Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Automated electrical financial or business practice or... – Inventory management
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-13
2001-02-13
Trammell, James P. (Department: 2764)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
Inventory management
C705S007380, C705S014270, C705S030000, C702S128000, C702S129000, C702S179000, C702S180000, C702S181000, C702S188000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06188990
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a method of monitoring the processing of a group of articles, the articles of the group having differing properties, for example having differing weights and/or differing quality grades.
The method and apparatus have been developed for use in monitoring the processing of poultry carcasses being conveyed in succession along a path, for sorting by weight and grade of carcass, and one example of a processing apparatus with which the method and apparatus of the present invention could be used is disclosed in GB-1,603,860. However, the method and apparatus are not restricted in their use to poultry carcass processing systems and could have useful application in the processing of many different types of article. Other types of food article may include lamb or pork.
The invention has been developed because the processing of poultry carcasses presents many problems. Any given flock of birds to be processed will not be absolutely identical to the previous flock and there will be many variations without the group as to weight and quality of carcass.
Furthermore, the way in which a given flock is to be processed will vary from day to day, and may vary during a day. One reason for this is that customer requirements vary and one customer may require a first number of carcasses within one weight range, and a different customer may require a different number of carcasses lying within a different weight range. These weight ranges may overlap. Some orders will have a higher priority than others and trying to ensure that the varying demands are matched with the supply provided by a given flock is very difficult.
The invention provides a method of monitoring the processing of a group of articles having differing properties, for example having differing weights and/or quality grades, the method comprising the steps of obtaining information about the differing properties of the group, using this information to provide a main visual model of the property distribution within the group, and providing a first subsidiary visual model relating to the processing of a first sub-group of articles from within the group, the provision of the first subsidiary model causing a modified form of the main visual model to appear, related to the remaining articles of the group after removal of the articles forming the first subgroup.
The method may be used in advance of processing, to run a test as to what might happen during processing according to different parameters, and it can also be used during actual processing, to monitor what is actually happening, against target time, numbers and maximum processing capacities. The method could also be used after processing, to review what did happen.
The first step may be achieved by using known statistical data relating to the relevant group, by random sampling of the actual group, or in any other desired manner. For example, given flocks of birds from a given farm may have weight distributions and quality distributions which are fairly consistent, and so a reasonably reliable databank of statistics may be built up and used.
Preferably the method comprises the step of providing at least a second subsidiary visual model relating to the process of a second sub-group of articles from within the group, the provision of the second subsidiary model causing a second modified form of the main visual model to appear, related to the remaining articles of the group after removal of the articles from the first and second sub-groups.
Preferably the first sub-group of articles will relate to the highest demand priority.
The method enables a series of demand parameters to be worked through, in order of priority, and after each demand priority has been selected, the user of the method has a visual indication of the property profile of the remaining articles, to assist in selecting subsequent demands of lower priority.
The main visual model may comprise a graph.
The graph may for example be a line graph or a bar graph.
Alternatively, or in addition, a numerical visual model may be provided.
Preferably the or each modified form of the visual model is numerical.
The method may be such that the main visual model remains in view, in addition to the modified forms of the main visual model.
The, or each, subsidiary visual model relating to the processing of a sub-group of articles may comprise a band width spanning the desired range of properties.
For example, the properties may be represented as weight bands, the preselected band width comprising a visual indicator extending across the optimum desired weight band.
The indicator may comprise a horizontal bar.
The indicator may be extendable at one or both ends, when it is permissible to fill a given demand with articles which vary slightly from the optimum, when insufficient articles having the optimum property are available.
When, in a practical situation, a given form of processing within the group has to be changed or stopped, the method may include highlighting the relevant visual indicator to warn the user what is happening.
Where the indicator comprises a horizontal bar, the nature of the bar may change when processing is altered or stopped.
For example a solid bar may be used in normal conditions, with the bar becoming hollow when processing changes or stops.
When one form of processing within the group is changed or stopped, this can have a dramatic effect on further processing downstream. For example too many articles may suddenly reach a given processing point causing jamming or other difficulties.
The method may include means to provide a visual model of the consequent effect of changing or stopping one aspect of the processing.
For example the method may cause a visual model to be created showing articles rapidly bunching up and jamming.
The method may be such that a visual model can be provided of what is happening at certain particular processing points. For example, where the method is being used to monitor the processing of poultry carcasses, linked with an apparatus such as that shown in GB-1,603,860, it may be possible to monitor what is happening at each individual carcass drop-off point.
The method defined above is particularly effective in monitoring the processing of poultry carcasses being conveyed in succession along a path.
The carcasses being processed during any given time period, for example one day, may well be drawn from several different flocks of birds being delivered to a poultry processing plant during that time period.
We have appreciated that by controlling the order in which flocks are processed, independence on processing requirements during the time period, processing efficiency can be improved and the likelihood of processing problems occurring can be reduced.
Accordingly, a preferred aspect of the method according to the invention comprises obtaining information about sub-groups of articles being received for processing, comparing this information with processing steps to be carried out, and using this comparison to select the order in which sub-groups are processed.
The invention includes apparatus for carrying out the method of the invention.
The apparatus may comprise an appropriately programmed computer and a visual display unit on which the visual models appear.
The computer, and the visual display unit, may be a stand alone system, or it may be part of the overall computer system which controls and operates the processing equipment.
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Brook Richard Morley
Bullivant Christopher Bernard
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
AutoSystems Limited
Rosen Nicholas David
Trammell James P.
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