Control apparatus
OwnerSteven Lennard Pemberton, Christopher Nealinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for controlling a supply chain of a composite product by a user includes a storage device adapted to store composite product data including outlet data, primary supplier data, and secondary supplier data, a communication device for providing the storage device with outlet data, primary supplier data, and secondary supplier data and a control device for controlling the supply of composite products and product parts. The control device comprises a mechanism for instructing the primary suppliers and/or secondary suppliers to supply products and/or parts and a monitor mechanism for monitoring the stored composite product data and activating the instruction mechanism to enable efficient supply of products to the outlets.
Claims31
An apparatus for controlling a supply chain of a composite product by a user, the supply chain including one or more primary suppliers of the composite product and one or more secondary suppliers of parts for the composite product, the primary suppliers supplying the composite product to one or more outlets, the apparatus comprising:
- a storage means adapted to store composite product data comprising outlet data, primary supplier data, and secondary supplier data,
- a communication means for providing the storage means with outlet data, primary supplier data, and secondary supplier data, and
- a control means for controlling the supply of composite products and product parts, wherein the control means comprises means for instructing the primary suppliers and/or secondary suppliers to supply products and/or parts and monitor means for monitoring the stored composite product data and activating the instruction means to enable efficient supply of products to the outlets.
An apparatus for controlling a supply chain of suppliers, the supply chain supplying a composite product to one or more outlets, the apparatus comprising:
- a storage means adapted to store outlet data, primary supplier data, and secondary supplier data,
- communication means for providing the storage means with outlet data, primary supplier data, and secondary supplier data, and
- a control means for controlling the supply of composite products and product parts on the basis of the stored data, thereby providing an efficient supply of the composite products to the outlets.
An apparatus adapted to control the supply of a product from a supplier to an outlet, said product comprising one or more product parts supplied by product secondary suppliers, said apparatus comprising:
- a storage means adapted to store product data;
- a communication means for providing the storage means with product data from the outlet and suppliers;
- and
- a control means for controlling the supply of the products to preventing inefficient supply of products to the outlets.
A method of controlling a supply chain, the supply chain including one or more primary suppliers of the composite product and one or more secondary suppliers of parts for the composite product, the primary suppliers supplying the composite product to one or more outlets, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a storage means adapted to store composite product data comprising outlet data, primary supplier data, and secondary supplier data,
- providing a communication means for providing the storage means with outlet data, primary supplier data, and secondary supplier data, and
- providing a control means for controlling the supply of composite products and product parts, the control means comprising means for instructing the primary suppliers and/or secondary suppliers to supply products and/or parts and monitor means for monitoring the stored composite product data and activating the instruction means,
- wherein the method further comprises the step of the monitoring the stored data and instructing the suppliers to enable efficient supply of products to the outlets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.