Patent ID: RE44793

Claim:
A method for monitoring shipments of a plurality of components and enabling assembly of the plurality of components, the method comprising: a. encoding an identifier and specification information on one of the plurality of components into a data storage of a global positioning system (GPS) device, forming an encoded GPS device; wherein the GPS device further has a GPS processor and a GPS transmitter/receiver; b. encoding assembly instructions for the component into the data storage of the GPS device, forming a smart GPS device; c. attaching the smart GPS device to the component, forming a smart component; d. repeating steps (a) through (c) for each component of the plurality of components, forming a plurality of smart components; e. actuating the GPS transmitter/receiver for each of the plurality of smart components, wherein each GPS transmitter/receiver provides a location signal to a network; f. using a tracking processor in communication with a tracking data storage to track locations of each smart component, wherein the tracking processor is in communication with the network; g. shipping the plurality of smart components while simultaneously tracking each location of each of the plurality of smart components using the tracking processor until each smart component reaches a designated location; h. retrieving from each smart component the assembly instructions and the specification information using an assembly processor in communication with an assembly data storage; and i. assembling the plurality of smart components at the designated location, using the assembly instructions retrieved from each of the smart components.