Asset tracking within and across enterprise boundaries

Details Asset tracking within and across enterprise boundaries Asset tracking within and across enterprise boundaries

1998-07-23

2001-05-22

Lee, Thomas (Department: 2182)

Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/

Input/output data processing

Input/output access regulation

C379S201060, C710S001000, C710S240000, C702S084000, C345S215000, C705S022000, C705S002000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06237051

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved system for gathering and entering data for use in tracking and managing assets in a complex, diverse enterprise, and more particularly, to a system that gathers and links data down to the least repairable/replaceable units in a system and within and across enterprise boundaries.
Large enterprises such as multi-national corporations, government agencies, and even smaller organizations having an affinity to other organizations with similar operating assets, have a barrier to easily tracking the performance of complex operating assets over time. These assets are typically composed of components produced by independent suppliers to comprise subsystems which in turn are combined to perform as a large system. The performance of the large system is dependent upon the reliability of each subsystem which, in turn, is dependent upon the reliability of components. Examples of complex systems would include telecommunications and air traffic control systems. To manage assets in such a complex environment, data is needed to identify not only where the components are, but also where they came from, how they got there, and what has been done through their service life and is being done to them.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, code labels (e.g. bar code labels, radio frequency (rf) labels and static discharge chip labels) have been used in the prior art in connection with asset tracking. These prior art systems, while generally satisfactory, do not conceptually address the entire problem with the vision necessary to systematically and reliably capture the data required to track and manage assets, particularly relational data that enables problem analysis, revision, and repair of assets in a diverse, complex enterprise.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is the provision of a system that facilitates the gathering and use of asset data to track, and manage the assets, including problem analysis, revision, and repair of the assets.
Another object is a system that simplifies the process of tracking the components of complex systems in a large enterprise and among separate enterprises over long time periods in order to isolate and correct component reliability issues.
Briefly, this invention contemplates affixing a unique data label to each tracked asset and a unique data label for each location in the enterprise, both real and virtual locations. Location history data of the asset is related to other asset data in a relational data base. Assets typically include system components down to the least repairable/replaceable unit (LRU). The data label, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, is a code label using a code that ensures each label is unique to the asset or location to which it is attached. Here the word location is an inclusive term. It includes the geographical location and the identity of the building in which the asset is housed. Location also includes the identity of the system of which a component is a part and, if relevant, location within the system. It includes also any real or virtual location of interest for subsequent analysis and is ultimately defined by the nature of the system being tracked.
People assigned to install, upgrade, maintain, and do other work on the system are identified and this identifying data is entered into the data base along with each activity performed on the system and its components. Preferably, in response to a scanned asset label, a menu of allowable activities is presented so that the person assigned to do a task associated with the asset can easily make entries into the data base of the code assigned to the task performed. With asset data, asset location, and task record (including the person performing the task), entered into the relational data base, it is relatively easy to track the components of complex systems in a large enterprise over time and build complex relational records.


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