Network server for servicing articles of wear

• US 7,020,624 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2001
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United Microelectronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Microelectronics Corporation
• Inventors: Hsuan, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Application Number:
  US09/789,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/37, 700/213
• US Class Current: 705/26.81
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A network server provides continuous laundry services for articles of wear. Each article has a unique article identifier. The server has a customer database for associating each customer with a unique customer identification; a message server for sending electronic messages to customers; an article database; a service catalog for indicating available article-related services to the customer; an order database for tracking a process status of the article according to the article identifier, and a last-serviced database for tracking a regular service requirement of the article according to the article identifier. The network server uses the last-serviced database, the customer database, and the message server to send an electronic reminder message to the customer when a service time for the article is exceeded. The customer can use the server to inquire about the current process status of an article, and place a new order for the cleaning of an article.

Claims

1. A network server for providing continuous laundry services for articles of wear to a customer on a client computer, the server comprising:

a plurality of article identifiers, each of the article identifiers attaching to each of the articles;

a customer database for associating the customer with a customer identification;

a message server for sending a message to the customer;

a service catalog for indicating available article-related services to the customer;

an order database for tracking a process status of an article according to the corresponding article identifier; and

a last-serviced database for tracking a regular service requirement of the article and tracking whether a service time for the article to be serviced is exceeded or not according to the article identifier, the last-serviced database comprising a last service field for holding the time when the article last obtained a specific servicing, and an interval field for holding a time interval after which the article must again obtain the specific servicing, the last service field and the interval field together comprising the service time for the article to be next serviced to enable the last-serviced database to track whether the service time is exceed or not;

wherein the network server uses the last-serviced database and the message server to send a message to the customer when the service time for the article is exceeded, and uses the order database to enable the customer to track the process status of the article.

2. The network server of claim 1 further comprising a login system;

wherein the login system obtains a login name and a login password from the customer, the login system uses the customer database, the login name, and the login password to obtain the customer identification, and after obtaining the customer identification, the server sends a laundry service page to the client computer.

3. The network server of claim 2 wherein the customer database comprises at least an entry for the customer, and the entry comprises a login name field for identifying the login name of the customer, a customer identification field for obtaining the customer identification of the customer, a password verification field for verifying the login password from the customer, and an address of the customer, the message server sending the message to the address.

4. The, network server of claim 3 further comprising a reminder system for sending the reminder message to the customer when the service time for the article is exceeded, the reminder system using the last-serviced database to generate the message, and the customer database to obtain the address for the message.

5. The network server of claim 4 wherein the last-serviced database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry for a serviced article and comprising an article identification field for holding an article identification of the serviced article, and service time data to enable the reminder system to determine when a servicing time for the serviced article is exceeded.

6. The network server of claim 3 wherein if the login system identifies a new customer, the login system sends a customer information entry form to the client computer to obtain customer information from the new customer, and the login system uses the customer information to create a new entry in the customer database.

7. The network server of claim 2 further comprising an ordering system, and the laundry service page enables the customer to access the ordering system;

wherein the ordering system uses the service catalog and generates a service order form that is sent to the client computer to enable the customer to place a service order.

8. The network server of claim 7 wherein the ordering system obtains service information from the customer using the service order form, uses the service catalog and the service information to generate a charges page, the charges page having a service charge for the order, and sends the charges page to the client computer;

wherein the charges page enables the customer to accept the order or to cancel the order, and the ordering system adds a new entry to the order database if the customer accepts the order.

9. The network server of claim 8 wherein the order database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry for an article to be serviced and comprising an article identification field for holding an article identification for the article to be serviced, and a process status field for indicating a current process status of the article to be serviced.

10. The network server of claim 2 further comprising:

a tracking system; and

an article database for cataloging an article according to the article identifier on the article, and associating the article with the customer identification;

wherein the service page enables the customer to access the tracking system, and the tracking system uses the customer identification and the article database to obtain a list of article identifications associated with the customer identification, uses the list of article identifications and the order database to obtain process status information, and uses the process status information to send a tracking page to the client computer.

11. The network server of claim 10 wherein the article database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry for a service article and comprising an article identification field for holding an article identification for the service article, and an article owner identification field for holding a customer identification for the service article.

12. The network server of claim 1 wherein the service catalog includes a contamination analysis service for the article;

wherein contamination results from the contamination analysis service are delivered to the customer.

13. The network server of claim 1 wherein the message is an electronic mail (e-mail) message.

14. A method for providing continuous laundry services for articles of wear, the method comprising:

tagging each article with a unique article identifier; and

providing a network server for accepting a service order for an article from a client computer, for tracking a process status of the service order, for tracking service time data when the article last obtained a specific servicing, for tracking a servicing time interval after which the article must again obtain the specific servicing, and for sending a message to the client computer when a service time for the article determined by the tracked service time data and the tracked servicing time interval is approaching or is overdue.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the server comprises:

a customer database for associating a customer on the client computer with a customer identification;

a message server for sending the message to the client computer;

a service catalog for indicating available article-related services to the customer;

an order database for tracking the process status of the article according to the article identifier; and

a last-serviced database for tracking a regular service requirement of the article according to the article identifier.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the customer database comprises at least an entry for the customer, and the entry comprises a login name field for identifying a login name of the customer, a customer identification field for obtaining the customer identification of the customer, a password verification field for verifying a login password from the customer, and an address of the customer, the message server sending the message to the address.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising using the last-serviced database to generate the message, and the customer database to obtain the address for the message, and sending the message to the client computer when the service time for the article is approaching or is overdue.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the last-serviced database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry for a serviced article and comprising an article identification field for holding an article identification of the serviced article, and the service time data to enable determination of when the service time for the serviced article is exceeded.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising detecting a new customer, sending a customer information entry form to the client computer to obtain customer information from the new customer, and using the customer information to create a new entry in the customer database.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising using the service catalog to generate a service order form that is sent to the client computer to enable the customer to place an order.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

obtaining service information from the customer using the service order form;

using the service catalog and the service information to generate a charges page, the charges page having a service charge for the order;

sending the charges page to the client computer, the charges page enabling the customer to accept the order or to cancel the order; and

adding a new entry to the order database if the customer accepts the order.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein the order database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry for an article to be serviced and comprising an article identification field for holding an article identification for the article to be serviced, and a process status field for indicating a current process status of the article to be serviced.

23. The method of claim 15 wherein the server further comprises an article database for cataloging an article according to the article identifier on the article, and associating the article with the customer identification, the method further comprising:

using the customer identification and the article database to obtain a list of article identifications associated with the customer identification;

using the list of article identifications and the order database to obtain process status information; and

using the process status information to send a tracking page to the client computer.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the article database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry for a service article and comprising an article identification field for holding an article identification for the service article, and an article owner identification field for holding a customer identification for the service article.

25. The method of claim 15 wherein the service catalog includes a contamination analysis service for the article, the method further comprising delivering contamination results from the contamination analysis service in a message to the customer.

26. The method of claim 14 wherein the message is an electronic mail (e-mail) message.