Minimizing use of parts that will reach their end of life prior to the products for which those parts are usable
First Claim
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1. A method of managing use of parts in products, said method comprising:
- independent of a supplier of a part usable in at least one product, obtaining an estimated end of life date for the part, said estimated end of life date being generated by an entity other than the supplier of the part and representing an estimate of when the part will no longer be available, the estimated end of life date for the part being obtained prior to issuance by the supplier of the part of an end of life date for the part; and
using the estimated end of life date to manage use of the part in a product.
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Abstract
Use of parts in products is managed to minimize the use of parts that will reach their end of life prior to the products for which those parts are usable. To manage use of a part, end of life data for the part is estimated and compared to the actual or projected end of life data of a product for which the part is to be used or is used. If the comparison indicates that the part will reach its end of life prior to the product, then various factors are considered to determine whether the part is to be used in the product. The factors include cost, scheduling, alternate part availability, redesign options and/or other factors.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of managing use of parts in products, said method comprising:
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independent of a supplier of a part usable in at least one product, obtaining an estimated end of life date for the part, said estimated end of life date being generated by an entity other than the supplier of the part and representing an estimate of when the part will no longer be available, the estimated end of life date for the part being obtained prior to issuance by the supplier of the part of an end of life date for the part; and using the estimated end of life date to manage use of the part in a product. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. Computer-readable medium for storing data for access by code being executed in a communications environment, said computer-readable medium comprising:
a database used by said code to facilitate management of use of a part in a product, said database comprising an estimated end of life date for the part, said estimated end of life date being independently generated by an entity other than a supplier of the part and representing an estimate of when the part will no longer be available, the estimated end of life date for the part being obtained prior to issuance by the supplier of the part of an end of life date for the part, and being used by said code to manage use of the part in the product.
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13. A system of managing use of parts in products, said system comprising:
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means for obtaining, independent of a supplier of a part usable in at least one product, an estimated end of life date for the part, said estimated end of life date being generated by an entity other than the supplier of the part and representing an estimate of when the part will no longer be available, the estimated end of life date for the part being obtained prior to issuance by the supplier of the part of an end of life date for the part; and means for using the estimated end of life date to manage use of the part in a product. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. An article of manufacture comprising:
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at least one computer usable medium having computer readable program code logic to manage use of parts in products, the computer readable program code logic comprising; obtain logic to obtain, independent of a supplier of a part usable in at least one product, an estimated end of life date for the part, said estimated end of life date being generated by an entity other than a supplier of the part and representing an estimate of when the part will no longer be available, the estimated end of life date for the part being obtained prior to issuance by the supplier of the part of an end of life date for the part; and use logic to use the estimated end of life date to manage use of the part in a product. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification