Voice Command Inventory Terminal for Fast Data Collection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current inventory systems are time-consuming and labor-intensive due to the need for manual keying in and verification of product counts, which hampers the speed and reliability of updating inventory data.
Innovation Solution
A portable terminal device that uses voice commands to input and verify product counts, leveraging voice recognition technology to streamline the data collection process, allowing users to store counts directly into the inventory system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual keying and verification methods are used to input product counts, then data accuracy can be ensured through verification, but the time required for inventory data collection increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical keying operations with voice recognition technology. The voice recognition system converts spoken numbers into digital data automatically, eliminating the need for manual keyboard input while maintaining data accuracy through voice-based verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs automatic verification of voice-input data by comparing it against expected formats and ranges. The voice recognition system itself validates the input without requiring separate manual verification steps, making the system self-sufficient in ensuring data accuracy.
2Ease of operation
If manual keying operations are performed to input product counts, then data can be entered into the system, but the operational complexity and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex manual keying operations with simple voice commands. Instead of requiring operators to physically press keys, navigate menus, and follow multiple input steps, the system simply captures and processes spoken numbers, dramatically simplifying the operational process.
3Productivity
If voice recognition technology is implemented for data input, then data collection speed increases, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The voice recognition system acts as an intermediary layer between the operator's speech and the inventory system's data processing. This intermediary automatically handles the complex tasks of voice processing, number recognition, and data validation, allowing the rest of the system to remain relatively simple while achieving high data collection speeds.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and portable terminal device for collecting data of product items. After the user has counted a number of product items belonging to same product identifier he/she stores the counted number of product items to the terminal device by a voice command. The updated inventory data is then stored to the inventory file of the inventory system using the portable terminal device immediately or afterwards. In addition or alternatively, another voice command is used in initiating the reader to read the product identifier. In addition or alternatively, still another voice command is used to transfer the number of identified products linked to the corresponding product identifiers between the terminal device and the inventory system file. This provides a fast and reliable way of collecting data of products in the inventory systems and also a fast and reliable way of updating information of inventory files in the inventory systems.