Automated identification of anomalous conditions in supply chain processes
First Claim
1. A method for analyzing a supply chain process, comprising steps of:
- (a) storing first data reflecting at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a first shipment of at least one first item in the supply chain process, and storing second data reflecting at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a second shipment of at least one second item in the supply chain process;
(b) transmitting the first data, at least in part using radio frequency (RF) signals, to memory accessible to at least one processor as the at least one first item is transported from a shipping location to a receiving location as part of the supply chain process, and transmitting the second data, at least in part using RF signals, to the memory accessible to the at least one processor as the at least one second item is transported from a shipping location to a receiving location as part of the supply chain process; and
(c) using the at least one processor, automatically analyzing data points, each data point based on at least both of the first data relating to the first shipment and the second data relating to the second shipment, to determine whether a plurality of the data points match a pattern indicative of an anomalous condition in the supply chain process.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A product supply chain may be viewed not just as a series of discrete, unrelated shipment transactions, but as a “process” (or pipeline) that can be subject to statistical process control. The present invention is directed to novel systems and methods for collecting data concerning one or more aspects of a supply chain, for performing statistical analysis on the collected data to facilitate the identification of anomalies or inefficiencies in the process, and for communicating the results of such statistical analysis to those responsible for the supply chain so that remedial measures may be taken, if appropriate. Among other things, a method for analyzing a supply chain process is disclosed that involves automatically determining whether a plurality of data points, each representing at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a supply chain, match a pattern indicative of an anomalous condition in the supply chain process.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method for analyzing a supply chain process, comprising steps of:
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(a) storing first data reflecting at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a first shipment of at least one first item in the supply chain process, and storing second data reflecting at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a second shipment of at least one second item in the supply chain process; (b) transmitting the first data, at least in part using radio frequency (RF) signals, to memory accessible to at least one processor as the at least one first item is transported from a shipping location to a receiving location as part of the supply chain process, and transmitting the second data, at least in part using RF signals, to the memory accessible to the at least one processor as the at least one second item is transported from a shipping location to a receiving location as part of the supply chain process; and (c) using the at least one processor, automatically analyzing data points, each data point based on at least both of the first data relating to the first shipment and the second data relating to the second shipment, to determine whether a plurality of the data points match a pattern indicative of an anomalous condition in the supply chain process. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A system for analyzing a supply chain process, comprising:
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a first sensor configured to store first data reflecting determined values of at least one monitored aspect of a first shipment of at least one first item; a second sensor configured to store second data reflecting determined values of at least one monitored aspect of a second shipment of at least one second item; at least one radio frequency (RE) unit, wherein the RE unit receives the data as RF signals from the sensor and transmit the data; and at least one processor that stores the first and second data transmitted from the RF unit, in memory accessible to the at least one processor, as each of the at least one first item and the at least one second item is transported from a shipping location to a receiving location as part of the supply chain process, wherein the at least one processor automatically analyzes data points, each data point based on at least both of the first data relating to the first shipment the second data relating to the second shipments to determine whether a plurality of the data points match a pattern indicative of an anomalous condition in the supply chain process, and wherein the memory is disposed at a remote location relative to the RE unit. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A computer-readable medium for use with at least one processor included in a system including at least one memory having stored therein first and second data, the first data representing at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a first shipment of at least one first item in a supply chain process and the second data representing at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a second shipment of at least one second item in the supply chain process, the computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform steps of:
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(a) storing the first data in the at least one memory as at least one first item is transported from a shipping location to a receiving location as part of the supply chain process, wherein the first data is received from a first sensor associated with the at least one first item, storing the second data in the at least one memory as at least one second item is transported from a shipping location to a receiving location as part of the supply chain process, wherein the second data is received from a second sensor associated with the at least one second item, and wherein the stored first and second data is received from at least one radio frequency (RF) unit that receives RF signals from the first and second sensors; and (b) automatically analyzing a plurality of data points, each data point based on at least both of the first data relating to the first shipment and the second data relating to the second shipments to determine whether the plurality of data points match a pattern indicative of an anomalous condition in the supply chain process. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for analyzing a supply chain process, comprising steps of:
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(a) storing first data in a first sensor, the first data reflecting determined values of at least one monitored aspect of a first shipment of at least one first item, and storing second data in a second sensor, the second data reflecting determined values of at least one monitored aspect of a second shipment of at least one second item; (b) transmitting the first data to memory accessible to at least one processor as the at least one first item is transported from a shipping location to a receiving location as part of the supply chain process, and transmitting the second data to the memory accessible to the at least one processor as the at least one second item is transported from a shipping location to a receiving location as part of the supply chain process, wherein the first and second data transmitted to the memory is received from at least one radio frequency (RF) unit adapted to receive RF signals from the first and second sensors; and (c) using the at least one processor, automatically analyzing data points, each data point based on at least both of the first data relating to the first shipment and the second data relating to the second shipment, to determine whether any of a plurality of the data points falls without statistical process control limits for the supply chain process. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for analyzing a supply chain process, comprising:
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a first sensor to store first data reflecting determined values of at least one monitored aspect of a first shipment of at least one first item; a second sensor to store second data reflecting determined values of at least one monitored aspect of a second shipment of at least one second item; at least one radio frequency (RF) unit, wherein the RF unit is adapted to receive the data as RF signals from the sensor and transmit the data; and at least one processor to store the first and second data transmitted from the RF unit, in memory accessible to the at least one processor, as each of the at least one first item and the at least one second item is transported from a shipping location to a receiving location as part of the supply chain process, wherein the at least one processor automatically analyzes data points, each data point based on at least both of the first data relating to the first shipment and the second data relating to the second shipment to determine whether any of a plurality of the data points falls without statistical process control limits for the supply chain process, and wherein the memory is disposed at a remote location relative to the RF unit. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A computer-readable medium for use with at least one processor included in a system including at least one memory having stored therein first and second data, with each data point representing at least one determined value of at least one monitored aspect of a supply chain process, the computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform steps of:
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(a) storing the first data in the at least one memory during a first shipment as at least one first item is transported from a shipping location to a receiving location as part of the supply chain process, wherein the first data is received from a first sensor associated with the at least one first item; (b) storing the second data in the at least one memory during a second shipment as at least one second item is transported from a shipping location to a receiving location as part of the supply chain process, wherein the second data is received from a second sensor associated with the at least one second item; wherein the stored first and second data is received from at least one radio frequency (RF) unit that receives RF signals from the first and second sensors; and (c) automatically analyzing a plurality of data points, each data point based on at least both of the first data relating to the first shipment and the second data relating to the second shipment, to determine whether any of the plurality of data points falls without statistical process control limits for the supply chain process. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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Specification