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US 6,748,286 B1Granted
Method and apparatus for process-controlled and client-specific production of an item
OwnerChristoph Löschinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for manufacturing an item in a series of sequential manufacturing steps, the method including the steps of conducting the series of sequential manufacturing steps according to instructions included in a manufacturer's data record, prior to conducting one of the sequential manufacturing steps determining whether a customer data record exists, and if the customer data record exists, automatically replacing, supplementing and/or modifying the instructions included in the manufacturer's data record with instructions included in the customer data record, and then completing the series of sequential manufacturing steps to produce the item so that it includes a characteristic specified by the customer in the customer data record.
Claims20
A method for manufacturing a consumer item by a plurality of manufacturing steps comprising:
- providing a manufacturer's process data record, said manufacturer's process data record including instructions to control a plurality of sequential and continuous manufacturing processes such that a manufactured item includes a plurality of manufacturer specified characteristics;
- conducting a plurality of sequential and continuous manufacturing processes in accordance with said instructions to produce said manufactured item so that said manufactured item includes said plurality of manufacturer specified characteristics;
- prior to at least one of said sequential manufacturing processes determining whether a customer data record exists, said customer data record including instructions to replace, supplement and/or modify the instructions included in said manufacturer's process data record so that said manufactured item includes at least one characteristic specified by a customer;
- if said customer data record exists, automatically replacing, supplementing and/or modifying the instructions included in said manufacturer's process data record in accordance with the instructions included in said customer data record and then completing said plurality of sequential and continuous manufacturing processes to thereby produce said manufactured item so that said manufactured item includes said at least one characteristic specified by a customer;
- if said customer data record exists, changing certain data fields in the process data record that are provided for insertion of the customer data record if the safety of the manufacturing process is endangered;
- if said customer data record exists checking the content of the customer data record and blocking customer data record which does not conform with the manufacturer's product philosophy;
- if said customer data record exists, monitoring the customer data record by automated queries;
- if said customer data record does not exist, completing said plurality of sequential and continuous manufacturing processes only in accordance with said instructions included in said manufacturer's process data record to thereby produce said manufactured item so that it only includes said plurality of manufacturer specified characteristics.
5 more elements
A manufacturer's data unit comprising:
- a manufacturer's data bank for storing a manufacturer's process data record, said manufacturer's data record including instructions to control a plurality of sequential and continuous manufacturing processes such that a manufactured item includes a plurality of manufacturer specified characteristics;
- means for automatically determining whether a customer data record exists, said customer data record including instructions to replace, supplement and/or modify the instructions included in said manufacturer's process data record so that said manufactured item includes at least one characteristic specified by a customer;
- wherein if said customer data record exists, automatically replacing, supplementing and/or modifying the instructions included in said manufacturers process data record in accordance with the instructions included in said customer data record and then completing said plurality of sequential and continuous manufacturing processes to thereby produce said manufactured item so that said manufactured item includes said at least one characteristic specified by a customer;
- wherein if said customer data record exists changing certain data fields in the process data record that are provided for insertion of the customer data record if the safety of the manufacturing process is endangered;
- wherein if said customer data record exists checking the content of the customer data record and blocking customer data record which does not conform with the manufacturer's product philosophy;
- and
- wherein if said customer data record exists, monitoring the customer data record by automated queries;
- and
- wherein if said customer data record does not exist, completing said plurality of sequential and continuous manufacturing processes only in accordance with said instructions included in said manufacturer's process data record to thereby produce said manufactured item so that it only includes said plurality of manufacturer specified characteristics.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.