WO2021026174A1 - Systèmes de capture de données d'événements de chaîne d'approvisionnement - Google Patents

Systèmes de capture de données d'événements de chaîne d'approvisionnement Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2021026174A1
WO2021026174A1 PCT/US2020/044910 US2020044910W WO2021026174A1 WO 2021026174 A1 WO2021026174 A1 WO 2021026174A1 US 2020044910 W US2020044910 W US 2020044910W WO 2021026174 A1 WO2021026174 A1 WO 2021026174A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
user
component
electronic record
distributed ledger
data
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PCT/US2020/044910
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English (en)
Inventor
Hanns-Christian Leemon Hanebeck
Sean LIAO
Original Assignee
Truckl Llc
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Publication of WO2021026174A1 publication Critical patent/WO2021026174A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
    • G06F16/50—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor of still image data
    • G06F16/58—Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
    • G06F16/587—Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
    • G06F16/70—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor of video data
    • G06F16/78—Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
    • G06F16/787—Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
    • G06F16/90—Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
    • G06F16/907—Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
    • G06F16/909—Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
    • G06Q10/083—Shipping
    • G06Q10/0838—Historical data

Definitions

  • An event is the occurrence of a state and specifically the state of a person or an object relevant to the execution of a process.
  • An event is the occurrence of a state and specifically the state of a person or an object relevant to the execution of a process.
  • Documents comprise a wide variety of artefacts including, but not limited to, printed documents, electronic documents, image files, or video files.
  • a “bill of lading”, “commercial invoice”, “special handling instruction”, “standard operating procedure”, “signature capture” or “photo of a loading transaction” are supply chain documents.
  • Processes generate a wealth of data in regard to events and require documents that are often not widely shared among different parties involved in the execution of processes. Equally important, a lot of valuable event data is not shared at all. For example, specific event data may be known to personnel involved in the execution of a process, but it may never be properly documented or shared. Individual actors may not have a motivation to share this data, especially when exceptions occur such as a missed pick-up time or a late delivery. Often even data that is captured during the execution of processes is not documented because operators lack the tools for data capture. Further, even when operators capture data, it is hard to share it with other parties and often involves manual steps such as phone calls or email.
  • event data and documents typically reside in central databases that may be owned and operated by one of the parties involved in the execution of a given process with no or very limited access for all other involved parties.
  • system interfaces that would allow wider sharing of event data and documents between two or more central databases or systems are often prohibitively expensive, especially between parties that do not transact business with one another on a regular basis.
  • event data or documents are shared, there is seldom certainty about the validity or completeness of the event data or documents that are being shared. In current processes, it is entirely possible that only partial or wrong event data or documents are shared. When event data or processes change after they have been shared, there are no guarantees that these updates are shared as well.
  • Event data comprises of the occurrence of a state and specifically the state of a person or an object relevant to the execution of a process.
  • a transportation vehicle may need to be loaded with freight.
  • the “arrival time” of the transportation vehicle, the “proper handling and loading” of the freight or the “securing of freight on a trailer” are examples of events.
  • Documents comprise a wide variety of artefacts including, but not limited to, printed documents, electronic documents, image files, or video files.
  • a “bill of lading”, “commercial invoice”, “special handling instruction”, “standard operating procedure”, “signature capture” or “photo of a loading transaction” are supply chain documents.
  • the present invention disclosure uses examples from supply chain operations to illustrate principles concerning the present invention but is not limited to the area of supply chain management.
  • the present invention allows for creation, sharing, updating and storage of event data and documents in regard to the execution of a process.
  • events occur or documents are created, they can be attached to an electronic record of a process such as the transport of freight from one point to another, the storing of materials in a warehouse or the provision of services such as packaging, kitting or assembly.
  • event data or documents are updated, all parties invited to view an electronic record of the execution of a process may access these changes.
  • Some embodiments of the present invention use distributed ledger technology.
  • a distributed ledger is an immutable record system in the sense that it is cryptographically hard to change event data or documents once they have been written to the distributed ledger.
  • Event data and documents that have been recorded on a distributed ledger can be audited by all parties with access to the distributed ledger.
  • third-parties not directly involved in the execution of a process such as factoring businesses, money lenders, banks or insurance companies have the ability to obtain validated data from a distributed ledger that may be used to establish credit, the viability of a business or events that led to an insurance claim.
  • event data and documents are stored on a distributed ledger, it leads to a built-in redundancy and higher resiliency of the overall system.
  • future information systems such as enterprise resource planning, warehouse management systems or transportation management systems may rely on distributed ledger technology as well. When that occurs data may be exchanged between different systems as long as they have access to the same distributed ledger.
  • payments may be processed very efficiently through the use of distributed ledger and smart contract technology.
  • partners For purposes of describing the present invention terms such as “partner”, “operator”, “user” or “observer” all refer to users of the system. They are sometimes used for clarity in that a user is a person or machine that operates or interacts with the systems described by the present invention and can be in various embodiments of the present invention an operator, a partner, a user or an observer.
  • the system is shown comprising a number of data storage components, however in certain embodiments a single data storage component may be used while in other embodiments a plurality of data storage components may be used.
  • the present disclosure provides a system for creating, sharing, updating and storing an electronic record of a process, the system comprising: (a) a registration component to register a first user if the first user is unknown to the system or recognize the first user if the first user is known to the system and permit the first user to access the system after registration or recognition, (b) a registration data management component for storing registration information of the first user, and (c) an electronic record management component for creating an electronic record; the first user creating the electronic record comprising a first record identifier and a first data element.
  • system further comprises an invitation component, the invitation component allowing the first user to invite a second user to access the system, the registration component registering the second user if the second user is unknown to the system or recognizing the second user if the second user is known to the system and allowing the second user to have access to the electronic record after registration or recognition, and the registration data management component storing registration information of the second user.
  • the first user utilizes the electronic record management component to update the electronic record by adding a second data element to the electronic record.
  • system further comprises a document capture component for document capture by the first user and a document processing and storage component for processing and storing the document captured by the first user and notifying the electronic record management component to update the electronic record with the document.
  • system comprises an event data capture component for event data capture by the first user and an event data processing and storage component for processing and storing the event data captured by the first user and notifying the electronic record management component to update the electronic record with the event data.
  • system further comprises an event data capture component for automatic event data capture by the system and an event data processing and storage component for processing and storing the event data automatically captured by the system and notifying the electronic record management component to update the electronic record with the event data.
  • the first user or the second user utilizes the invitation component to invite a third user to access the system
  • the registration component registers the third user if the third user is unknown to the system or recognizes the third user if the third user is known to the system and allows the third user to have access to the electronic record after registration or recognition and the registration data management component stores registration information of the third user.
  • the first, second or third user utilizes the electronic record management component to update the electronic record by adding a second data element to the electronic record.
  • the same steps will be used for any number of additional users.
  • the first user, the second user, the third user utilizes the invitation component to invite a fourth user to access the system
  • the registration component registers the fourth user if the fourth user is unknown to the system or recognizes the fourth user if the fourth user is known to the system and allows the fourth user to have access to the electronic record after registration or recognition and the registration data management component stores registration information of the fourth user.
  • the electronic record is created manually.
  • the electronic record is created automatically.
  • the system comprises a storage component for storing the electronic record.
  • system comprises an external data source access component for accessing external data.
  • the system comprises an external data source storage component for storing external data.
  • system comprises a summary file comprising all of the data elements of the electronic record.
  • the disclosure also provides a system for creating, sharing, updating and strong an electronic record of a process, the system comprising: (a) a registration component to register a first user if the first user is unknown to the system or recognize the first user if the first user is known to the system and permit the first user to access the system after registration or recognition, (b) a registration data management component for storing registration information of the first user, (c) an electronic record management component for creating an electronic record; the first user creating the electronic record comprising a first record identifier and a first data element and (d) a distributed ledger connector component for connecting the system to a first distributed ledger.
  • system further comprises an invitation component, the invitation component allowing the first user to invite a second user to access the system, the registration component registering the second user if the second user is unknown to the system or recognizing the second user if the second user is known to the system and allowing the second user to have access to the electronic record after registration or recognition, and the registration data management component storing registration information of the second user.
  • the first or second user utilizes the electronic record management component to update the electronic record by adding a second data element to the electronic record.
  • the system comprises a document capture component for document capture by the first user and a document processing and storage component for processing and storing the document captured by the first user and notifying the electronic record management component to update the electronic record with the document.
  • system comprises an event data capture component for event data capture by the first user and an event data processing and storage component for processing and storing the event data captured by the first user and notifying the electronic record management component to update the electronic record with the event data.
  • system further comprises an event data capture component for automatic event data capture by the system and an event data processing and storage component for processing and storing the event data automatically captured by the system and notifying the electronic record management component to update the electronic record with the event data.
  • the first user or the second user utilizes the invitation component to invite a third user to access the system, the registration component registering the third user if the third user is unknown to the system or recognizing the third user if the third user is known to the system and allowing the third user to have access to the electronic record after registration or recognition and the registration data management component storing registration information of the third user.
  • the first, second or third user utilizes the electronic record management component to update the electronic record by adding a second data element to the electronic record.
  • the first user, the second user or the third user utilizes the invitation component to invite a fourth user to access the system, the registration component registering the fourth user if the fourth user is unknown to the system or recognizing the fourth user if the fourth user is known to the system and allowing the fourth user to have access to the electronic record after registration or recognition and the registration data management component storing registration information of the fourth user.
  • the electronic record is created manually.
  • the electronic record is created automatically.
  • system comprises a storage component for storing the electronic record.
  • system comprises an external data source access component for accessing external data.
  • the system comprises an external data source storage component for storing external data.
  • system comprises a summary file comprising all of the data elements of the electronic record.
  • the distributed ledger connector component adds the electronic record to a first block and broadcasts the first block to a plurality of nodes of the first distributed ledger to validate and store the first block on the first distributed ledger.
  • the electronic record management component calculates a hash value of the electronic record
  • the distributed ledger connector component sends the hash value to the first distributed ledger and adds the hash value to a second block and broadcasts the second block to the plurality of nodes of the first distributed ledger to validate and store the second block on the first distributed ledger.
  • the distributed ledger connector component connects the system to a first distributed ledger and a second distributed ledger.
  • the distributed ledger connector component adds the electronic record to a first block and broadcasts the first block to a plurality of nodes of the distributed ledger to validate and store the first block on the distributed ledger, and the distributed ledger connector component adds the electronic record to a second block and broadcasts the second block to a plurality of nodes of the second distributed ledger to validate and store the second block on the distributed ledger.
  • the electronic record management component calculates a hash value of the electronic record
  • the distributed ledger connector component sends the hash value to the first distributed ledger and adds the hash value to a third block and broadcasts the third block to the plurality of nodes of the first distributed ledger to validate and store the third block on the first distributed ledger
  • the distributed ledger connector component sends the hash value to the second distributed ledger and adds the hash value to a fourth block and broadcasts the fourth block to the plurality of nodes of the second distributed ledger to validate and store the fourth block on the second distributed ledger.
  • the electronic record management component calculates a hash value of the electronic record and splits the hash value into a first hash value part and a second hash value part
  • the distributed ledger connector component sends the first hash value part to the first distributed ledger and adds the first hash value part to a third block and broadcasts the third block to the plurality of nodes of the first distributed ledger to validate and store the third block on the first distributed ledger
  • the distributed ledger connector component sends the second hash value part to the second distributed ledger and adds the second hash value part to a fourth block and broadcasts the fourth block to the plurality of nodes of the second distributed ledger to validate and store the fourth block on the second distributed ledger.
  • the electronic record management component splits the electronic record into a first electronic record part and a second electronic record part
  • the distributed ledger connector component adds the first electronic record part to a first block and broadcasts the first block to a plurality of nodes of the distributed ledger to validate and store the first block on the distributed ledger
  • the distributed ledger connector component adds the second electronic record part to a second block and broadcasts the second block to a plurality of nodes of the second distributed ledger to validate and store the second block on the distributed ledger.
  • the electronic record management component calculates a first hash value of the first electronic record part
  • the distributed ledger connector component sends the first hash value to the first distributed ledger and adds the first hash value to a third block and broadcasts the third block to the plurality of nodes of the first distributed ledger to validate and store the third block on the first distributed ledger
  • the electronic record management component calculates a second hash value of the second electronic record part
  • the distributed ledger connector component sends the second hash value to the second distributed ledger and adds the second hash value to a fourth block and broadcasts the fourth block to the plurality of nodes of the second distributed ledger to validate and store the fourth block on the second distributed ledger.
  • FIG. l is a schematic of a network for supply chain data sharing in accordance with an exemplary embodiment
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic of a system for supply chain data sharing in accordance with an exemplary embodiment utilizing FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic of a system for supply chain data sharing in accordance with another exemplary embodiment utilizing FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a method of an operator registering utilizing the network of FIG. 1 and the systems of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3;
  • FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a method of creating an electronic record of a process utilizing the network of FIG. 1 and the systems of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3;
  • FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a method of capturing a document utilizing the network of FIG. 1 and the systems of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3;
  • FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a method of establishing an origin or destination location utilizing the network of FIG. 1 and the systems of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3;
  • FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a method of capturing at least one event data element utilizing the network of FIG. 1 and the systems of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3;
  • FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a method of creating a summary file of an electronic record of a process utilizing the network of FIG. 1 and the systems of FIG.
  • FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a method of an execution of a process utilizing the network of FIG. 1 and the systems of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3;
  • FIG. 11 is a schematic of a network for supply chain data sharing in accordance with another exemplary embodiment
  • FIG. 12 is a schematic of a system for supply chain data sharing in accordance with another exemplary embodiment utilizing FIG. 11;
  • FIG. 13 is a schematic of a system for supply chain data sharing in accordance with another exemplary embodiment utilizing FIG. 11;
  • FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating linking data blocks on a distributed ledger using hashes
  • FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a method for storing an original document on a distributed ledger utilizing the network of FIG. 11 and the systems of FIG. 12 and FIG. 13;
  • FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a method for storing a hash of a summary file of an electronic record on a distributed ledger utilizing the network of FIG. 11 and the systems of FIG. 12 and FIG. 13;
  • FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a method of storing a photo in original format on a distributed ledger utilizing the network of FIG. 11 and systems of FIG. 12 and FIG. 13;
  • FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a method of storing a hash of a captured document on a distributed ledger utilizing the network of FIG. 11 and the systems of FIG. 12 and FIG. 13;
  • FIG. 19 is a schematic of a network for supply chain data sharing in accordance with another exemplary embodiment
  • FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a method for storing a hash of a summary file on two or more distributed ledgers utilizing the network of FIG. 19 and the systems of FIG. 12 and FIG. 13;
  • FIG. 21 is a block diagram of a method for storing a summary file of an electronic record on two or more distributed ledgers utilizing the network of FIG. 19 and the systems of FIG. 12 and FIG. 13;
  • FIG. 22 is a block diagram of a method for storing a partial summary file on a first distributed ledger and a partial summary file on a second distributed ledger utilizing the network of FIG. 19 and the systems of FIG. 12 and FIG. 13;
  • FIG. 23 is a block diagram of a method for storing a partial hash of a summary file on a first distributed ledger and a partial hash of a summary file on a second distributed ledger utilizing the network of FIG. 19 and the systems of FIG. 12 and FIG. 13;
  • FIG. 24 is a block diagram of a method for storing a hash of a partial summary file on a first distributed ledger and hash of a partial summary file on a second distributed ledger utilizing the network of FIG. 19 and the systems of FIG. 12 and FIG. 13.
  • a system for the creation, sharing, updating and storing of an electronic record of a process may comprise a distributed ledger.
  • a distributed ledger may include, but is not limited to, a Blockchain, Hashgraph or Directed Acyclic Graph.
  • the present invention enables a user to share an electronic record of a process with a multitude of other parties involved in the execution of the process.
  • event data, documents or electronic records of processes may be written to a distributed ledger in the form of a hash or in their original form.
  • a majority of event data that is generated by or related to the operation and execution of processes may occur in the field of transportation, logistics or material movement.
  • the present invention is not limited to the field of transportation, logistics or material movement and may apply equally to other fields in which events occur and event data may be generated including, but not limited to, warehouse operations, cross-dock operations, manufacturing and assembly operations, pick, pack and ship operations, quality inspection operations, testing or lab operations, retail operations, operations concerned with movement of human beings or personnel, agricultural operations, construction operations, refinery operations, mining and drilling operations, hospital operations, restaurant operations, food truck operations, catering operations, hotel operations, cruise ship operations, hospitality operations, theme park operations, airport operations, seaport operations, rail yard operations, switching yard operations, train station operations, subway station operations, bus terminal operations, waste management operations, maintenance or repair operations, installation operations, passenger travel operations, defense and military operations, law enforcement operations, document management operations, public or private entertainment operations, concert operations, sporting operations, motor or animal racing operations, museum operations, or pop-up store operations.
  • Operations during which event data is captured include
  • Event data may be captured during the use of supply chain assets such as vehicles or material handling equipment which may include, but are not limited to, heavy trucks, light trucks, trailers, tankers, self-driving trailers, containers, self- driving containers, tanker trucks, delivery vans, step vans, maintenance vans, repair vans, installation vans, pickup trucks, tractors, agricultural vehicles, agricultural machines, lawn mowers, golf carts, container moving equipment, trailer moving equipment, robotic movers, cranes, construction equipment, drilling and mining equipment, oil and gas exploration equipment, forklifts, pallet jacks, robotic storage shelves, material pickers, buses, locomotives, rail cars, switching engines, specialty railroad equipment, passenger trains, commuter trains, subway trains, law enforcement vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances, first responder vehicles, passenger vehicles, taxis, ride sharing vehicles, airplanes, helicopters, drones, airborne passenger transport vehicles, motorcycles, scooters, boards, bicycles, boats, barges, container ships, tanker ships, cruise ships, sail boats, yachts, ferries, catamar
  • Event data may be captured by means of a manual user entry or by means of an event data capture device or computer that can partially or fully capture event data automatically.
  • Devices or computers that rely on either manual, automated, or partially manual and partially automated capture of event data include, but not limited to, a smart watch, a wearable device, a medical or biometric device, a sensor or actuator, an Internet of Things device, a phone, a pager or other wireless device, a barcode reader, a handheld RFID device, a stationary RFID device, an RTLS device, a BLE device, a GPS device, a lidar, a radar, a CPU, a GPU, a FPGA, a chip with an integrated circuit, an electronic logging device, a sensor, an actuator, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a data center computer, a data center server, an image capture device, a video capture device, a sound recording device, a device used for the operation of an asset, a device permanently attached to an asset,
  • a computer may be located locally or remotely including, but not limited to, in a data center or a computer cloud.
  • Computers may communicate with one another through one of several means including, but not limited to, a connection using a wire or cable, a wireless connection using nearfield technologies, a wireless connection using cellular or satellite wireless networks, a wireless connection using proprietary wireless networks or a connection in which data is downloaded manually or automatically from one computer and then uploaded manually or automatically to another computer.
  • the above devices or computers may only capture event data.
  • a device or computer may format, process, analyze, share, or store event data as well.
  • Event data may be captured in formats including, but not limited to, textual, numerical, still image, video, graphical, abstracted, abbreviated, proprietary, or audible form. Event data may be obtained by way of collection mechanisms including, but not limited to, means employed by any device or computer listed above, manual or automated user entry or selection, automated software entry or selection, third-party systems by way of an interface, direct or indirect measurement, a trigger by another computer, or observation.
  • Event data may further be obtained through means including, but not limited to, data previously stored on any device or computer listed above, data previously stored on any computer described in the present invention disclosure, manual or previously stored data entered by users, manual or previously stored user selections, rule-based or otherwise automated software inputs, data from artificial intelligence computers, data from other computers used in the capture of events, data from computers comprising a distributed ledger, data from publicly available sources, data from private sources, or data from documents including, but not limited to, instructions for handling of a process, instructions for handling of materials, instructions for operating an asset, instructions for operating a machine, user manuals, certificates, warranties, or other documents related to the operation and execution of a process. Examples of events and event data are listed further below.
  • events may be captured by devices or computers that are temporarily attached to a supply chain asset or a material.
  • temporary devices or computers may include, but are not limited to, wireless sensors to measure conditions such as shock, acceleration, deceleration, temperature, humidity or physical location.
  • Other temporary devices may include, but are not limited to, RFID tag readers, barcode readers, BLE devices or other wireless devices that allow for the identification of items through the scan of a barcode or electronic tag.
  • a temporary device or computer may be attached to materials being transported, to packaging materials, or to a supply chain asset.
  • a temporary device or computer may communicate with any other computer described in the present invention in a multitude of ways including, but not limited to, through a computer network such as the Internet to which it may connect wirelessly or by means of a cable, or through other mechanisms to upload or download event data.
  • Temporary devices may be used frequently in some embodiments of the present invention, especially when autonomous vehicles may be used for a multitude of purposes or for a multitude of people or freight movements.
  • the data generated by temporary devices may be available immediately, or it may only become available after a period of time has passed.
  • event data may be captured and processed by external systems that are not directly controlled by parties who are involved in the execution of a process or transaction including, but not limited to, a security camera, a warehouse camera, a camera mounted on a material moving asset such as a pallet jack or forklift, a camera mounted on another supply chain asset, an RFID reader, or a variety of sensors.
  • a camera mounted to the outside of the loading dock of an adjacent facility to a pick-up location may capture the license plate of a supply chain asset to identify the supply chain asset and then send an alert to the system described in the present invention disclosure so that all parties involved in the transaction may be notified that the supply chain asset has arrived at the pick-up location loading dock.
  • Events that occur during a process and the resulting event data include, but are not limited to, a date, a time, a physical location, a supply chain asset, a supply chain asset owner, a supply chain asset operator, a device, a computer, a material, a freight, a warehouse, a cross-dock, a yard, a storage location, a facility, a manufacturing plant, a depot, a retail location, a home base, a repair location, a plan or planning process, a user name, a password, a temporary password, a cryptographic public key, a cryptographic private key, a hash, a third-party operator, a location, a device, a customer, a retailer, a wholesaler, a distributor, a shipper, a carrier, a case, a process, an origin location, a midway point, a destination, a route, a tracking process, an identifier designated by a third-party system, a traffic condition, a road
  • the above data may be captured in its original form. In other embodiments of the present invention, the above data may be represented by an identifier or through abbreviation or abstraction.
  • Some events and event data are the result of processes performed by supply chain assets or operators engaged during the operation and execution of a supply chain process while other events and event data are external occurrences and out of the control of a human or machine operator, a business or a third party.
  • the absence of an event completion including, but not limited to, unfinished event data inputs, disrupted event data inputs, incorrect event data inputs, or missing event data inputs may be considered event data in its own right for the purposes of the present invention disclosure.
  • the absence of documents including, but not limited to, empty documents, incomplete documents, corrupted document files, incorrect documents, or missing documents may be considered event data in its own right for the purposes of the present invention disclosure.
  • any system shown in the present invention disclosure may create and send an alert about an exception condition to the users of the system or to users of external computers.
  • Exception alerts may be treated as event data for the purposes of the present invention disclosure and, in some embodiments of the present invention, they may be written to a distributed ledger in the same way as any other event data.
  • a component shown in the present invention disclosure determines that a different course of action from an initial course of action may be necessary, it may create and send an alert about a change in the course of action to any other component or to users of external computers. Alerts on a change in a course of action may be treated as event data for the purposes of the present invention disclosure and, in some embodiments of the present invention, they may be written to a distributed ledger in the same way as any other event data.
  • Materials or freight may include, but are not limited to raw materials, parts, consumables, work-in-progress materials, manufacturing assets, packaging, freight securing devices, pallets or crates, containers, written documents such as manuals or instructions, or finished goods or products.
  • Materials may have a physical form generally as a gas, liquid or solid or they may not have a physical form including, but not limited to, software or data.
  • a supply chain process is a business process, or transaction, which comprises a series of activities or tasks comprising of people, machines, materials, skills, and knowledge to achieve an aim or objective.
  • a process as a class of transactions, for example “loading of freight” or “unloading of freight,” and to transactions as an instance of a process, for example the “loading of freight on a given day in a specific location”.
  • a process may comprise of many transactions and many transactions may all be instances of a single process.
  • Supply chain processes may generate events and event data or are affected by events and event data.
  • the outcome of a process, transaction, activity or task is one or more event or event data.
  • an event resulting from activities performed in one process or transaction serves as a basis for how activities in another process or transaction are performed.
  • a simple example may be that when a material pickup by a truck is delayed at the material origin, the likelihood of a delay in the material delivery at a destination increases greatly.
  • Supply chain processes may generate or enhance documents or are affected by documents. For example, the arrival and departure times of a supply chain asset at a location may be recorded in one or more documents.
  • a process may comprise a multitude of events that may occur in a sequence or in parallel. Events comprise of the occurrence of a state and specifically the state of a person or an object relevant to the execution of a supply chain process. When an event occurs, the resulting event data is captured by one or more devices or computers.
  • An important aspect of how a process and an event are related to one another is that a process typically begins with an event and ends with an event. For example, a shipper may have freight that needs to be moved. The shipper will determine a route, a day and time, availability of a supply chain asset, etc. in order to begin the process of transporting the freight. The initial steps of setting up a plan are considered a course of action within the present invention disclosure.
  • the first event and resulting event data in this process may be to set a course of action including, but not limited to, determining a pickup time, determining a drop off time, determining a transit time, determining a loading time, identifying special handling instructions, and so on.
  • This course of action is then communicated to other participants in the transaction so that they can plan how to operate later processes.
  • events, event data and documents may be used to monitor whether the course of action is still attainable or whether a change in the course of action is necessary. Delays of a supply chain asset for example due to problems in loading, traffic or extreme weather conditions, delays during unloading, etc. may lead to a change in the initial course of action.
  • a supply chain is a series of processes comprising of people, machines, materials, skills, and knowledge that transform one or more raw materials into one or more finished products, which includes the transport of materials and goods from one point to another until they reach a final consumer location.
  • processes include, but are not limited to, inbound transportation of materials, manufacturing, warehousing, outbound shipping, placement of product in customer locations, maintenance sites or installation sites, maintenance of materials after installation and also the return of products from customers back to retailers, distributors, wholesalers, or manufacturers.
  • supply chain processes include, but are not limited to, loading of materials onto supply chain assets, storing of materials, counting and inspecting materials, counting materials in storage, quality inspections, repair or replacement of defective materials, replenishment of missing materials, exchange of older materials for newer ones, taking of materials out of storage, audits, collection of metrics regarding cost, time, quality, quantity or other attributes of processes or materials, planning of manufacturing processes, marketing and sales promotions, advertising, sponsorship or social media campaigns, employee training and education, labor disputes or strikes, or unloading of materials at a destination.
  • the execution of a process documented through the capture, sharing, updating and storing of event data and documents in an electronic record may yield metrics describing the performance of a supply chain asset, an operator, a party directly involved in the operation and execution of a process, a party not directly involved in the operation and execution of a process, or other aspects of the supply chain process itself.
  • Metrics may serve as a basis for operational decision-making by human or machine operators of any of the computers described in the present invention. Metrics may be displayed to human or machine operators by formats including, but not limited to, textual, numerical, abstracted, abbreviated, compressed, or graphical form.
  • metrics include, but are not limited to, operator work hours, drive times, dwell times, supply chain asset utilization, warehouse efficiency, depot efficiency, retail location efficiency, fuel efficiency, route efficiency, travel time, toll charges, fee charges, insurance premiums, accident conditions, insurance payments, freight per customer metrics, freight per mile metrics, cost per mile metrics, weather influences on supply chain assets, efficiency by freight type, efficiency by trailer type, efficiency by process, efficiency by transport type, efficiency by distance to destination, efficiency in less-than- truckload operations, efficiency in last mile operations, efficiency in sea port deliveries and pickups, efficiency in airport deliveries and pickups, efficiency in parcel delivery, maintenance and repair efficiency, or the efficiency of a system to store event data on a distributed ledger.
  • Any computer discussed in the present invention disclosure may collect, process, share or use metrics as described above.
  • external data sources may be used to obtain data that adds meaning during the interpretation and analysis of event data.
  • external data sources may be used to obtain event data or documents that are then attached to an electronic record of a process.
  • external data sources may be used to create an electronic record of a process.
  • External data sources may include, but are not limited to, an enterprise resource planning system, a customer data system, a supplier system, a business partner system, a transportation management system, a route management system, a freight forwarding system, a freight brokerage system, a warehouse management system, a global trade management system, a financial system, a banking system, a credit card processing system, an online sales system, a sales support system, a customer relationship management system, a supplier relationship management system, a human resource management system, a time and attendance system, an online database, a system containing publicly available data, a system containing private data, a system containing military data, or a system containing government data.
  • a supply chain asset may be an autonomous vehicle or autonomous material movement equipment.
  • An autonomous supply chain asset may operate fully autonomously, partially autonomously or fully manually with a human operator.
  • One or more autonomous supply chain assets may be locally or remotely monitored by a human or machine operator.
  • a system for the creation, sharing, updating and storage of electronic records containing event data and documents relevant for the operation and execution of a process may comprise a distributed ledger.
  • a distributed ledger including, but not limited to, a Blockchain, Hashgraph or Directed Acyclic Graph, may be public or private.
  • a permissioned distributed ledger is generally a type of a private distributed ledger.
  • a permissioned distributed ledger may be a type of public distributed ledger, if permission to access is granted universally.
  • a distributed ledger may have one or more nodes in a network of nodes. In some embodiments of the present invention, it is conceivable that a private distributed ledger may only have one node.
  • a distributed ledger may reside on one or more systems.
  • a node of a distributed ledger may reside on one or more systems.
  • a computer may host one or more distributed ledgers.
  • a distributed ledger may reside on any of the systems discussed in this invention disclosure.
  • Network 100 comprises several computers including the systems described by the present invention disclosure (101, 200, 103, 300), a network for data sharing (102), operator computers (103), partner computers (104) and external data sources (105).
  • Element 101 (System 200) and Element 103 (System 300) show systems for creating, sharing, updating and storing an electronic record of a process. Their components are described in detail in FIG.
  • Element 101 shows a system for the creation, sharing, updating and storage of electronic records of a process.
  • Element 101 allows users to register, create, share and display electronic records of a process, upload documents and update data contained in an electronic record, create a summary file of an electronic record and store an electronic record of a process.
  • Element 101 is described in detail in FIG. 2.
  • FIG. 1 should not imply that Network 100 requires precisely one electronic record system for processes (101) or is limited to a specific number of electronic record systems for processes (101).
  • Element 102 shows the network by which computers may share data with each other.
  • Networks may include, but are not limited to, the public Internet, a private network, a government network or other networks intended to share data between computers that may or may not be directly connected to one another.
  • Elements listed in Network 100 may connect to the network (102) through a variety of means including, but not limited to, local area wireless communication, wide area wireless communication, satellite wireless communication, cables or by way of data uploads and downloads that may be handled manually or automatically.
  • Element 103 System 300 shows an operator computer used by a person or machine to register, create and display an electronic record of a process, invite partners or observers to share an electronic record of a process, capture event data or documents, create a summary file of an electronic record and store data.
  • Element 103 System 300
  • an operator computer may receive electronic record data, event data and documents from Element 101 and collect event data and documents during the execution of a process, which in certain embodiments it may send to Element 101 for updating and storing an electronic record of a process.
  • Examples of operator computers include, but are not limited to, smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers, personal computers, or any other computing device used during the operation of a process.
  • FIG. 1 should not imply that Network 100 requires precisely one operator computer (103) or is limited to a specific number of operator computers (103).
  • Element 104 shows a partner computer used by a person or machine to participate in the sharing and updating of an electronic record containing data, event data and documents during the execution of a process.
  • a partner computer has access to an electronic record of a process that has been created, shared, updated and stored.
  • a partner computer may also generate event data and documents used to update an electronic record of a process.
  • FIG. 1 should not imply that Network 100 requires precisely one partner computer (104) or is limited to a specific number of partner computers (104).
  • Element 105 shows external data sources used to obtain data about a process, event data or documents regarding the execution of a process.
  • external data sources may be systems that can provide data used in the creation of an electronic record of a process such as from an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system or Transportation Management System (TMS).
  • ERP Enterprise Resource Planning
  • TMS Transportation Management System
  • external data sources may be websites or databases that contain data relevant to the execution of a process.
  • external data sources may contain event data or documents that are used during the execution of a process.
  • FIG. 1 should not imply that Network 100 requires precisely one external data source (105) or is limited to a specific number of external data sources (105). Sharing of event data between two or more of the Elements in Network 100 occurs by means of communication.
  • Data formats used in communication may include, but are not limited to, native, proprietary, textual, numerical, image, video, audio, abbreviation, abstraction, compression, hash, or encrypted form.
  • Event data or documents may be sent from one Element to any other Element in the format in which they were captured or received, or in a different format from the one in which they were captured or received.
  • Communication between two or more Elements in Network 100 may be unsecured or secured.
  • Secured communication may include, but is not limited to, the use of authentication of users prior to the display of event data or documents, the use of encryption for event data or documents during the sending and receiving, the use of private and public keys, the use of secure socket layers, or the use of a virtual private network.
  • Elements in Network 100 may display an electronic record, event data or documents in graphical form, numerical or textual form, on a map, or as a performance metric to a user.
  • Elements in Network 100 may be located on or embedded in a supply chain asset.
  • a supply chain asset may integrate Element 103 into its own computing systems and devices that are used for the capture and processing of event data may be connected to the supply chain asset as well.
  • Element 103 may be part of an on-board computer of an autonomous vehicle, which also connects to a variety of sensors including, but not limited to, cameras, operational vehicle sensors, GPS sensors, weight sensors, temperature sensors, or light sensors.
  • System 200 comprises of ten components used in the creation, sharing, updating and storage of an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 201 allows users to register in System 200.
  • Users of System 200 include, but are not limited to, cloud users, operators, partners or any other person or machine accessing System 200.
  • User credentials collected during registration may include, but are not limited to, a username and password.
  • user credentials may also include biometric data including, but not limited to, a fingerprint, retina image, a voice frequency, a gait, a facial image, a user location, a DNA marker, or any combination thereof.
  • users may enter additional data, for example a company name, a company identifier such as a tax number, a business location, an email address, a phone number, or an answer to a security question.
  • users may enter a payment method and preference for payment processing during registration.
  • user registration may include the sharing of user orientation or training materials.
  • Component 202 allows System 200 to capture, store and manage data that is collected during the registration of users or at later points in time.
  • Component 202 may allow users to access, change and save data about them. Further, Component 202 may validate user credentials when they log into System 200.
  • Component 203 enables System 200 to create an electronic record of a process.
  • an electronic record of a process may be created manually by a person entering data.
  • an electronic record may be created through data import from an ERP system or TMS or from another external data source (105) using Component 207.
  • an electronic record may be created through data obtained from a partner (104) or operator (103) computer.
  • An electronic record of a process comprises data about the process itself such as, at a minimum, a process name or identifier.
  • an electronic record may contain additional data including, but not limited to, one or more locations, one or more material descriptions, one or more lists of work steps, one or more lists of data capture tasks to be completed by an operator, or one or more instructions for operators relevant to the execution of a process.
  • Component 204 allows System 200 to process and store electronic records of a process.
  • Component 204 further allows users of System 200 to update data in the electronic record itself or event data and documents associated with the electronic record of a process.
  • Component 204 processes those changes.
  • a partner may use a computer to upload a document to be associated with an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 204 ensures that the document is associated to the correct electronic record and that it is displayed when users of System 200 select to view the electronic record.
  • Component 204 further allows System 200 to create a summary file of an electronic record and to associate the summary file to the electronic record itself.
  • Component 205 processes and stores documents related to an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 205 may receive documents from other Elements in Systems 200 or 300.
  • a multitude of documents may be associated with an electronic record of a process.
  • One of the benefits of System 200 is that when a document has been associated to an electronic record of a process, users of the System 200 with authorization to access the document may be able to view them.
  • documents may need to be further processed.
  • a user of System 200 may upload a document in a native word processor format such as Microsoft Word.
  • Component 205 may then process the document into a different file format such as Portable Document Format (PDF).
  • PDF Portable Document Format
  • a document may be displayed in its entire length.
  • a document may be analyzed and summarized by a human or machine user of the system to only display a summary of the contents.
  • a software such as an artificial intelligence software, may access and analyze a document to derive further insights.
  • Component 206 processes and stores event data related to an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 205 may receive event data from Component 308 as well as other Elements in Systems 200 and 300.
  • One benefit is that when event data has been associated to an electronic record of a process, users of System 200 with authorization to access the event data are able to view it.
  • event data may need to be further processed.
  • event data may be a location of a supply chain asset, which may be collected through an operator computer (103) and sent to System 200 in the form of latitude and longitude coordinates.
  • Component 206 further processes the event data to establish and display a physical location in textual form or to display the physical location on a map.
  • Another example may be that an operator may collect photographic images or video recordings or obtain an image of a signature during the execution of a process, which Component 308 sends to Component 206 so that they can be associated with the electronic record in System 200.
  • Component 207 allows System 200 to access data stored on other systems or databases such as an ERP or TMS or other sources of data through an interface into external data sources (105). System 200 may receive external data from a wide variety of sources.
  • Component 207 may obtain data from external data sources (105) using automated computer system interface mechanisms including, but not limited to, an EDI document, an application programming interface, an application binary interface, a file grabber, direct access to an external computer, or direct access to an external computer database.
  • a user of System 200 may manually enter data obtained from an external data source (105) by mechanisms that include, but are not limited to, looking at an external system, receiving data in an email or similar message, receiving a data file on a storage device, or receiving data via communication with a user of an external computer.
  • Component 208 processes and stores data obtained from an external data source (105) that is associated to an electronic record of a process. In some embodiments of the present invention, external data may need to be further processed.
  • Components in System 200 may request the data from an external data source (105) through Component 207 and may receive data about traffic and weather for a specific route of a supply chain asset.
  • Component 208 compares the traffic and weather data to the route and current location of the supply chain asset in order to determine whether the supply chain asset may be affected by traffic or weather causing a delay along its route to reach a destination.
  • Component 209 handles user access rights to an electronic record of a process, to event data and documents, to summary files and other data including, but not limited to, user lists, address lists or contact lists.
  • System 200 Only users who have been allowed access to an electronic record of a process are able to view or update it. In some embodiments of the present invention, not all users of System 200 may have access to all data contained in an electronic record of a process. Some event data or documents may only be appropriate to share with some, but not all users of System 200.
  • a manufacturer may operate System 200 and invite a third-party logistics provider (3PL) to view an electronic record of a process.
  • the 3PL in turn may invite a freight broker to view the same electronic record of a process.
  • the freight broker may invite a dispatcher to view the same electronic record of a process.
  • the dispatch may invite an operator, in this case a truck driver, to execute the process.
  • Component 209 enables users to designate which other users may view specific electronic record data, event data or documents as part of an electronic record of a process. Another example, using the same case, may be that a dispatcher may not wish to disclose the identity of an operator to a freight broker, 3PL or manufacturer. Component 209 enables the dispatcher to select whether to share or not to share the identity of an operator.
  • Component 210 handles the addition of users (“Partners”) to System 200 in the form of invitations.
  • a first user of System 200 may invite a second user who may be a partner or an operator by way of providing a unique identification including, but not limited to, an email address, a phone number, a username or another form of unique identifier.
  • Component 210 may then check whether an invited user has already been registered in System 200. If the user has previously registered in System 200, Component 210 may send an email or text message notification to the user that he has been invited to view the electronic record of a process by logging into System 200 using his user credentials.
  • Component 210 may send an email or a text message with instructions on how to register for System 200. Once the new user registers in System 200, he will be able to view the electronic record of a process. Users who have been invited to view an electronic record of a process may in turn invite other users to view the same electronic record of a process. In another embodiment of the present invention, new users may be invited to view an electronic record of a process by way of selection.
  • System 200 may display a number of potential users or partners to a first user who has created an electronic record of a process. New users may be suggested to a first user based on specific criteria including, but not limited to, available capacity, geographic location or reputation.
  • a human operator not associated with the user who created an initial electronic record of a process may determine which other users should be invited to share and update an electronic record of a process.
  • a software program may determine which other users should be invited to share and update an electronic record of a process.
  • System 300 comprises of twelve components used in the creation, sharing, updating and storage of an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 301 allows operators to register in System 300.
  • Component 301 functions like Component 201 described above with the exception that it allows users of an operator computer (103) to register in System 300.
  • Component 302 allows System 300 to store and manage data that is collected during the registration of operators or at later points in time and functions like Component 202 described above.
  • operator registration data may be stored exclusively in System 300.
  • operator registration data may be stored exclusively in System 200.
  • operator registration data may be stored in Systems 200 and 300. In still other embodiments of the present invention, operator registration data may be kept in System 300 for some time or at specific points in time and otherwise stored in System 200.
  • Component 303 allows System 300 to create an electronic record of a process. Component 303 functions like Component 203 described above with the exception that it allows users of an operator computer (103) to create an electronic record of a process in System 300.
  • Component 304 allows System 300 to store and manage electronic records of a process on an operator computer.
  • Component 304 functions like Component 204 described above with the exception that it allows users of an operator computer (103) to process and store an electronic record of a process in System 300.
  • electronic records may be kept in System 200 and in other embodiments of the present invention, they may be kept in System 300. In still other embodiments of the present invention, electronic records may be kept in both System 200 and System 300. When this is the case, updates to an electronic record are made to System 200 and System 300.
  • Component 304 further allows for the association of event data and documents to an electronic record of a process so that they can be displayed to users of Systems 200 or 300 along with the electronic record of a process.
  • Component 304 further allows users of System 300 to update data in the electronic record itself or to update event data and documents associated with the electronic record of a process.
  • Component 304 processes those changes. For example, using Component 305 an operator may upload a document to be associated with an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 304 ensures that the document is associated to the correct electronic record and that it is displayed when users of System 300 select to view the electronic record.
  • Component 304 may further allow System 300 to create a summary file of an electronic record and to associate the summary file to the electronic record itself.
  • Component 305 allows users of System 300 to capture documents.
  • operators may enter a document title or select a process identifier when they capture a document.
  • operators may select a document type from a list, pull down menu or through a search and then proceed to capture a document.
  • Component 305 may automatically add data during the capture of a document.
  • Component 305 may add an operator identifier, a date and time, a process identifier, a location identifier or any combination thereof.
  • operators may capture documents using a camera that allows the capture of still images. For example, a user may capture a document by taking a still image of each of its pages.
  • users may capture documents using a video camera.
  • operators may upload documents to be associated with an electronic record of a process to System 300.
  • operators may create documents using systems and methods not directly associated with System 300 that are then uploaded into Component 306.
  • users may obtain documents from external data sources (105).
  • Component 306 allows System 300 to process, store and manage documents related to an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 306 receives documents from Component 305.
  • a multitude of documents may be associated with an electronic record of a process.
  • One benefit is that when a document has been associated with an electronic record of a process, users with authorization to access the document are able to view it.
  • documents may need to be further processed.
  • an operator may upload a document in a native text processor format such as Microsoft Word.
  • Component 306 may then process the document into a different file format such as Portable Document Format (PDF).
  • PDF Portable Document Format
  • an operator may capture a document using a still image camera.
  • Component 306 may aggregate the images into a single file and convert it into a PDF format.
  • a document may be displayed in its entire length.
  • a document may be analyzed and summarized by a human or machine user of System 200 or System 300 to only display a summary of the contents.
  • a software such as an artificial intelligence software, may access and analyze a document to derive further insights.
  • Component 307 allows a user of System 300 to capture event data.
  • Event data may come from a variety of sources by means of direct capture including, but not limited to, of image files, video files, voice data, user data inputs or sensor inputs.
  • System 300 may receive event data from external data sources (105).
  • external data may come from any of the sources described in the present invention disclosure.
  • external data may also come from external hardware devices such as external GPS systems, external data sensors, or another instance of a System 300. Data from external data sources may be transferred to Component 307 by means of communication as described in the present invention disclosure.
  • Component 308 allows System 300 to process and store event data related to an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 308 may receive event data from Component 307.
  • Component 308 functions like Component 206 described above with the exception that it allows users of an operator computer (103) to process and store event data in System 300.
  • Component 308 stores event data and also passes it on to other Components in Systems 200 or 300.
  • Component 309 allows System 300 to access data stored on external systems or databases such as an ERP or TMS or other sources of data through an interface into external data sources (105).
  • Component 309 functions like Component 207 described above with the exception that it allows users of an operator computer (103) to access data from external systems.
  • Component 310 allows System 300 to process, store and manage data obtained from an external data source (105) that is associated with an electronic record of a process.
  • external data may need to be further processed.
  • Components in System 300 may request the data from an external data source (105) through Component 310 or Component 309 and may receive data about traffic and weather for a specific route of a supply chain asset.
  • Component 310 compares the traffic and weather data to the route and current location of the supply chain asset in order to determine whether the supply chain asset may be affected by traffic or weather causing a delay along its route to reach a destination.
  • Component 311 allows system 300 to handle user access rights to an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 311 functions in the same way as Component 209 and is used in cases where System 300 handles partner access to records of an electronic process, event data or documents instead of system 200.
  • Component 312 allows System 300 to handle the addition of users (“Partners”) to System 300 in the form of invites.
  • Component 312 functions in the same way as Component 210 and is used in cases where System 300 handles partner invites instead of system 200.
  • Block Diagram 400 comprising a flow for one embodiment of the present invention to allow a user to register in reference to Systems 200 and 300 and Network 100.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 400 comprises of seven steps and begins with step 401 in which an operator selects to register in System 300 using Component 301.
  • step 402 an operator enters a username and password.
  • an operator may also select alternative means to authenticate himself in System 300 that may include, but are not limited to, a set of private and public keys, a fingerprint, retina image, a voice frequency, a gait, a facial image, a user location, a DNA marker, or any combination thereof.
  • a user may enter an address and contact data including, but not limited to, a physical address, an email address or a phone number in step 403. In some embodiments of the present invention, a user may also elect to omit this step.
  • a user may enter business data including, but not limited to, a company name or company contact data. In some embodiments of the present invention, a user may also elect to omit this step.
  • a user may elect to enter payment data and a payment preference. In some embodiments of the present invention, users may have a preference for receiving an invoice. In other embodiments of the present invention, users may have a preference for payment by credit card.
  • users may have a preference for other forms of payment.
  • a user may also elect to omit this step.
  • Component 301 sends the registration data provided by an operator to Component 302 for saving and storage.
  • Component 301 may also or only send the user registration data to Component 202 for saving and storage.
  • Component 302 saves the operator registration data.
  • users may elect to enter part of their registration data such as addresses or business data after an initial registration using Components 202 or 302. Further not shown in Block Diagram 400, users may change part or all of their registration data over time using Components 202 or 302.
  • Block Diagram 500 comprising a flow for another embodiment of the present invention for an operator to create an electronic record of a process in reference to Systems 200 and 300 and Network 100.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 500 comprises of eight steps and begins with step 501 where an operator logs into System 300 and selects to create a new electronic record of a process using Component 303.
  • step 502 the operator enters at least one zip code for an origin or destination location.
  • an operator may also enter a title for the electronic record of a process.
  • an operator may also enter a second zip code so that the new electronic record now has at least one origin and one destination and zip code.
  • an operator may enter more than one origin or more than one destination zip code.
  • an operator may enter a rate paid for the execution of a process.
  • a rate may be the amount of money that a shipper pays to an operator to carry freight in a transport process or the amount of money that a shipper pays to an operator to perform certain tasks in a supply chain process.
  • an operator may also enter data about the process itself. For example, in a process to move freight an operator may enter details about the materials that are being shipped. In a further example, an operator may also enter details about tasks to be performed where processes that do not include the movement of freight are concerned.
  • an operator may select to capture or attach one or more documents to the new electronic record of a transaction.
  • an operator may have a document in paper format, which he may capture using Component 305 and which Component 306 may then process and attach to a new electronic record of a process.
  • an operator may have documents that are stored on Element 103, in System 300 or in a system unrelated to System 300, which he may wish to select and attach to a new electronic record of a process.
  • an operator may select documents stored in System 200.
  • an operator may also elect to omit this step.
  • an operator may select which event data he wishes to capture during the execution of a process. For example, in a transport process an operator may elect to send regular updates of his location while driving along a route, to take images during the loading and unloading of freight, or to collect signatures during pickup and drop-off as proof that everything was handled correctly from the perspective of a warehouse or operations supervisor. In some embodiments of the present invention, an operator may select other event data capture tasks chosen from a list displayed during the creation of a new electronic record. In other embodiments of the present invention, an operator may manually add an event data capture task during step 504.
  • a list of event data capture tasks may be predetermined in that Systems 200 or 300 may store event data capture tasks based on the type of process to be executed. In further embodiments of the present invention, other users of Systems 200 or 300 may determine which event data capture tasks an operator should perform during the execution of a process. In yet further embodiments of the present invention, an operator may elect to select all available event data capture tasks in order to determine later which ones he wishes to perform during the execution of a process. In some embodiments of the present invention, an operator may also elect to omit this step. In step 505 an operator may add or select observers to the new electronic record of a process. For example, observers may be organizations that are not allowed full access to an electronic record of a process.
  • an operator may also elect to omit this step.
  • an operator may select a partner to access and update the new electronic record of a process. For example, in processes focused on the transport of freight a partner may be a shipper, a third-party logistics provider, a broker, a dispatcher or another operator.
  • observers and partners receive data about the status of a process during its execution while partners are able to view electronic records of a process in Systems 200 or 300 and may add data to the electronic record of a process, and may add event data or documents.
  • an operator may enter a unique identification for a partner including, but not limited to, an email address, a phone number or another form of unique identification.
  • an operator may select a partner from a list or identify a partner through a search.
  • an operator may also elect to omit this step. For example, when an operator creates a new electronic record of a process solely for his own benefit.
  • step 507 an operator saves the new electronic record of a process and Component 304 sends it to Component 204 for display to users of System 200.
  • Components 204 and 304 stores the new electronic record of a process.
  • electronic records of a process may only be stored in System 200 or only in System 300.
  • a new electronic record of a process may be set up automatically, for example through the use of an external data source (105). Interfaces to external data sources (105) are described in detail in the discussion of Component 207 in System 200 and Component 309 in System 300.
  • an external system may create a new electronic record of a process and send it to Component 204. In other embodiments of the present invention, an external system may create a new electronic record of a process and send it to Component 304. In some embodiments an operator may then add or change some or all of the data contained in the new electronic record. The operator may go through steps 502 through 506 to make adjustments or edits. In further embodiments of the present invention, an electronic record of a process may not need to be changed or refined any further. For example, it may already include all needed documents, preferences for event data and a list of additional parties and partners that are to be invited.
  • Block Diagram 600 for another embodiment of the present invention comprising a flow to capture a document in reference to Systems 200 and 300 and Network 100.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 600 comprises of seven steps and begins with step 601 when an operator identifies a document to be added to an electronic record of a process.
  • an operator may elect to add an existing document to the electronic record by way of selection.
  • an operator may store documents in System 300 or elsewhere on Element 103 that he may wish to add.
  • an operator may store documents in external data sources (105) that he may wish to add.
  • an operator may wish to select a document that is stored in a different computing system to which he may connect via the network (102) such as cloud-based document storage.
  • an operator may capture a document using Component 305.
  • an operator may take a still image of a document page using a camera attached to operator computer (103).
  • the operator checks whether there are further pages to capture. If there are, the process repeats itself with step 603 and then step 604. Once there are no further pages to capture, the flow in Block Diagram 600 continues.
  • an operator may also capture documents through other means such as through capture of a video file.
  • Block Diagram 600 once an operator has completed the capture of a document, Component 305 sends the captured image files to Component 306 for processing.
  • Component 306 processes the image files as described in System 300 of the present invention disclosure and stores the document file.
  • Component 304 associates the document to the electronic record of a process.
  • Component 304 may also send the document to Component 205 for further processing and storage or directly to component 204 for association to an electronic record of a process in System 200.
  • Component 205 may process individual image files before storing the document and sending it to Component 204 for association to an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 306 stores the document and sends it to Component 205 to update an electronic record of a process and make it available for viewing by users.
  • Block Diagram 700 for another embodiment of the present invention comprising a flow to establish an origin or destination location in reference to Systems 200 and 300 and Network 100.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 700 comprises of nine steps and begins with step 701 in which an operator begins to drive to an origin or destination location.
  • System 300 may prompt an operator to indicate when he starts to drive to an origin location so that Component 307 may begin to track his progress.
  • System 300 may begin to capture location coordinates prior to the arrival at an origin location when an operator creates a new electronic record of a process as shown in Block Diagram 500 or when an operator completes the capture of a document as shown in Block Diagram 600. Still further not shown in Block Diagram 700, Systems 200 or 300 may initiate the collection of location coordinates based on other criteria such as reaching a specific date and time or based on a present schedule. Shown again in Block Diagram 700, in step 702 Component 307 captures latitude and longitude coordinates until the operator arrives at an origin or destination location.
  • step 703 once the operator has arrived at a location, the operator may use a check-in feature made available through Component 307 to indicate his arrival at the origin or destination location.
  • Component 307 captures the latitude and longitude coordinates of the operator location when the check-in feature is activated.
  • Block Diagram 700 in other embodiments of the present invention disclosure, there may be other ways to indicate that an operator has arrived at a location such as reaching a specific location, breaching a predetermined geo-fence or a different input from an operator. Shown in Block Diagram 700 again, Component 307 then sends the latitude and longitude coordinates to Component 308 for processing.
  • step 705 Component 308 establishes a physical address based on the latitude and longitude coordinates and displays it to the operator.
  • Component 307 may send the latitude and longitude coordinates to Component 206 for processing and to establish a physical address. In that case, Component 206 will send the physical address back to Component 308 for display to the operator.
  • an operator may correct the physical address that has been displayed, if it is not accurate.
  • an operator may accept the physical address as correct for the origin or destination location.
  • System 300 may send an alert to some or all users of System 300 when the physical address that an operator enters or accepts is relatively far removed for an expected location e.g. in a different zip code or a certain number of miles away from an expected origin or destination location.
  • Component 308 saves the location address and sends it to Component 304 to update the electronic record of a process.
  • Component 304 stores the physical address and updates the electronic record of a process.
  • Component 304 may also send the physical address to Component 206 for updating and to Component 204 for updating of the electronic record of a process in System 200 so that authorized users may view it.
  • Block Diagram 800 for another embodiment of the present invention comprising a flow to capture event data in reference to Systems 200 and 300 and Network 100.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 800 comprises of six steps and begins with step 801 in which an operator selects to begin the process of capturing event data.
  • Event data includes, but is not limited to, the examples for event data given in this invention disclosure.
  • event data may be a specific arrival or departure time at a location, images of freight or a supply chain asset, or a signature from a person working at the location or overseeing the handling of freight.
  • an operator uses component 307 to capture event data, which it sends to Component 308 for processing in step 803.
  • Component 308 saves the event data in step 804.
  • Component 307 may send event data to Component 206 for processing and storage. Further not shown in Block Diagram 800, additional attributes may be required for the processing of event data that may be obtained from other Elements in Network 100.
  • Component 308 stores the event data and notifies Component 304 to update the electronic record of a process.
  • Component 308 may send the event data to Component 206 for further processing before Component 308 updates an electronic record of a process with the event data.
  • Component 308 sends the event data to Component 206 to save and to Component 204 to update the electronic record of a process in System 200 so that users may view it.
  • a practical example may be that a supply chain asset that carries temperature sensitive materials on a refrigerated trailer that is equipped with a temperature sensor which sends regular updates to an operator computer (103, 300) wirelessly so that they can be analyzed.
  • the operator computer (103, 300) receives the temperature measurement, which constitutes event data, and also has a process identification number (ID). Based on the process ID, the operator computer may locate data about acceptable temperature ranges for the storage of the materials in the electronic record of a process or by means of communication to an external data source (105).
  • the operator computer may now compare the temperature measurement, for example 43F, to a range of acceptable values, for example 36-41F.
  • the result of the analysis in this example means that the materials are not being transported within an acceptable temperature range.
  • the operator computer may now display the result of the analysis to the operator of the supply chain asset to affect a course of action. For example, the supply chain asset operator may stop the supply chain asset and adjust the temperature of the trailer to bring it back into the acceptable range.
  • Block Diagram 900 for another embodiment of the present invention comprising a flow to create a summary file of an electronic record of a process in reference to Systems 200 and 300 and Network 100.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 900 comprises of nine steps and begins with step 901 in which an operator completes the execution of a process so that no further event data or documents are going to be added to the electronic record of the process.
  • step 901 in which an operator completes the execution of a process so that no further event data or documents are going to be added to the electronic record of the process.
  • the existence of additional event data or documents may be determined after a summary file has been created. In this case a second or third, etc. summary file may be created and the process in Block Diagram 900 repeats itself.
  • Component 304 assesses the data generated or used during the execution of a process.
  • Component 304 creates a summary file for an electronic record in which to aggregate and present all relevant data used, created or gathered during the execution of a process.
  • Component 304 writes shipment, material and route data to the summary file.
  • Component 304 writes all event data gathered or generated during the execution of a process to the summary file.
  • Component 304 writes all user data created, gathered or generated during the execution of a process to the summary file.
  • Component 304 writes all documents used or created during the execution of a process to the summary file.
  • Step 908 Component 304 saves the summary file and attaches it to an electronic record of a process.
  • the writing of data to a summary file may be performed in a different order. Further not shown, there may be other data such as insurance data, payment data or process-specific data that may also be included in the summary file.
  • Component 304 sends the saved summary file to Component 204 to save and associate it to the electronic record of a process so that it may be displayed to users of System 200.
  • Block Diagram 1000 for another embodiment of the present invention comprising a practical example for the execution of a process in reference to Systems 200 and 300 and Network 100.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 1000 comprises of twelve steps and begins with step 1001 in which an operator creates a new electronic record of a process as outlined in Block Diagram 500.
  • step 1002 the operator enters a title for the process, a freight rate, an origin location zip code and a destination location zip code.
  • step 1003 the operator enters an email address to invite a partner with whom to share the electronic record of a process.
  • the invited partner may access the electronic record of a process in System 200.
  • step 1004 the operator begins to drive towards an origin location and Component 307 updates the operator location in regular intervals by capturing latitude and longitude coordinates every few miles or every few minutes.
  • step 1005 the operator arrives at an origin location and uses a check-in feature of Component 307 to indicate that he has arrived at his origin location.
  • Component 307 captures the latitude and longitude coordinates at the time the operator checked in and sends all event data to Component 308 for processing.
  • step 1006 Component 308 converts the latitude and longitude coordinates into a physical address and displays it to the operator.
  • step 1007 the operator reviews the physical address and validates that it is correct as displayed.
  • the operator may now load materials onto the supply chain asset, may generate additional event data or may add documents to the electronic record of a process.
  • the processing of event data in regard to latitude and longitude coordinates may occur in System 200 instead of in System 300.
  • the operator may also record a check out time at the origin location, which may serve as an indication to System 300 and Component 307 to begin or resume the capture of location coordinates in frequent intervals again.
  • step 1008 the operator leaves the origin location and Component 307 captures regular location coordinates until the operator reaches a destination.
  • step 1009 the operator reaches his destination location, checks in using Component 307 and confirms the physical address provided through Component 308.
  • step 1010 the operator acknowledges the completion of the process.
  • Component 304 creates a summary file of the electronic record of the process and in step 1012 Component 304 saves the summary file of the electronic record and associates it to the electronic record.
  • Component 304 may also send the summary file and all generated event data or documents to Component 204 so that it may update the electronic record of a process in System 200, which may be used by partners and observers to view the electronic record of a process or to monitor the progress of the operator along a route.
  • Network 1100 comprising a distributed ledger comprises several computers including the systems described by the present invention disclosure (1101, 1200, 1104, 1300), a network for data sharing (1102), a distributed ledger network comprising at least one node (1103), operator computers (1104), partner computers (1105) and external data sources (1106).
  • the main difference between Network 100 and Network 1100 is that the latter comprises a distributed ledger.
  • Element 1101 (System 1200) shows a system comprising a distributed ledger for the creation, sharing, updating and storage of electronic records of a process. Its components are described in detail in FIG. 12.
  • Element 1102 shows the network by which computers may share data with each other and by which other Elements may access a distributed ledger (1103).
  • Element 1103 is a distributed ledger comprising at least one node.
  • a distributed ledger may be private, public, or a hybrid form of private-public.
  • Different distributed ledger technologies or platforms may include, but are not limited to, Bitcoin Blockchain technology, Ethereum Blockchain technology, Hashgraph technology or Directed Acyclic Graph technology.
  • Data may be written to a distributed ledger in several formats including, but not limited to, a hash, in encrypted form, or in its original form.
  • Data that may be written to a distributed ledger may originate in any of the systems in the present invention disclose. It may include, but is not limited to, electronic records of a process, event data, documents, user data, login credentials, data from external system or any other data described by the present invention disclosure. Data may also be written to two or more separate distributed ledgers.
  • a hash of data may be written to a public distributed ledger and the same data may also be written to a private distributed ledger in its original form. Data may also be written partially to a first distributed ledger and partially to a second distributed ledger. For example, a hash of data may be split into two parts where one part is written to a first distributed ledger and a second part to a second distributed ledger.
  • some or all data contained in an electronic record of a process may be stored on a distributed ledger exclusively. In this way, a distributed ledger may serve as a repository for some or all data that is created and shared before, during or after the execution of a process.
  • event data and documents that did not previously exist in other Elements of Network 1100 may be obtained from a distributed ledger.
  • data stored on a distributed ledger may serve as the basis for decision-making by third parties not directly involved in the execution of a process such as banks, insurance agencies, factoring providers or leasing providers.
  • Element 1104 (System 1300) shows an operator computer used by a person or machine to register, to create and display an electronic record of a process, to invite partners or observers to share an electronic record of a process, to capture event data or documents, to create a summary file of an electronic record and to store data.
  • Element 1104 (System 1300).
  • an operator computer (Element 1104) may receive electronic record data, event data and documents from Element 1101 and collect event data and documents during the execution of a process, which it may send to Element 1101 for updating and storing an electronic record of a process.
  • Examples of operator computers include, but are not limited to, smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers or other hardware devices used during the execution of a process.
  • FIG. 11 should not imply that Network 1100 requires precisely one operator computer (1104) or is limited to a specific number of operator computers (1104).
  • Element 1105 shows a partner computer used by a person or machine to participate in the sharing and updating of an electronic record containing data, event data and documents during the execution of a process.
  • Element 1106 shows external data sources used to obtain data about a process, event data or documents regarding the execution of a process. Sharing of event data between two or more of the Elements in Network 1100 occurs by means of communication and functions in the same way as it does for Network 100.
  • System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger comprises of twelve components used in the creation, sharing, updating and storage of an electronic record of a process.
  • the main difference between System 200 and System 1200 is that the latter comprises a distributed ledger.
  • Components 1201 through 1210 in System 1200 function identical to Components 201 through 210 in system 200.
  • Component 1201 allows users to register in System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger.
  • Users of System 200 include, but are not limited to, cloud users, operators, partners or any other person or machine accessing System 200.
  • Component 1202 allows System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger to capture, store and manage data that is collected during the registration of users or at later points in time.
  • Component 1203 enables System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger to create an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 1204 allows System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger to process and store electronic records of a process.
  • Component 1205 processes and stores documents related to an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 1206 processes and stores event data related to an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 1207 allows System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger to access data stored on other systems or databases such as an ERP or TMS or other sources of data through an interface into external data sources (1106).
  • Component 1208 processes and stores data obtained from external data sources (1106) that is associated to an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 1209 handles user access rights to an electronic record of a process, to event data and documents, to summary files and other data including, but not limited to, user lists, address lists or contact lists.
  • Component 1210 handles the addition of users such as partners to System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger in the form of invitations.
  • Component 1211 handles the connection between System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger and a network of nodes on one or more distributed ledgers (1103). For example, Component 1211 handles authorizations to access a network of nodes on distributed ledger (1103) and submits data that has been designated to be written to a distributed ledger.
  • Component 1211 itself may be part of a distributed ledger so that it may create blocks or add data to them. In other embodiments of the present invention, Component 1211 may instruct a distributed ledger outside of System 1200 to create a block or to add data to a first block by leveraging Component 1207. In some embodiments of the present invention, Component 1211 may connect to more than one distributed ledger at a time and may write data to more than one distributed ledger at the same time. In further embodiments of the present invention, Component 1211 may connect to more than one distributed ledger at a time to write partial data to a first distributed ledger and partial data to a second distributed ledger.
  • Component 1211 may request electronic records of a process, event data or documents from one or more distributed ledgers that it connects to. In yet further embodiments of the present invention, Component 1211 may write electronic records, event data or documents to a distributed ledger at the time when the data has been collected and processed. In other embodiments of the present invention, Component 1211 may write data about electronic records, event data or documents to a distributed ledger at the time when the electronic record of a process has been completed and a summary file has been established. For example, all data from an electronic record of a process, all event data and all documents may be combined into a summary file, which is then written to a distributed ledger in its original format or as a hash.
  • Component 1211 may write a hash of data to one or more distributed ledgers. In some embodiments of the present invention, Component 1211 may write data in its original form to one or more distributed ledgers.
  • Component 1212 stores hashes that have been generated by other Components in System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger or by other Components in System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger. Hashes stored in Component 1212 are associated with their original electronic records, event data, documents and summary files so that original documents can be retrieved when they are needed.
  • System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger comprises of fourteen components used in the creation, sharing, updating and storage of an electronic record of a process.
  • the main difference between System 300 and System 1300 is that the latter comprises a distributed ledger.
  • Components 1301 through 1312 in System 1300 function identical to Components 301 through 312 in System 300.
  • Component 1301 allows operators to register in System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger.
  • Component 1302 allows System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger to capture, store and manage data that is collected during the registration of operators or at later points in time.
  • Component 1303 allows System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger to create an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 1304 allows System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger to process and store electronic records of a process on an operator computer.
  • Component 1305 allows operators of System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger to capture documents. In some embodiments of the present invention, operators may capture one or more documents solely for the purposes of adding them to a distributed ledger.
  • Component 1306 allows System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger to process and store documents related to an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 1307 allows for an operator of System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger to capture event data.
  • operators may capture one or more event data solely for the purposes of adding them to a distributed ledger.
  • Component 1308 allows System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger to process and store event data related to an electronic record of a process.
  • Component 1309 allows System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger to access data stored on other systems or databases such as an ERP or TMS or other sources of data through an interface into external data sources (1106).
  • a distributed edger may be an external data source.
  • Component 1310 allows System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger to process and store data obtained from an external data source (1106).
  • Component 1311 allows System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger to handle access rights of partners and users to an electronic record of a process, event data, documents or the identity of other users.
  • Component 1312 allows System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger to handle the invitation of partners to System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger.
  • Component 1313 allows System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger to handle the connection between System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger and a network of nodes on one or more distributed ledgers (1103). For example, Component 1313 handles authorizations to access a network of nodes on distributed ledger (1103) and submits data that has been designated to be written to a distributed ledger.
  • Component 1313 itself may be part of a distributed ledger so that it may create blocks or add data to them. In other embodiments of the present invention, Component 1313 may instruct a distributed ledger outside of System 1300 to create a block or to add data to a first block by leveraging Component 1309. In some embodiments of the present invention, Component 1313 may connect to more than one distributed ledger at a time and may write data to more than one distributed ledger at the same time. In some embodiments of the present invention, Component 1313 may connect to more than one distributed ledger at a time to write partial data to a first distributed ledger and partial data to a second distributed ledger.
  • Component 1313 may request event data or documents from one or more distributed ledgers that it connects to. In some embodiments of the present invention, Component 1313 may write electronic records, event data or documents to a distributed ledger at the time when the data has been collected and processed. In some embodiments of the present invention, Component 1313 may write data about electronic records, event data or documents to a distributed ledger at the time when the electronic record of a process has been completed and a summary file has been established. For example, all data from an electronic record of a process, all event data and all documents may be combined into a summary file, which is then written to a distributed ledger in its original format or as a hash.
  • Component 1313 may write a hash of data to one or more distributed ledgers. In some embodiments of the present invention, Component 1313 may write data in its original form to one or more distributed ledgers.
  • Component 1314 stores hashes of data that have been generated by other Components in Systems 1200 or 1300 each comprising a distributed ledger. Hashes stored in Component 1314 are associated with their original electronic records, event data, documents and summary files so that original documents can be retrieved when they are needed.
  • Block Diagram 1400 comprises of six elements to illustrate how blocks form a chain on a distributed ledger.
  • Element 1401 shows a first block in a distributed ledger that is often called a genesis block. Data elements 1.1 to 1.n have been written to the first block.
  • Element 1401 as the first block does not contain a hash since no previous blocks exist. When no further data is written to first block, a hash of all data is created as illustrated by Element 1402. The hash representing the data content of the first block is written to the second block and new data elements 2.1. to 2.n are added to the second block until it has been completed as shown in Element 1403.
  • a hash of the data contained in the second block is created as shown by Element 1404.
  • the hash representing the second block is written to a third block and new data elements 3.1. to 3.n are added to the third block until it has been completed as shown in Element 1405.
  • a hash of the data contained in the third block is created as shown in Element 1406. This process continues for all future blocks on the distributed ledger.
  • Data itself may be written to a distributed ledger in the form of a hash or in its original format.
  • a computer applies a hash function to create a hash, or mathematical abstraction, of the original data.
  • data formats include, but are not limited to, in complete and unaltered form, in formatted form, in abstracted form, in abbreviated form, in compressed form, or in encrypted form.
  • a practical example of hashed and whole data is a bill of lading document.
  • the document contains data such as origin and destination locations, information about materials that are being shipped and other details that describe a shipment transaction.
  • the document itself is the original data in that anyone can read and understand its contents.
  • a hash algorithm is applied, the contents of the document are represented by a string of characters.
  • a person or computer that analyzes the original data can derive meaning from it while this is not possible when the same person or computer analyzes a hash, which is just an abstract string of characters.
  • the resulting hash is “890863fc4d30a9d4b5fld857fbe3e2ed”. If the sentence is slightly changed, the hash value also changes, which makes it possible to prove that original data inside of a document has changed. For example, if the sentence changes to “Today is a cold and pleasant day” the hash value changes to “eb65089fedc860ca35c3107ddd280b74” using the same algorithm.
  • Block Diagram 1500 comprising a flow to write an original document to a private distributed ledger in reference to Systems 1200 and 1300 each comprising a distributed ledger and Network 1100.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 1500 comprises of nine steps and begins with step 1501 in which an operator using Component 1305 captures a document such as a Bill of Lading (BOL) document in reference to a specific electronic record of process, for example as outlined in Block Diagram 600.
  • BOL Bill of Lading
  • Component 1306 processes the images contained in a BOL document into a document file and associates the document file to an electronic record of a process.
  • step 1503 Component 1306 sends the document file to Component 1205 which in step 1504 stores the document file of a BOL in System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger and makes it available to users who have been authorized to access the electronic record of a process and to view the document file.
  • Component 1306 notifies Component 1313 that the BOL document is available to be added to a private distributed ledger.
  • Component 1313 requests that the BOL document file be added to a private distributed ledger.
  • a BOL document may be added to a block on a distributed ledger by a system or component that is not part of System 1300.
  • Component 1313 may send the instruction to add the BOL document to a block on a distributed ledger to a dedicated distributed ledger system rather than adding the BOL document to a block directly.
  • Component 1313 adds the BOL document to a block and broadcasts the transaction to a network of nodes (1103) participating in a private distributed ledger.
  • the nodes in the network validate the transaction and add the BOL document to their blocks.
  • the BOL document file has been added to a block and to a private distributed ledger.
  • Block Diagram 1500 in some embodiments of the present invention a hash of an electronic record, event data, a document, a summary file, or user credentials may be written to a private or public distributed ledger.
  • a document file may be written to a public distributed ledger in its original format.
  • an electronic record, event data, a summary file or user credentials may be written to a private or public distributed ledger in their original format.
  • data may be written to a distributed ledger at certain point in time or on certain days as opposed to immediately.
  • Block Diagram 1600 comprising a flow to write a hash of a summary file of an electronic record of a process to a public distributed ledger in reference to System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger
  • System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger and Network 1100.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 1600 comprises of ten steps and begins with step 1601 in which a process completes so that no further event data or documents are going to be added to the electronic record of the process.
  • Component 1304 creates and saves a summary file of the electronic record of the process and attaches it to the electronic record itself.
  • Component 1304 creates a hash of the summary file and associates it with summary file and the electronic record of the process.
  • Component 1204 may also perform the association of the hash to the summary file and electronic record of a process.
  • step 1604 Component 1304 sends the hash to Components 1314 and 1212 for storage.
  • step 1605 Component 1314 and Component 1212 store the hash and the association to the summary file and the electronic record.
  • step 1606 Component 1304 notifies Component 1313 that a hash of a summary file is available to be added to a public distributed ledger.
  • step 1607 Component 1313 requests that the hash of a summary file be added to a public distributed ledger.
  • a hash of a summary file of an electronic record of a process may be added to a block on a distributed ledger by a system or component that is not part of System 1300.
  • Component 1313 may send the instruction to add the hash of a summary file of an electronic record of a process to a block on a distributed ledger to a dedicated distributed ledger system rather than adding the hash of a summary file of an electronic record of a process to a block directly.
  • Component 1313 adds the hash of a summary file to a block and broadcasts the transaction to a network of nodes participating in a public distributed ledger.
  • the nodes in the network validate the transaction and add the hash of a summary file to their blocks.
  • the hash of a summary file has been added to a block and to a public distributed ledger.
  • Block Diagram 1600 in some embodiments of the present invention a hash of an electronic record, event data, a document, or user credentials may be written to a public or private distributed ledger. Further not shown in Block Diagram 1600 in other embodiments of the present invention an electronic record, event data, a document, a summary file or user credentials may be written to a public or private distributed ledger in their original form. Also not shown in Block Diagram 1600 in further embodiments of the present invention a summary file may be written to a public distributed ledger in its original format. Still further not shown in Block Diagram 1600 in certain embodiments of the present invention data may be written to a distributed ledger at certain point in time or on certain days as opposed to immediately.
  • Block Diagram 1700 comprising a practical example of a flow for writing event data, in this case a photographic image, in its original form to a private distributed ledger in reference to System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger, System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger and Network 1100.
  • an operator is a person who moves freight such as a truck driver.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 1700 comprises of eleven steps and begins with step 1701 in which an operator selects Component 1307 to capture event data in the form of a photo of freight. The operator may wish to document the condition of the freight during a delivery process so that he can later prove that the freight was properly transported, did not experience damages or that no other harm came to it.
  • step 1702 the operator uses Component 1307 to capture a photo of the freight, which is sent to Component 1308 for processing and storage.
  • Component 1308 processes the photo, for example by formatting it, reducing its file size or converting it into a PDF format.
  • step 1704 Component 1308 stores the processed image file and sends it to Component 1304 which associates the photo of freight to the electronic record of a process.
  • step 1705 Component 1308 sends the processed image file to Component 1206 so that it may be displayed to users of System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger who are authorized to view it. Not shown in Block Diagram 1700, in some embodiments of the present invention Component 1206 may further process the photo as well.
  • Component 1308 notifies Component 1313 that a photo is available to be added to a private distributed ledger.
  • Component 1313 requests that the photo of freight is added to a private distributed ledger.
  • Component 1313 adds the photo to a block and in step 1709
  • Component 1211 broadcasts the transaction to a network of nodes (1103) participating in the private distributed ledger.
  • the nodes in the network validate the transaction and add the photo of freight to their blocks.
  • the photo of freight has been added to a block and to a private distributed ledger.
  • a photo may be added to a block on a distributed ledger by a system or component that is not part of Systems 1200 and 1300.
  • Component 1313 may send the instruction to add a photo to a block on a distributed ledger to a dedicated distributed ledger system rather than adding the photo to a block directly.
  • Block Diagram 1800 comprising a practical example of a flow for writing a hash of a document file to a public distributed ledger in reference to Systems 1200 and 1300 each comprising a distributed ledger and Network 1100.
  • an operator is a person who moves freight such as a truck driver.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 1800 comprises of twelve steps and begins with step 1801 in which the operator selects Component 1305 to capture images of a document.
  • step 1802 the operator captures an image for each page of the document using Component 1305 as described in Block Diagram 600 for example.
  • Component 1305 then sends the image files to Component 1306 for processing.
  • Component 1306 processes the image files into a document file, for example by adding all image files into a single PDF document.
  • Component 1305 may also send the document images to Component 1205 for processing and storage.
  • Component 1306 stores the processed document and creates a hash of the document file.
  • Component 1306 associates the hash of the document with the original document and the electronic record of a process.
  • Component 1205 may create and associate the hash with the document file and the electronic record of a process.
  • step 1806 Component 1306 sends the document file and hash to component 1205 for storage and display to users of System 1200.
  • step 1807 Component 1306 sends the hash to Component 1314 for storage.
  • step 1808 Component 1313 requests that the hash of a document file is added to a public distributed ledger.
  • step 1809 Component 1313 adds the hash of a document file to a block and in step 1810 Component 1313 broadcasts the transaction to a network of nodes (1103) participating in the public distributed ledger.
  • step 1811 the nodes in the network validate the transaction and add the hash of a document file to their blocks.
  • step 1812 the hash of a document file has been added to a block and to a public distributed ledger.
  • a hash of a document may be added to a block on a distributed ledger by a system or component that is not part of Systems 1200 and 1300.
  • Component 1313 may send the instruction to add a hash of a document to a block on a distributed ledger to a dedicated distributed ledger system rather than adding the a hash of a document to a block directly.
  • Network 1900 comprising of two or more distributed ledgers comprises several computers including the systems previously described in the present invention disclosure.
  • Network 1900 comprising a distributed ledger comprises of a system to handle electronic records of a process (1901, 1200), a network for data sharing (1902), a first distributed ledger network comprising at least one node (1903), a second distributed ledger network comprising at least one node (1904), an operator computer (1905, 1300), a partner computer (1906) and external data sources (1907).
  • Network 1100 and Network 1900 The main difference between Network 1100 and Network 1900 is that the latter comprises two or more distributed ledgers.
  • System 1200 comprising a distributed ledger and System 1300 comprising a distributed ledger function in Network 1900 in the same way as they do in Network 1100 with the exception that they store data on two or more distributed ledgers.
  • Element 1904 which is a second distributed ledger
  • the remaining Elements 1901 through 1907 function in the same manner as their corresponding Elements 1101 through 1106 described in Network 1100 with the exception that Network 1900 comprises two or more distributed ledgers.
  • Element 1904 in Network 1900 functions identical to Element 1903 in Network 1900 and Element 1103 in Network 1100.
  • This embodiment of the present invention disclosure shows two distributed ledgers, but in some embodiments of the present invention all systems and methods discussed here apply equally to the use of three and more distributed ledgers as well.
  • Data may also be written partially to a first distributed ledger and partially to a second distributed ledger.
  • the same data may be written to two or more distributed ledgers.
  • a hash of data may be written to a first distributed ledger and the same data may also be written to a second distributed ledger in its original form.
  • data may be split in a way that a first part of the data is written to a first distributed ledger and a second part of the data is written to a second distributed ledger.
  • a hash of a document or event data may be split into two parts where a first part is written to a first distributed ledger and a second part to a second distributed ledger.
  • a practical example for when electronic records, summary files, event data, documents or user credentials that may be stored on more than one distributed ledger is that different parties involved in the operation and execution of a supply chain transaction may wish to use private distributed ledgers in addition to the public distributed ledger.
  • Another example may be that different parties may prefer the use of differing distributed ledger technologies, which would necessitate the writing of event data to more than one distributed ledger.
  • Still another example may be that an implementation of the present invention is based on the use of a public distributed ledger for writing of hashes while data in its original form may be written to a private distributed ledger. Still another example may be that data may need to be made available to third-parties such as insurance or financing companies who may have their own distributed ledger technology. Still another example may be that some or all of the parties involved in the sharing and updating of an electronic record of a process may maintain their own distributed ledger.
  • Block Diagram 2000 comprising a flow to write to write a hash of a summary file of an electronic record to two or more distributed ledgers in reference to Systems 1200 and 1300 each comprising a distributed ledger and Network 1900.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 2000 comprises of twelve steps and begins with step 2001 in which an operator completes a process so that no further event data or documents are going to be added to the electronic record of the process.
  • step 2002 Component 1304 creates a summary file of the electronic record of the process and also a hash of the summary file and associates both with the electronic record.
  • Component 1304 sends the hash of the summary file to Component 1314 and Component 1212 for storage.
  • step 2004 Component 1304 notifies Component 1313 that a hash of a summary file of the process is available to be added to two or more public distributed ledgers.
  • step 2005 Component 1313 requests that the hash of a summary file be added to a first public distributed ledger (1903) and in step 2006 Component 1313 requests that the hash of a summary file be added to a second public distributed ledger (1904).
  • step 2007 Component 1313 adds the hash of a summary file to a block and broadcasts the transaction to a first network of nodes (1903) participating in a first public distributed ledger.
  • step 2008 Component 1313 adds the hash of a summary file to a block and broadcasts the transaction to a second network of nodes (1904) participating in a second public distributed ledger.
  • step 2009 the nodes in a first network validate the transaction and add the hash of a summary file to their blocks.
  • step 2010 the nodes in a second network validate the transaction and add the hash of a summary file to their blocks.
  • step 2011 the hash of a summary file has been added to a block and to a first public distributed ledger.
  • step 2012 the hash of a summary file has been added to a block and to a second public distributed ledger.
  • Block Diagram 2000 in some embodiments of the present invention a hash of an electronic record, event data, a document, or user credentials may be written to two or more public or private distributed ledgers. Further not shown in Block Diagram 2000 in other embodiments of the present invention an electronic record, event data, a document, a summary file or user credentials may be written to two or more public or private distributed ledgers in their original form. Also not shown in Block Diagram 2000 in further embodiments of the present invention a summary file may be written to two or more public distributed ledgers in its original format. Still further not shown in Block Diagram 2000 in certain embodiments of the present invention data may be written to two or more distributed ledgers at certain point in time or on certain days as opposed to immediately.
  • a first distributed ledger may be public, and a second distributed ledger may be private or vice versa.
  • a hash of a summary file of an electronic record of a process may be added to a block on two or more distributed ledgers by a system or component that is not part of Systems 1200 or 1300.
  • Component 1313 may send the instruction to add a hash of a summary file of an electronic record of a process to a block on two or more distributed ledgers to one, two or more dedicated distributed ledger systems rather than adding the hash of a summary file of an electronic record of a process to the blocks of a first and second distributed ledger directly.
  • Block Diagram 2100 comprising a flow to write a summary file of an electronic record in its original format to two or more private distributed ledgers in reference to Systems 1200 and 1300 each comprising a distributed ledger and Network 1900.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 2100 comprises of eleven steps and begins with step 2101 in which a process completes so that no further event data or documents are going to be added to the electronic record of the process.
  • Component 1304 creates a summary file of the electronic record of the process, associates it to the electronic record of the process and sends the summary file to Component 1204 for storage.
  • step 2103 Component 1304 sends a notification to Component 1313 that a summary file is available to be added to two or more private distributed ledgers.
  • Component 1313 requests that the summary file be added to a first private distributed ledger (1903) and in step 2105 Component 1313 requests that the summary file be added to a second private distributed ledger (1904).
  • Component 1313 adds the summary file to a block and broadcasts the transaction to a first network of nodes participating in a first private distributed ledger (1903).
  • step 2107 Component 1313 adds the summary file to a block and broadcasts the transaction to a second network of nodes participating in a second private distributed ledger (1904).
  • step 2108 the nodes in a first network validate the transaction and add the summary file to their blocks.
  • step 2109 the nodes in a second network validate the transaction and add the summary file to their blocks.
  • step 2110 the summary file has been added to a block and to a first private distributed ledger (1903).
  • step 2111 the summary file has been added to a block and to a second private distributed ledger (1904).
  • Block Diagram 2100 in some embodiments of the present invention a hash of an electronic record, event data, a document, a summary file, or user credentials may be written to two or more public or private distributed ledgers.
  • Block Diagram 2100 in other embodiments of the present invention an electronic record, event data, a document, or user credentials may be written to two or more public or private distributed ledgers in their original form. Also not shown in Block Diagram 2100 in further embodiments of the present invention a summary file may be written to two or more public distributed ledgers in its original format. Still further not shown in Block Diagram 2100 in certain embodiments of the present invention data may be written to two or more distributed ledgers at certain point in time or on certain days as opposed to immediately. Also not shown in Block Diagram 2100, in certain embodiments of the present invention a first distributed ledger may be public, and a second distributed ledger may be private or vice versa.
  • a summary file of an electronic record of a process may be added to a block on two or more distributed ledgers by a system or component that is not part of Systems 1200 or 1300.
  • Component 1313 may send the instruction to add a a summary file of an electronic record of a process to a block on two or more distributed ledgers to one, two or more dedicated distributed ledger systems rather than adding the summary file of an electronic record of a process to the blocks of a first and second distributed ledger directly.
  • Block Diagram 2200 comprising a flow to write a partial summary file to a first private distributed ledger and a partial summary file to a second private ledger in reference to Systems 1200 and 1300 each comprising a distributed ledger and Network 1900.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 2200 comprises of twelve steps and begins with step 2201 in which a process completes so that no further event data or documents are going to be added to the electronic record of the process.
  • Component 1304 creates and saves a summary file of the electronic record, associates the summary file to the electronic record itself and sends it to Component 1204 for storage.
  • step 2203 Component 1304 splits the summary file of an electronic record into two parts and associates both with the electronic record and the original summary file.
  • Component 1304 notifies Component 1313 that a first and a second part of a summary file of an electronic record are available to be added to two or more private distributed ledgers.
  • Component 1313 requests that a first part of a summary file be added to a first private distributed ledger (1903) and in step 2206 Component 1313 requests that a second part of a summary file be added to a second private distributed ledger (1904).
  • step 2207 Component 1313 adds a first part of a summary file to a block and broadcasts the transaction to a first network of nodes participating in a first private distributed ledger (1903).
  • Component 1313 adds a second part of a summary file to a block and broadcasts the transaction to a second network of nodes participating in a second private distributed ledger (1904).
  • step 2209 the nodes in a first network validate the transaction and add the first part of a summary file to their blocks.
  • step 2210 the nodes in a second network validate the transaction and add the second part of a summary file to their blocks.
  • step 2211 a first part of a summary file has been added to a block and to a first private distributed ledger (1903).
  • a second part of a summary file has been added to a block and to a second private distributed ledger (1904).
  • a hash of a partial electronic record, partial event data, a partial document, a partial summary file, or partial user credentials may be written to two or more public or private distributed ledgers.
  • a partial electronic record, partial event data, a partial document, or partial user credentials may be written to two or more public or private distributed ledgers in their original form.
  • partial summary files may be written to two or more public distributed ledgers in their original format.
  • Block Diagram 2200 data may be written to two or more distributed ledgers at certain point in time or on certain days as opposed to immediately.
  • a first distributed ledger may be public, and a second distributed ledger may be private or vice versa.
  • a partial summary file of an electronic record of a process may be added to a block on two or more distributed ledgers by a system or component that is not part of Systems 1200 or 1300.
  • Component 1313 may send the instruction to add a partial summary file of an electronic record of a process to a block on two or more distributed ledgers to one, two or more dedicated distributed ledger systems rather than adding the partial summary file of an electronic record of a process to the blocks of a first and second distributed ledger directly.
  • Block Diagram 2300 comprising a flow to write a first partial hash of a summary file to a first public distributed ledger and a second partial hash of a summary file to a second public distributed ledger in reference to Systems 1200 and 1300 each comprising a distributed ledger and Network 1900.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 2300 comprises of twelve steps and begins with step 2301 in which a process completes so that no further event data or documents are going to be added to the electronic record of the process.
  • Component 1304 creates and saves a summary file of the electronic record, associates it to the electronic record itself.
  • Component 1304 then creates a hash of the summary file, splits the hash into two parts and associates both with the electronic record, the original summary file and the original hash.
  • Component 1304 sends both parts of the hash to Component 1314 and Component 1212 for storage.
  • Component 1304 notifies Component 1313 that two parts of a hash of a summary file are available to be added to two public distributed ledgers.
  • Component 1313 requests that a first part of a hash of a summary file be added to a first public distributed ledger (1903) and in step 2306 Component 1313 requests that a second part of a hash of a summary file be added to a second public distributed ledger (1904).
  • step 2307 Component 1313 adds a first part of a hash of a summary file to a block and broadcasts the transaction to a first network of nodes participating in a first public distributed ledger (1903).
  • Component 1313 adds a second part of a hash of a summary file to a block and broadcasts the transaction to a second network of nodes participating in a second public distributed ledger (1904).
  • step 2309 the nodes in a first network validate the transaction and add the first part of a hash of a summary file to their blocks.
  • step 2310 the nodes in a second network validate the transaction and add the second part of a hash of a summary file to their blocks.
  • a first part of a hash of a summary file has been added to a block and to a first public distributed ledger (1903).
  • a second part of a hash of a summary file has been added to a block and to a second public distributed ledger (1904).
  • a partial hash of an electronic record, event data, a document, or user credentials may be written to two or more public or private distributed ledgers.
  • data may be written to two or more distributed ledgers at certain point in time or on certain days as opposed to immediately.
  • a first distributed ledger may be public, and a second distributed ledger may be private or vice versa.
  • a partial hash of a summary file of an electronic record of a process may be added to a block on two or more distributed ledgers by a system or component that is not part of Systems 1200 or 1300.
  • Component 1313 may send the instruction to add a partial hash of a summary file of an electronic record of a process to a block on two or more distributed ledgers to one, two or more dedicated distributed ledger systems rather than adding the partial hash of a summary file of an electronic record of a process to the blocks of a first and second distributed ledger directly.
  • Block Diagram 2400 comprising a flow to write a hash of a first partial summary file to a first public distributed ledger and a hash of a second partial summary file to a second public distributed ledger in reference to Systems 1200 and 1300 each comprising a distributed ledger and Network 1900.
  • the flow shown in Block Diagram 2400 comprises of twelve steps and begins with step 2401 in which a process completes so that no further event data or documents are going to be added to the electronic record of the process.
  • Component 1304 creates and saves a summary file of the electronic record and associates the summary file to the electronic record itself.
  • Component 1304 then splits the summary file into two parts, creates a hash for each part and associates both hashes with the electronic record and the original summary file.
  • Component 1304 sends both hashes to Component 1314 and Component 1212 for storage.
  • Component 1304 notifies Component 1313 that a first and a second hash for two parts of a summary file of an electronic record are available to be added to two or more public distributed ledgers.
  • step 2405 Component 1313 requests that a first hash of a first part of a summary file be added to a first public distributed ledger (1903) and in step 2406 Component 1313 requests that a second hash of a second part of a summary file be added to a second public distributed ledger (1904).
  • step 2407 Component 1313 adds a first hash of a first part of a summary file to a block and broadcasts the transaction to a first network of nodes participating in a first public distributed ledger (1903).
  • step 2408 Component 1313 adds a second hash of a second part of a summary file to a block and broadcasts the transaction to a second network of nodes participating in a second public distributed ledger (1904).
  • step 2409 the nodes in a first network validate the transaction and add the first hash to their blocks.
  • step 2410 the nodes in a second network validate the transaction and add the second hash to their blocks.
  • step 2411 a first hash of a first part of a summary file has been added to a first block and to a first public distributed ledger (1903).
  • step 2412 a second hash of a second part of a summary file has been added to a block and to a second public distributed ledger (1904).
  • a hash of a partial electronic record, partial event data, a partial document, or partial user credentials may be written to two or more public or private distributed ledgers.
  • Block Diagram 2400 data may be written to two or more distributed ledgers at certain point in time or on certain days as opposed to immediately.
  • a first distributed ledger may be public, and a second distributed ledger may be private or vice versa.
  • a hash of a partial summary file of an electronic record of a process may be added to a block on two or more distributed ledgers by a system or component that is not part of Systems 1200 or 1300.
  • Component 1313 may send the instruction to add a hash of a partial summary file of an electronic record of a process to a block on two or more distributed ledgers to one, two or more dedicated distributed ledger systems rather than adding the hash of a partial summary file of an electronic record of a process to the blocks of a first and second distributed ledger directly.

Abstract

L'invention concerne des systèmes et des procédés de gestion de chaîne d'approvisionnement. Les systèmes et les procédés associés créent, partagent, mettent à jour et stockent des enregistrements électroniques contenant des données d'événements de chaîne d'approvisionnement ainsi que des documents de chaîne d'approvisionnement pertinents pour l'exécution de processus de chaîne d'approvisionnement. Le système et les procédés associés permettent également le stockage de données d'événement de chaîne d'approvisionnement, de documents de chaîne d'approvisionnement, d'enregistrements électroniques de processus de chaîne d'approvisionnement et de fichiers récapitulatifs d'enregistrements électroniques de processus de chaîne d'approvisionnement sur un ou au moins deux registres distribués.
PCT/US2020/044910 2019-08-07 2020-08-04 Systèmes de capture de données d'événements de chaîne d'approvisionnement WO2021026174A1 (fr)

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US11341451B2 (en) * 2018-10-10 2022-05-24 Questaweb Holdings Inc. Hierarchical blockchain architecture for global trade management
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