Reconfiguration of assets for reuse during manufacturing

US8010217B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Ivory Wellman Knipfer · Rochester, US
• Jason S. Lee · Oronoco, US
• Francis E. del Rosario · Rochester, US
• Antoine G. Sater · Houston, US
• Hao Xu · 梅厂镇, CN
• Hui Zhang · Beijing, CN

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 28, 2008
• Grant date: Aug 30, 2011
• Expiry date: Sep 12, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q30/0635
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method for reconfiguring a partially manufactured product for a canceled custom-built order during a manufacturing process includes canceling a custom-built order for a product that has been partially manufactured. The method also includes reading a configuration of the partially manufactured product for the custom-built order that has been canceled, and reading at least one order for a different manufactured product, wherein each order is associated with a target configuration. The method yet further includes reading a set of rules that match a given configuration with one of a set of target configurations and executing the set of rules upon the configuration of the partially manufactured product so as to match the configuration of the partially manufactured product with one of a target configuration of the at least one order. Finally, the method includes initiating re-configuration of the partially manufactured product to the target configuration with which it was matched to produce the different manufactured product corresponding to the at least one order in lieu of the custom-built order that had been canceled.