Inventory management

• US 8,560,407 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2011
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Buonagurio, Kevin, Budhiraja, Sarika
• Primary Examiner(s): Thein, M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Danzig, Reva R
• Application Number:
  US13/042,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20120233039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 705/28, 705/10
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method for inventory management performed by a computerized inventory management system includes, with an inventory management system, receiving an initial inventory line comprising an item, a quantity, and a bin. The method further includes, with the inventory management system providing a split quantity user interface window in response to determining that the quantity of the item exceeds an actual quantity stored at the bin, creating and displaying a plurality of new inventory lines to replace the first inventory line in response to an autosplit control of the user interface being engaged, the new inventory lines including different bins, and providing a control through the user interface window to allow manual adjustment of the new inventory lines.

Claims

1. A method for inventory management performed by a computerized inventory management system, the method comprising:

with said inventory management system, receiving an initial inventory line comprising an item, a requested quantity, and a requested bin;

determining that the requested quantity of said item exceeds an actual quantity stored at said requested bin;

with said inventory management system, automatically providing a split quantity user interface window in response to said determining that said requested quantity of said item exceeds an actual quantity stored at said requested bin, so as to entirely manage fulfillment of the requested quantity of the item within the split quantity user interface window, said split quantity user interface window comprising all of a header section describing said initial inventory line, a control section comprising an autosplit control and manual control, and an inventory lines section for listing new inventory lines to replace the initial inventory line;

with the autosplit control of said split quantity user interface of said inventory management system, creating and displaying a plurality of new inventory lines in said inventory lines section to replace said initial inventory line, said new inventory lines comprising different bins; and

with the manual control in said control section of said split quantity user interface window of said inventory management system, providing a manual control in said control section of said user interface window to provide manual adjustment of said new inventory lines;

wherein to create said plurality of new inventory lines, said inventory management system uses a set of constraints comprising a ranking for different bins that indicates which bins should be exhausted before items are removed from other bins and a minimum number of items to be left in a particular bin; and

fulfilling a request of said initial inventory line for the requested quantity of the item using said plurality of new inventory lines.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said split quantity user interface window notifies a user if said quantity of said initial inventory line cannot be satisfied by creating new inventory lines.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, with said inventory management system, automatically updating each of said new inventory lines in response to a manual change to one of said new inventory lines.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said item of said first inventory line is a rotating item comprising a unique identification number.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input modifying one of said plurality of new inventory lines; and

automatically updating other of said new inventory lines in response to modification of one of said new inventory lines such that said plurality of new inventory lines continue to serve as a replacement for and, together match said quantity of, said initial inventory line.

6. A computerized inventory management system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to said processor;

in which said processor is configured to;

receive an initial inventory line comprising an item, a requested quantity, and a requested bin;

determine that the requested quantity of said item exceeds an actual quantity stored at said requested bin;

automatically provide a split quantity user interface window in response to said determining that said requested quantity of said item exceeds an actual quantity stored at said requested bin, so as to entirely manage fulfillment of the requested quantity of the item within the split quantity user interface window, said split quantity user interface window comprising all of a header section describing said initial inventory line, a control section comprising an autosplit control an manual control, and an inventory section for listing new inventory lines to replace the initial inventory line;

in response to the autosplit control of said split quantity user interface window, create and display a plurality of new inventory lines in said inventory lines section to replace said initial inventory line, said new inventory lines comprising different bins; and

in response to the manual control in said control section of said split quantity user interface window, receive manual adjustment of said new inventory lines;

wherein to create said plurality of new inventory lines, said inventory management system uses a set of constraints comprising a ranking for different bins that indicates which bins should be exhausted before items are removed from other bins and a minimum number of items to be left in a particular bin; and

fulfill a request of said initial inventory line for the requested quantity of the item using said plurality of new inventory lines.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said processor is further configured to notify a user, in said split quantity user interface window, if said quantity of said initial inventory line cannot be satisfied by creating new inventory lines.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said processor is further configured to automatically update each of said new inventory lines in response to a manual change to one of said new inventory lines.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said item of said first inventory line is a rotating item comprising a unique identification number.

10. The system of claim 6, in which said processor is further configured to:

receive user input modifying one of said plurality of new inventory lines; and

automatically update other of said new inventory lines in response to modification of one of said new inventory lines such that said plurality of new inventory lines continue to serve as a replacement for and, together match said quantity of, said initial inventory line.

11. A computer program product for inventory management, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage device having computer readable code embodied therewith, said computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to receive an initial inventory line comprising an item, a requested quantity, and a requested bin;

computer readable program code configured to determine that the requested quantity of said item exceeds an actual quantity stored at said requested bin;

computer readable program code configured to automatically provide a split quantity user interface window in response to said determining that said requested quantity of said item exceeds an actual quantity stored at said requested bin, so as to entirely manage fulfillment of the requested quantity of the item within the split quantity user interface window, said split quantity user interface window comprising all of a header section describing said initial inventory line, a control section comprising an autosplit control and manual control, and an inventory lines section for listing new inventory lines to replace the initial inventory line;

computer readable program code configured to, in response to the autosplit control of said split quantity user interface, create and display a plurality of new inventory lines in said inventory lines section to replace said initial inventory line, said new inventory lines comprising different bins; and

computer readable program code configured to provide a manual control in said control section of said split quantity user interface window to provide manual adjustment of said new inventory lines;

wherein to create said plurality of new inventory lines, said product for inventory management uses a set of constraints comprising a ranking for different bins that indicates which bins should be exhausted before items are removed from other bins and a minimum number of items to be left in a particular bin; and

computer readable program code configured to fulfill a request of said initial inventory line for the requested quantity of the item using said plurality of new inventory lines.