Supply chain visibility solution architecture

• US 7,497,370 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2005
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Salvador, Andy P., Adil, Mohammad A., Schwandt, Craig A., Allen, Lingzhi L., Beeson, Frank J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Koyama; Kumiko C
• Application Number:
  US11/094,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20060163338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/492, 340/572.1, 707/4, 707/100
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/008 incorporating GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

A supply chain (or other process) visibility solution combines RFID technology with a data visibility architecture to provide real-time or near real-time supply chain information at various stages of the supply chain (or other process). The system uses a data gathering architecture which collects data from multiple sources about an object. The sources of data include RFID tags, scanners and manual input. The data from the RFID tags is used to correlate the gathered data to attributes associated with the object (e.g., name, description or price). The gathered data and attributes are stored in a data store according to a customizable schema and published for consumption by one or more business processes.

Claims

1. A method for managing process data, comprising:

receiving status information at a handheld computing device, said status information includes Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) data and status data about one or more objects;

synchronizing said handheld computing device with a controller, including synchronizing said status information;

removing redundant data from said RFID data and said status data at said controller;

sending said RFID data and said status data from said controller to a separate data processing system;

receiving status information at said separate data processing center;

storing said status information in a first format in a temporary data store, said storing is performed by said separate data processing system;

adding attribute information for said one or more objects to said status information in said temporary data store, said adding attribute information comprises;

accessing said RFID data in said temporary data store,

using said accessed RFID data to determine if said attribute information is in a cache,

acquiring said attribute information from said cache if said attribute information is in said cache,

acquiring said attribute information from an external look-up service if said attribute information is not in said cache, and

storing said attribute information in said first format in said temporary data store in association with said status information;

transforming said status data and attribute information to a second format based on metadata; and

publishing said transformed status data and attribute information.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data for pre-populating forms at said handheld computing device, said data for pre-populating forms is received from said controller; and

providing said forms to a user with said data for pre-populating said forms, said receiving status information at a handheld computing device includes receiving said status data about said one or more objects based on said forms.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing said transformed status data and attribute information to a server that includes a plurality of adapter processes, each adapter process is used to communicate with a different business process; and

using said adapter processes to communicate said published and transformed status data and attribute information to said different business applications.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

said publishing includes providing said transformed status data and attribute information to an extraction, transformation and load entity for delivery to a data warehouse; and

providing said status data and attribute information to a data mining tool from said data warehouse.

5. A method for managanging process data, comprising:

receiving data for pre-populating forms at a handheld computing device, said data for pre-populating said forms is received from a controller;

receiving Radio Frequency Identification RFID data at said handheld computing device;

providing said forms to a user with said data for pre-populating said forms;

receiving status data about one or more objects based on said forms;

synchronizing said handheld computing device with said controller, including synchronizing said status data and said RFID data; and

sending said RFID data and said status data from said controller to a separate data processing system;

receiving status information at said separate data processing system, said status information includes said RFID data and said status data about one or more objects;

storing said status information in a first format, said separate data processing system performs said receiving status information and storing said status information in said first format;

mapping said status data to attribute information about said one or more objects using said RFID data;

transforming said status data and attribute information to a first schema based on metadata;

providing said transformed status data and attribute information to a server that includes a plurality of adapter processes, each adapter process is used to communicate with a different business process; and

using said adapter processes to communicate said transformed status data and attribute information to said different business applications.

6. A method for managing process data, comprising:

receiving status information at a handheld computing device, said status information includes Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) data and status data about one or more objects;

synchronizing said handheld computing device with a controller, including synchronizing said status information;

removing redundant data from said RFID data and said status data at said controller;

sending said status information, including said RFID data and said status data, from said controller to a separate data processing system;

receiving said status information at said separate data processing system;

storing said status information in a first format at said separate data processing system;

mapping said status data to attribute information about said one or more objects using said RFID data;

transforming said status data and attribute information to a first schema based on metadata;

providing said transformed status data and attribute information to a server that includes a plurality of adapter processes, each adapter process is used to communicate with a different business process; and

using said adapter processes to communicate transformed status data and attribute information to said different business applications.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

adding attribute information for said one or more objects to said status information, said adding attribute information comprises;

using said RFID data to determine if said attribute information is in a cache,

acquiring said attribute information from said cache if said attribute information is in said cache,

acquiring said attribute information from an external look-up service if said attribute information is not in said cache, and

storing said attribute information in said first format in said temporary data store in association with said status information.