Method and system for supplying a number of service providers with technical service devices

• US 7,831,458 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2004
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Neumann, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty; Romain
• Assistant Examiner(s): Singh; Gurkanwaljit
• Application Number:
  US10/552,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20060277085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,406 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/7.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method for supplying a number of service providers with technical service devices makes is possible to reduce the expense incurred by a service provider for supplying its service employees with service devices and simultaneously and to improve the service processes of the service provider and/or its quality of service. According to the invention, a number of service devices are assigned to each of the service providers, and each of the service providers respectively perform services at a number of facility locations that are located at locations different from storage locations for service devices thereof. The inventive method comprises the followings steps: managing the service devices via a device service provider to which the respective number of service devices can be made available by the service providers, with the aid of a data processing system, whereby each of the service providers can access the data processing system, and a delivery of one or more service devices of the service provider to a desired facility location can be requested via the data processing system; delivering the requested service device(s) to the desired facility location via the device service provider.

Claims

1. A method for managing the supply for a plurality of service providers of service devices, the method comprising:

pooling data regarding a plurality of service devices in an inventory pool as device data records in a database, wherein the inventory pool comprises service provider inventories for service devices owned by each of the respective plurality of service providers and a device provider inventory for service devices owned by the device provider;

managing the service devices in the inventory pool by a data processing system comprising a computer in communication with the database accessible across a communication network by one or more client computers, wherein the data processing system is programmed to

(a) receive a request from a client computer of a requesting service provider for a requested service device;

(b) check the availability of the requested service device, via the computer on the data processing system, by searching the inventory pool in the database by;

(i) searching an inventory of the requesting service provider in the inventory pool and providing for loaning of the requested service device if located;

otherwise,

(ii) searching the device provider inventory and providing for leasing the requested service device if located;

otherwise,

(iii) searching the service provider inventories of other service providers in the inventory pool and leasing the requested service device if located,

wherein the service providers have a defined set of service personnel who can request service devices, and wherein in the data processing system is stored for each of the service personnel a respective personnel data record containing data uniquely characterizing the service personnel in terms of name and associated service provider,

wherein the personnel data record comprises one or more of criteria for the validity of a device request and a person with release authorization for the release of an invalid device request,

wherein, when a device request is made by service personnel the data processing system checks the validity of the device request regarding the personnel-related admissibility criteria, and wherein, if the device request is not valid, the data processing system requests a person with release authorization associated with the service personnel to initiate a release of the device request,

wherein the personnel-related admissibility criteria comprise a maximum permitted purchase price, and

wherein one or more of the service devices are assigned to service personnel in the data processing system, and wherein only the service devices assigned to said service personnel are offered by the data processing system in the form of a catalog for requests.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising delivering the requested service device to a desired site of the requesting service provider by the device provider.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the following further steps are executed by the data processing system:

if there is no availability in the inventory pool, providing for purchasing and delivering of the requested service device to the requesting service provider by the device provider.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the service devices comprise tools, and/or measuring means, and/or testing means.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the device data records contain data uniquely characterizing the respective service device in terms of device type, location and user.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of the device data records further include one or more of device owner data, leasing costs data, and purchase price data.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of the device data records further include a date for a recall of the service device.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the data processing system automatically compares a current date with the date for a recall of the service device, and wherein if the current date is after the recall date, a recall of the service device to the device service provider is initiated.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the date for a recall of the service device is a date for a calibration of the service device.

10. A system for managing the supply for a plurality of service providers of service devices, the system comprising:

a data processing system comprising a computer executable code, and a computer, accessible across a communication network by one or more client computers;

a database in communication with the data processing system, wherein the database comprises an inventory pool comprising device data records for service devices, wherein the inventory pool comprises service provider inventories for service devices owned by each of a respective plurality of service providers and a device provider inventory for service devices owned by a device provider;

wherein the computer executable code on the data processing system, when executed by the computer in the data processing system, performs the steps of;

(a) receiving a request from a client computer of a requesting service provider for a requested service device;

(b) checking the availability of the requested service device by searching the inventory pool in the database by;

(i) searching an inventory of the requesting service provider in the inventory pool and providing for loaning of the requested service device if located;

otherwise,

(ii) searching the device provider inventory and providing for leasing the requested service device if located;

otherwise,

(iii) searching the service provider inventories of other service providers in the inventory pool and leasing the requested service device if located,

wherein the service providers have a defined set of service personnel who can request service devices, and wherein in the data processing system is stored for each of the service personnel a respective personnel data record containing data uniquely characterizing the service personnel in terms of name and associated service provider,

wherein the personnel data record comprises one or more of criteria for the validity of a device request and a person with release authorization for the release of an invalid device request,

wherein, when a device request is made by service personnel the data processing system checks the validity of the device request regarding the personnel-related admissibility criteria, and wherein, if the device request is not valid, the data processing system requests a person with release authorization associated with the service personnel to initiate a release of the device request,

wherein the personnel-related admissibility criteria comprise a maximum permitted purchase price, and

wherein one or more of the service devices are assigned to service personnel in the data processing system, and wherein only the service devices assigned to said service personnel are offered by the data processing system in the form of a catalog for requests.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the data processing system is further programmed to providing for purchasing of the requested service device by the requesting service provider if there is no availability in the inventory pool.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the device data records contains data uniquely characterizing the respective service device in terms of device type, location, user, owner data, leasing costs data, and purchase price data.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the device data records further include a date for a recall of the service device wherein the data processing system automatically compares a current date with the date for a recall of the service device, and wherein if the current date is after the recall date, a recall of the service device to the device service provider is initiated.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the date for the recall of the service device is a date for a calibration of the service device.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein when a device request is made the data processing system checks the validity of the device request based on personnel-related admissibility criteria, and wherein, if the device request is not valid, the data processing system requests a person with release authorization to initiate a release of the device request.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the personnel-related admissibility criteria comprise a maximum permitted purchase price.