Abstract:
The inventive approach provides a dynamic data system and computationally efficient method to uniquely identify a product of interest and by means of querying any number of databases for pertinent transaction data, create a complete product history (lifecycle) as well as the current product state. The inventive method provides a means for rapidly assigning a unique identifier to specific instances of a product or component. The invention also provides for the elimination of duplicative or obsolete lifecycle data, generating a current picture of product data (denominated, by reason of the method of creation, a “transactional bill of materials” (T-BOM™) for every product component or composite product. The invention provides a method supportive of improved product uptime as well as other advantages including improved customer service, reduced costs to provide customer service, and profitability management.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This Application is related to Provisional Application No. 60/578,152, filed Jun. 8, 2004, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, and priority is claimed from Jun. 8, 2004. 
     
    
     GOVERNMENT FUNDING  
       [0002]     Not applicable.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     1. Field of Use  
         [0004]     The invention relates to data acquisition, organization and utilization, particularly data relating to transactions germane to items in the stream of commerce.  
         [0005]     2. Background  
         [0006]     Tracking and tracing sources of materials has long been standard in health and safety concerned industries, such as the food and pharmaceutical industries and in industries impacted by gray market and counterfeit such as high-technologies industries. Quality control and human safety depends on the ability to identify lots or batches. Accounting systems have used “track and trace” and “where used” and other tools primarily on a basis not adapted to the specific composition on any uniquely identifiable product unit. Current systems operate by maintaining a master equipment record or serial record that is updated.  
         [0007]     To operate successfully, organizations need to understand the what, where, who, and how of their products: what the product looks like now and at any particular time in the past; where the product is now and where it has been at any particular time in the past and for how long; how the product was built (i.e. identification of the product&#39;s components); who built their products, including who built the components incorporated into the products, who shipped the products, who signed off on them, who serviced them.  
         [0008]     A current approach is to use a static “bill of materials” (BOM) and equipment masters. Such an approach keeps track of the product, but relies on updates to a master record. Such master databases are vulnerable to losing data if it arrives out of strict chronological order. What is needed is a dynamic data assemblage system that incorporates all pertinent data and is unsusceptible to such data loss.  
         [0009]     Alternatively, some systems have the capability of running a “where-used” report. A where-used report is generated by looking through a set of transactional information to compile information about the history of a product. Where-used is typically used in the process manufacturing industries. There is a need to apply the compilation of transactional records to all industries—especially those for discreet manufacturing. Moreover, current ERP systems treat batch tracking (ex. a “batch” of acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin)) and item tracking (ex. a specific bottle of aspirin) as completely different processes. What is needed is a means for seamlessly tracing of constituents through the stream of commerce.  
         [0010]     Moreover, there are severe limitations to current approaches because they cannot model a complex product as it changes over time. Where-used is not able to “net out” historical transactions and then reconstruct the product composition at any specified past date. Further, most “track and trace” is accomplished by compiling data from paper records when an emergency exists. For the most part, track and trace has not been a part of daily operations.  
         [0011]     What is needed is a system that will facilitate tracking and tracing products and components as an ongoing process in businesses, such as the ongoing processes of shipping or receiving. In these and other business processes, integration and automation of specific product data are essential to enabling valuable and detailed analysis.  
         [0012]     Currently, the transactional data needed for more detailed track and trace is gathered neither within companies nor within supply chains. Track and trace is most typically done on a lot basis, especially in the high volume industries. Current methods of lot number assignment are not computationally efficient and do not enable the desired level of detailed analysis.  
         [0013]     What is needed is a computationally efficient approach capable of producing a detailed record of all serial numbers within a product using bill of material structure. What is further needed is a means of quickly and accurately identifying a current state of a product, reflecting the result of the changes to components of the product during its product lifetime to date.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     The inventive approach provides a dynamic data system and computationally efficient method to track and trace every uniquely identifiable item in a product throughout the product history as well as the current product state. The inventive method provides for the rapid utilization of unique Serial Numbers, allowing for a “transactional bill of materials” (T-BOM™) for each product, and in some instances the product&#39;s components. The invention provides a method supportive of improved product uptime as well as other advantages including improved customer service, reduced costs to provide customer service, and profitability management, to name a few.  
         [0015]     The inventive System and method, an output of which is referred to herein as T-BOM™, provides installed base service and pedigree generation as well as installed base profitability determination. The invention provides for the dynamic creation of a T-BOM™ based on the relevant set of historical transactions. Stated in the simplest of terms, the inventive method exploits any unique number attributed to parts and products (ex. serial numbers, lot numbers, batch numbers, etc.). Each part in the bill of materials is identified by a part number (and perhaps revision number) and each instance of that part is uniquely identified by a serial number or other identifier (lot number, control number, EPC number, etc.).  
         [0016]     The initial T-BOM™ structure may be defined from an initial set of relevant transactions. This initial set of transactions could be the transactional records for a sales order, a production order, purchase orders or any transaction that changes the location, state, components or parents of a product. Once the initial structure has been thusly defined, subsequent transactions are likewise amenable to the structure. Any database query concerning a product can then generate a corresponding T-BOM™ which will accurately reflect the product state at any date, present or past.  
         [0017]     The inventive method uses dynamic transactional data retrieved and organized in response to a query to one or more databases. Significantly, in the strictest sense, owing to the fact no master database is required and often portions of relevant transactional data resides in disparate databases altogether, the T-BOM™ does not exist until a request is executed. Prior to execution of a request to build (a query) a T-BOM™ is inchoate. The inventive approach uses the actual transactions of building, shipping, repairing, retiring, etc. to understand what has happened to any serialized product of interest. By capturing, organizing, and analyzing those transactional records it is possible to infer what has happened to a product and build up the product history and current product state. Moreover, the inventive system and method provide for using any selectable identifier to link to other transactions of interest that are related, but not necessarily at the product level.  
         [0018]     The inventive method provides data capture and data validation technology. The integrity and timeliness of data is critical. Auto-id technologies such as bar-code labels and scanners, RFID tags and readers, and wireless and wired networks are all enabling technologies. These technologies enable the rapid, accurate and in some cases, automatic collection of transactional information.  
         [0019]     The invention provides a means for acquiring complete historical data (Lifecycle) concerning a uniquely identifiable product of interest in the stream of commerce. The invention also provides a T-BOM™: the current snapshot of product composition, that is to say, the product Lifecycle with extraneous historical data eliminated. The T-BOM™ is enabled through a “Unit-Set”—a database object that represents every relevant transaction, and hence the associated transaction data, for any given uniquely identifiable product. A relevant transaction is one that changes the location, characteristics, state, or components of the product in question. The tabularization of the Unit-Set optimally denormalizes the data, and permits the use of the transaction details to generate the T-BOM™.  
         [0020]     Another aspect of the preferred embodiment is tabularization of the data. The table form is essentially an hierarchically organized set of transactions, whose organization facilitates the T-BOM™ creation. The table itself is derived from data fields, where data fields may include: serial number or any appropriate unique product identifier, BOM flag, Pointers (fields linking the Unit-Set records with corresponding transaction records in any of multiple databases/systems), Position (level information in product composition) and calendar date.  
         [0021]     Another aspect of the preferred embodiment is the imposition of hierarchy on product data. The hierarchy is structured with headers (e.g. product class: bicycle) and items (e.g. component class: wheel, spoke, hub). The hierarchy underlying the tabularization and the method employed to obtain responses to data requests provide a means to rapidly obtain current data regarding any product of interest.  
         [0022]     To dynamically generate a T-BOM™ the inventive method includes the steps of: 
        1. Running a query based on Serial Number (SN);     2. Selecting all Unit-Set records with SN equal to SN in Step 1;     3. Selecting all Unit-Set records with Pointers equal to Pointers in Step 2;     4. Repeating Steps 2 and 3 until top and bottom of BOM are reached;     5. a. Sorting, grouping and arranging selected Unit-Set records; 
            b. Producing (from 5a) Product history (Lifecycle) for queried SN;     c. Embellishing Unit-Set records by selecting data by means of Pointers    
            6. a. Eliminating duplicate and obsolete Unit-Set records; 
            b. Producing (from 6a) T-BOM™ for queried SN;     c. Embellishing Unit-Set records by selecting data by means of Pointers. 
 
 Where “Header” level data is “parent”, and “Item” level data is “child”. the preferred embodiment of the method comprises the steps of: 
   
            1. Running a query based on Serial Number (SN) and target date/time;     2. Selecting all Unit-Set records for the SN in Step 1;     3. Selecting all Unit-Set records for children of the queried SN and children of the children records;     4. Selecting all Unit-Set records for the parents of the queried SN and the parents of the parent records;     5. 
            a. sorting and grouping the selected Unit-Set records;     b. producing (from 4a) product lifecycle history for queried SN;     c. embellishing Unit-Set records by selecting data by means of Pointers;    
            6. 
            a. eliminating duplicate and obsolete Unit-Set records;     b. producing (from 5a) T-BOM for queried SN;     c. embellishing Unit-Set records by selecting data by means of Pointers.    
               
 
         [0045]     Additional aspects of the inventive method include the use of agents and Serial Number generation. Further embodiments are set forth in the Detailed Description herein, inclusive of the Tables.  
         [0046]     Further provided is an inventive search method enabled by the inventive System and method. Because the T-BOM™ enables 360 degree visibility of products, the T-BOM™ enables powerful and comprehensive product data search. By entering the product, order number, or serial number, the full product lifecycle and current configuration can be viewed. This application of the invention is useful to, for example, isolate defective equipment, determine the location of components within larger pieces of equipment, and for locating units or cartons within larger containers.  
         [0047]     Another aspect of the invention is in the application of software patch and release management. Because software patches and releases contain modules of code that are changing, one can use the T-BOM™ to understand how programs and systems looked at any given time. By applying a unique identifier to modules or sections or objects of code one can track and trace the changes to the system over time. A user can also understand what is in a given patch and with additional input can determine what areas of the system are impacted by each release or patch. This additional input can take the form of business requirements, user interface points, steps in a documented business process, etc.  
         [0048]     Any computer readable instantiation of the inventive System, or method, or any portion thereof, or application of the System, method or any portion thereof, is included within the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0049]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatical representation of the Steps to create a T-BOM™ according to the preferred embodiment.  
         [0050]      FIG. 2  is a screen shot showing search results using the inventive T-BOM™.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0051]     Introductory remarks. The inventor has coined certain language to describe aspects of the inventive system and method. Specifically, this application refers to Transactional Bill of Material™, Transactional BOM™, and T-BOM™, each term is intended to be synonymous with the other and any may be used interchangeably without change in meaning. (The phrase “bill of material” or “BOM” has a generally accepted meaning, and applicant intends the generally understood meaning.)  
         [0052]     “Serial Number” (SN) means a unique identifier of a product instance. Serial Number should also be understood to include any of a variety of selectable identifiers, alone or in combination, where such identifiers include serial number, unit number, lot number, product number, equipment number, batch number, revision number, control number, EPC code, customer number, order number, calendar date, and any other identifier that can be used to uniquely identify or link to transactions of interest. “Serial Number” includes any later devised means of uniquely identifying a product of interest. “Unit-Set” as used herein refer to a database object that represents every relevant transaction, and hence the transaction data, of every Serial Number. “Pointer” as used herein means a database field that allows the Unit-Set to be lined with the corresponding transaction records. The corresponding transaction records may be in different databases, companies, computer systems, locations or database structures. A Pointer may be at any level of the hierarchy (ex. header or item). The term “component”, as in “product component”, may be understood to be included when the terms “header”, “item”, or “children” are used.  
         [0053]     References to the “System” mean the inventive method and system as implemented on computational devices and databases and data transmissive devices as may be operable in communication taught herein, inclusive of the tables, drawings and claims. Additional terminology is set forth hereinbelow; terms familiar in the field of data management generally are intended to have the generally understood meaning.  
         [0054]     General Comments. Significant computational efficiency is generated as a function of the manner in which the preferred embodiment of inventive system intakes, processes and generates data and information. All transaction data will come into the System and will have at most one header record and one or more item level records. The header level must be of a quantity of one, because a 1:1 or at most a 1:M relationship between header and item or item and item relationships must be maintained.  
         [0055]     Examples of Header—Item relationships include: 
        Header: (ex. bike) and Item (ex. components—tires, frame)     Header: (ex. installed base item) and Item (ex. components)        
 
         [0058]     Examples of Item—Item relationships include: 
        Item: Original part and Item: Replaced part        
 
         [0060]     The basic structure of data coming into and stored according to the System is hierarchical:  
         [0000]     Header Level  
         [0000]    
       
         
           
              Item level 
 
 The 1:1 and 1:M relationship and the requirement is applicable for discrete products. The T-BOM™ approach is equally applicable for continuous or process product tracking as well. For applications such as these, the lot or batch number of the product is used. 
 
           
         
       
     
         [0062]     The System receives data from multiple sources. Data may be input from RFID, from another system (for example, service management) or even original data from a manufacturing database. One inventive aspect of the System is the concept of a Unit-Set. The Unit-Set is a database object that represents every transaction, and hence transaction data. of every Serial Number. The preferred embodiment uses a table format to achieve optimal denormalization of the data thereby increasing speed of the system. Despite the space occupied by redundant data contained in the table format, the inventive System provides heightened performance more than compensating for any cost associated with the space usage. In a sense, the invention is just “redundant enough” to optimize performance.  
         [0063]     The Unit-Set fields and the description of such fields used in the preferred embodiment of the System appear in Table 1.  
                             TABLE 1                           UNIT-Set                Field   Description                       Serial number   (see paragraph 28 hereinabove)               SN = any identifier that is specific to a               physical unit. Serial number is used               interchangeably with unit number, lot               number, equipment number, batch               number, revision number, control               number, EPC code and any other               identifier that can be used to uniquely               identify products with the same product               level identifiers               If a single identifier is not unique, it can               be combined with another number               (ex. a product number).           Product number   Code identifying the product. The               serial number and product number               must uniquely identify a specific               instance of a product. If more               information is required for unique               identification, such as the originating               system, the company code, the               location, etc., those fields are required               as well and will be added where ever               the requirement for serial number and               product is noted herein.               If the serial number is unique, product               number is not required.           BOM flag   This is used to determine if the Unit-Set               record has an impact on the BOM.               Multiple values are possible. Examples               include:               Add - additive to the BOM structure               (examples include production order               receipts/issues, service replacement)               Remove - taking a part away from the               existing product structure. (examples               include discarded or replaced parts)               BOM flag can actually be much more               than this. Depending on the goal,               pulling in different records may be               desirable. Examples include Use the               flag to indicate the original base               production order; use the flag to               indicate when a product is released to               the market place (for gray market or               pedigree)           Pointer(s)   These are fields that allow the Unit-Set               to be linked with the corresponding               transactional records. This can be               done at both the header and the item               level. Pointers can point to different               companies, computer systems,               locations, or in different data               organizations.               These fields are—in part—the system               order numbers representing the               transactions.               Pointers also point to different               attributes or characteristics of the               transaction. These can include               location, status, state, etc.           Position   Used to tell if the unit-set record is part               of the transaction header or item level.           Date   Calendar date &amp; time of transaction.                      
 
         [0064]     As an aid to understanding the invention, a tangible example is now considered: a bicycle as it is composed of a subset of components (ex. Frame and wheels [hubs and spokes]).Table 2 below illustrates an example hierarchicalized data associated with a number of transactions incurred to build and service a bicycle. The first column identifies the level of information. The second column describes the field name: SN, serial number, is unit data. The four columns to the right illustrate transactions on various dates with the last transaction on 9/04.  
                                                         TABLE 2                           Production   Production   Service order   Service order       Level   order 1   order 2   1   2                                Header   Order ID   PR100   PR200   SM100   SM200           Product   Bike   Wheel   Bike           Date   07/03   06/03   08/04   9/04           Location   Dallas   Tokyo   Chicago   Chicago           Quantity   1   1   1           SN   111   ABC   111       Item 1   Product   Wheel   Spokes   Wheel   Spoke           Direction   Add   Add   Remove   Remove           Quantity   2   3   1   1           SN   ABC   JKL   DEF   JKL           SN   DEF   MNO           SN       PQR       Item 2   Product   Frame   Hub   Wheel   Spoke           Direction   Add   Add   Add   Add           Quantity   1   1   1   1           SN   GHI   STU   YYY   RRR                  
 
         [0065]     The corresponding Unit-Set from these transactional records is described in Table 3.  
                                   TABLE 3                           Serial   Product                   Pointer   Number   Number   Position   BOM flag   Date                   PR100   111   Bike   H       Jul-03       PR100   ABC   Wheel   L   +   Jul-03       PR100   DBF   Wheel   L   +   Jul-03       PR100   GHI   Frame   L   +   Jul-03       PR200   ABC   Wheel   H       Jun-03       PR200   JKL   Spoke   L   +   Jun-03       PR200   MNO   Spoke   L   +   Jun-03       PR200   PQR   Spoke   L   +   Jun-03       PR200   STU   Hub   L   +   Jun-03       SM100   111   Bike   H       Aug-03       SM100   DEF   Wheel   L   −   Aug-03       SM100   YYY   Wheel   L   +   Aug-03       SM200   JKL   Spoke   L   −   Sep-03       SM200   RRR   Spoke   L   +   Sep-03                  
 
         [0066]     According to the data, the resulting transactional bill of material, T-BOM™ for the bicycle in this example on or after 9/04 is summarized in Table 4.  
                           TABLE 4                                   Product   Serial Number                           Bike   111           Wheel   ABC           Hub   STU           Spoke   RRR           Spoke   MNO           Spoke   PQR           Wheel - YYY   YYY           Frame - GHI   GHI                      
 
         [0067]     This simple bicycle example illustrates the principle that any set of transactions in hierarchical form permits the creation of a T-BOM™. It is useful here to understand the notion of the “parent” or “child” of any product of interest. In the bicycle example, a “header” is a “parent” and any “item” is a child. Thus, for Serial Number 111 (see Table 4) the “children” are ABC, DEF, and GHI. Bicycle SN 111 has no “parents”. If one enters “wheel” as the product of interest, then “Spokes” are “children” and “bicycle” is a “parent”. For the purposes of this application and the language used to express these relationships, the product of interest may have offspring (children) or the product of interest may itself be the offspring to a parent. Moreover, BOM depth is the number of iterations needed to pass through the Unit-Set table to reach the end point of the BOM. If, for example, the BOM has five parent-child relationships, the BOM depth is five.  
         [0068]     Generating a T-BOM™. The preferred embodiment of generating a T-BOM™, and the method employed by a System as taught herein, is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Terms used are introduced in the preceding section and further elaborated in the accompanying tables. The concepts of general data input, querying databases, structuring data in hierarchical form, and the skills appurtenant thereto are generally assumed to be familiar and are not set forth in detail here. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the inventive method includes the steps of: 
    10 STEP 1 Running a query based on Serial Number (SN);     20 STEP 2 Selecting all Unit-Set records with SN equal to SN in Step 1;     30 STEP 3 Selecting all Unit-Set records with Pointers equal to Pointers in Step 2;     40 STEP 4 Repeating Steps 2 and 3 until the top and bottom of the BOM is reached;     50 STEP 5 a. Sorting, grouping and arranging selected Unit-Set records resulting in 5b;     52 STEP 5 b. Producing Product history (Lifecycle) for queried SN;     54 STEP 5 c. Embellishing Unit-Set records by selecting data by means of pointers;     60 STEP 6. a. Eliminating duplicate and obsolete Unit-Set records resulting in 6b;     62 STEP 6 b. Producing Transactional Bill of Material (T-BOM™) for queried SN;     64 STEP 6 c. Embellishing Unit—Set records by selecting data by means of Pointers. 
 
 Where “Header” level data is “parent”, and “Item” level data is “child”, an alternate embodiment of the method comprises the steps of: 
        Step 1 Running a query based on Serial Number (SN) and target date/time;     Step 2 Selecting all Unit-Set records for the SN queried in Step 1;     Step 3 Selecting all Unit-Set records for children of the queried SN and children of the children records;     Step 4 Selecting all Unit-Set records for the parents of the queried SN and the parents of the parent records;     Step 5 
            a. sorting and grouping the selected unit-set records;     b producing (from 5a) product lifecycle history for queried SN;     c embellishing unit-set records by selecting data by means of Pointers;    
            Step 6 
            a. eliminating duplicate and obsolete unit-set records;     b. producing (from 6a) T-BOM™ for queried SN;     c. embellishing Unit-Set records by selecting data by means of Pointers.    
           
       
 
         [0091]     Referring again to  FIG. 1 , at the completion of Step 5a 50, the resulting array represents the entire product lifecycle, that is to say, the complete history of the product. After Step 6c 64 through subtracting out duplicate and obsolete records that do not reflect the composition of the product at the time of the data inquiry, the T-BOM™—the current composition of the product—is created. Steps 5b and 6b effectively enrich the Unit-Set and permit data collection sufficient to satisfy a selection criteria. For the bicycle example described above, if the query posed was “show me the status of bike whose serial number is 111 as of 9/04”, the T-BOM™ and Pointers provide the data necessary to accomplish the task at hand (e.g. the composition—wheels, hub, spokes, and frame—of bike serial number 111 on 9/04).  
         [0092]     The method as depicted in  FIG. 1  illustrates going “down” the T-BOM™ structure, and it is intended that the invention include any bidirectional application of the method (going “up” as well as “down”).  
         [0093]     Another aspect of the invention (not illustrated) also includes a method and process for collecting information both proactively and through passive means that will become the data comprising the transactional information and the Unit-Set.  
         [0094]     Such information collection consists of two approaches. One approach in the present preferred embodiment is the use of intelligent agents that exist in external systems that monitor for transactions, then packetize the relevant data and send it through a set of business rules and data processing tools to populate the relevant database. Another approach is the ability to accept packets of information from as of yet unknown data sources. The packet of information will contain sufficient information (based on published standards) to allow the inventive system to send the data through a set of business rules and data processing tools to populate the relevant database.  
         [0095]     Serial Number Generation. In order to uniquely identify an instance of a product, it is assigned a Serial Number (SN). The number may be the serial number or it may supplement the serial number in further identifying the product in time and space. The generated number, referred to herein as “Serial Number” or SN, can then be assigned to a product (physically or virtually).  
         [0096]     The method and system for generating a unique and informationally intelligent Serial Number is included in this invention. The system takes into consideration information like the calendar date, the order number and order type, the locations, the last transaction, the parties (people, partners) involved, etc. This information is determined through a set of business rules that can be specified by the type of product the transaction being performed and any number of additional parameters including but not limited to: Date. Location, and Parties Involved.  
         [0097]     Analytics. Table 6 provides a partial listing of analytical tools that are aspects of the inventive system. These are made possible and can be computationally derived in a fast and accurate fashion through the use of the product lifecycle and T-BOM™ described herein. These tools are built around a common framework, with the idea that a number of different ways may be used to get to the right object(s) (serial number, order number, partner, product) and use that object to get more information.  
         [0098]     The current embodiment employs a “wizard” approach: the user is asked questions a screen at a time; when the user has narrowed down the information to the point desired, the user can choose from a set of options to express that information. The basic format is: 
        What do you want to do?    What do you know?    What do you want to do?       
 
         [0102]     The process is iterative. Table 6 contains features of the preferred embodiment of the invention.  
                   TABLE 6                       Analytical Tool   Description                   Drill up the   With a chosen set of objects, show the previous       supply chain   objects. Only one level if we don&#39;t have serial           number. Example: if we chose an order, show           the products that went into that order. If we           have serial number we will show 3 levels.       Drill down the   Same as drill up, but in the other direction.       supply chain       Recall wizard   A screen, tables, and a process for monitoring           and executing and documenting a recall.           This is a highly sophisticated tool that formalizes           and documents the entire recall procedure. The           results are that you can “Certefi your Recall”.           Once a set of products are identified through the           “what do you know?” phase, these are           populated into a recall table. These records are           identified by a recall number.           Additional units can be added to the recall, but           they can never be removed.           More than one lot can be included in a given           recall. The entire list of lots is shown on the top           right side of the screen. The selected lot is           detailed on the left side of the top and in the           body of the screen. On the bottom right of the           summary section, the entire recall summary is           displayed.           The records in the database are populated at           the time of the recall creation. On request, they           can be updated (or if the update is not desired,           rolled back to the original creation record).           One may also enter this screen simply by           choosing an existing recall number.           For a given set of records, the last location is           shown. The user then updates the screen (and           therefore database) with the information about           each location of products. The status can be           moved from any value to any other. Each           change in the record is recorded. A special log           is made for each status change requiring a           change to the notes as well.           Additional information shown includes: the           partner that currently has the product (if           applicable). The order number involved with the           last know transaction. This could be a shipment           to a customer, or a transport order, etc. The           order is hot linked. We should be able to click           on this and show the order in another system.           The quantity at the specific location is shown as           well. Underneath the quantity is a “Split” hot           link. By pressing on this link another screen           pops up and allows you to split the quantity into           one or more additional lines. This is in the event           that something beyond what is captured in           Certefi has happened to the product.           The user will be able to enter comments in the           notes section. This is a text editor with cut,           copy, and paste capabilities. We want the ability           to integrate outlook or other mail application to           the notes. Ideally we will be able to generate e-           mails from the notes page. These e-mails will           then be associated with this record for auditing           purposes.           As the status is changed for each line, the status           summary is updated to reflect the changes.           Statuses are configurable.           A set of reports are available as downloads.           The first report is at the lot level. For the           selected lot, the summary and summarized           details are listed. For the recall report, all of the           lots in the recall are listed again with           summarized details.       Commonality   One can choose a set of objects and have the       analyzer   system come back with an analysis of what all or           most of them have in common. This requires           the use of fuzzy logic. We see a set of           responses with probabilities associated with the           analysis. Examples include: these products           shipped in the same container (65%); these           products have a coating of product A batch JJJ           (100%); these products contain components           purchased from the same vendor (90%);       Pedigree   This is a special drill up the supply chain report.       Generator   The master data shown is specific (product           name, dosage, container size, # of containers)           In the detail section, each step along the supply           chain from the shipment from the original           manufacturer We need to see the lot or control           number. Specific information for each step must           include: business name and address, date. We           also want to include order number, user, and           source.       Gray market   Used internally. Enter at least the product and       tester   serial number. It will come back with the last           known location. It will also come back if there is           a duplicate in serial numbers or if this serial           number does not exist at all or if this serial           number does not match the defined format, etc.       Product   Used externally. Asks the user for:       integrity   Product, serial number, location information.       validator   Based on user input, it will come back with           “okay” or a request for more information and a           potential warning message and way to contact           the original manufacturer or the appropriate           authorities.       Fraud   A user has the ability to select a product or serial       detection   number and find out if there are any suspicious       wizard   activities. For example: how many returns           against this product, consistency of serial           numbers, etc.       Upgrade/   When it is time to upgrade or conduct service for       service   a set of products, the wizard gives you the       targeter   information needed to understand more about           the installed base and give you the necessary           information to contact he owner of the product.           Potential integration back to a CRM system or           integrate with word for a form letter or outlook for           a form e-mail.           Similar to the recall wizard we want to keep           track of who we sent what to and whether we           received any response.       Find serial/   Simply gives the serial numbers for the selected       lot/batch/   product.       unit       numbers       Installed   A report that shows the composition,       base   configuration and location of an installed based.           Either by a single serialized product or for a           group of products. The report can show all of the           serialized components (including software and           configuration options).       Profitability   This is a special case of the installed base       analyzer   because in addition to showing the current           configuration of the product, it includes a           historical account plus a line by line cost and           revenue accounting of all transactions.           The report can also be supplemented with           allocated costs.                  
 
         [0103]     Using the T-BOM™ for product search. Because the T-BOM™ gives a 360 degree visibility of the product of interest, the System also provides a powerful product search tool. By entering the product, order number, or serial number, the user is able to see the full product lifecycle and current/historical configuration. Such an application of the invention can be used to isolate defective equipment, determine the location of components within larger pieces of equipment, and for locating units or cartons within larger containers.  FIG. 2  is a screen shot of the CerteScope™ product search feature according to the current embodiment.  
         [0104]     Application to software patches/release tracking. Another aspect of the invention is in the application of software patch and release management. Because software patches and releases modules of code that are constantly changing, one can use the T-BOM™ to understand how things looked at any given time. A user can also understand what is in a given patch and with additional input can determine what areas of the system are impacted by each release or patch.  
         [0105]     The invention has a plethora of commercial applications. It may be used in installed base management for practically any industry. Examples include large medical equipment (MRI, etc); semiconductor manufacturing equipment; manufacturing plant maintenance; automotive and aircraft engine maintenance. Further, it may be applied to military equipment preparedness including maintenance of aircraft, tanks and other equipment. The invention has usefulness in lifecycle reporting, pedigree generation, recall and quality notifications. The myriad of applications include tracking of national food supply, counterfeit and gray market prevention (pharmaceuticals, jewelry, high-technology, semiconductor chips, and entertainment media, to name a few).  
         [0106]     Other examples will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The scope of this invention should therefore not be determined solely by reference to the above description and tables therein, but instead should be determined inclusive of reference to the appended claims and figures, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.