Point-of-use-toolkit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10114670-B2
Application number	US-201514731657-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2015
Priority date	Jun 5, 2015
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for implementation of back-end system for providing point-of-use toolkits. The apparatus may receive an assignment of work tasks assigned to a technician for manufacture of a tangible product. In response, the apparatus may compile a point-of-use toolkit including comprehensive information regarding the work tasks, and transmit the point-of-use toolkit to a front-end system associated with the technician. The apparatus may determine an occurrence of a delay associated with the schedule that impacts the assignment of the one or more work tasks, and transmit information associated with the delay to the manufacturing scheduling system. In response to receiving an update to the assignment of the tasks from the manufacturing scheduling system, the apparatus may compile an update of the point-of-use toolkit, and transmit the update of the point-of-use toolkit to the front-end system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for implementation of a back-end system for providing a point-of-use toolkit, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory storing executable instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the apparatus to implement at least:
a loading and synchronization system configured to:
receive an assignment of one or more work tasks of a work plan composed of a plurality of work tasks for manufacture of a tangible product, the one or more work tasks being assigned to a technician and received from a manufacturing scheduling system based on a schedule for performance of the plurality of work tasks; and in response to thereto,
compile a point-of-use toolkit including comprehensive information regarding the one or more work tasks, including the loading and synchronization system being configured to encode the point-of-use toolkit in a format that is viewable on any of a plurality of front-end systems having different operating systems; and
transmit the point-of-use toolkit to a front-end system of the plurality of front-end systems associated with the technician;

a device and compatibility system configured to:
associate the front-end system with a viewer of a plurality of viewers, the viewer or the point-of-use toolkit being developed according to an architecture that is operating system independent and thus configured for compatibility with any of the different operating systems; and

a schedule interruption system operatively coupled to the loading and synchronization system, and configured to:
determine an occurrence of a delay associated with the schedule after the initiation of the one or more work tasks by the technician, wherein the delay impacts the assignment of the one or more work tasks, and wherein in at least one instance the occurrence of the delay is determined independent of user-input and based on information automatically retrieved from one or more of the manufacturing scheduling system, a manufacturing instructions library, a parts distribution database, or a tools distribution database; and
transmit information associated with the delay to the manufacturing scheduling system that in at least one instance causes the manufacturing scheduling system to update the assignment of the one or more tasks during execution of the one or more work tasks by the technician and based at least in part on the information associated with the delay,

wherein the loading and synchronization system is configured to receive the update to the assignment of the one or more tasks, and in response thereto, (i) compile a corresponding update of the point-of-use toolkit, and (ii) transmit the update of the point-of-use toolkit to the front-end system in real-time during the execution of the one or more work tasks by the technician.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the schedule interruption system being configured to determine the occurrence of the delay includes being configured to determine the occurrence of the delay based on at least one of (i) user input received from the technician via the front-end system, or from another technician via another front-end system, or (ii) information automatically retrieved from one or more of the manufacturing scheduling system, a manufacturing instructions library, a parts distribution database, or a tools distribution database.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the loading and synchronization system being configured to transmit the update of the point-of-use toolkit includes being configured to cause the front-end system to alert the technician upon receipt of the updated point-of-use toolkit by the front-end system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the loading and synchronization system being configured to compile the point-of-use toolkit includes being configured to:
determine a role associated with the technician based at least in part on data retrieved from an application role database including technician roles' and certification data; and
compile the point-of-use toolkit based on the role associated with the technician, the toolkit in different instances including different comprehensive information regarding the one or more tasks for different technicians associated with different roles.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the loading and synchronization system being configured to compile the point-of-use toolkit includes being configured to:
retrieve manufacturing instructions from a manufacturing instructions library, the manufacturing instructions including information that describe one or more activities of the one or more work tasks; and
compile the point-of-use toolkit, the comprehensive information of which includes the manufacturing instructions.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory stores further executable instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the apparatus to further implement a security system configured to:
determine a location of the front-end system; and
restrict access to the point-of-use toolkit and the update thereof, via the front-end system, in an instance in which the location of the front-end system is outside a perimeter of an authorized work area associated with the one or more work tasks.

7. A method for providing a point-of-use toolkit, the method comprising:
receiving an assignment of one or more work tasks of a work plan composed of a plurality of work tasks for manufacture of a tangible product, the one or more work tasks being assigned to a technician and received from a manufacturing scheduling system based on a schedule for performance of the plurality of work tasks; and in response to thereto,
compiling a point-of-use toolkit including comprehensive information regarding the one or more work tasks, including encoding the point-of-use toolkit in a format that is viewable on any of a plurality of front-end systems having different operating systems; and
transmitting the point-of-use toolkit to a front-end system of the plurality of front-end systems associated with the technician;

associating the front-end system with a viewer of a plurality of viewers, the viewer or the point-of-use toolkit being developed according to an architecture that is operating system independent and thus configured for compatibility with any of the different operating systems;
determining an occurrence of a delay associated with the schedule after the initiation of the one or more work tasks by the technician, wherein the delay impacts the assignment of the one or more work tasks, and wherein in at least one instance the occurrence of the delay is determined independent of user-input and based on information automatically retrieved from one or more of the manufacturing scheduling system, a manufacturing instructions library, a parts distribution database, or a tools distribution database;
transmitting information associated with the delay to the manufacturing scheduling system that in at least one instance causes the manufacturing scheduling system to update the assignment of the one or more tasks during execution of the one or more work tasks by the technician and based at least in part on the information associated with the delay;
receiving the update to the assignment of the one or more tasks, and in response thereto, (i) compiling a corresponding update of the point-of-use toolkit, and (ii) transmitting the update of the point-of-use toolkit to the front-end system in real-time during the execution of the one or more work tasks by the technician.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining the occurrence of the delay includes determining the occurrence of the delay based on at least one of (i) user input received from the technician via the front-end system, or from another techn

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Glatfelter John William
• Laughlin Brian Dale
• Mccarthy Brian A

Classifications

• G06F9/4881

  Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues · CPC title

• G06F9/4812 Primary

  by interrupt, e.g. masked · CPC title

• G06Q10/06311 Primary

  Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group · CPC title