GB2373617A

GB2373617A - A method for creating product loads

Info

Publication number: GB2373617A
Application number: GB0123915A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Victor Kudyba
Original assignee: Ford Motor Co
Current assignee: Ford Motor Co
Priority date: 2000-11-03
Filing date: 2001-10-04
Publication date: 2002-09-25
Anticipated expiration: 2021-10-04
Also published as: CA2360991A1; GB0123915D0; DE10153626A1; GB2373617B

Abstract

A method for efficiently grouping products to create product loads and assigning these loads to various transport conveyances. Identification numbers 12, 14 are assigned to each manufactured product, e.g. vehicle, and may be a unique identification number of the product, and a destination code. Each product receives a readable device or tag which stores at least one of the identification numbers. Each transport conveyance (e.g. railcar or truck) receives a tag which includes a unique identification number 18 and preferably a capacity identifier. The product and conveyance tags are scanned and the information held therein stored in a database 16, 20. Using the database information, the products are automatically grouped according to their respective destinations, 22, and each group is automatically assigned to one or more conveyances, 24 to ensure that the capacities of the conveyances are substantially fully utilized. A report 25 is generated accordingly. The product tags may include "date stamp" information used to ensure that the oldest products in a group are shipped first.

Description

23736 1 7

- 1 - A NETHOD FOR CREATING PRODUCT LOADS

This invention relates to a method for creating a 5 product load and more particularly, to a method for efficiently grouping products and assigning the grouped products to a transport carrier or conveyance.

Products or other manufactured items are frequently lo placed within a temporary storage facility or a yard (i.e. a "staging area") from which the products are later and selectively transferred onto a transport conveyance for shipment to a desired destination. Typically, products bound for a variety of destinations are stored within the yard or is staging area.

Products which are destined or "bound" for the same destination are conventionally placed in one or a few pre-

determined and/or pre-designated locations within the yard.

20 An individual typically searches the yard to locate the vehicle or other items which are bound for the same destination and attempts to assimilate or create a "full load" for each such destination. It should be appreciated that the term "full loach, as used within this Application, 25 means a collection of vehicles or other manufactured items utilizing the entire or substantially the entire carrying capacity of one or more transport conveyances or carriers which are adapted to selectively transport goods to a certain destination. Hence, the individual attempts to 30 place these loads onto these conveyances in a manner which substantially "fills" or utilizes the carrying capacity of each such conveyance, thereby allowing the vehicles to be respectively transported from the yard. The various steps comprising this portion of the overall process are more 35 specifically set forth below.

That is, the individual manually identifies each available conveyance and its respective locations relative to the yard or staging area. The individual then locates previously received and temporarily stored vehicles which 5 are to be shipped to the same location or destination and notes the individual identification number of each of the vehicles respectively residing within each of the previously formed loads. The individual then notes or records each of the identification codes for each conveyance and assigns a lo conveyance code to each load. A "load street n which identifies each of the full load locations and their respectively assigned conveyance is then created by the individual and given to other individuals who use the created load sheet to selectively and cooperatively place or 5 drive these vehicles onto the respectively assigned carriers/conveyances. While the previously delineated prior method does allow product loads to be selectively created and does allow 20 products to be selectively transported to a desired location, it undesirably requires a relatively large amount of time and effort in order to manually create the product loads and does not substantially ensure that the vehicles are shipped to their respective and correct location due to 25 the previously delineated manual effort required for the creation of these loads and the manual assignment of these loads to the various conveyances.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and 30 improved method for creating product loads which overcomes at least some of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior methods.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is 35 provided method for creating a product load comprising the steps of receiving at least a first product at a first

- 3 instant of time, receiving at least a second product at a second instant of time which occurs later than said first instant of time and using said at least first product to form a product load before using said at least second s product to form a product load.

The method may further comprise the steps of assigning a unique identification code to each of said products, assigning a destination code to each of said products, lo storing each of the unique identification codes, storing each of the destination codes, receiving a plurality of transport conveyances, identifying each of said received plurality of transport conveyances, assigning a code to each of said transport conveyances, counting the number of each of the products which have the same destination code, using said count to assign said products to one of the transport conveyances and generating a report which delineates said assignment. 20 The method may further comprise the steps of providing a plurality of electronic tags, attaching each of said plurality of electronic tags to a unique one of said products and storing said unique identification codes within said plurality of electronic tags.

The method may further comprise the step of storing said destination codes within said plurality of electronic tags. 30 The method may further comprise the step of scanning said plurality of electronic tags so as to be effective to read each of said destination codes and said unique identification codes.

35 The method may further comprise the steps of providing a plurality of second electronic tags, attaching each of

- 4 said plurality of second electronic tags to a unique one of said plurality of transport conveyances, and storing said capacity codes within said plurality of second electronic tags. The method may further comprise the step of scanning each of said plurality of second electronic tags, effective to read each of said capacity codes.

lo Preferably the method may further comprise the steps of providing a computer system and storing each of said unique identification codes, destination codes and capacity codes within said computer system.

15 Said computer system may automatically assign each of said products to one of said transport conveyances.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method for shipping a plurality of items by use 20 of a plurality of transport carriers, each of said transport carriers having a certain capacity, said method comprising the steps of providing first tags, attaching each of said first tags to a unique one of said items, storing a destination code in each of said first tags, receiving a 25 plurality of transport conveyances, scanning said first tags effective to read said unique destination codes and utilizing said destination codes to assign said items to said transport carriers.

30 Each of said conveyances may have a certain capacity and said method may further comprise the steps of storing said destination codes and capacities and utilizing said stored destination codes and said capacities to assign each of said vehicles to one of said conveyances.

Each of said plurality of items may comprise a vehicle.

- 5 The method may further comprise the step of generating a report describing said assignment.

5 The method may further comprise the step of loading said vehicles upon said conveyances by use of said generated report. According to a third aspect of the invention there is lo provided a method for creating a production load comprising the steps of providing a plurality of vehicles, assigning a unique first identification code and a unique destination code to each of said vehicles, providing a computer system, storing said first identification codes and said destination codes within said computer system, using said computer system to group said vehicles by use of said destination codes and said identification codes, providing a plurality of transport conveyances, each of said transport conveyances having a capacity, assigning a second identification code 20 and a capacity code to each of said transport conveyances, storing said second identification codes and said capacity codes within said computer system and assigning each group of vehicles to a conveyance, effective to substantially utilize all of said capacity of said conveyance, effective 25 to create a substantially full production load.

The method may further comprise the step of generating a report describing said assignment and may further comprise the steps of loading said vehicles upon said conveyance 30 based upon the report.

Each of said second identification codes may be stored upon a unique tag attached to a unique one of said transport carriers.

The method may further comprise the steps of scanning each of said tags effective to read said second identification codes and storing said second identification codes within said computer system.

The method may further comprise the steps of maintaining an inventory age of each of said vehicles and assigning said vehicles to groups in an order which is based upon said inventory age.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing of which: Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of steps which form the methodology of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a flowchart 10 which illustrates the sequence of steps associated with JO and/or cooperatively comprising the methodology of the preferred embodiment of the invention. Particularly, methodology 10 begins with a first step 12 in which a first unique identification number is assigned to each manufactured product, such as a vehicle. In one non-limiting 25 embodiment of the invention, this number may be substantially similar to a "vehicle identification numbert, Step 14 follows step 12 and, in this step, a second identification number is assigned to each vehicle and each 30 vehicle receives a readable device or tag which stores the respective second identification number. Each device or tag may also store the respective first identification number.

Each tag can be substantially similar to the tags or 35 devices which are described within United States Patent Number 5,920,287 ("the '287 patent") which comprises a

- 7 - selectively readable "bar code" type of information storage device. Each tag may also include a shipment destination.

That is to say each tag includes or specifies the destination to which the vehicle to which it is respectively 5 attached is to be shipped.

Alternatively, this destination information may reside within a computer database and be cross-referenced to the

respective vehicle identification information (i.e., each lo vehicle identification number may be cross-referenced,

within the database, to a destination code which delineates the destination that the vehicle is to be transported to).: Step 16 follows step 14 and, in this step, each of the 15 tags is selectively "scanned or read by a device similar to that described within the '287 patent and stored within a computer which may be substantially similar to the computer 26 of the '287 patent and/or read by a bar code scanner type device. In this manner, all of the information residing upon 20 each of the tags is made to selectively reside within a computer database. Step 18 follows step 16 and, in this step, each transport carrier or conveyance (i.e. railcar or truck) is made to receive a tag which includes a unique identification number and a capacity identifier.

Each conveyance tag may be substantially and functionally similar to each vehicle tag. Particularly, a capacity identifier of a conveyance describes the number of vehicles or other items which may be transported by that 30 transport conveyance or carrier.

Step 20 follows step 18 and, in this step, each conveyance tag is scanned or "read" in the manner described within the '287 patent or by a bar code scanner type device, 35 thereby allowing the previously delineated transport

8 - information to also reside within a computer and/or computer database. Hence, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, a 5 computerized and/or electronic database is selectively created which includes the identity of each of the received vehicles, the destination that each of the received vehicles are to be respectively transported to, and the identity and respective capacity of each of the available transport lo conveyances. Further, in one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, a loading "cut-off" time for each of the conveyances (i.e., the time by which all vehicles must be loaded onto a conveyance prior to its departure from the storage yard) is also stored within this database. Step 22 5 follows step 20 and, in this step, the computer system automatically and/or electronically (i.e., by use of computer software program) groups each of the received vehicles according to their respective destinations. That is, all of the previously received and temporarily stored 20 vehicles or other manufactured items travelling to the same destination are electronically grouped or "placed within' the same load group. Hence, product loads are automatically and electronically created by this computer system, thereby obviating the need for an individual to manually "search" 25 the yard in the previously delineated manner and manually forming these product loads.

Step 24 follows step 22 and, in this step, the computer system automatically and/or electronically assigns each 30 formed group to one or more of the conveyances in order to substantially ensure that each of the respective capacities of each of the conveyances and/or carriers are fully or substantially and fully utilized. Each conveyance also receives a shipping destination corresponding to the 35 destination of the product group which it receives and, in one alternate embodiment of the invention, the computer

- 9 system ensures that each assigned conveyance remains near the yard before loading commences, by use of the respective "cut off" time (i.e., the system notes the current time of day and ensures that each conveyance to which a load has 5 been assigned has remained or is currently near the yard).

Step 25 follows step 24 and, in this step, a report is automatically and/or electronically generated which describes the product groupings, the location of each lo vehicle or product within the yard, the manner in which the products are assigned to the conveyances and/or carriers (i.e., the load assignment), the location of the carriers and/or conveyances relative to the yard, and the assigned destination of the carriers and/or conveyances.

In this manner, one or more individuals simply "follow the instructions" of the automatically generated report and quickly and efficiently load the vehicles upon the carriers/conveyances. Such automatic/electronic load 20 formation and conveyance assignment substantially reduces the likelihood of errant product assignment and allows the vehicles to be efficiently placed onto the conveyances and transported to the various and respective destinations.

25 Further, in another embodiment of the invention, a "bill of lading" is also automatically generated for each shipment of products.

Further, in yet another alternate embodiment of the 30 invention, each tag receives "date stamps' type information as the vehicle to which it is respectively attached enters the yard (i.e., as vehicle enters the yard, a computer transmits or selectively places current date information to the tag which resides upon the vehicle). Prior to forming 35 product loads, in this alternate embodiment of the invention, each tag is read and/or scanned in order to

- 10 ensure that vehicles which have resided within the yard for more than a predetermined period of time are placed within and/or form a load.

5 Alternatively, each group of vehicles destined for the same location are interrogated in this manner in order to ensure that those vehicles of a group which have resided within the yard for the longest amount of time relative to the other vehicles of the group are first placed in a load.

Hence, an "inventory age" metric may be used (i.e., the storage time of each vehicle or other received item) to select vehicles for shipment in order to reduce product storage time and ensure that the inventory remains "fresh".

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact construction or method which has been previously delineated, but that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined 20 by the following claims.

Claims

- 11 CLAIMS

1. A method for creating a product load comprising 5 the steps of receiving at least a first product at a first instant of time, receiving at least a second product at a second instant of time which occurs later than said first instant of time and using said at least first product to form a product load before using said at least second lo product to form a product load.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of assigning a unique identification code to each of said products, assigning a destination code to each of 15 said products, storing each of the unique identification codes, storing each of the destination codes, receiving a plurality of transport conveyances, identifying each of said received plurality of transport conveyances, assigning a code to each of said transport conveyances, counting the 20 number of each of the products which have the same destination code, using said count to assign said products to one of the transport conveyances and generating a report which delineates said assignment.

25

3. A method as claimed in Claim 2 further comprising

the steps of providing a plurality of electronic tags, attaching each of said plurality of electronic tags to a unique one of said products and storing said unique identification codes within said plurality of electronic 3 0 tags.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 further comprising the step of storing said destination codes within said plurality of electronic tags.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 further comprising the step of scanning said plurality of electronic tags so as to be effective to read each of said destination codes and said unique identification codes.

6. A method as claimed in 5 further comprising the steps of providing a plurality of second electronic tags, attaching each of said plurality of second electronic tags to a unique one of said plurality of transport conveyances, lo and storing said capacity codes within said plurality of second electronic tags.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising the step of scanning each of said plurality of second electronic tags, effective to read each of said capacity codes.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 further comprising the steps of providing a computer system and storing each of 20 said unique identification codes, destination codes and capacity codes within said computer system.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said computer system automatically assigns each of said products 2s to one of said transport conveyances.

10. A method for shipping a plurality of items by use of a plurality of transport carriers, each of said transport carriers having a certain capacity, said method comprising 30 the steps of providing first tags, attaching each of said first tags to a unique one of said items, storing a destination code in each of said first tags, receiving a plurality of transport conveyances, scanning said first tags effective to read said unique destination codes and 35 utilizing said destination codes to assign said items to said transport carriers.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein each of said conveyances has a certain capacity, said method further comprising the steps of storing said destination codes and 5 capacities and utilizing said stored destination codes and said capacities to assign each of said vehicles to one of said conveyances.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein each of said plurality of items comprises a vehicle.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11 or in claim 12 further comprising the step of generating a report describing said assignment.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising the step of loading said vehicles upon said conveyances by use of said generated report.

20

15. A method for creating a production load comprising the steps of providing a plurality of vehicles, assigning a unique first identification code and a unique destination code to each of said vehicles, providing a computer system, storing said first identification codes and said destination 25 codes within said computer system, using said computer system to group said vehicles by use of said destination codes and said identification codes, providing a plurality of transport conveyances, each of said transport conveyances having a capacity, assigning a second identification code 30 and a capacity code to each of said transport conveyances, storing said second identification codes and said capacity codes within said computer system and assigning each group of vehicles to a conveyance, effective to substantially utilize all of said capacity of said conveyance, effective 35 to create a substantially full production load.

- 14

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 further comprising the step of generating a report describing said assignment.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 further comprising 5 the steps of loading said vehicles upon said conveyance based upon the report.

18. A method as claimed in any of claims 15 to 17 wherein each of said second identification codes are stored lo upon a unique tag attached to a unique one of said transport carriers.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18 further comprising the steps of scanning each of said tags effective to read said second identification codes and storing said second identification codes within said computer system.

20. A method as claimed in of Claim 19 further comprising the steps of maintaining an inventory age of each 20 of said vehicles and assigning said vehicles to groups in an order which is based upon said inventory age.

21. A method for creating a product load substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying 25 drawing.

22. A method for shipping a plurality of items by use of a plurality of transport carriers substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.

23. A method for creating a production load substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.