GR1009020B - Intra-corporate planning system destined to supply information on products via barcode incorporated to a cellular phone - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a system providing central repository for all information which are common to the different aspects of an intra-corporate planning aiming at the improvement of the data flow in the whole organization of the enterprise. The software which is commonly used by enterprises for the management of their activities comprises the following operations: management of the supply chain and distribution process, database of the knowledge services, formation of prices, improvement of the economic data accuracy, optimization of the planning of works, automation of the life cycle of the working staff, standardization of the crucial business processes, reduction of the useless works, evaluation of the needs of the enterprise, economical and accounting applications, reduction of the purchase cost, human resources and salaries management. The most common modules of the intra-corporate planning comprise applications relating to the design of products, the purchase of materials, the control of recording, the distribution, the accounting, the marketing, the financing and the human resources.

Description

DESCRIPTION

In-house design system for providing information of a product by reading a barcode embedded in a mobile phone.

The program will automatically print, from data it receives from the production line or from the company's database, a barcode. The original code number 1 digit, the product barcode 13 digits, the production date 8 digits, the expiration date 8 digits and the duration of the product in days or months, for example 3 digits, the batch number etc. and finally, the digital control of the new barcode. The purpose of this application is to utilize the technology of the internal planning system for the more effective service of companies that manage products with an expiration date, raw materials with an expiration date, as well as the more efficient management of the costing process and reserves, etc.. The development and use of a mobile for in-house planning system for barcodes, which automatically updates the enterprise database with data to be extracted from barcodes, such as expiration date, duration, lot number, etc.

The user through their mobile phone will use the barcode scanning application and send a file (with .csv extension) to the business via wireless network or email, from which the business database will be actively updated. This file will contain data that will be given via a simple eg 39 digit barcode. The system will be able to read both barcodes. The new 39 digits with the data we give it, which will also include the existing one that ensures the uniqueness of the product and the second barcode, which will be supported by a new system and with the "reader" of the barcode of each company, it will consist of the data that will express the existing barcode, the expiration date, the duration, the production date of a product, the batch number, etc. This new barcode will be a very useful tool for any company that wants to track either products or raw materials materials or goods.

-  With regard to the level of the prior art and its evaluation, the technology and logic of barcodes is already known. The innovative thing in the development of this application is that the system users of the system will refer to two barcodes anymore. The existing one with the data we give it (and it is the well-known barcode that all products have and the second - new barcode, which will be supported by the existing system of the enterprise (which means that it does not require a large implementation cost). Using the " reader" (reader) of the barcode of each company, as well as the application of the intra-company planning system via mobile phone, the base of the company will be automatically updated with the data that will express the existing barcode, the expiry date, the duration, the production date of a product, the batch number, etc. In other words, existing information will be used more effectively, which until now was entered manually or not at all. And this by using the data that already exists and is automatically updated without cost and time and man hours. In short, the respective software or accounting package or operational production program of each company has it is already very useful information, which the company can use to its advantage more effectively.

- Regarding the advantages of the above invention, executives and employees can have real-time access to information, regardless of where they are. It is expected that enterprises will embrace the application of the enterprise planning system via mobile phone for reports, dashboards with visualization of active data, etc. and in order to conduct key business decisions and/or in main production processes.

An initiative in the development of such an application combined with the adoption of a corresponding one that will adopt mobile technology will always be done with the creation of a strategy that will cope with the needs of each business. If the company has a strong strategy and wants to refer to it, such a system is going to help the whole company in the implementation of the strategy.

An application that gives the possibility to have the information immediately, offering companies the opportunity to plan industrial production, the supply of raw materials, product offers, raw materials, reserves, etc. with greater flexibility. An application that will cope according to the needs of planning production, exports or the supply of raw materials or goods, imports etc. or even distribution logistics or finally financial conclusions as a tool for financial managers or for the production manager, sellers , as a result of which the financial goals per product, the financial circumstances, etc. take on another dimension.

Usability: The most efficient use of information and also the criticality of the user interface without human errors and delays.

This mobile app will be much easier to use than the existing business process. It will also solve many important problems related to the approval of data access and the company's mobile strategy. Also users, both customers and sellers of the company are familiar with applications on their computers and mobiles, so the expectation with mobile applications is something familiar and at the same time innovative. If a mobile interface is good, sales representatives can improve their interactions with customers, while the company's image will be correspondingly impressive. The enterprise through the adoption of this specialized application can develop innovative strategies and consider the development of customized applications, according to the needs of each production line of the enterprise. Developing this mobile app with an integrated sales app will be a very important tool for any business. With its ability to perform tasks such as inventory or instant - active information about stocks up to the signing of contracts via e-mail. Thus, it will be an essential tool for any business. It also helps in HACCP because it can be adopted in the raw materials used by each company so that it knows when and what quantities expire, what it has in stock, etc.

- Ensures advantages such as:

1.  FLEXIBILITY

The above application updates the existing infrastructure of the business because it is compatible with most accounting packages and all databases. Also, the development of the entire production package is ensured through the application of the in-house planning system via mobile phone, as well as the provision of new versions of the software either with a fixed subscription per year or with the costing of the upgrade.

2. LOW COST

It has very low development and support costs and this is because the system will be able to use the already existing information system of each company, which will adopt it and take data from the company's database with a simple sql or excel file which will have the ability to feed back the application for the accounting package, warehouse, sales, etc. with continuous data updates and will print with a barcode printer which will be read by the existing barcode readers installed in the businesses, but also from mobile phones, as well as mobile devices that will update the base of the business.

3. IDEAL FOR ONLINE SALES (E-COMMERCE)

Through the barcode, the online customer will be able to be informed about the product details directly by simply reading the numbers.

Through the application of technology of the inter-enterprise planning system through a mobile phone that you will actively connect with the database, warehouse, points of sale, etc., as well as through the development of a mobile phone connected via the Internet and with the database and also with the accounting package of each company, the business will be informed but most importantly the management of the business in order to make decisions, for all the above information automatically by simply reading a barcode during the supply of the product or the raw material of the goods etc... An updated database of the company with the above elements of the raw materials of the goods, etc. (usually they are all compatible with SQL, in which case the program will also be able to be in the sql programming language), is a powerful tool for the Administration. And this is because, by taking advantage of the unlimited information management possibilities that are given to us, we can extract any information from any database, even the most modern accounting packages, with the ability to adapt it to any criteria we wish. Ideal for use in the management of the results of use (International Accounting Standards) and this because at any time and immediately it is possible to draw any data in print or on the user's computer screen with a clear image of both the products and the raw materials available the company as well as its customers in reserves of products or raw materials (whose needs are required to be covered at any time) by serial number of the barcode, by expiration date, by batch etc. or simply by duration, i.e. by product or by production cost etc.

- Application features are defined in the Claims. The innovation will include the mobile in-house design system that will read via infrared from the user's mobile phone or from a mobile barcode device, a barcode that will provide additional information about the product.

Also, in businesses in order for sellers to use it for online updating of the company's base regarding customer stocks, which expire, which have been sold and what is left or is in the warehouse through the "reader" of the barcode. This is how we plan more efficiently the industrial production, the offers we are going to make on our products, the supply of raw materials, etc. In more detail:

From column A (which already reads with the barcode and the data it contains which is usually a description of the product and the characteristics that make it unique) and respectively, when standardizing the product it will create a new barcode taking from the base or the production line and the next two columns production date, expiration date, the system will produce and print, (depending on the duration of the product) its duration in days or months, which the system will automatically calculate based on the algorithm that we will also integrate the data that we will give, such as the batch number, etc., data that already exists during the company's production, but until today there is no possibility to automatically update the database with this data.

This information will be printed as the expiry date of a product is now printed, i.e. on its production line, but in barcode format in order to automatically update the database of each company and not have to do it by entering relevant data manually.

By providing a complete and detailed active image per product duration and per batch where, the system will have the ability to automatically count how many records are on the shelf of each customer, i.e. per barcode, which translates into information that already exists per product, in the database of each business, according to its sales and supplies. It also allows direct and immediate access to all the characteristics of any raw material that has not been used in production or products that have not been sold off the shelf or warehouse respectively both in our own company and the customers of the company. This gives a very good and immediate picture of the company's production line helping us to plan production both long and short term but also for the supply of goods in a commercial enterprise and in planning sales by choosing to sell the lots immediately with the most immediate expiry. In short, the system will offer at any time by expiration date, by duration and by product, e.g. by production cost, etc. whatever information is requested, counting respectively the records, the products, the raw materials, the goods, etc. Thus, the company is immediately able to know all this information immediately and with the simple push of a button. Without inventories, etc. The business is able to know which products expire today, tomorrow, next month, both in the business and at the points of sale of the goods of our products and to plan the production accordingly or the offer policy for each product (something which is now done manually and is time consuming). Also, the LOT i.e. the lot number and the date of production will lead to an immediate identification of the product on the shelf, facilitating the process of withdrawing defective lots, but by simply informing the base the product will not pass through the checkout or the points of sale of the products, as defective.

Production line workers can use it as can salespeople as well. Functionality: There are significant differences in the functionality of the various devices. PCs and laptops have more processing power than mobile devices and are almost always connected to the Internet. However, users should expect a reduction in processing power and functionality when using a "smart" mobile phone or tablet. We are not going to do heavy data mining on a disk of the user's mobile but directly updating the OS server.

In particular: Through the intra-business planning system via mobile phone, which will be directly and actively connected (on line) to the database, the warehouse, the points of sale, etc. via mobile phone and to the accounting package of each company (usually they are all compatible with SQL ) taking advantage of the unlimited information management possibilities given to us, we can extract any information from any database, even the most modern accounting packages, with the ability to adapt it to any criteria we wish

For example, to have a complete detailed online image per product duration and per batch where the system will have the ability to automatically count how many records are on each customer's shelf, i.e. per barcode, as well as per expiry date and importantly per batch, online which translates into information that already exists per product, in our business database according to our sales. We can also update the company's database online and using the technology of a simple android mobile phone, ensuring both the speed of information download and the reduction of costs. We can ask, and this is very important, to give at any time (on line), by expiration date, by duration and by product, for example by production cost, etc., anything we can ask for by counting respectively the registrations, the products, etc. So, for example, it will not allowed to sell product if it is expired or withdrawn or not declared in the warehouse of the company, while we will know which products are expiring today tomorrow next month both in our company and in the sales points and plan our production accordingly or the bidding policy for our product.

Example:

A FILE IN CSV FORMAT (see also Drawings)

The barcode is 13 digits and is as follows: GYM000011096, format code 39, i.e. it could include 39 numbers and letters. The file we receive also has the unique registration number, as well as the date and time the image was taken. It can be downloaded via WIFI wireless network and then in an EXCEL format file, which will include all the above information, with the possibility of saving in any format compatible with the data of the respective company, with the consequent possibility of corresponding processing. By scanning, the data can be updated in SQL format with the possibility of adding data from the database, eg prices, etc., as well as with the possibility of automatically searching the Internet for on-line information about the product.

Claims (1)

1. The in-house planning system for providing information of a product by reading a bar code (barcode) is integrated into a mobile phone (1), which automatically updates the business database with data to be extracted from barcodes, such as expiration date, duration, lot number etc. The barcode, according to claim 1, is characterized in that it includes the original code number with 1 digit, the product barcode with 13 digits, the production date with 8 digits, the expiration date with 8 digits and the duration of the product in days or in months, for example with 3 digits, the batch number, etc. and finally, the digital control of the new barcode.