Abstract:
The invention provides a method for tracking business to business communication among trading partners in a supply chain. Trading partners utilize a central hub to coordinate and track events. Prior to sending an event to other trading partners, a trading partner obtains an event tracking number from a central hub. Trading partners receiving the event can validate its unique status and validity by observing content within the event itself and by querying the central hub for additional information. Using the invention, the disparate communication systems used by trading partners and the lack of a system for clearly identifying and tracking events, no longer exists and the possibility of confusion as to the uniqueness of any one event when compared with another with similar characteristics is eliminated.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U. S. Provisional Application No. 60/473,091 filed May 23, 2003 (Attorney Docket No. 215.1018.01) hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    This invention relates to tracking of events in supply chain management.  
           [0004]    2. Related Art  
           [0005]    Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a process-orientated approach to procuring, producing, and delivering products and services to customers. SCM has a broad scope that includes suppliers, sub-suppliers, internal operations, trade customers, retail customers, and consumers of the products and services (referred to herein as trading partners). It covers the management of material, information, and funds flows. Information passed between collaborative partners is important to the success of SCM. The quality of information, how it is perceived and used is also important to SCM operating efficiently and effectively.  
           [0006]    Using an SCM network, a trading partner (in this case a potential purchaser of goods) can send a purchase order request to suppliers of the goods required. The request may include other details such as the date for delivery and method of payment. Unfortunately, trading partners often use differing information systems. Moreover, the flow of information from one trading partner to another can be unmonitored and unstructured in such a way that a request for goods from a trading partner can be received at another trading partner more than once. This may cause the receiving trading partner to become confused, and not know what is truly desired by the potential purchaser.  
           [0007]    First, if more than one request for a bid is created, trading partners submit inaccurate bids. For example, XYZ Electronics decides to carpet the first floor of their two-story office complex. They request bids from trading partners (carpet suppliers/installers) for 1,000 yards of Neon Carpet Company&#39;s deep pile blue, catalog number NCC1701B. Later that day, XYZ decides they might as well carpet the second floor too, so they request bids for the same carpet type and quantity. A trading partner receiving the two bids could understandably be confused. The carpet type and quantity are identical in both requests. The payment terms, delivery date, and other order related information will probably also be identical.  
           [0008]    In a case such as this, a trading partner may be unable to enter an accurate bid. The trading partner would not know how much underfelt, how much tackboard, how many workers, and how many delivery trucks to allow for when calculating their bid? 
           [0009]    Second, it is possible for the same request to be received more than once by a trading partner thus leading to confusion. Often, the communication network used by trading partners in a supply chain includes multiple pathways to and from each trading partner. For example, trading partner alpha may have direct links to three other trading partners bravo, charlie, and delta. These three trading partners may have a direct link to a trading partner requesting a bid, which they each pass on to trading partner alpha. Alpha has now received what appears to be requests for three separate bids. Depending on the connectivity between the partners, the three bids could arrive on different days adding to the confusion.  
           [0010]    Third, how does a trading partner interpret two requests for bids that are almost identical or at least similar. In the carpet example given above, suppose the second request was for Neon Carpet Company&#39;s deep pile cyan, catalog number NCC1701C. Should this be interpreted as an additional quantity or as a correction to the first request? Without more information, a trading partner cannot be sure.  
           [0011]    Fourth, a potential purchaser may wish to treat some trading partners differently. Sending a request for bids to a number of trading partners means sending the same request to all or generating individual requests for each trading partner. The first option does not allow for individual treatment of each trading partner, and the second requires more time on the part of the potential purchaser to generate individual requests.  
           [0012]    An important element of supply chain management is that there is effective coordination of all the links in the chain and that it be done as quickly as possible without losing any quality or customer satisfaction. Unfortunately, there are practically an unlimited number of scenarios that can create doubt and inefficiency in a supply chain.  
           [0013]    Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a method of communication between trading partners in a supply chain that does not suffer from the drawbacks of the prior art.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    The invention includes a method and system capable of eliminating errors in communication among trading partners in a supply chain. This is realized in an embodiment of the invention including a central hub to coordinate communication between trading partners. This removes uncertainty as to the uniqueness of any single communication event.  
           [0015]    The central hub includes functionality to structure and monitor communication between trading partners in a supply chain. Regardless of the disparate systems and methods used by the trading partners, a layer of standardization is included in communications among them.  
           [0016]    An event initiated by a trading partner is assigned a unique signal tracking number by the central hub. Relevant details relating to the event are associated with the signal tracking number and recorded in a database at the central hub. The unique signal tracking number is preferably incorporated into the event. Thereafter, any trading partner receiving the event can ascertain the event&#39;s signal tracking number and can compare it with other events received, thus confusion as to the unique identity of the event is refuted or confirmed.  
           [0017]    In an aspect of the invention, metadata can be associated with the event and retained in the signal tracking database. This information can be used to further identify important attributes associated with the event. Trading partners can query the database for any additional information that may be available on an event. Such information could be relevant to the event but not actually included in it. For example, an event may refer the receiving trading partner to the metadata relating to the event retained at the hub. This allows the event to be smaller in size, and allows sensitive data to remain at a location where it can have protected access.  
           [0018]    Access to some or all of the additional data associated with an event may be available to some trading partners and not others. This enables trading partners responding to an event to be treated differently without requiring extensive additional work by the event author. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a system using a collaborative signal tracking number.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of a system using a collaborative signal tracking number.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 shows a process flow diagram of a method of using a collaborative signal tracking number. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0022]    In the following description, a preferred embodiment of the invention is described with regard to preferred process steps and data structures. Those skilled in the art would recognize after perusal of this application that embodiments of the invention can be implemented using one or more general purpose processors or special purpose processors or other circuits adapted to particular process steps and data structures described herein, and that implementation of the process steps and data structures described herein would not require undue experimentation or further invention.  
         [0023]    Lexicography  
         [0024]    The following terms refer or relate to aspects of the invention as described below. The descriptions of general meanings of these terms are not intended to be limiting, only illustrative.  
         [0025]    Supply Chain—A supply chain is a chain of processes that facilitates business activities between trading partners, from the purchase of raw goods and materials for manufacturing to delivery of a finished product to an end user. Most organizations have supply chains of varying degrees, depending upon the size of the organization and the type of product manufactured. These networks obtain supplies and components, change these materials into finished products and then distribute them to the customer. The integrated supply chain is highlighted by the synchronization of the flow of information and the flow of goods between trading partners  
         [0026]    Supply Chain Management—Supply Chain Management is a strategy where business partners jointly commit to work closely together, to bring greater value to the consumer and/or their customers for the least possible overall supply cost. This coordination includes that of order generation, order taking and order fulfillment/distribution of products, services or information. Effective management must take into account coordinating all the different pieces of this chain as quickly as possible without losing any of the quality or customer satisfaction, while still keeping costs down.  
         [0027]    Effective supply chain management enables business to make informed decisions along the entire supply chain, from acquiring raw materials to manufacturing products to distributing finished goods to the consumer. At each link, businesses need to make the best choices about what their customers need and how they can meet those requirements at the lowest possible cost.  
         [0028]    Event—In general, an event is a communication initiated from a trading partner within a supply chain to one or more other trading partners within the supply chain. Examples of events include; purchase orders, order confirmations, and delivery schedules.  
         [0029]    Trading Partners—In general, trading partners include suppliers, sub-suppliers, trade customers, retail customers, and consumers of products and services, however, anyone who participates in some portion of the supply chain may be considered a trading partner.  
         [0030]    As noted above, these descriptions of general meanings of these terms are not intended to be limiting, only illustrative. Other and further applications of the invention, including extensions of these terms and concepts, would be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art after perusing this application. These other and further applications are part of the scope and spirit of the invention, and would be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art, without further invention or undue experimentation.  
         [0031]    System Elements  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a system of using a collaborative signal tracking number.  
         [0033]    A system  100  includes a plurality of trading partner devices  110  associated with a plurality of trading partners  115 , a hub  120 , and a communication network  130 .  
         [0034]    An event  111  preferably includes electronic data in the form of an electronic message. The format of an event  111  is at the discretion of the sending trading partner  115  or in a format agreed to by the sender of the event  111  and the recipient trading partners  115 . The format of a message can include purchase orders, order confirmations, and other supply chain management communications.  
         [0035]    A trading partner device  110  includes a processor, a main memory, and software for executing instructions (not shown, but understood by one skilled in the art). This software preferably includes browser and other software capable of operating the trading partner device  110  consistent with the invention and further explained herein.  
         [0036]    A trading partner  115  preferably includes a customer  141 , a distributor  143 , a broker  145 , a supplier  147  or other type of member in the supply chain. In an alternative embodiment, a trading partner  115  may include a combination of a customer  141 , a distributor  143 , a broker  145 , and a supplier  147  or some other type of business entity.  
         [0037]    To illustrate an exemplary flow of an event  111  in the system  100 , each trading partner device  110  in FIG. 1 has been assigned a business type of either a customer  141 , distributor  143 , broker  145 , or supplier  147 .  
         [0038]    The hub  120  includes a signal tracking database  121  for processing, organizing and storing signal tracking numbers  123 , a processor, a main memory, and software for executing instructions (not shown, but understood by one skilled in the art). This software preferably includes software for allowing the hub  120  to communicate with each trading partner device  110  and to otherwise operate the hub  120  consistent with the invention as explained further herein.  
         [0039]    Additional data relating to an event  111  can be stored at the hub  120  when the event  111  is given a signal tracking number  123 . The additional data can include other information relating to the event  111  itself or to the trading partner  115  sending the event  111 . For example, a digital signature can be stored in the data at the hub  120 . By using the hub  120  to store the additional data that may or may not be needed by the receiving trading partner  115 , the event  111  is smaller in size allowing its transmission to be more efficient.  
         [0040]    In an alternative embodiment, any portion of additional data can be incorporated into an event  111  and transmitted with it.  
         [0041]    A signal tracking number  123  includes a set of data that uniquely identifies an event  111 . When a signal tracking number  123  is provided by the hub  120  it is incorporated into the event  111  so it may be used to identify it.  
         [0042]    The communication network  130  includes at least a portion of a communication network, such as a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network, a virtual switched network, or some combination thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the communication network  130  includes a packet switched network such as the Internet, as well as (in addition to or instead of) the communication networks just noted, or any other set of communication networks that enable the elements described herein to perform the functions described herein.  
         [0043]    The preferred embodiment for the communications network  130  is a product of the affiliations of trading partners  115  and the evolution of the supply chains in which they participate. As previously stated in the preferred embodiment for this element, the communications network  130  may include many different types of computerized networks. Generally, the more complex the communications network  130 , the greater the need for the invention.  
         [0044]    A communication link  113  operates to couple each trading partner device  110  and the hub  120  to the communications network  130 . When a trading partner device  110  is connected to more than one communication network  130 , more than one other trading partner device  110 , or some combination thereof, more than one communication link  113  may be used.  
         [0045]    A query  117  includes a request to the hub  120  to provide information regarding an event  111  identified by its signal tracking number  123 .  
         [0046]    A response  119  includes substantially detailed information related to an event  111 . The author of an event  111  provides the information contained in a response  119 . Any additional information is stored at the hub  120 . The format of additional information relating to an event can be controlled by the hub  120  or left entirely at the discretion of the authoring trading partner  115 .  
         [0047]    Alternative Embodiment of a System  100   
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of a system of using a collaborative signal tracking number.  
         [0049]    This embodiment illustrates multiple connectivity between trading partners. The trading partner device  110  (supplier  147 ) is coupled to the communication network  130  and to two other trading partner devices  110  (the distributor  143  and the broker  145 ).  
         [0050]    This alternative embodiment illustrates how an event  111  can be received by a trading partner device  110  more than once. In this particular example, at least three identical events  111  can be received by the trading partner device  110  operated by the supplier  147 . First an event  111  can be received from the customer  141  via the communication network  130 . Second, an event  111  can be received from the customer  141  via the communication network  130  through the distributor  143 . Third, event  111  can be received from the customer  141  via the communication network  130  through the broker  143 . This alternative embodiment is exemplary and not intended to be limiting. The number of trading partner devices  110  and lines of connectivity are practically without limit.  
         [0051]    Method of Operation  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 3 shows a process flow diagram of a method of using a collaborative signal tracking number. The method  300  is performed by the system  100 . Although the method  300  is described serially, the steps of the method  300  can be performed by separate elements in conjunction or in parallel, whether asynchronously, in a pipelined manner, or otherwise. There is no particular requirement that the method  300  be performed in the same order in which this description lists the steps, except were so indicated.  
         [0053]    At a flow point  310 , the hub  120  is ready to process incoming requests for signal tracking numbers  123  and to respond to a query  117 .  
         [0054]    At a step  311 , a trading partner  115  authors an event  111 , which is generated by the trading partner device  110 . The authoring trading partner  115  identifies a list of recipients for the event  111 . The event  111  may be of any of the types previously mentioned.  
         [0055]    At a step  313 , the trading partner device  110  sends the event to the hub  120  for processing. In an alternative embodiment, the trading partner device  110  sends a request for a signal tracking number  123  to the hub  120 .  
         [0056]    At a step  315 , the hub  120  assigns a unique signal tracking number  123  to the event  111  and records the assignment in the signal tracking database  121 . Additional information relating to the Event  111  can be recorded at the hub  120  for future reference. The additional information is linked to the event  111  by its signal tracking number  123 .  
         [0057]    At a step  317 , The event  111  is modified to include the signal tracking number  123 . In an alternative embodiment, the signal tracking number  123  is transmitted to the trading partner device  110  where the event  111  is being authored. At that location the event  111  is modified to include the signal tracking number  123 .  
         [0058]    At a step  319 , the event  111  is transmitted to the list of recipients identified by the authoring trading partner  115 .  
         [0059]    At a flow point  321 , the process may be repeated starting at step  310  to enable additional events  111  to be generated and assigned a signal tracking number  123 .  
         [0060]    At a step  323 , a query  117  is sent from a trading partner device  110  to the hub  120 . Initiating a query  117  allows the trading partner  115  who received the event  111  to obtain additional information regarding the event  111 . Upon receipt of an event  111 , a query  117  can be sent manually or automatically by the receiving trading partner device  110  to establish the status of the event  111  and obtain any additional information available.  
         [0061]    Although the unique identity of events  111  can be gleaned by comparing the assigned signal tracking numbers  123 , additional information may be necessary to clarify similar appearing events  111  that differ only by the signal tracking numbers  123  and to ascertain the exact intent of the sending trading partner  115 . For example, a trading partner may issue a first purchase order for 100 gallons of purple paint and then a second purchase order for the exact same product and quantity. A trading partner  115  may wonder whether one of the purchase orders is an error or a true additional request. The additional data stored at the hub  120  can be used to clarify these common issues.  
         [0062]    At a step  325 , a response  119  is sent by the hub  120  to the trading partner device  110  that initiated the query  117 . The signal tracking number  123  in the query  117  is matched with the appropriate record in the signal tracking database  121 . Any additional data can be included in the response  119  as requested. If the event  111  is found to be a duplicate, the trading partner device  110  can be configured to automatically discard it or otherwise process it as a duplicate event  111 .  
         [0063]    At a flow point  327 , the process may be repeated starting at step  323  to allow additional events  111  to be queried.  
         [0064]    Generality of the Invention  
         [0065]    The invention has applicability and generality to other aspects of business to business communication and collaboration between business entities.  
         [0066]    Alternative Embodiments  
         [0067]    Although preferred embodiments are disclosed herein, many variations are possible which remain within the concept, scope, and spirit of the invention, and these variations would become clear to those skilled in the art after perusal of this application.