US5579231A — Management system for manufacture

Claim 1

Independent Claim 312 words

An equipment production management system for use in the assembly of part units from a plurality of mutually different types of elementary parts and for selectively combining a plurality of types of the part units to form equipment as a final product of a production process, said system comprising: first means for producing a construction sequence of at least one of the parts units and for outputting construction information including said construction sequence; second means for producing the at least one of the parts units by assembling a variety of the elementary parts in accordance with said construction information; third means for storing the part units in a storage; fourth means for producing the equipment by assembling necessary part units selected from said storage in accordance with said construction information output from said first means; fifth means for shipping completed equipment; an information inputting and outputting terminal; a central control unit for managing at least a part of said first, second, third, fourth and fifth means in a unified manner and coupled to said information inputting and outputting terminal for inputting into and outputting from the central control unit terminal information, said central control unit including a customer base order data file, a design data file, a design know-how data file storing know-how data enabling production of an optimum system design with respect to said customer base order data file, an equipment installation design unit and an arithmetic processing unit, said equipment installation design unit including data file producing means for producing an equipment installation data file corresponding to an order received from a customer based on said customer base order data file, said design data file and said design know-how data file; and transfer means for transferring necessary information about said equipment installation data file to said first, second, third, fourth and fifth means to automatically perform at least one operation.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 312 words

An equipment production management system for use in the assembly of part units from a plurality of mutually different types of elementary parts and for selectively combining a plurality of types of the part units to form equipment as a final product of a production process, said system comprising: first means for producing a construction sequence of at least one of the parts units and for outputting construction information including said construction sequence; second means for producing the at least one of the parts units by assembling a variety of the elementary parts in accordance with said construction information; third means for storing the part units in a storage; fourth means for producing the equipment by assembling necessary part units selected from said storage in accordance with said construction information output from said first means; fifth means for shipping completed equipment; an information inputting and outputting terminal; a central control unit for managing at least a part of said first, second, third, fourth and fifth means in a unified manner and coupled to said information inputting and outputting terminal for inputting into and outputting from the central control unit terminal information, said central control unit including a customer base order data file, a design data file, a design know-how data file storing know-how data enabling production of an optimum system design with respect to said customer base order data file, an equipment installation design unit and an arithmetic processing unit, said equipment installation design unit including data file producing means for producing an equipment installation data file corresponding to an order received from a customer based on said customer base order data file, said design data file and said design know-how data file; and transfer means for transferring necessary information about said equipment installation data file to said first, second, third, fourth and fifth means to automatically perform at least one operation.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 20 words

The system according to claim 1, wherein said system further comprises sixth means for designing an arrangement of said equipment.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 21 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said part unit is an electronic circuit printed board.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 21 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the equipment is communication equipment or a part thereof.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 33 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said part of the communication equipment is a unit, a shelf or a frame to be employed in the communication equipment.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 102 words

The system according to claim 1, wherein said central control unit further includes a design modification data file and design modification information management means for responding to occurrence of modification of said design data file by storing modified information in said design modification data file, and said design modification information management means producing a basic modification information data file for storing basic modification information data associated with at least one of the part units or the equipment corresponding to the modification to enable said equipment installation design unit to check design content utilizing said data stored in said design modification data file.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 77 words

The system according to claim 1, wherein said central control unit further comprises: means for storing a design data file and a serial number information data file; and design modification information management means for responding to modification of said design data file by storing modified information in said serial number information data file, to thereby enable said equipment installation design unit to check design content utilizing serial number data stored in said serial number information data file.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 30 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said serial number information data file stores the modification information previously generated and currently modified design modification information.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 77 words

The system according to claim 1, wherein an area in which at least one of said first to fifth means, used in said equipment production management system, is located in a remote region apart from said central control unit at a predetermined distance, and wherein the at least one of said first to fifth means located in said remote region apart from said central control unit is connected to said central control unit through a communications line.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 43 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said central control unit is provided with a history information management means and includes at least information relating to production history, design modification history or shipping history for the produced equipment.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 189 words

The system according to claim 1, wherein said central control unit outputs control information, and wherein said equipment production management system further comprises equipment production line controlling means for controlling production of the equipment; said equipment production line controlling means including at least production history storing means for storing production history data information of the equipment, design modification storing means for storing design modification data information, serial number storing means for storing serial number information data, reception/delivery storing means for storing reception/delivery information data of elementary parts, the part units made from said elementary parts of the equipment, installation storing means for storing customer-base equipment installation information data, and manufacturing storing means for storing manufacturing management information data, each of said production history, design modification, serial number, reception/delivery, installation and manufacturing storing means being connected to said central control unit, said equipment production line controlling means controlling production of the equipment utilizing at least one piece of desired information stored in any one of said production history, design modification, serial number, reception/delivery, installation and manufacturing storing means in response to the control information output from said central control unit.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 119 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising equipment production line controlling means, including a design modification data file for storing modification data and a design serial number information data file for storing serial number information, for issuing a command to perform said at least one operation by said first to fifth means in said production process based on said design modification data file, said design serial number information data file and said equipment installation data file and to collect production history information associated with some or all of the part units or the equipment to generate a production history data file, said production history data file being transferred to said central control unit.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 73 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 12, wherein said equipment production line controlling means compares the content of said production history data file with the contents of said design modification data file and said design serial number information data file to determine whether the produced part unit or said equipment is adapted to the design modification or serial number, and thus determines whether the equipment is available for shipment.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 149 words

The system according to claim 1, wherein said equipment installation design unit of said central control unit further includes means for storing an equipment arranging data file, layout design means for selecting a standard layout from said design know-how data file for determining a layout arrangement associated with at least one of the part unit or the equipment corresponding to the order of the customer, and for outputting layout position data adapted to a condition corresponding to the order of the customer with a correction input operation by an operator, and logic assignment means for assigning number, installation position and arrangement position of respective part units and equipment for respective layout position data output from said layout design means by applying a predetermined logical assignment condition taking a wire connecting condition into account, and for storing the number, installation position and arrangement position in said equipment arranging data file.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 94 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 14, wherein said equipment installation design unit of said central control unit includes equipment mounting design means for selection of at least one of the elementary parts and the part units, calculation of a mounting amount or determining the mounting condition, performing a check and generating an equipment installation data file, and using an arrangement and mounting model of the at least one of the part units and the equipment from said design know-how information data file based on said equipment arrangement data file.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 79 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 15, wherein said equipment installation design unit of said central control unit further includes construction drawing design means for producing construction wiring drawings based on calculation of a cable length corresponding to cable connection information and connection position information and for producing a construction drawing estimate data file using basic data of cable design registered in said design know-how information data file based on said equipment arrangement data file.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 48 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said design data file in said central control unit includes at least one of a floor layout data file, an equipment arrangement data file, an equipment installation data file and a construction drawing estimate data file.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 82 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said central control unit further includes a production section, and serial number information management means for registering a new serial number in a serial number file when a serial number of at least one of the part units used in producing the equipment is changed, and for feeding the new serial number back to said production section to change the at least one operation pertaining to the new serial number.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 82 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said central control unit includes a shipping product controlling section, and serial number information management means for registering a new serial number in a serial number file when a serial number of at least one of the part units used in producing the equipment is changed, and for feeding the new serial number back to said shipping product controlling section to decide whether shipment of the equipment should be continued.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 187 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said central control unit includes at least one of a production section and a shipping product controlling section, and serial number information management means for registering a new serial number in a serial number file when a previous serial number of at least one of the part units used in producing the equipment is changed to indicate a new part unit, for comparing the new serial number and the previous serial number corresponding to the new serial number to make a decision whether the new part unit having the new serial number adversely affects the equipment to be produced or already produced and stored and, if the new part unit having the new serial number adversely affects the equipment, for feeding back revision information including the new serial number and the previous serial number corresponding to the new serial number to one of said production section and said shipping product controlling section to make a decision to change the at least one operation with the new serial number or to stop shipment of the equipment.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 56 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 20, the information about the change of the serial number of the part unit in said production section in the factory or said shipping product controlling section is registered in a shipped product's history information data file to keep them for future usage in said system.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 151 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising shipped product history information means for storing history information on shipped products, and wherein said central control unit includes serial number information management means for registering, when a previous serial number of at least one of the part units used in producing the equipment is changed, a new serial number in a serial number file and said shipped product history information means to indicate a new part unit, for comparing the new serial number and the previous serial number corresponding to the new serial number utilizing history information stored in said shipped product history information means to make a decision whether the new part unit having the new serial number adversely affects the equipment already shipped to the customer and if necessary indicating a modification operation to be carried out on the equipment already shipped to the customer.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 48 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said design data file in said central control unit includes at least one of a floor layout data file, an equipment arrangement data file, an equipment installation data file and a construction drawing estimate data file.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 81 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said central control unit includes a production section, and serial number information management means for registering a new serial number in a serial number file when a serial number of at least one of the part units used in producing the equipment is changed, and for feeding the new serial number back to said production section to change the at least one operation pertaining to the new serial number.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 82 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said central control unit includes a shipping product controlling section, and serial number information management means for registering a new serial number in a serial number file when a serial number of at least one of the part units used in producing the equipment is changed, and for feeding the new serial number back to said shipping product controlling section to decide whether shipment of the equipment should be continued.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 187 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said central control unit includes at least one of a production section and a shipping product controlling section, and serial number information management means for registering a new werial number in a serial number file when a previous serial number of at least one of the part units used in producing the equipment is changed to indicate a new part unit, for comparing the new serial number and the previous serial number corresponding to the new serial number to make a decision whether the new part unit having the new serial number adversely affects the equipment to be produced or already produced and stored and, if the new part unit having the new serial number adversely affects the equipment, for feeding back revision information including the new serial number and the previous serial number corresponding to the new part unit to one of said production section and said shipping product controlling section to make a decision to change the at least one operation with the new serial number or to stop shipment of the equipment.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 151 words

An equipment production management system as set forth in claim 2, further comprising shipped product history information means for storing history information on shipped products, and wherein said central control unit includes serial number information management means for registering, when a previous serial number of at least one of the part units used in producing the equipment is changed, a new serial number in a serial number file and said shipped product history information means to indicate a new part unit, for comparing the new serial number and the previous serial number corresponding to the new serial number utilizing history information stored in said shipped product history information means to make a decision whether the new part unit having the new serial number adversely affects the equipment already shipped to the customer and if necessary indicating a modification operation to be carried out on the equipment already shipped to the customer.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1999-11-26	2000-05-27	2000-11-26	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2003-11-26	2004-05-27	2004-11-26	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2007-11-26	2008-05-27	2008-11-26	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Management system for manufacture

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