IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,762,839

Granted Patent B2

US 8,762,839 · App. 12/660,240 · Granted Jun 24, 2014

Supply-chain side assistance

Inventors: Edward K. Y. Jung (Bellevue, WA); Royce A. Levien (Lexington, MA); Mark A. Malamud (Seattle, WA); John D. Rinaldo, Jr. (Bellevue, WA)

Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, LLC

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 8,762,839
App. No.: 12/660,240
Granted: Jun 24, 2014
Kind: B2

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Abstract

An apparatus, device, method, computer program product, and system that identifies an item having a presence within a geographic locale in response to a signal indicative of the item, obtains a first instance of a supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a first source and obtaining a second instance of a supply-chain assistance corresponding to the identified item from a second source; and aggregates the first supply-chain assistance and the second supply-chain assistance.

Claims (150)

1. A computer system comprising:

at least one processing device; and

at least one memory device operably coupled to the at least one processing device and including one or more instructions for:

receiving at least one signal indicative of at least one item having a presence within a geographical locale, wherein the receiving a signal indicative of at least one item having a presence within a geographical locale includes at least one of:

receiving at least one signal indicative of at least one optical aspect of the at least one item,

receiving at least one signal indicative of at least one optically readable product code associated with the at least one item,

receiving at least one signal indicative of at least one acoustic aspect of the at least one item,

receiving at least one signal indicative of at least one magnetic aspect of the at least one item,

receiving at least one signal indicative of at least one electromagnetic aspect of the at least one item,

receiving at least one signal indicative of at least one alphanumeric aspect of the at least one item, or

receiving at least one signal indicative of at least one electronically transmitted designator associated with the at least one item;

identifying the at least one item in response to the at least one signal indicative of the at least one item having a presence within the geographical locale;

obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the item from at least one first source over a network in response to the identifying the at least one item;

obtaining at least one second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second source over a network in response to the identifying the at least one item; and

aggregating the at least one first supply-chain assistance and the at least one second supply-chain assistance.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the identifying the at least one item in response to the at least one signal indicative of the at least one item having a presence within the geographic locale includes:

identifying at least one of a product, a raw material, or a manufactured good having a presence within a geographic locale.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the identifying the at least one item in response to the at least one signal indicative of the at least one item having a presence within the geographic locale includes:

identifying the at least one item in response to at least one signal indicative of the at least one item having a presence within at least one of a distribution center premises, a retail store storage premises, or a warehouse premises.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the identifying the at least one item in response to the at least one signal indicative of the at least one item having a presence within the geographic locale includes:

identifying the at least one item in response to at least one signal indicative of the at least one item having a presence within a conveyance.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least a first source over a network includes

obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source over at least one of a local area network, a wide area network, a private network, a public network, or the Internet.

6. The method system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source over a network includes

obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source over a network that includes at least one of a private global computer network or a public global computer network.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source includes:

obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first domain, and

wherein the obtaining at least one second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second source includes:

obtaining at least one second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second domain.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second source includes

obtaining at least one second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second source that is independent from the at least one first source.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source includes

obtaining at least one first instance of information corresponding to at least one history of the at least one item during at least one presence of the at least one item in at least one supply chain.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second source includes

obtaining at least one second instance of information corresponding to at least one history of the at least one item during at least one presence of the at least one item in at least one supply chain.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source includes

obtaining at least one first instance of at least one supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one third party database.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second source includes

obtaining at least one second instance of at least one supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one third party database.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source includes

obtaining at least one first instance of supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one trade association.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second source includes

obtaining at least one second instance of supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one trade association.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source includes

obtaining at least one first instance of supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from a regulatory agency.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second source includes

obtaining at least one second instance of supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from a regulatory agency.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source includes

obtaining at least one first security interest information corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the obtaining at least one second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second source includes

obtaining at least one second security interest information corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second source.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from a first source includes

obtaining a first commercial interest information corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the obtaining at least one second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second source includes

obtaining at least one second commercial interest information corresponding to the at least one item from at least one second source.

21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source includes

obtaining at least one first stolen property status information corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source.

22. The system of claim 1 , obtaining at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source includes

obtaining at least one first handling information corresponding to the at least one item from at least one first source.

23. The system of claim 1 , wherein the aggregating the at least one first supply-chain assistance and the at least one second supply-chain assistance includes

aggregating the at least one first supply-chain assistance and the at least one second supply-chain assistance into at least one user interface.

24. The system of claim 1 , wherein the aggregating the at least one first supply-chain assistance and the at least one second supply-chain assistance includes

translating the at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item using at least one mutually agreed protocol.

25. The system of claim 1 , wherein the aggregating the at least one first supply-chain assistance and the at least one second supply-chain assistance includes

translating the at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item from a first native data format.

26. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

enabling at least one supply-chain user to request at least one instance of supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item.

27. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

broadcasting an aggregated at least one first supply-chain assistance and the at least one second supply-chain assistance.

28. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

causing the at least one first supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item to be obtained from the at least one first source and the at least one second supply-chain assistance corresponding to the at least one item to be obtained from the at least one second source.

29. A system comprising: