System and method for tracking disposition of items

• US 7,607,578 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2005
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hesstech LLC
• Original Assignee: Hesstech LLC
• Inventors: Zimet, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess; Daniel A
• Application Number:
  US11/181,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20060049251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 705/28
• US Class Current: 235/384
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method and system of tracking and the disposition of inventoried items is disclosed. The method and system include assigning an audit code to an incoming inventoried item, wherein the audit code comprises a manual audit code and an automated audit code; auditing the incoming inventoried item to assess the incoming inventory item as suitable for one or more selected from the group consisting of destruction, demanufacturing, resale, recondition, storage, and redeployment; sending the incoming inventoried item to one of a redeployment, a demanufacturing, a reconditioning, a resale, a storage, and a destruction in accordance with the auditing; manually updating the manual audit code in accordance with the auditing and the sending; providing, after the sending and the manually updating, redeployment or resale of at least a portion of the incoming inventoried item audited as suitable for at least one of demanufacturing, resale, recondition, and redeployment; and, finally updating the manual audit code based upon the providing. Also disclosed is a system and method for securely tracking and reporting the disposition of inventoried items from a remote location.

Claims

1. A system for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items, said system comprising:

an inventory management database accessible only to authorized users, said database comprising data related to inventoried items, each inventoried item having an assigned manual audit code, an automated audit code, and an audited item status associated with each inventoried item;

an item status viewer for viewing the audited status of each inventoried item; and

an inventory manager for managing at least one of the audited status and disposition of each said audited item.

2. The system for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 1, wherein said assigned manual audit code may be changed during the disposition of the inventoried item with which the manual audit code is associated.

3. The system for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 1, wherein said assigned manual audit code is updated at least once during the disposition of the inventoried item with which the assigned manual audit code is associated.

4. The system for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 1, wherein said inventory manager updates said assigned manual audit code at least once during the disposition of the inventoried item with which the assigned manual code is associated.

5. The system for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 1, wherein said assigned manual audit code is modified at least once during the disposition of the inventoried item with which the assigned manual audit code is associated.

6. The system for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 1, wherein said inventory manager modifies said assigned manual audit code at least once during the disposition of the inventoried item with which the assigned manual code is associated.

7. The system for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 1, wherein one or more of said items is disposed of through an auction.

8. The system for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 1, wherein one or more of said items is disposed of by direct sale.

9. A method for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items, said method comprising:

maintaining an inventory management database accessible only to authorized users, said database comprising data related to inventoried items, each inventoried item having an assigned manual audit code, an automated audit code, and an audited status associated with each inventoried item;

maintaining an item status viewer for viewing the status of each inventoried item; and

maintaining an inventory manager for managing at least one of the audited status and disposition of each said audited item.

10. The method for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 9, wherein said assigned manual audit code may be changed during the disposition of the inventoried item with which the manual audit code is associated.

11. The method for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 9, wherein said manual audit code, maintained in the said inventory management database, is updated at least once during the disposition of the inventoried item with which the assigned manual audit code is associated.

12. The method for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 9, wherein said assigned manual audit code, maintained in the said inventory management database, is updated by the inventory manager at least once during the disposition of the inventoried item with which the assigned manual code is associated.

13. The method for remotely tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 9, wherein said inventory manager modifies said assigned manual audit code at least once during the disposition of the inventoried item with which the assigned manual code is associated.

14. A system for tracking the disposition of inventoried items, said system comprising:

an audit code assignor suitable for assigning a manual audit code and an automated audit code of the inventoried item;

an auditor that audits the incoming inventoried item to assess the incoming inventoried item as suitable for one or more of destruction, demanufacturing, resale, reconditioning, storage, and redeployment;

at least one of a redeployer, a demanufacturor, a reseller, a storer and a destructor associated with said auditor; and

at least one updator suitable for manually updating the manual audit code at each of the audit code assignor, the auditor, and the at least one redeployer, demanufacturor, reconditioner, reseller, storer, and destructor.

15. The system for tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 14, wherein said assigned manual audit code, assigned by the audit code assignor, is updated at least once during the disposition of the inventoried item with which the assigned manual audit code is associated.

16. The system for tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 14, wherein the auditor modifies the manual audit code, assigned by the assignor.

17. The system for tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 16, wherein the auditor modifies the manual audit code, assigned by the assignor, based upon the auditors assessment of the incoming inventoried item.

18. The system for tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 14, wherein said at least one of a redeployer, a demanufacturor, a reseller, a storer and a destructor modifies the manual audit code, assigned by the assignor.

19. The system for tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 18, wherein said at least one of a redeployer, a demanufacturor, a reseller, a storer and a destructor modifies the manual audit code, assigned by the assignor, based upon the auditors assessment of the incoming inventoried item.

20. The system for tracking the disposition of inventoried items of claim 14, wherein said updator updates the manual audit code for each inventoried item, during the disposition of the inventoried item to which the manual audit code is assigned, at least once.