Warehouse Inventory Tracking via Virtual Storage Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current inventory management systems in warehouses cannot effectively track and record inventory during operations, leading to reconciliation issues and profit losses, especially for third-party logistics agencies.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that determine warehouse inventory by establishing a corresponding relationship between virtual storage spaces and containers, acquiring item quantities within these containers, and combining them with physical storage space inventories to provide a comprehensive and accurate inventory count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the current inventory management system only tracks physical warehouse spaces, then the system structure remains simple, but the inventory data during operations cannot be tracked and positioned
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the warehouse inventory into two distinct parts: physical warehouse space inventory and virtual warehouse space inventory (containers during operations). This segmentation allows the system to track both types of inventory separately while maintaining a clear structural organization, thus resolving the contradiction between tracking completeness and system simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested structure where virtual warehouse spaces (containers) are nested within the overall inventory management system, and containers themselves can be nested (pallets containing circulation boxes). This nesting approach enables comprehensive tracking of inventory during operations while maintaining a hierarchical system structure that remains manageable.
2Reliability
If the warehouse inventory only includes physical storage spaces, then the inventory management is straightforward, but reconciliation problems occur and profit losses happen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the management of physical warehouse spaces and virtual warehouse spaces (containers during operations) into a unified inventory management system. This combination ensures that all inventory, whether in storage or in transit, is tracked together, eliminating reconciliation problems between book inventory and actual inventory while maintaining manageable complexity through integrated processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal inventory management approach that handles both physical storage and operational containers through the same system framework. The system can manage different types of containers (pallets, circulation boxes) and different states (inbound, outbound, transferring) using unified data structures and processing logic, improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system does not establish nested binding relationship between warehouse spaces, pallets and circulation boxes, then the system structure remains simple, but operations in accordance with container levels cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested binding relationship where warehouse spaces can contain multiple pallets, and each pallet can contain multiple circulation boxes. This nested structure enables the system to track and manage inventory at different container levels (warehouse space → pallet → circulation box) simultaneously, providing the required adaptability for container-level operations while organizing complexity in a hierarchical manner.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a dimensional aspect to inventory tracking by incorporating container hierarchy levels (warehouse space, pallet, circulation box) as an additional dimension. This allows operations to be performed and tracked at multiple levels of the container hierarchy, enhancing versatility without fundamentally changing the core system structure,而是 by adding organizational dimensions.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a method and device for determining a warehouse inventory, which relate to the technical field of computers. One implementation mode of the method comprises: determining, based on a corresponding relationship between virtual storage spaces and containers in a warehouse, the containers located in the virtual storage spaces; acquiring, in accordance with a corresponding relationship between containers, items, and item quantities, the item quantities of the items located in the containers, thereby obtaining a total quantity of the items in the virtual storage spaces; and acquiring the quantities of the items located in physical storage spaces in the warehouse, and updating a total inventory in the warehouse by combining the quantities of the items located in the physical storage spaces with the total quantity of the items in the virtual storage spaces. The implementation mode, with support for physical storage space management, manages a binding relationship between containers on various levels and the virtual storage spaces, which facilitates counting of an inventory during operations; and by unification of counting dimensions in the warehouse, forms a transparent and comprehensive presentation of the state of the warehouse inventory, which increases convenience for recording items and counting item quantities.