US6163732A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System, method and computer program products for determining compliance of chemical products to government regulations
Assignee: Eastman Chemical Co
•
Filing: 1997-12-11
•
Granted: 2000-12-19
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Expires: 2017-12-11
Abstract
Abstract Systems, methods and computer program products determine compliance of a chemical product to be manufactured to government regulations that govern the manufactured product. According to the invention, the chemical compositions that are present in the chemical product to be manufactured are ascertained. The chemical compositions so ascertained are compared to a stored set of government regulatory standards related to the chemical compositions to determine compliance. Accordingly, compliance with complex government regulations governing chemical products can be determined.
Inventors
- 👤 Frederick David Petke
- 👤 D. Russell Hickman
- 👤 William D. Graham, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 18:38
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q99/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 62
Claim 1
Independent Claim
70 words
A method of determining compliance of a chemical product to be manufactured to government regulations that govern the manufactured product, the method comprising the following steps that are performed in a data processing system: ascertaining which chemical compositions are present in the chemical product to be manufactured; and comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained to a stored set of government regulatory standards relating to the chemical compositions to determine compliance.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
70 words
A method of determining compliance of a chemical product to be manufactured to government regulations that govern the manufactured product, the method comprising the following steps that are performed in a data processing system: ascertaining which chemical compositions are present in the chemical product to be manufactured; and comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained to a stored set of government regulatory standards relating to the chemical compositions to determine compliance.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the ascertaining step comprises the steps of: obtaining a bill of materials comprising the chemical components of the chemical product to be manufactured; and deriving from the bill of materials the chemical compositions present in the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 2 wherein the deriving step comprises the steps of: identifying a manufacturing bill of materials that is associated with the chemical product; and creating a regulatory bill of materials from the manufacturing bill of materials.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method according to claim 2: wherein the obtaining step is preceded by the step of obtaining a customer order for a chemical product; and wherein the obtaining step comprises the step of obtaining a bill of materials for the chemical product corresponding to the customer order.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
83 words
A method according to claim 2: wherein the following step is performed between the obtaining step and the deriving step: adding impurities to the bill of materials to represent impurities that are present in the chemical product in addition to the chemical compositions of the manufactured chemical product; and wherein the deriving step comprises the step of deriving from the bill of materials, including the added impurities, the chemical compositions present in the manufactured chemical product including the chemical compositions of the impurities.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 2 wherein the following step is performed after the deriving step: adding impurities to the derived chemical composition to account for impurities that are present in the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
61 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the comparing step comprises the steps of: comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained to a stored set of government regulatory standards governing the manufacturing location for the manufactured chemical product; and comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained to a stored set of government regulatory standards governing the destination location for the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
70 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the ascertaining step comprises the steps of: obtaining a bill of materials comprising the chemical components of the chemical product to be manufactured; for each component, assigning a component class to which the component belongs, the component classes selected from the group consisting of bases, additives, reactants and monomers; and determining the chemical compositions from the components and the component classes so assigned.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the comparing step is followed by the step of: proposing modifications to noncomplying chemical products so that the chemical product to be manufactured becomes complying.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
69 words
A method according to claim 1: wherein the ascertaining step comprises the step of ascertaining which chemical compositions are present in the chemical product including chemical compositions of impurities that are present in the chemical product; and wherein the comparing step comprises the step of comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained including the chemical compositions of the impurities, to a stored set of government regulatory standards to determine compliance.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the ascertaining step is performed in response to receipt of a customer order for the chemical product.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
72 words
A method according to claim 1: wherein the ascertaining step is performed to ascertain which chemical compositions are present in a plurality of chemical products that can be manufactured in a chemical plant; and wherein the ascertaining step further comprises the step of: in response to a customer order for a chemical product selected from the plurality of chemical products, retrieving the chemical composition that was ascertained for the selected chemical product.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
60 words
A method of deriving chemical compositions that are present in a chemical product to be manufactured, comprising the following steps that are performed in a data processing system: obtaining a bill of materials comprising the chemical components of the chemical product to be manufactured; and deriving from the bill of materials the chemical compositions present in the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
60 words
A method of deriving chemical compositions that are present in a chemical product to be manufactured, comprising the following steps that are performed in a data processing system: obtaining a bill of materials comprising the chemical components of the chemical product to be manufactured; and deriving from the bill of materials the chemical compositions present in the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 13 wherein the obtaining and deriving steps are performed in response to receipt of a customer order for the chemical product.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
75 words
A method according to claim 13: wherein the obtaining and deriving steps are performed to ascertain which chemical compositions are present in a plurality of chemical products that can be manufactured in a chemical plant; and wherein the deriving step is followed by the step of: in response to a customer order for a chemical product selected from the plurality of chemical products, retrieving the chemical composition that was ascertained for the selected chemical product.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 13 wherein the deriving step comprises the steps of: identifying a manufacturing bill of materials that is associated with the chemical product; and creating a regulatory bill of materials from the manufacturing bill of materials.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method according to claim 13: wherein the obtaining step is preceded by the step of obtaining a customer order for a chemical product; and wherein the obtaining step comprises the step of obtaining a bill of materials for the chemical product corresponding to the customer order.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
83 words
A method according to claim 13 wherein the obtaining step comprises the steps of: determining a bill of materials comprising the chemical components of the chemical product to be manufactured; for each component in the bill of materials, assigning a component class to which the component belongs, the component classes selected from the group consisting of bases, additives, reactants and monomers; and wherein the deriving step comprises the step of determining the chemical compositions from the components and the component classes so assigned.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method according to claim 18 wherein the step of determining the chemical compositions from the components and the chemical classes so assigned comprises the step of: if all the components have a component class of reactants, determining the chemical composition as the products of a reaction of all the components.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
56 words
A method according to claim 18 wherein the step of determining the chemical compositions from the components and the chemical classes so assigned comprises the step of: if at least one of the components has a component class of monomers, determining at least one polymer that is obtained from polymerization of the at least one monomer.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
58 words
A method according to claim 18 wherein the step of determining the chemical compositions from the components and the chemical classes so assigned comprises the step of: if none of the components have a component class of reactants or monomers, calculating amounts of chemical compositions in a mixture by summing all the components that appear more than once.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
83 words
A method according to claim 13: wherein the following step is performed between the obtaining step and the deriving step: adding impurities to the bill of materials to represent impurities that are present in the chemical product in addition to the chemical compositions of the manufactured chemical product; and wherein the deriving step comprises the step of deriving from the bill of materials, including the added impurities, the chemical compositions present in the manufactured chemical product including the chemical compositions of the impurities.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 13 wherein the following step is performed after the deriving step: adding impurities to the derived chemical composition to account for impurities that are present in the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 13 wherein the deriving step comprises the step of ignoring chemical components that are less than a predetermined percentage of the chemical product to be manufactured.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
77 words
A method of determining compliance of chemical compositions of a chemical product to government regulations that govern use or shipment of chemicals, comprising the following steps that are performed in a data processing system: comparing the chemical compositions to a stored set of government regulatory standards governing the manufacturing location for the manufactured chemical product; and comparing the chemical compositions to a stored set of government regulatory standards governing the destination location for the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
77 words
A method of determining compliance of chemical compositions of a chemical product to government regulations that govern use or shipment of chemicals, comprising the following steps that are performed in a data processing system: comparing the chemical compositions to a stored set of government regulatory standards governing the manufacturing location for the manufactured chemical product; and comparing the chemical compositions to a stored set of government regulatory standards governing the destination location for the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 25 wherein the comparing steps are followed by the step of: proposing modifications to noncomplying chemical products so that the chemical product to be manufactured becomes complying.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method according to claim 26 wherein the step of proposing modifications comprises the step of: using an expert system to propose substitution of a noncomplying chemical composition with a complying chemical composition.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
55 words
A method according to claim 25: wherein the chemical compositions include chemical compositions of impurities that are present in the chemical product; and wherein each of the comparing steps comprises the step of comparing the chemical compositions including the chemical compositions of the impurities, to a stored set of government regulatory standards to determine compliance.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
63 words
A method according to claim 25 wherein each of the comparing steps comprises the step of comparing the chemical compositions to a stored set of government regulatory standards including at least one of toxic chemical standards, food and drug standards, banned chemical standards, ozone depleting chemical standards, chemical warfare agent standards, drug precursor standards, research and development use standards, and volume limit standards.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
62 words
A method according to claim 25 wherein the step of comparing the chemical compositions to a stored set of government regulatory standards governing the manufacturing location for the manufactured chemical product comprises the step of: if the manufacturing location and the destination location are in different countries, comparing the chemical compositions to a stored set of export restrictions for the manufacturing location.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 30 wherein the step of comparing the chemical compositions to a stored set of export restrictions for the manufacturing location is followed by the step of: automatically notifying a governmental authority of the proposed export.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method according to claim 25 further comprising the step of: comparing the chemical compositions to a stored set of contractual agreements of the manufacturer that limit sales or use of the chemical compositions.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to claim 25 further comprising the step of: comparing the chemical compositions to a stored set of shipment compatibility constraints on the chemical compositions.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
67 words
A data processing system for determining compliance of a chemical product to be manufactured to government regulations that govern the manufactured product, the data processing system comprising: means for ascertaining which chemical compositions are present in the chemical product to be manufactured; and means for comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained to a stored set of government regulatory standards relating to the chemical compositions to determine compliance.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
67 words
A data processing system for determining compliance of a chemical product to be manufactured to government regulations that govern the manufactured product, the data processing system comprising: means for ascertaining which chemical compositions are present in the chemical product to be manufactured; and means for comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained to a stored set of government regulatory standards relating to the chemical compositions to determine compliance.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
47 words
A system according to claim 34 wherein the ascertaining means comprises: means for obtaining a bill of materials comprising the chemical components of the chemical product to be manufactured; and means for deriving from the bill of materials the chemical compositions present in the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
41 words
A system according to claim 35 wherein the deriving means comprises: means for identifying a manufacturing bill of materials that is associated with the chemical product; and means for creating a regulatory bill of materials from the manufacturing bill of materials.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
20 words
A system according to claim 35: wherein the obtaining means is responsive to a customer order for a chemical product.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
72 words
A system according to claim 35 further comprising: means for adding impurities to the bill of materials to represent impurities that are present in the chemical product in addition to the chemical compositions of the manufactured chemical product; and wherein the deriving means comprises means for deriving from the bill of materials, including the added impurities, the chemical compositions present in the manufactured chemical product including the chemical compositions of the impurities.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system according to claim 35 further comprising: means for adding impurities to the derived chemical composition to account for impurities that are present in the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
62 words
A system according to claim 34 wherein the comparing means comprises: means for comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained to a stored set of government regulatory standards governing the manufacturing location for the manufactured chemical product; and means for comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained to a stored set of government regulatory standards governing the destination location for the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
70 words
A system according to claim 34 wherein the ascertaining means comprises: means for obtaining a bill of materials comprising the chemical components of the chemical product to be manufactured; means for assigning a component class to which each component belongs, the component classes selected from the group consisting of bases, additives, reactants and monomers; and means for determining the chemical compositions from the components and the component classes so assigned.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
26 words
A system according to claim 34 further comprising: means for proposing modifications to noncomplying chemical products so that the chemical product to be manufactured becomes complying.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
67 words
A system according to claim 34: wherein the ascertaining means comprises means for ascertaining which chemical compositions are present in the chemical product including chemical compositions of impurities that are present in the chemical product; and wherein the comparing means comprises means for comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained including the chemical compositions of the impurities, to a stored set of government regulatory standards to determine compliance.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
22 words
A system according to claim 34 wherein the ascertaining means is responsive to receipt of a customer order for the chemical product.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
71 words
A system according to claim 34: wherein the ascertaining means comprises means for ascertaining which chemical compositions are present in a plurality of chemical products that can be manufactured in a chemical plant; and wherein the ascertaining means further comprises: means for retrieving the chemical composition that was ascertained for the selected chemical product in response to a customer order for a chemical product selected from the plurality of chemical products.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
92 words
A computer program product for determining compliance of a chemical product to be manufactured to government regulations that govern the manufactured product, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code means embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program code means comprising: computer-readable program code means for ascertaining which chemical compositions are present in the chemical product to be manufactured; and computer-readable program code means for comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained to a stored set of government regulatory standards relating to the chemical compositions to determine compliance.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
92 words
A computer program product for determining compliance of a chemical product to be manufactured to government regulations that govern the manufactured product, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code means embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program code means comprising: computer-readable program code means for ascertaining which chemical compositions are present in the chemical product to be manufactured; and computer-readable program code means for comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained to a stored set of government regulatory standards relating to the chemical compositions to determine compliance.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
55 words
A computer program product according to claim 46 wherein the ascertaining means comprises: computer-readable program code means for obtaining a bill of materials comprising the chemical components of the chemical product to be manufactured; and computer-readable program code means for deriving from the bill of materials the chemical compositions present in the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
49 words
A computer program product according to claim 47 wherein the deriving means comprises: computer-readable program code means for identifying a manufacturing bill of materials that is associated with the chemical product; and computer-readable program code means for creating a regulatory bill of materials from the manufacturing bill of materials.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
22 words
A computer program product according to claim 47: wherein the obtaining means is responsive to a customer order for a chemical product.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
80 words
A computer program product according to claim 47 further comprising: computer-readable program code means for adding impurities to the bill of materials to represent impurities that are present in the chemical product in addition to the chemical compositions of the manufactured chemical product; and wherein the deriving means comprises computer-readable program code means for deriving from the bill of materials, including the added impurities, the chemical compositions present in the manufactured chemical product including the chemical compositions of the impurities.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
34 words
A computer program product according to claim 47 further comprising: computer-readable program code means for adding impurities to the derived chemical composition to account for impurities that are present in the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
70 words
A computer program product according to claim 46 wherein the comparing means comprises: computer-readable program code means for comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained to a stored set of government regulatory standards governing the manufacturing location for the manufactured chemical product; and computer-readable program code means for comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained to a stored set of government regulatory standards governing the destination location for the manufactured chemical product.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
81 words
A computer program product according to claim 46 wherein the ascertaining means comprises: computer-readable program code means for obtaining a bill of materials comprising the chemical components of the chemical product to be manufactured; computer-readable program code means for assigning a component class to which each component belongs, the component classes selected from the group consisting of bases, additives, reactants and monomers; and computer-readable program code means for determining the chemical compositions from the components and the component classes so assigned.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
31 words
A computer program product according to claim 46 further comprising: computer-readable program code means for proposing modifications to noncomplying chemical products so that the chemical product to be manufactured becomes complying.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
75 words
A computer program product according to claim 46: wherein the ascertaining means comprises computer-readable program code means for ascertaining which chemical compositions are present in the chemical product including chemical compositions of impurities that are present in the chemical product; and wherein the comparing means comprises computer-readable program code means for comparing the chemical compositions so ascertained including the chemical compositions of the impurities, to a stored set of government regulatory standards to determine compliance.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
24 words
A computer program product according to claim 46 wherein the ascertaining means is responsive to receipt of a customer order for the chemical product.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
79 words
A computer program product according to claim 46: wherein the ascertaining means comprises computer-readable program code means for ascertaining which chemical compositions are present in a plurality of chemical products that can be manufactured in a chemical plant; and wherein the ascertaining means further comprises: computer-readable program code means for retrieving the chemical composition that was ascertained for the selected chemical product in response to a customer order for a chemical product selected from the plurality of chemical products.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US5664112A
Cited
US5726884A
Cited
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