Stockpile management method

Abstract

To provide a stockpile management method which is advantageous for both local governments and stockpile product sales companies.SOLUTION: A method of managing stockpiles stored by a local government is provided, the method involving causing a control unit of a server terminal to check a stockpile expiration date of a stockpile item and, when the current date passes the stockpile expiration date, update status information on stockpiling of the stockpile item and send a status change message to a company terminal and a local government terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to a method for managing stocked goods for local governments.

Background Art

[0002] In preparation for emergencies such as natural disasters, local governments are required to stockpile a large quantity of expensive stocked goods based on disaster damage assumptions. Therefore, not only do they need to secure storage locations for the stocked goods, but they also need to manage the inventory of the stocked goods, consider the effective utilization of stocked goods approaching their expiration dates, and dispose of stocked goods that have expired at a cost.

[0003] As an example of a method for managing the stocking date, a technique for notifying the replacement time with an alarm based on the expiration date or the use-by date of a disaster prevention kit is cited in Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 mainly focuses on notifying the replacement time of a disaster prevention kit, and no consideration is given to the compatibility between the commercial value of stocked goods and the value of stockpiling them. On the other hand, as the needs of companies manufacturing or selling stocked goods, local governments currently purchase stocked goods in large quantities all at once, and actually want to purchase them regularly. As the needs of local governments, as described above, there is also a need to be liberated from the labor of disposing of stocked goods and effectively utilize the stocked goods.

[0006] Therefore, in view of the above problems and needs, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for managing stocked goods that is beneficial to both local governments and companies providing stocked goods.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] A method for managing stored items stocked by a local government according to an aspect of the present invention, wherein a control unit of a server terminal checks a storage deadline of the stored items and updates status information regarding the storage of the stored items when the current date has passed the storage deadline.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for managing stored items that is beneficial to both the local government and the company providing the stored items.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below do not unduly limit the content of the present invention described in the claims. Also, not all of the components shown in the embodiments are essential components of the present invention.

[0011] <Configuration> FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram showing a spare parts management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This system 1 performs management of spare parts provided (manufactured and / or sold) by, for example, one or more corporate terminals, a server terminal 100 that manages spare parts, a corporate terminal 200 of a company that manufactures or sells spare parts, and a local government terminal 300 that purchases and stores spare parts. For convenience of explanation, each terminal is described as a single or a specific number, but the number of each is not limited.

[0012] The server terminal 100, the corporate terminal 200, and the local government terminal 300 are each connected via a network NW1. The network NW is composed of the Internet, an intranet, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the like.

[0013] The server terminal 100 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing.

[0014] The corporate terminal 200 and the local government terminal 300 are information processing devices such as personal computers and tablet terminals, for example, but may also be composed of smartphones, mobile phones, PDAs, or the like.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a functional block configuration diagram of the server terminal 100 in FIG. 1. The server terminal 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

[0016] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for communicating with the user terminal 200 via the network NW1, and communication is performed according to a communication protocol such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol), for example.

[0017] The storage unit 120 stores various control processes, programs for executing each function in the control unit 130, input data, etc., and is composed of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. Further, the storage unit 120 has a corporate data storage unit 121 that stores various data related to enterprises that manufacture and / or sell stocked goods, and a local government data storage unit 122 that stores various data related to local governments that purchase and stock stocked goods from enterprises. Note that a database (not shown) storing various data may be constructed outside the storage unit 120 or the server terminal 100.

[0018] The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the server terminal 100 by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 120, and is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. As functions of the control unit 130, it has an information reception unit 131 that receives instructions and information from each terminal, and an information processing unit 132 that refers to and processes various data related to the above-mentioned enterprise and the above-mentioned local government. This information reception unit 131, user information processing unit 132, and script information processing unit 133 are activated by the programs stored in the storage unit 120 and executed by the server terminal 100 which is a computer (electronic computer).

[0019] The information reception unit 131 receives information from the enterprise terminal 200, the local government terminal 300, etc. via the communication unit 110. For example, it receives information related to stocked goods from the enterprise terminal 200.

[0020] The information processing unit 132 refers to various data related to the enterprise terminal 200 and the local government terminal 300 (for example, enterprise data 1000, local government data 2000, etc. described later) and performs predetermined processing.

[0021] In addition, the control unit 130 may also have a screen generation unit (not shown), and generate screen information to be displayed via the user interfaces of the enterprise terminal 200 and the local government terminal 300 as required. For example, using the images and text data (not shown) stored in the storage unit 120 as materials, various images and texts are arranged in a predetermined area of the user interface based on a predetermined layout rule, thereby generating the user interface. The processing related to the image generation unit can also be executed by a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

[0022] FIG. 3 is a functional block configuration diagram showing the enterprise terminal 200 of FIG. 1. The enterprise terminal 200 includes a communication unit 210, a display operation unit 220, a storage unit 230, and a control unit 240.

[0023] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface for communicating with the server terminal 100 via the network NW, and communication is performed according to a communication protocol such as TCP / IP.

[0024] The display operation unit 220 is a user interface used for the enterprise user to input instructions and display texts, images, etc. according to the input data from the control unit 240. When the user terminal 200 is composed of a personal computer, it is composed of a display, a keyboard, and a mouse. When the enterprise terminal 200 is composed of a smartphone or a tablet terminal, it is composed of a touch panel, etc. This display operation unit 220 is activated by a control program stored in the storage unit 230 and executed by the enterprise terminal 200 which is a computer (electronic computer).

[0025] The storage unit 230 stores programs for executing various control processes and each function in the control unit 240, input data, etc., and is composed of a RAM, a ROM, etc. In addition, the storage unit 230 temporarily stores the communication content with the server terminal 100.

[0026] The control unit 240 controls the overall operation of the enterprise terminal 200 by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 230, and is composed of a CPU, a GPU, and the like.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of enterprise data stored in the server terminal 100.

[0028] The enterprise data 1000 shown in FIG. 4 stores various data related to enterprises that manufacture and / or sell stocked goods. In FIG. 4, for convenience of explanation, an example of one enterprise (for example, the enterprise identified by the enterprise ID "10001" corresponding to the enterprise related to the enterprise terminal 200) is shown, but information of a plurality of enterprises can be stored. Various data related to the enterprise can include, for example, basic data related to the enterprise (such as enterprise name, address, contact information (email address, phone number), etc.), stocked goods data managed by the enterprise (such as stocked goods ID, product name, quantity, manufacturing date, storage (shelf life (consumption)) expiration date, selling price, storage location, etc.), and local government information provided by the enterprise for stocked goods (such as local government ID, local government name, stocked goods ID, quantity, storage location, status information), but is not limited thereto.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of local government data stored in the server terminal 100.

[0030] The local government data 2000 shown in FIG. 5 stores various data related to local governments that purchase and store stocked goods from enterprises. In FIG. 5, for convenience of explanation, an example of one local government (for example, the local government identified by the local government ID "20001" corresponding to the local government related to the local government terminal 300) is shown, but information of a plurality of local governments can be stored. Various data related to the local government can include, for example, basic data related to the local government (such as local government name, address, contact information (email address, phone number), etc.), and stocked goods data stored by the local government (such as stocked goods ID, product name, quantity, storage location, status information, etc.), but is not limited thereto.

[0031] FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an example of data management of the stocked goods described in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 6(a), the stocked goods (in this example, product "A") can be managed in association with the status information of either "sale", "stockpiling", or "disposal" for each of a plurality of periods (period 1: one year from the manufacturing cost, period 2: from 2 years to 9 years from the manufacturing date, period 3: 10 years and later from the manufacturing date) that constitute the period from the manufacturing date (in this example, April 2024) to the expiration date (in this example, April 2034). Also, the storage location and / or quantity of the stocked goods can be set at the start and end of each period. In this example, since the stockpiling period of the stocked goods is the same as the expiration date, the stocked goods will be disposed of in the period after the stockpiling period.

[0033] Also, as shown in Fig. 6(b), the stocked goods (in this example, product "A") can be managed in association with the status information of either "sale", "stockpiling", or "resale" for each of a plurality of periods (period 1: one year from the manufacturing cost, period 2: from 2 years to 5 years from the manufacturing date, period 3: 5 years and later from the manufacturing date) that constitute the period from the manufacturing date (in this example, April 2024) to the expiration date (in this example, April 2034). Also, the storage location and / or quantity of the stocked goods can be set at the start and end of each period. In this example, since the stockpiling period of the stocked goods is before the expiration date, the stocked goods will be sold (resold) by the company in the period after the stockpiling period.

[0034] <Process flow> With reference to FIG. 7, the processing flow of the method for managing stocked items executed by the system 1 of the present embodiment will be described. It is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing related to the method for managing stocked items according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As a premise, the server terminal 100 receives information about a company that manufactures and / or sells stocked items (for example, company name, address, contact information (email address, telephone number), etc.) and information about a local government that purchases and stocks the stocked items from the company from each of the company terminal 200 and the local government terminal 300 (for example, local government name, address, contact information (email address, telephone number), etc.).

[0035] First, as the processing of step SQ101, the information reception unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 receives information about stocked items from the company terminal 200 of a company that manufactures and / or sells stocked items via the communication unit 110 and accepts the registration of stocked items. Examples of the information about stocked items include, for example, stocked item ID, product name, quantity, manufacturing date, shelf (consumption) life, selling price, storage location, etc. As the processing of step SQ102, the information processing unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 stores the received information about stocked items as company data 1000 in the company data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120. When the registration of stocked items is executed, the stocked items that have been registered are sold to the local government.

[0036] The sale of emergency supplies can be carried out for local government terminals 300 via the emergency supply sales platform provided by the server terminal 100 or directly from the enterprise terminal 200, or can be carried out offline for local governments directly from the operator operating the server terminal 100 or the enterprise terminal 200. At this time, regarding the selling price of the emergency supplies sold by the enterprise, the server terminal 100 or the enterprise terminal 200 can refer to the emergency supply selling price table (not shown) stored in the server terminal 100 or the enterprise terminal 200. At this time, the local government can also purchase the emergency supplies at a price lower than the list price, expecting to return the emergency supplies to the enterprise after a certain period of time, or can conclude a contract with the enterprise at a low subscription fee and regularly replace the emergency supplies according to the storage period of the emergency supplies. For example, in a contract where the local government purchases "1-year supply of 150,000 emergency food tickets" from the operator every year, the original cost of purchasing 150,000 emergency food items at 100 yen per item is 15 million yen, but it could be a contract to purchase at 750,000 yen per year, or the local government could apply a scheme where it purchases the emergency food at 5% of the store price and pays a separate fee (the remaining 14.25 million yen) when the emergency food is actually used. Subsequently, as the process of step SQ103, the information receiving unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 receives a purchase request for emergency supplies from the local government terminal 300 via the communication unit 110. When the purchase request is received, a predetermined purchase process is executed, and the purchase of emergency supplies by the local government is completed.

[0037] When the reserved items are sold to the local government, as the process of step SQ104, the information processing unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 updates the corporate data 1000 in the corporate data storage unit 121 and the local government data 2000 in the local government data storage unit 122 of the storage unit 120, respectively. Specifically, it stores the local government data (local government ID, local government name, reserved item ID, quantity, storage location, status) as the destination of the reserved items managed by the corporate data 1000 and the reserved item data (local government ID, local government name, reserved item ID, quantity, storage location, status) received from the company managed by the local government data 2000, and updates the status information from "sale" to "reservation" together with the information on the quantity and storage location of the reserved items. At this time, the storage location can be a facility managed by the local government, or it can be a facility managed by the company on the condition that it is a place where the local government can immediately access the reserved items in the event of an emergency, assuming that the reserved items will be resold later.

[0038] When a local government stores reserve goods for a certain period, as the process of step SQ105, the information processing unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 refers to the reserve goods data of the stored enterprise data 1000 or local government data 2000 and refers to the expiration date of the reserve goods. As the expiration date of the reserve, if it is set to a date and time before the expiration (consumption) date (for example, six months before the expiration (consumption) date), the expiration (consumption) date or that date and time is referred to. When the preset date and time before the expiration (consumption) date of the reserve goods (for example, six months before the expiration (consumption) date) has not arrived, the local government continues to store the reserve goods. When the preset date and time before the expiration (consumption) date (for example, six months before the expiration (consumption) date) has arrived, the local government returns the reserve goods to the enterprise that sells the reserve goods. At that time, the information processing unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 updates the enterprise data 1000 in the enterprise data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120 and the local government data 2000 in the local government data storage unit 122 respectively. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6(b), together with the information on the quantity and storage location of the reserve goods, the status information is updated from "reserve" to "resale". Regarding the storage location, when the reserve goods are stored in a facility (such as a warehouse) managed by the enterprise, the reserve goods can be stored as they are without any particular update. As the process of step SQ107, the information processing unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 can send information to the enterprise terminal 200 and the local government terminal 300 indicating that the status has been updated (switched). Thereby, an enterprise that manufactures and / or sells reserve goods can sell the reserve goods stored by the enterprise to other operators. At this time, similar to the above, it can be implemented for the local government terminal 300 via the reserve goods sales platform provided by the server terminal 100 or directly from the enterprise terminal 200, or it can be implemented offline for the local government directly from the operator or enterprise terminal 200 that operates the server terminal 100. At this time, regarding the selling price of the reserve goods sold by the enterprise, the server terminal 100 or the enterprise terminal 200 can refer to the selling price table of the reserve goods stored in the server terminal 100 or the enterprise terminal 200 (not shown).When reselling, the company can set the selling price according to the time remaining until the expiration date (consumption date), and in particular, by referring to a price table set according to the remaining period until the expiration date (consumption date), it can also sell to a third party at a lower price compared to the price at the time of selling to the local government.

[0039] As described above, according to this embodiment, on the premise that the local government returns the stocked goods to the company when the stocking period of the stocked goods (the date and time a certain period before the expiration date (consumption date)) arrives, the local government can purchase the stocked goods at a low price through a subscription or the like, and is liberated from the burden of disposal that has been forced conventionally. The company can obtain profits that have not been obtained conventionally by reselling the stocked goods returned by the local government.

[0040] As described above, the embodiments according to the invention have been described, but these can be implemented in various other forms, and can be implemented with various omissions, substitutions, and changes. These embodiments, modifications, and omissions, substitutions, and changes are included in the technical scope of the claims and the equivalent scope thereof. For example, in this embodiment, the enterprise terminal 200 can directly manage the enterprise data 1000 and the local government data 2000 managed by the server terminal 100, and manage the transaction of stocked goods between the enterprise and one or more local governments with the enterprise terminal 200 alone without passing through the server terminal 100. Also, the destination of providing the stocked goods is not limited to the local government, and this embodiment can also be applied by replacing it with an enterprise or an individual.

Explanation of Reference Signs

[0041] 1 System 100 Server Terminal, 110 Communication Unit, 120 Storage Unit, 130 Control Unit, 200 Enterprise Terminal, 300 Local Government Terminal, NW1 Network

Claims

1. A method for managing stored items stocked by a local government, wherein a control unit of a server terminal checks the expiration date of the stored items, and updates status information regarding the storage of the stored items when the current date has passed the expiration date.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the expiration date is a date prior to the expiration of edibility.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the expiration date is a date prior to the expiration date for consumption.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the status information is any one of sale, storage, and disposal of the stored items.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit of the server terminal updates information regarding the storage location of the stored items in accordance with the update of the status information.

Images