Patent ID: 7783531
Filing Date: 2010-08-24
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A stock management method for a computer to manage a stock of containers reserved for transfer between sites, wherein the computer includes a storage device which stores container stock data indicating the stock of containers at each site, container input and output data indicating incoming and outgoing stock schedule of the containers at each site, and link data containing link moving time between each site, and wherein the computer includes a computation device which performs each of the following steps: an accepting step of accepting a transfer request containing a starting site, a scheduled date and time of dispatch from the starting site, an ending site, and a schedule for dispatch from the ending site, through an input device of the computer; a site stock calculating step of calculating the stock of containers at the scheduled date and time of dispatch from a site by using the container stock data and the container input and output data of each of the starting site and the ending site contained in the transfer request; a procurement site searching step of searching a procurement site to procure a container for a stockless site, in the absence of container stock at the scheduled date and time for dispatch from the starting site or at the scheduled date and time for dispatch from the ending site; a stock reserving step of determining a container to be reserved for procurement transfer from the procurement site to the stockless site, by respectively using the container stock data and the container input and output data of the starting site, the ending site and the procurement site, in cases in which the container to be reserved for an outgoing transfer from the starting site to the ending site, the container to be reserved for incoming transfer from the ending site to the starting site, and the procurement site are searched; a working code issuing step of issuing, to make a correspondence, an identical working code to the outgoing transfer data including a container to be reserved for the outgoing transfer from the starting site to the ending site, the incoming transfer data including a container to be reserved for the incoming transfer from the ending site to the starting site, and procurement transfer data including a container to be reserved for the procurement transfer from the procurement site to the stockless site, in cases in which the procurement site is searched; and an output step of outputting, from an output device of the computer, the outgoing transfer data and the incoming transfer data, to which the identical working code corresponds, and the procurement transfer data in cases in which the procurement site is searched, together with the working code; wherein the site stock calculating step includes: