Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Measurement system – Performance or efficiency evaluation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-05
2004-12-28
Hoff, Marc S. (Department: 2857)
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Measurement system
Performance or efficiency evaluation
C702S122000, C702S113000, C702S180000, C702S182000, C702S183000, C702S185000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06836749
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a method of tracking machine breakdown and more particularly to a method of tracking machine breakdown that additionally tracks corrective action.
BACKGROUND ART
Manufacturing plants often utilize complex machinery in the production and assembly of products. Often there may be present a wide variety of different machines for accomplishing various tasks within the plant environment. These machines within the plant environment can be susceptible to breakdown, which may result from physical failure of part of the machine, a malfunction in the machine's performance, a failure to properly operate the machine, or a wide variety of other known factors. When a machine within the manufacturing plant breaks down, the result can be improper product construction or assembly, delays in production, or production stoppage. All of these results are highly undesirable since they can lead to increased production costs, increased production times, and decreased customer satisfaction.
It is known that machine breakdown may be tracked in order to produce an operating history of individual machines within the manufacturing plant. This process is known to be highly useful in predicting the reliability and cost of individual machines. Commonly, however, such methods do not provide a useful method of preventing or dealing with future machine breakdowns. Since present systems do not track the corrective action taken in response to a given breakdown, present systems must typically rely on the knowledge of plant personnel to properly deal with and prevent future machine breakdown. Due to the nature of human memory and the possibility of changes in plant personnel, such systems can be inefficient and unreliable. It would be highly desirable to have a system of tracking machine breakdowns that additionally provides an efficient and reliable way to deal with and prevent future machine breakdowns.
In addition to the described limitations of present systems, present systems track breakdowns in relation to specific machines within the manufacturing plant. This limited form of tracking can be inefficient for additional reasons. Present systems often fail to consider that different machines within the plant may share similar mechanisms, functions, or controls. A breakdown of one machine within the plant may provide valuable information in dealing with or preventing breakdowns in machines with similar mechanisms, functions, or controls. The corrective action taken in response to one machine's breakdown may be directly applicable to other machines within the manufacturing plant. Present systems often rely on the knowledge of plant personnel to mentally make such connections between machinery and to insure that corrective action is properly taken on each machine. Again, such a reliance on human memory is inefficient and unreliable. It would be highly desirable to have a method to help insure that corrective action taken on one machine within the plant is taken on other machines with similar mechanisms, functions, or controls such that breakdowns in the similar machines can either be prevented or dealt with in a quick, efficient, and reliable manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of tracking machine breakdown.
In accordance with the object of this invention a method of tracking machine breakdown is provided. The method of tracking machine breakdown includes listing each breakdown relative to a first machine. The method further includes listing the corrective action taken on the first machine relative to each of the breakdowns. In this fashion, a list of corrective actions is developed relative to each breakdown. When a future breakdown occurs, a corresponding corrective action can be quickly, efficiently, and reliably identified if the breakdown has occurred in the past. In addition, the identified corrective action may be instituted as prevention against future breakdowns before they occur.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent when viewed in light of the detailed description of the preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings and appended claims.
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Ford Motor Company
Hoff Marc S.
Kelley David B.
T. Carol S. W.
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