Remote materials management system

• US 7,313,549 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2002
• Issued: 12/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Frederick J. Hudson
• Original Assignee: Frederick J. Hudson
• Inventors: Hudson, Frederick J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Borissov; Igor N.
• Application Number:
  US10/074,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20030130964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,142 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705 7- 9, 705/11, 705/28, 705/29, 705/500, 705/404, 707/1, 707/100, 235/462.01, 235383-385, 700213-215
• US Class Current: 705/404
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management

Abstract

A materials management system, and a method of controlling a materials management flow including at least one inventoried item, are disclosed. The materials management system may include a remote operation center that provides a coordination of at least one portion of the materials management system, and that receives at least one attribute of at least one material flow item in the at least one portion of the materials management system, and at least one receiving station that transmits the at least one attribute to the remote operation center, and that receives the at least one update attribute from the remote operation center, over an external interconnection. The method includes the steps of scanning the at least one inventoried item upon entry into the materials management system at a first local receiving station, scanning the at least one inventoried item at an at least one secondary receiving station prior to delivery of the item, scanning the at least one inventoried item at at least one tertiary receiving station upon delivery of the item, scanning the at least one least one tertiary receiving station upon delivery of the item, and reconciling placement of the item at at least one of the at least one secondary receiving station and the at least one tertiary receiving station at a remote operation center externally connected to the first local receiving station, the at least one secondary receiving station, and the at least one tertiary receiving station.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a materials management flow including at least one inventoried item moving through at least two distinct geographic locations, comprising:

scanning the at least one inventoried item upon entry into the materials management flow at a first local receiving station and scanning an identification of the first local receiving station, said first local receiving station located at a first of the distinct geographic locations;

scanning the at least one inventoried item upon exit from the first local receiving station;

scanning the at least one inventoried item at at least one secondary receiving station upon delivery of the item to the at least one secondary receiving station, and scanning the identification of the at least one secondary receiving station, said at least one secondary receiving station located at a second geographic location distinct from the first geographic location;

scanning the at least one inventory item upon exit from the at least one secondary receiving station;

scanning the at least one inventoried item at at least one tertiary receiving station upon final delivery of the item to the at least one tertiary receiving station, said at least one tertiary receiving station located at a third geographic location distinct from the first and the second geographic locations;

scanning the identification of the at least one tertiary receiving station upon said final delivery of the item; and

transmitting, entering, checking, and verifying the item'"'"'s placement at at least one of the at least one secondary receiving station, and the at least one tertiary receiving station, by reconciling the identifications of each of the first local, the at least one secondary, and the at least one tertiary receiving stations and the at least one inventoried item with the materials management flow of record at a remote operation center externally connected to the first local receiving station, the at least one secondary receiving station, and the at least one tertiary receiving station.

2. A method of controlling a material flow, comprising:

coordinating material flow at a remote operation center;

externally transmitting at least one attribute to the remote operation center from at least one receiving station;

receiving the at least one attribute of at least one material flow item in the material flow at the remote operation center;

updating the at least one attribute at the remote operation center after said receiving;

externally transmitting the at least one updated attribute from the remote operation center to the at least one receiving station;

gathering the at least one material flow item from one other of the at least one receiving stations, after the at least one material flow item has had the at least one attribute externally transmitted from at least two of the at least one receiving stations, by a provider of delivery services; and

transmitting, entering, checking, and verifying the at least one updated attribute at the one other of the at least one receiving stations by scanning an identification of each of the at least one receiving stations, the at least one material flow item, and the provider of delivery services, and by reconciling the scanned identifications of each of the at least one receiving stations and the at least one material flow item with the material flow of record.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying the at least one updated attribute at the remote operation center, and at the at least one receiving station.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said coordinating comprises receiving at least one system operator command from the at least one receiving station, wherein the system operator command is entered at the at least one receiving station by a system operator.