Inventory system
First Claim
1. A computer implemented method for allocating finished units in a production facility to orders received from customers for those units, the computer implemented method comprising the steps:
- identifying, via one or more computers, orders from customers for finished units;
identifying, via said one or more computers, finished units in production at a defined time and available to fill said orders;
identifying, via said one or more computers, defects in the finished units and defects that the customers are willing to accept;
of said identified finished units, identifying, via said one or more computers, valid units that are available to be assigned to said orders;
for each of the finished units, creating, via said one or more computers, an associated surface defect map indicating the locations of defects in said each finished unit and characteristics of said defects;
using, via said one or more computers, said defect maps to search for the largest area in each of the finished units that can be assigned to each order;
iteratively assigning and unassigning, via said one or more computers, valid units to said orders, in a defined sequence of said orders, until either (i) all the orders are fulfilled, or (ii) there are no more assignment options to be tested, including;
identifying, via said one or more computers, any incomplete orders, and for each identified incomplete order, searching among valid units previously assigned to other orders for a unit that fulfills said identified incomplete order, andif a unit, previously assigned to some other order, is found that fulfills said identified incomplete order, then, via said one or more computers,(i) unassigning said found unit from said other order, and (2) re-assigning said found unit to said identified incomplete order.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system that provides the functions to search for material that would fit an order or search for order that a piece of material would fit. For that, the system considers the technical specification defined in the processing route assigned to the orders, domain-expert knowledge for check for feasible matches, and a flexible plant model to specify valid feasible stock areas for searching. This system allows complete visibility of all material in a plant and its suitability to be applied to the customer orders. A second aspect of this invention is a material re-allocation method and system. In accordance with this system, each coil to be processed by the finishing area receives a surface defect map. This map indicates the location of the defects and their characteristics.
34 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A computer implemented method for allocating finished units in a production facility to orders received from customers for those units, the computer implemented method comprising the steps:
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identifying, via one or more computers, orders from customers for finished units; identifying, via said one or more computers, finished units in production at a defined time and available to fill said orders; identifying, via said one or more computers, defects in the finished units and defects that the customers are willing to accept; of said identified finished units, identifying, via said one or more computers, valid units that are available to be assigned to said orders; for each of the finished units, creating, via said one or more computers, an associated surface defect map indicating the locations of defects in said each finished unit and characteristics of said defects; using, via said one or more computers, said defect maps to search for the largest area in each of the finished units that can be assigned to each order; iteratively assigning and unassigning, via said one or more computers, valid units to said orders, in a defined sequence of said orders, until either (i) all the orders are fulfilled, or (ii) there are no more assignment options to be tested, including; identifying, via said one or more computers, any incomplete orders, and for each identified incomplete order, searching among valid units previously assigned to other orders for a unit that fulfills said identified incomplete order, and if a unit, previously assigned to some other order, is found that fulfills said identified incomplete order, then, via said one or more computers, (i) unassigning said found unit from said other order, and (2) re-assigning said found unit to said identified incomplete order. - View Dependent Claims (2, 7, 10, 11, 12)
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3. A system for allocating finished units in a production facility to orders received from customers for those units, the system comprising:
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means for identifying orders from customers for finished units; means for identifying finished units in production at a defined time and available to fill said orders; means for identifying defects in the finished units and defects that the customers are willing to accept; means for creating, for each of the finished units, an associated surface defect map indicating the locations of defects in said each finished unit and characteristics of said defects; means for using said defect maps to search for the largest area in each of the finished units that can be assigned to each order; means to identify which ones of said identified units are valid units that are available to be assigned to said orders; and
to iteratively assign and unassign valid units to said orders, in a defined sequence of said orders, until either (i) all the orders are fulfilled, or (ii) there are no more assignment options to be tested, includingidentifying any incomplete orders, and for each identified incomplete order, searching among valid units previously assigned to other orders for a unit that fUlfills said identified incomplete order, and if a unit, previously assigned to some other order, is found that fulfills said identified incomplete order, then (i) unassigning said found unit from said other order and (2) re-assigning said found unit to said identified incomplete order. - View Dependent Claims (4, 8)
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5. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for allocating finished units in a production facility to orders received, said method steps comprising:
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identifying orders from customers for finished units; identifying finished units in production at a defined time and available to fill said orders; identifying defects in the finished units and defects that the customers are willing to accept; of said identified finished units, identifying valid units that are available to be assigned to said orders; for each of the finished units, creating an associated surface defect map indicating the locations of defects in said each finished unit and characteristics of said defects; using said defect maps to search for the largest area in each of the finished units that can be assigned to each order; iteratively assigning and unassigning valid units to orders, in a defined sequence of said orders, until either (i) all the orders are fulfilled, or (ii) there are no more assignment options to be tested, including identifying any incomplete orders, and for each identified incomplete order, searching among valid units previously assigned to other orders for a unit that fulfills said identified incomplete order, and if a unit, previously assigned to some other order, is found that fulfills said identified incomplete order, then (i) unassigning said found unit from said other order and (2) re-assigning said found unit to said identified incomplete order. - View Dependent Claims (6, 9)
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Specification