| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080301212 | REAL TIME UNIVERSAL DATE AND TIME CONVERSION - A method and system makes date-time conversions and complex date-time calculations between dates of different calendaring systems. The conversion method herein allows embedded, real-time conversion in computer applications and systems between multiple calendaring systems. A date of a first date-time format is converted to any date of a second date-time format after a transformation to a temporal reference or epoch date. The conversion method can be embedded into any code space to enable full date-time conversion abilities. The real-time conversion of the conversion method requires no conversion tables and no post-processing manipulation thus eliminating the need for individual programmers to re-create the same date cross reference tables, or post processing algorithms. The conversion method supports conversion between any two date-time formats including the various existing Gregorian conventions. | 12-04-2008 |
| 20090106061 | PROGRESSIVE VENDOR DATA MANAGEMENT AND VERIFICATION IN A MULTI-NODE SUPPLY NETWORK - Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to product data sharing in a multi-node supply chain and provide a method, system and computer program product for progressive vendor data management and verification in a multi-node supply chain. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for progressive vendor data management and verification in a multi-node supply chain can be provided. The method can include propagating vendor data requirements for a product component downstream from a root node in the supply chain to a leaf node in the supply chain producing a portion of the product component. The method further can include verifying vendor data at each node in the supply chain according to the vendor data requirements. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090164285 | AUTO-CASCADING CLEAR TO BUILD ENGINE FOR MULTIPLE ENTERPRISE ORDER LEVEL PARTS MANAGEMENT - Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for an auto-cascading clear to build (CTB) tool for multiple enterprise parts management. A method for auto-cascading (CTB) for multiple enterprise parts management can include receiving a demand resulting in an inventory requirement to satisfy the demand, soft allocating inventory meeting a portion of the inventory requirement from multiple different intra-plant locations in an order of priority specified by a set of inventory location priority rules, further soft allocating inventory meeting a remaining portion of the inventory requirement from inventory of multiple different external suppliers in an order of priority specified by the set of inventory location priority rules, and hard reserving the soft allocated inventory and updating inventory levels both in each of the intra-plant locations and also in the external suppliers. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20090164343 | AUTO-CASCADING CLEAR TO BUILD ENGINE FOR MULTIPLE LOCATION ORDER LEVEL PARTS MANAGEMENT - Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for multiple-location auto-cascading clear to build inventory management. In an embodiment of the invention, an order processing method can be provided. The order processing method can include determining a required allocation of parts necessary to build an order, recursively soft allocating parts in different locations until enough parts have been soft allocated to satisfy the required allocation of parts necessary to build the order, and hard allocating the soft allocated parts. In one aspect of the embodiment, it can be determined that not enough parts remain amongst the different locations to satisfy the required allocation of parts necessary to build the order. In that circumstance, the soft allocated parts can be cleared for allocation by a different order. Alternatively, the order can be built short by hard allocating the soft allocated parts even though not enough parts are soft allocated to satisfy the required allocation of parts. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20090169352 | DYNAMIC ITEM-SPACE ALLOCATION AND RETRIEVAL - Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to staging manufactured items and provide a method, system and computer program product for staging items in a manufacturing environment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for staging items in a manufacturing environment can be provided. The method can include defining attributes of staging locations in a distribution area of the manufacturing environment, defining a set of staging strategies for use in the distribution area of the manufacturing environment, receiving a manufactured item in the distribution area and obtaining characteristics of the manufactured item, comparing the obtained characteristics of the manufactured item to the set of staging strategies to select the staging strategy to apply to the manufactured item and applying the selected staging strategy to the manufactured item to assign the manufactured item to storage in one of the staging locations in the distribution area based on matching the obtained characteristics of the manufactured item to the defined attributes of the one of the staging locations. The method can further include the retrieval of the manufactured item from the staging location at the appropriate time to allow for subsequent processing or shipment, and may include multiple iterations of the staging-retrieval process as required by the particular implementation. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20090299882 | CONVERTING ASSETS FOR REUSE DURING MANUFACTURING - Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to manufacturing production and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for reuse of cancelled products that are partially manufactured. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for reusing a partially manufactured product during a manufacturing process can be provided. The method can include reading a configuration of the partially manufactured product and reading a set of rules that match a given configuration with one of a set of defined target configurations. The method can further include executing the set of rules upon the configuration of the partially manufactured product so as to match the configuration of the partially manufactured product with a target configuration. The method can further include initiating re-configuration of the partially manufactured product to the target configuration with which it was matched and stocking in inventory the partially manufactured product that has been re-configured to the target configuration. | 12-03-2009 |
| 20100023147 | RECONFIGURATION OF ASSETS FOR REUSE DURING MANUFACTURING - A method for reconfiguring a partially manufactured product during a manufacturing process is disclosed. The method can include reading a configuration of the partially manufactured product and reading at least one order for a manufactured product, wherein each order is associated with a target configuration. The method can further include reading a set of rules that match a given configuration with one of a set of target configurations and executing the set of rules upon the configuration of the partially manufactured product so as to match the configuration of the partially manufactured product with one of a target configuration of the at least one order. The method can further include initiating re-configuration of the partially manufactured product to the target configuration with which it was matched. Thus, the partially manufactured product is reused in the manufacturing process to fulfill an order it was not originally created to fulfill. | 01-28-2010 |
| 20100049537 | DYNAMIC BULK PACKING AND CASING - Automated techniques for identifying packaging solutions, where a dynamic, automated decision is made as to whether items are to be bulk packed and/or whether particular containers are to be bulk cased (that is, consolidated within casing such as pallets). Factors considered may comprise customer-specific requests, order destination, type of items, quantity of items, size of items, quantity of grouped orders, size of grouped orders, and so forth. Orders may contain items that are alike as well as items that are different from one another. A particular order or orders may be assembled as the items of the order(s) arrive for packaging, without requiring a fixed timing or sequence of item arrival, thereby providing a dynamic, real-time packaging solution. | 02-25-2010 |