Inventory early warning agent with correction by error correlation calculation

US7222786B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• SAP AG · DE

Inventors

• Alexander Renz · Heidelberg, DE
• Ye Chen · Sunnyvale, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 31, 2002
• Grant date: May 29, 2007
• Expiry date: Oct 21, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q10/087
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

An inventory agent operating on software includes instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to receive inventory data relating to stock in an inventory. The inventory data includes planned inventory data and actual inventory data. The instructions are operable to cause the programmable processor to use the inventory data to calculate one or more correlations in errors between the planned inventory data and the actual inventory data, use the one or more correlations in errors to estimate a probability density for one or more errors, calculate a predicted inventory level, calculate a likely error of the predicted inventory level using the estimate of the probability density, and adjust the predicted inventory level with the likely error to estimate a likely actual inventory level. The inventory agent may be implemented in a supply chain management system.