Efficient inventory and information management

• US 8,215,551 B1
• Filed: 02/10/2010
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: INTEGRATED DIGITAL IP, LLC
• Original Assignee: Brett Beveridge
• Inventors: Beveridge, Brett
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US12/703,489
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 235/381, 235/384, 235/385, 235/492, 455/433, 455/404, 455/432.3
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods and computer-readable media provide for efficient inventory and information management over a wireless network. An updated electronic data input form corresponding to an account representative of a business is received a wireless data input device along with a current geographic location of the wireless data input device. A determination is made that the current geographic location is within a pre-defined perimeter of the business. As a result, the updated electronic data input form is accepted and stored.

Claims

1. A method for servicing a business, comprising:

receiving an updated electronic data input form from a computing device associated with an account representative servicing the business, the updated electronic data input form comprising information about the business input into a plurality of fields of an electronic data input form on the computing device;

receiving a current geographic location of the computing device;

determining that the current geographic location of the computing device is within a pre-defined perimeter surrounding the business; and

in response to determining that the current geographic location of the computing device is within the pre-defined perimeter surrounding the business, storing the updated electronic data input form in a repository.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a cellular telephone or a personal data assistant.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the electronic data input form to the computing device, wherein the plurality of fields of the electronic data input form comprises a plurality of customized information requests corresponding to the business.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the current geographic location of the computing device is within the pre-defined perimeter surrounding the business comprises determining that the current geographical location of the computing device is equal to or less than a threshold distance from a geographical location of the business.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to store the updated electronic data input form;

wherein storing the updated electronic data input form in the repository comprises sending a request acceptance to the computing device and storing the updated electronic data input form in the repository.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a first geographic location of the computing device;

determining that the first geographic location of the computing device is not within a pre-defined perimeter surrounding the business; and

in response to determining that the first geographic location of the computing device is not within the predefined perimeter surrounding the business, sending a request denial to the computing device and rejecting the updated electronic data input form.

7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

8. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a request from a wireless communications device to store a completed account management information form associated with a business in a repository, wherein the request comprises a current geographic location of the wireless communications device, and wherein the completed account management information form comprises current information corresponding to the business;

determine that the current geographic location of the wireless communications device is within a pre-defined perimeter encompassing a geographic location of the business; and

in response to determining that the current geographic location of the wireless communications device is within the pre-defined perimeter encompassing the geographic location of the business, store the completed account management information form associated with the business in the repository.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to transmit an incomplete account management information form to the wireless communications device, the incomplete account management form comprising a plurality of account management data requests corresponding to the business.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

associate an account representative with data from the completed account management information form in the repository to create performance data;

receive a request for a performance metric corresponding to the account representative;

retrieve performance data associated with the account representative from the repository; and

create the performance metric comprising a compliance measure associated with the account representative at a designated time period.

11. A method for collecting and reporting data corresponding to a remote servicing location, comprising:

providing an electronic data input form to a wireless data input device associated with an account representative, the electronic data input form comprising a plurality of input fields customized according to the remote servicing location and auto-populated with data within at least one of the plurality of input fields corresponding to a previous servicing visit from the account representative;

receiving the electronic data input form from the wireless data input device, the plurality of input fields of the electronic data input form populated with updated data corresponding to a current servicing visit from the account representative;

receiving a current geographic location of the wireless data input device;

determining that the current geographic location of the wireless data input device is within a pre-defined perimeter surrounding the remote servicing location; and

in response to determining that the current geographic location of the wireless data input device is within the pre-defined perimeter surrounding the remote servicing location, storing the updated data corresponding to the current servicing visit in a repository.