent one of the dissimilar peripheral part marking devices, and a metal tag window having one of said data entry fields and a corresponding print button.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving identification data comprises providing instructions interpretable by the computer to instruct the computer to:

receive said identification data from a bar code scanner; and

format said received identification data based on a format selected utilizing said label format window.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein communicating with a plurality of dissimilar peripheral part marking devices comprises providing instructions interpretable by the computer to instruct the computer to communicate with a specific one of said peripheral part marking devices upon selection of a specific one of said print buttons, thereby instructing said specific peripheral part marking device to mark said identification data entered in said data entry field corresponding to said specific peripheral part marking device on an information label compatible with said specific peripheral part marking device.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving identification data comprises providing instructions interpretable by the computer to instruct the computer to:

display said data window having a transfer button; and

receive identification data manually entered using a keyboard upon selection of said transfer button.