Supply-chain side assistance

• US 20100223065A1
• Filed: 02/23/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Rinaldo, John D. JR., Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A., Malamud, Mark A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,762,839 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

An apparatus, device, method, computer program product, and system that identifies an item having a presence within a geographic locale in response to a signal indicative of the item, obtains a first instance of a supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source and obtaining a second instance of a supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source; and aggregates the first supply-chain assistance and the second supply-chain assistance.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a) means for receiving a signal indicative of an item and generated directly in response to the item having a presence within a geographical locale;

b) means for identifying the item having a presence within the geographic locale in response to a signal indicative of the item;

c) means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source in direct response to the identifying the item and means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source in direct response to the identifying the item; and

d) means for aggregating the first supply-chain assistance and the second supply-chain assistance.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for identifying the item having a presence within the geographic locale includes

means for identifying at least one of a product, a raw material, or a manufactured good having a presence within a geographic locale.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for identifying the item having a presence within the geographic locale includes

means for identifying an item having a presence within at least one of a distribution center premises, a retail store storage premises, or a warehouse premises.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for identifying the item having a presence within the geographic locale includes

means for identifying an item having a presence within a conveyance.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source includes

means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source over a network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source includes

means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source over the network.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source includes

means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source over a network that includes at least one of a local area network, a wide area network, a private network, a public network, or the Internet.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source over a network includes

means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source over a network that includes at least one of a private global computer network or a public global computer network.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source and means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source includes

means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first domain and

means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second domain.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source includes

means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source that is independent from the first source.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source includes

means for obtaining a first instance of information corresponding to a history of the item during a presence of the item in a supply chain.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source includes

means for obtaining a second instance of information corresponding to a history of the item during a presence of the item in a supply chain.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source includes

means for obtaining a first instance of supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a third party database.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source includes

means for obtaining a second instance of supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a third party database.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source includes

means for obtaining a first instance of supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a trade association.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source includes

means for obtaining a second instance of supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a trade association.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source includes

means for obtaining a first instance of supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a regulatory agency.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source includes

means for obtaining a second instance of supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a regulatory agency.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source includes

means for obtaining a first security interest information corresponding to the identified item from a first source.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source includes

means for obtaining a second security interest information corresponding to the identified item from a second source.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source includes

means for obtaining a first commercial interest information corresponding to the identified item from a first source.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source includes

means for obtaining a second commercial interest information corresponding to the identified item from a second source.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source includes

means for obtaining a first stolen property status information corresponding to the item from a first source.

35. The system of claim 1, means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source includes

means for obtaining a first handling information corresponding to the item from a first source.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for aggregating the first supply-chain assistance and the second supply-chain assistance includes

means for aggregating the first supply-chain assistance and the second supply-chain assistance into a user interface.

38. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for aggregating the first supply-chain assistance and the second supply-chain assistance includes

means for translating the first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item using a mutually agreed protocol.

40. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for aggregating the first supply-chain assistance and the second supply-chain assistance includes

means for translating the first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first native data format.

42. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

e) means for enabling a supply-chain user to request at least one instance of supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item.

43. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

e) means for broadcasting the aggregated first supply-chain assistance and the second supply-chain assistance.

44. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

e) means for causing the first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item to be obtained from the first source and the second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item to be obtained from the second source.

5. (canceled)

24-28. -28. (canceled)

30-34. -34. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

39. (canceled)

41. (canceled)

45-46. -46. (canceled)

47. (canceled)

50. (canceled)

52. A system comprising:

a) means for receiving a signal indicative of an item generated directly in response to the item having a presence within a geographic locale; and

b) means for identifying the item having a presence within the geographic locale in response to the signal indicative of the item;

c) means for enabling a supply-chain user to request a supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item having a presence within a geographic locale;

d) means for obtaining a first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the item from a first source and obtaining a second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the item from a second source in response to a received supply-chain user request for a supply-chain assistance corresponding to the item having a presence with a geographic locale;

e) means for aggregating the first supply-chain assistance and the second supply-chain assistance; and

f) means for broadcasting the aggregated supply-chain assistance.

48. The system of claim 52, wherein the means for receiving a signal indicative of an item generated directly in response to the item having a presence within a geographic locale includes

means for receiving a signal indicative of an optically readable product code associated with an item having a presence within a geographic locale.

49. The system of claim 52, wherein the means for receiving a signal indicative of an item generated directly in response to the item having a presence within a geographic locale includes

means for receiving a signal indicative of an electronically transmitted product code associated with an item generated directly in response to the item having a presence within a geographic locale.

51. The system of claim 52, wherein the means for receiving a signal indicative of an item generated directly in response to the item having a presence within a geographic locale includes

means for receiving a signal indicative of an item generated directly in response to the item having a presence within a premises.

53-66. -66. (canceled)