Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-02
2003-12-09
Mizrahi, Diane D. (Department: 2171)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
active
06662193
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electronic communication between multiple hardware and software modules. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and systems for manipulating inventory data through use of personal digital assistants and software applications.
2. The Prior State of the Art
With the advances in technology, individuals and business organizations continually seek to obtain and achieve automated solutions to fulfilling their various needs, such as manipulation of business data, transfer of data between various locations, and the like. One such advance is the computer network that allows numerous users to connect or interface one with another. Unfortunately, typical computer networks require each computer to be physically connected one to another thereby limiting the usefulness and access to the computer network by those individuals who are distant from or working away from the computer network. This is especially evident with respect to the increase of usage of personal digital assistance (PDA) or hand held technology(HHT), such as palm computers, organizers, wireless telephones, and the like.
Since both individuals and organizations desire access to a computer network via PDAs and HHTs, it is necessary for each PDA or HHT to communicate and interface with existing software applications and hardware devices. There are, however, problems with PDAs and HHTs communicating with existing business applications such as enterprise resource planning tools (ERP). The particular formatting and dialog interface between mainframe or large based database systems, such as Peoplesoft and smaller PDAs and HHTs, is difficult. This is especially so in the area of inventory counting and replenishing.
Currently, during a stock count activity, an individual manually counts the quantity of products “on hand” in a given location and/or the product “needed” to replenish a given location to the desired quantity. Once the information has been gathered, an individual then enters the information into a computer system that connects directly to a warehouse, produces an invoice, or is delivered to a business supplier. As such, during inventory counting and replenishing activities the amount of work performed is effectively doubled by transcribing the information written down and inputting the information into the computer. In addition, significant errors may occur during transcription and/or data entry of the inventory data.
Numerous attempts have been made to automate the inventory count and replenishing activities. For example, in one computerized inventory process, a user inputs the required data by either scanning or typing the Universal Product Code (UPC) and inputting the desired quantity of the product. The hand held terminal then is placed within a cradle which then transmits the data to a database. Unfortunately, to modify the available stock numbers within the UPC it is necessary to reprogram each individual PDA thereby requiring a significant time and cost to the business.
Additionally, traditional automated inventory systems are system specific in that they are unique to the particular requirements of a particular business or entity with little overlap to other various inventory stock taking systems and ERPs. Therefore, it is desirable for an inventory counting replenishment stocking system that is capable of interfacing with existing software database applications and ERPs in an efficient manner, while being capable of being updated through use of various PDA and HHT's in a simple and efficient manner.
Therefore, there is a need for an inventory counting and replenishment stocking system, with associated hardware and software components and modules that are capable of interfacing with various ERP's through a variety of PDAs or HHTs in an efficient and cost effective manner, while being capable of allowing updating of the information contained within the PDAs and HHTs in a simple and quick manner.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of one embodiment of the present invention to manipulate data received by a personal digital assistant, such that the received data may update data contained within a database.
Still yet another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to allow updating of numerous databases having various configurations through use of a personal digital assistant.
Yet another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to allow direct access to the data contained within a database without passing through existing database management systems or enterprise resource planning applications.
Another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to manipulate data in different data structure forms; so that data obtained by a personal digital assistance may be received by a database.
It is another object of one embodiment of the present invention to efficiently gather inventory data in a simple and cost effective manner.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other objects of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.
As disclosed previously, one of the stumbling blocks to using personal digital assistants (PDA) to efficiently update the data stored in a database is the incompatibility existing between the PDA and either the existing database and/or enterprise resource planning application (ERP). Additionally, the data stored within the database is typically accessed through a database management system that may or may not be compatible with the PDAs attempting to access the database. To achieve the foregoing objects, and in accordance with the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, systems and methods for gathering and updating data within a database through use of a PDA are disclosed.
One of the modules implemented by one embodiment of the present invention is an interface module, which is capable of creating, reading, accessing, updating, deleting, selecting, and modifying information stored in a database directly without interfacing with the database management system or the ERP.
Another module of the present invention includes a manipulation module that transmits information between the database and a PDA module. The transmission of data between the database and the manipulation module may occur through either the database management system and the ERP or the interface module depending on the operation of the database, database management system, and ERP. Therefore, the interface module allows the manipulation module to be compatible with databases that would otherwise be inaccessible.
The PDA module executes on the PDA and is capable of bi-directional communication with the manipulation module. One function of the PDA module is to allow a user to update the database data. The PDA module also prepares the collected information such that is may be accepted and stored by the database. The data may, therefore, be formatted and manipulated according to the particular structure of the database. The PDA module then transmits the collected data to the manipulation module, which then transmits the information to the database. The PDA module is also capable of receiving information from the manipulation module such that it may be updated or altered through the PDA.
In this manner, the present invention is capable of using PDA's to effectively update and maintain a database. The present invention is capable of interfacing with a variety of different databases and eliminates the need to re-enter the data by hand.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5742905 (1998-04-
CG4 Solutions, Inc.
Mizrahi Diane D.
Mofiz Apu M
Workman Nydegger
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