Product procurement with automated qualification
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsRobert M. Irwin, Kenneth Allen Hartsock
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A computer device comprises a logic system and a computer-memory system operatively coupled to the logic system. The computer-memory system holds instructions that, when executed by the logic system, cause the computer device to instantiate a node of a blockchain having verifiable provenance. The blockchain includes a requestor block configured to specify at least one requested feature of a requested product and an offerer block cryptographically linked to the requestor block. The offerer block includes data obtained by automated testing of an offered product, which reveals the level of compliance of the offered product with respect to the requested feature through product feature life cycle of validation, test, verification and acceptance.
Claims23
A computer device comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- operatively coupled to the processor, a computer-memory system holding instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause the computer device to instantiate a node of a blockchain having verifiable provenance, the blockchain including:
- a requestor block configured to specify at least one requested feature of a requested product based on a result of an automated test procedure conducted on an offered product corresponding to the requested product, the at least one requested feature including a design benchmark for the requested product;
- and
- an offerer block cryptographically linked to the requestor block, the offerer block including offerer data that reveals a level of compliance of the offered product with respect to the at least one requested feature, thereby establishing whether the design benchmark is satisfied in the offered product, the offerer data obtained by conducting the automated test procedure on the offered product.
A computer-implemented method to facilitate execution of a contract for procurement of a requested product, the method comprising:
- providing, via a network, requestor data that specifies a requested feature of the requested product based on a result of an automated test procedure conducted on an offered product corresponding to the requested product, the requested feature including a design benchmark for the requested product and including an acceptable tolerance range;
- extending access to the network to at least one offerer of the requested product, the access including a time-stamped, user-authenticated write permission;
- and
- receiving, via the network, offerer data that reveals a level of compliance of the offered product with respect to the requested feature, thereby establishing whether the design benchmark is satisfied in the offered product, the offerer data obtained by executing the automated test procedure on the offered product.
A computer-implemented method to facilitate execution of a contract for procurement of a requested product, the method comprising:
- publishing a requestor block on a blockchain extending initial access permission to offerers of the requested product, the requestor block being configured to specify at least one requested feature of the requested product based on a result of an automated test procedure conducted on an offered product corresponding to the requested product, the at least one requested feature including a design benchmark for the requested product;
- accessing the blockchain to receive a plurality of offerer blocks cryptographically linked to the requestor block, each of the plurality of offerer blocks published by an offerer of the requested product;
- providing continued access permission to the blockchain to an approved subset of the offerers of the requested product;
- and
- accessing the blockchain to receive a subsequent offerer block from at least one of the approved subset of the offerers of the requested product, the subsequent offerer block including offerer data obtained by conducting the automated test procedure on the offered product and revealing a level of compliance of the offered product with respect to the at least one requested feature of the requested product, thereby establishing whether the design benchmark is satisfied in the offered product.
A computer-implemented method to facilitate execution of a contract for procurement of a requested product, the method comprising:
- joining a network that supports a blockchain having at least one requestor block, wherein the at least one requestor block includes requestor data that specifies at least one requested feature of the requested product based on a result of an automated test procedure conducted on an offered product corresponding to the requested product, the at least one requested feature including a design benchmark for the requested product;
- accessing the at least one requestor block to receive the requestor data;
- and
- adding to the blockchain at least one offerer block cryptographically linked to each of the at least one requestor block, wherein the at least one offerer block includes offerer data obtained by conducting the automated test procedure on the offered product and revealing a level of compliance of the offered product with respect to the at least one requested feature, thereby establishing whether the design benchmark is satisfied in the offered product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.