Apparatus and method for analyzing cross-enterprise radio frequency tag information

• US 8,655,752 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fleet Connect Solutions LLC (Empire IP LLC)
• Original Assignee: Portiski Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Swan, Richard James
• Primary Examiner(s): Danneman, Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/317,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20060232410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,980 Days
• Field of Search: 705/29
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

The invention includes a computer readable medium with executable instructions to analyze radio frequency (RF) tag information. The executable instructions access cross-enterprise RF tag information, identify a product transition based upon the cross-enterprise RF tag information, define a new product path based upon the product transition, and apply logic to the new product path to facilitate cross-enterprise product flow analysis.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system to perform operations, comprising:

identifying one or more transitions of a product between two different enterprise types based on an analysis of cross-enterprise radio frequency tag information;

defining generating product path information based on the one or more transitions; and

determining one or more trends in product flow and product consumption based on another analysis of the product path information.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the generating the product path information comprises classifying the product path information into a group according to a common product transition characteristic.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the generating the product path information comprises characterizing a state sequence of the product path information.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise identifying a product flow exception based on a comparison between the product path information and one or more permissible trade path templates.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying pattern matching between the product path information and a test template.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying defined supply chain logic to the product path information.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying defined replenishment process failure logic to the product path information.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying defined trade promotion logic to the product path information.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the logic includes operations further comprise applying defined taxation logic to the product path information.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying defined regulatory compliance logic to the product path information.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying defined recall logic to the product path information.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying defined obsolescence logic to the product path information.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying defined cross-contamination logic to the product path information.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying defined unusual flow logic to the product path information.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying defined inventory shrinkage logic to the product path information.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying defined counterfeit identification logic to the product path information.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying defined unauthorized importation logic to the product path information.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise analyzing at least one of a product transition event, a product source, a product location, a product history, or a product statistic.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise analyzing at least one of product transition boundary information, product absolute resident time information, or product transit information.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise applying a regular expression to the product path information.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the classifying further comprises classifying the product path information into the group based on a classification of at least one of the two enterprises as a manufacturer, a warehouse, a distributor, or a retailer.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise filtering the product path information yielding filtered product path information that represents respective locations as one of a manufacturer, a warehouse, a distributer, or a retailer,

wherein the identifying the trend comprises identifying the trend based on analysis of the filtered product path information.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the cross-enterprise radio frequency tag information respectively classifies the two enterprises as one of a manufacturer, a warehouse, a distributor, or a retailer.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the generating the product path information comprises generating the product path information to characterize the cross enterprise radio frequency tag information in terms of the one or more transitions between the two different enterprise types.

25. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system comprising a processing device, product transitions between two different enterprise types comprising analyzing cross-enterprise radio frequency tag information;

generating product path information based on the product transitions; and

identifying at least a first trend in product flow and a second trend in product consumption comprising analyzing the product path information.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the generating comprises generating the product path information to characterize the cross-enterprise radio frequency tag information in terms of the product transitions between the two enterprise types.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the enterprise types comprise at least two from a group of enterprise types comprising manufacturer, warehouse, distributor, and retailer.

28. A system, comprising:

means for identifying one or more transitions of a product between two different enterprise types based on an analysis of cross-enterprise radio frequency tag information;

means for generating product path information based on the one or more transitions; and

means for identifying one or more trends in product flow and product consumption based on another analysis of the product path information.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the means for generating comprises means for characterizing the cross-enterprise radio frequency tag information in terms of the one or more transitions between the two different enterprise types.

30. A system, comprising:

a processor, communicatively coupled to a memory, that executions or facilitates execution of computer-executable instructions stored by the memory to at least;

determine product transitions between two different enterprise types using an analysis of cross-enterprise radio frequency tag information;

generate product path information based on the product transitions; and

identify a trend in product flow and product consumption using another analysis of the product path information.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the processor further executes or facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to generate the product path information to describe the cross-enterprise radio frequency tag information in terms of transitions between the two different enterprise types.