USH1743H
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Inventory management method and apparatus
Assignee: Hercules LLC
•
Filing: 1995-03-17
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Granted: 1998-08-04
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Expires: 2015-03-17
Abstract
Abstract Method and apparatus for inventory monitoring a supply consumed in the manufacturing of a finished product. An inventory management system monitors the quantity of supplies in a storage facility. Based upon historical data related to the rate of usage of the supplies, the inventory management system determines the period of time until the stored supplies are depleted. If the supplies are depleted prior to a next scheduled delivery of replacement supplies, the inventory management system communicates with the supplier to move ahead the delivery date. Conversely, if the inventory management system determines that the supplies are being consumed at a rate lower than projected, the inventory management system will instruct the supplier to delay a shipment date. Supervisory personnel may access the system from a local location or a remote location. In addition, an alarm is activated when there is a sudden change in the rate of usage of the stored supplies. Provisions are included for remotely accessed the inventory management system, and for detecting the receipt of replacement supplies in order to authorize the payment for the replacement supplies.
Inventors
- 👤 Henry K. Graves
- 👤 Robert W. Perkins
- 👤 Jack Phillips Mills, Jr.
- 👤 Gerald Richard Giles
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 06:05
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01F; G01F23/00; G01F23/80; G01F23/802; G01F23/804; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/08; G06Q10/087; G06Q10/0872; G06Q10/08726; G06Q10/0877; G06Q10/08772
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 37
Claim 1
Independent Claim
79 words
A consumable supplies monitoring and ordering system, comprising: a sensor that detects a quantity of said consumable supplies; means for determining usage information of said consumable supplies for a predetermined period of time in response to a signal from said sensor; and means for modifying scheduled deliveries of additional consumable supplies based upon historical rates of consumption of said consumable supplies, in accordance with said usage information determined by said determining means and said detected quantity of consumable supplies.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
79 words
A consumable supplies monitoring and ordering system, comprising: a sensor that detects a quantity of said consumable supplies; means for determining usage information of said consumable supplies for a predetermined period of time in response to a signal from said sensor; and means for modifying scheduled deliveries of additional consumable supplies based upon historical rates of consumption of said consumable supplies, in accordance with said usage information determined by said determining means and said detected quantity of consumable supplies.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 1, wherein said sensor comprises a differential pressure cell, sensor.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 2, further comprising means for converting a signal produced by said differential pressure cell sensor to a digital signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 1, further comprising means for converting an output signal of said sensor to an RS-232 signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 4, further comprising means for providing a local indication of said quantity of consumable supplies.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 1, further comprising an alarm that is activated when said determining means determines an abnormal condition.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 1, further comprising means for providing status information related to said consumable supplies.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 1, further comprising means for remotely accessing said monitoring and ordering system.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 1, further comprising means for verbally conveying information related to said consumable supplies to an authorized user.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 1, further comprising means for ascertaining an operating condition of said sensor, said ascertaining means issuing an alarm when said operating condition comprises an abnormal condition.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 10, further comprising means for activating a remote alarm when said ascertaining means ascertains said abnormal condition.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 1, further comprising means for acknowledging delivery of said additional consumable supplies.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 12, wherein said acknowledging means authorizes payment for said delivered additional consumable supplies.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
135 words
A consumable supplies monitoring and ordering system, comprising: a sensor that detects a quantity of consumable supplies stored in a storage facility, said sensor outputting a signal related to said quantity of stored consumable supplies; a converting device that converts said output signal of said sensor to a predetermined signal; a processing unit that receives said predetermined signal to determine usage information of said consumable supplies over a predetermined period of time, said processing unit employing said usage information to project when said consumable supplies will be completely depleted; and means for communicating with a supplier of said consumable supplies to modify a scheduled delivery of additional consumable supplies, based upon the projection of when said consumable supplies will be depleted, if said scheduled delivery would result in an undesirable quantity of stored consumable supplies.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
135 words
A consumable supplies monitoring and ordering system, comprising: a sensor that detects a quantity of consumable supplies stored in a storage facility, said sensor outputting a signal related to said quantity of stored consumable supplies; a converting device that converts said output signal of said sensor to a predetermined signal; a processing unit that receives said predetermined signal to determine usage information of said consumable supplies over a predetermined period of time, said processing unit employing said usage information to project when said consumable supplies will be completely depleted; and means for communicating with a supplier of said consumable supplies to modify a scheduled delivery of additional consumable supplies, based upon the projection of when said consumable supplies will be depleted, if said scheduled delivery would result in an undesirable quantity of stored consumable supplies.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 14, further comprising a local alarm that is activated when said converting device fails to provide said predetermined signal to said processing unit.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 15, further comprising a remote alarm, said remote alarm being activated along with said local alarm.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 16, wherein said remote alarm comprises a visual alarm indicator and an audible alarm.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
16 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 17, further comprising means for disabling said audible alarm.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
20 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 14, further comprising means for accessing said processing unit from a remote location.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
27 words
The monitoring and processing system of claim 19, wherein said accessing means comprises a voice card associated with said processing unit that responds to predetermined audio signals.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
21 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 20, wherein said predetermined audio signals comprise touch-tone signals produced by a touch-tone telephone.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
29 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 14, said processing unit issuing additional communications if said supplier fails to respond to a communication within a predetermined period of time.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
39 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 14, further comprising means for compiling history data pertaining to said usage of said consumable supplies over time, said history data being used to adjust future scheduled deliveries of additional consumable supplies.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
20 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 23, further comprising a printer that provides a printout of said history data.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
32 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 14, further comprising means for issuing a warning when said processing unit determines that said usage of said consumable supplies exceeds a usual consumption rate.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
33 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 25, wherein said issuing means further comprises means for issuing a warning when said usage of said consumable supplies is less than said usual consumption rate.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
35 words
The monitoring and ordering system of claim 14, said converting means further comprising means for producing a second predetermined signal, said second predetermined signal being supplied to a usage indicator associated with said storage facility.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
72 words
A monitoring and ordering system, comprising: a sensor that detects a quantity of supplies; means for determining usage information of said supplies for a predetermined period of time based upon a signal from said sensor; and means for scheduling deliveries of additional supplies based upon a rate of consumption of said supplies, in accordance with said usage information determined by said determining means and said quantity of supplies detected by said sensor.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
72 words
A monitoring and ordering system, comprising: a sensor that detects a quantity of supplies; means for determining usage information of said supplies for a predetermined period of time based upon a signal from said sensor; and means for scheduling deliveries of additional supplies based upon a rate of consumption of said supplies, in accordance with said usage information determined by said determining means and said quantity of supplies detected by said sensor.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
89 words
A method for monitoring and ordering supplies stored in a storage facility, comprising the steps of: sensing a quantity of supplies stored in the storage facility; determining a rate at which the stored supplies are consumed based upon the sensed quantity of supplies stored in the storage facility; ascertaining a modified delivery request schedule of replacement supplies based upon the sensed quantity of stored supplies and the rate at which the stored supplies are being consumed; and communicating the modified delivery request schedule to a supplier of the supplies.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
89 words
A method for monitoring and ordering supplies stored in a storage facility, comprising the steps of: sensing a quantity of supplies stored in the storage facility; determining a rate at which the stored supplies are consumed based upon the sensed quantity of supplies stored in the storage facility; ascertaining a modified delivery request schedule of replacement supplies based upon the sensed quantity of stored supplies and the rate at which the stored supplies are being consumed; and communicating the modified delivery request schedule to a supplier of the supplies.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of notifying monitoring personnel when a sudden change occurs in the rate at which the stored supplies are consumed.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of issuing additional notifications when the monitoring personnel fail to acknowledge receipt of an initial notification within a predetermined period of time.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of activating an alarm when an abnormal condition arises.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of compiling historical data pertaining to usage of the supplies over time.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-08-03 | 2002-02-02 | 2002-08-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-08-03 | 2006-02-02 | 2006-08-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-08-03 | 2010-02-02 | 2010-08-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |