Method and apparatus for storage of data for tracking manufactured items
US10607181B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 16, 2013 |
| Grant date | Mar 31, 2020 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 23, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06Q30/018
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The invention provides a method for the generation and storage of data for manufactured items in a batch of manufactured items that reduces data storage requirements. The method may comprise the steps of: at a production line generating a unique identifier for each item, the unique identifier comprising production details and a counter value of an incremental counter; at a production line, associating each item with the corresponding unique identifier or an encrypted version of the unique identifier; reading at least some of the unique identifiers associated with items in the batch of the items to provide a list of read identifiers, wherein at least some counter values of the incremental counter are not in the list of read identifiers; generating a plurality of ranges of read identifiers, each range comprising a number of read identifiers having common production details and sequential counter values; and storing the plurality of ranges of read identifiers having common production details as a single data record in an electronic database, the single data record comprising the production details and an indication of each of the ranges of sequential counter values.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.