Electronic data exchange system and method

• US 8,204,960 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH (CLAAS KGaA mbH)
• Original Assignee: Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH (CLAAS KGaA mbH)
• Inventors: Wippersteg, Heinz-Hermann, Steckel, Thilo
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, DUYEN MY
• Application Number:
  US11/216,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20070073700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,484 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 701/50, 701 24- 25, 701/1
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a system and a method of electronic data exchange for retrieving information used to carry out processes, at least one application is used to retrieve the information, and the application retrieves situation-specific information.

Claims

1. An electronic data exchange system configured for retrieving information used to carry out processes, the system comprising:

a computer with a central arithmetic unit and a memory, and which is configured as a central processing unit within which at least one application executes the following steps;

automatically determining a situation-specific information requirement for at least one of said processes, wherein the determined situation-specific information requirement includes situation-specific process and planning data or if situation-specific process and planning data are already available, the determined situation-specific information requirement includes supplementary process and planning data;

automatically identifying a suitable service provider of the situation-specific information requirement, from a plurality of service providers integrated into the data exchange system;

automatically integrating additional suitable service providers into the data exchange system, at random and dynamically;

automatically retrieving situation-specific information for the situation-specific information requirement from the identified suitable service provider and any additional suitable service providers through communications between the application and the service providers is based on standardized Web techniques;

automatically processing the retrieved situation-specific information to automatically carry out said at least one process, including dynamically checking existing situation-specific information for new, updated situation-specific information and automatically retrieving said new, updated situation-specific information where available;

wherein said application is assigned to an apparatus selected from the group consisting of at least one mobile agricultural working machine, at least one piece of stationary equipment, or both, and the situation specific information controls agricultural processes;

wherein the agricultural processes can be selected from the group consisting of an optimization of operational parameters of the agricultural working machine, a management of an implementation of the agricultural working machine, a management of complex processes sequences, an optimization of a use of auxiliary substances and combinations thereof.

2. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for communicating between said application, system users and providers.

3. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein said system further comprises means for performing a data exchange using standardized Web techniques.

4. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein said situation-specific information includes process and planning data, which process and planning data are limitable to supplementary process and planning data.

5. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step of navigating among a grid-upon service provider.

6. A system as defined in claim 2, further comprising steps of integrating additional users in the system, and making the retrieved information available to said additional users.

7. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary substances include seeds, fertilizers, plant-protecting agents, and fuels.

8. A system as defined in claim 2, further comprising a step wherein said application is activated by a user.

9. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein said user is a data exchange system, and wherein said application makes the situation-specific information available to a modulated sequence.

10. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the modulated sequence comprises a large number of process chains.

11. A system as defined in claim 9, further comprising means for implementing process-chain managing of the modulated sequence.

12. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step wherein a user selects a defined process, and at least one of said steps of determining, identifying, retrieving and processing are carried out to fulfill the information requirement.

13. A method of electronic data exchange operable in a computer having a central arithmetic unit and a memory for retrieving information used to carryout processes, comprising the steps of:

initiating a process by a system user;

automatically determining whether the process requires situation-specific information, using at least one application, wherein the determined situation-specific information requirement includes situation-specific process and planning data or, if situation-specific process and planning data are already available, that the determined situation-specific information requirement includes supplementary process and planning data;

if situation-specific information is required, automatically identifying a suitable service provider of the required situation-specific information from a plurality of service providers integrated into the data exchange system, using said at least one application;

automatically integrating additional suitable service providers into the data exchange system, at random and dynamically, using said at least one application;

automatically retrieving the required situation-specific information from said suitable service provider and any additional suitable service providers, using communications between the application and the service providers that are based on standardized Web techniques; and

automatically processing the retrieved, required situation-specific information, using said at least one application, to carry out said process, including dynamically checking existing situation-specific information for new, updated situation-specific information and automatically retrieving said new, updated situation-specific information where available;

wherein said application is assigned to an apparatus selected from the group consisting of at least one mobile agricultural working machine, at least one piece of stationary equipment, or both, and the situation specific information controls agricultural processes;

wherein the agricultural processes can be selected from the group consisting of an optimization of operational parameters of the agricultural working machine, a management of an implementation of the agricultural working machine, a management of complex processes sequences, an optimization of a use of auxiliary substances and combinations thereof.

14. A method as defined by claim 13, further comprising a step of automatically receiving updated situation-specific information for said process as it becomes available.

15. A method as set forth in claim 13, wherein said step of initiating further comprises communicating between said user and said application over the Internet.

16. A method as set forth in claim 15, wherein said communicating comprises wireless communication.

17. An electronic data exchange system comprising a central processing unit within which an application configured for retrieving information used to carry out processes, the central processing unit comprising:

application program means for determining a situation-specific information requirement for at least one of said processes, wherein the determined situation-specific information requirement includes situation-specific process and planning data or, if situation-specific process and planning data are already available, that the determined situation-specific information requirement includes supplementary process and planning data;

application program means for identifying a suitable service provider of the situation-specific information requirement from a plurality of service providers integrated into the data exchange system;

automatically integrating additional suitable service providers, into the data exchange system, at random and dynamically;

application program means for retrieving situation-specific information for the situation-specific information requirement from the identified suitable service provider, and any additional suitable service providers using communications between the application and the service providers that are based on standardized Web techniques;

application program means for processing the retrieved situation-specific information to automatically carry out said at least one process, including dynamically checking existing information for new, updated information and automatically retrieving said new, updated situation-specific information where available; and

application program means for receiving updated situation-specific information for said at least one process, automatically as it becomes available, and for automatically processing said updated situation-specific information to automatically carry out said at least one process;

wherein said application is assigned to an apparatus selected from the group consisting of at least one mobile agricultural working machine, at least one piece of stationary equipment, or both, and the situation specific information controls agricultural processes;

wherein the agricultural processes can be selected from the group consisting of an optimization of operational parameters of the agricultural working machine, a management of an implementation of the agricultural working machine, a management of complex processes sequences, an optimization of a use of auxiliary substances and combinations thereof.